Flowers from Universe: Textiles of Java

Java's original textile art is the perfect medium for telling stories of ancient Javanese culture.

Flowers from Universe: Textiles of Java is based, first and foremost, on the memories and associations of Alit Djajasoebrata. Ajajasoebrata grew up in a close-knit West Javanese family and frequently came into contact with batik, mostly in the form of the highly prized batikked hipcloths. Her female relatives used these hipcloths to indirectly express their personal attitudes about their surroundings and distinguish themselves from other women. Djajasoebrata learned to associate batik patterns and their colors with specific social occasions and individual moods and became fascinated by how women spoke about them. The association of certain textiles with the history, mythology, and music in Java's culture proved to be natural and self-evident.

As a Curator Indonesia in the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, which because of its unique history, is rich in textiles from Java, Djajasoebrata found the opportunity to scientifically research and develop these impressions from her youth.