The transcultural identity of Batik in the relationship among craft, art and design

Abstract

The paper aims at illustrating a research carried out within the Design Department, Politecnico di Milano in the Design for Cultural Heritage field. The research studies the multicultural and transcultural elements of the Batik technique in the textile field and proposes a methodological tool in order to foster an intercultural communication and use. The paper will be divided into two parts. The first one about the role of the design discipline as a facilitator of innovation in transcultural processes. The second one about the methodology of the research. The method is focused on four steps: 1) the state of art of the transcultural routes of Batik (Netherland, Africa....) and cross-fertilization paths (from craftsmanship to industry, from art to design); 2) the collection of case studies where artists and designers re-interpret Batik; 3) the creation of a thematic tool: a critical, dynamic and digital archive with which curators, designers and artists can find data about Batik (in terms of patterns, techniques and so on) and can use it in order to trigger new concepts and transcultural contaminations; and 4) the creative workshop (with artists and designers) where verifying this tool that was used in order to develop experimental interpretations of Batik in different kinds of products.