Motifs motive.

Abstract

Textiles play a very important role in the “socio- religious scene of Southeast Asia” (Gittinger, 1989), and batik is one of the very significant and highly symbolic forms of textile. Traditional batik design represented blessing and protection unto its wearer. However over time, batik artist favoured artistic expression over traditional symbolic designs. Artists and designers all over the world, including Singapore, have used the concept of batik in their works. Batik started to lose its meaning in terms of the symbolic patterns and motifs. An example would be the batik prints on the kebaya worn by the cabin crew of Singapore Airlines. The 'Singapore Girl' and their kebaya is an iconic image of Singapore, yet it lacks any symbolism, like other modern batik designs. These beautiful textiles only possess aesthetics and decorative purposes. The symbolism of batik patterns and motifs were a crucial part of traditional batik design yet it has faded over time. There have been constant efforts to preserve the craft aspect of batik but not the symbolic design aspect of it. This project aims to adapt and abstract traditional batik motifs into a contemporary batik- inspired style with the hopes of bringing on a new appreciation and understanding towards the symbolism of batik patterns.