Yogyakarta, the ASEAN City of Culture, is hosting the seventh ASEAN Traditional Textile Symposium (ATTS) and Expo, a biennial event that aims to introduce traditional textiles from the regional grouping member states, which is set to run from Monday to Friday at the Royal Ambarrukmo Yogyakarta hotel.

Taking “Embracing Change, Honoring Tradition” as its theme, the five-day event ─ scheduled to be officially opened by First Lady Iriana on Tuesday ─ is organized by the Traditional Textile Society of Southeast Asia (TTASSEA) with the support of relevant stakeholders.

TTASSEA president Gusti Kanjeng Bendara Raden Ayu Adipati Pakualam previously said the event was aimed partly at improving people’s knowledge about ASEAN traditional textiles both in terms of motifs, materials and creation techniques.

That way, she said, more people were expected to recognize and love traditional textiles from the Southeast Asian region.

“ASEAN traditional textiles have gained recognition globally because people in the world love them and because Southeast Asian countries are also renowned for their strong handmade products,’ she said.

In addition to participants from Southeast Asian countries, a number of participants from other countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, India, South Korea, Russia, New Zealand, China and a number of European Union member states, are also expected to attend the biennial event.

“We are expecting more than 300 domestic and foreign participants at the symposium,” a spokesperson of the event, Gemma Gerarda Avilani, told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

A number of international speakers are set to present their research papers on traditional textiles during the symposium, she said.

Among the papers include Weaving in ASEAN: Shared Histories, Common Themes by Christopher Buckley of the University of Oxford, Safeguarding Indonesian Traditional Textiles by Jadin Jamaludin of Indonesia, and Talismanic Seeing, Figurative Imagery and Islam in the Batik of Java by James Bennett of Australia.

Other papers include Aesthetic Value of Double Ikat: Study Cases of Gringsing and Oshima-Tsumugi by Shigemi Sakakibara of Japan, Ancient Chinese Loom: Multiple Heddle Pattern Device by Long Bo of China and Preserving Papua Terfo Textiles in the Sarmi Region by I Wayan Rai of Indonesia.

Various supporting events, including textile-related competitions, have also been conducted prior to the event. There were 30 finalists in the photography competition and bag and accessories design competition as well as 10 finalists in the sarong and scarf design competition.

“The winners of each category are to be announced Monday,” Gemma said.

Twenty-six participants comprising small and medium enterprises have been selected to join the expo and to exhibit their textile products at the Pendopo Royal Ambarrukmo and the Pendopo Ndalem Ageng halls within the hotel compound, she said.

The expo is open to the public.

Other supporting events include a show titled “Fashion on the Street” presenting Indonesian designer Lia Mustafa, slated for Thursday. A series of field trips to a number of cultural sites and textile production centers and galleries have also been prepared for the symposium participants during their stay in Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta was named the ASEAN City of Culture for 2018-2020 during the eighth ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA) in October last year.

Courtesy: The Jakarta Post