SURABAYA (ISL News) - The Surabaya Maritime Batik motif is considered to be a typical Surabaya souvenir with a strong 'storynomic', or a creative economic product that closely elevates the narrative of local cultural values.
This belief emerged in the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the Development of Maritime Surabaya Batik Motifs held by PT Pelindo Marine Service or Pelindo Marine in Surabaya, Friday (8/11/2024). The Social and Environmental Responsibility (TJSL) program of the subsidiary of BUMN Pelindo is currently actively empowering batik artisans in the former Gang Dolly localization, Surabaya, to develop sustainable Micro and Small Enterprises (UMK) products.
The FGD invited various batik stakeholders in Surabaya. So it became an opportunity for batik artisans to have a direct dialogue with related agencies in the city government, lecturers and batik designers, graphic design associations, journalists, and business people from Pelindo itself. Farah Andita Ramdhani, Head of Tourism, Disbudporapar Pemkot Surabaya, in the discussion said that the Surabaya Maritime Batik Motif enriches the Surabaya city branding catalog.
"This will be a very interesting creative economy product. Because it sells a narrative about Surabaya as a maritime city in batik products. In the context of tourism, this is a form of storynomic or selling the city through narrative. That the city of Surabaya is not just a mall. Hopefully, more people will come to Surabaya," he explained.
In the discussion it was also revealed that Surabaya has no historical records of the roots of batik culture. So there is no particular rule in batik. So every time there is a Surabaya Batik design competition, there is never a pattern that always appears as a characteristic. Batik in Surabaya always appears with contemporary motifs, such as about the Wonorejo mangroves, the Pasar Turi Station rails, to the semanggi food seller.
Pengky, one of the first batik artisans to draw the Surabaya Maritime Batik Motif, said that he first explored the historical connection between Surabaya and maritime. Then the strongest story is about the Majapahit Kingdom (centered in Mojokerto, south of Surabaya) whose glory lies in the maritime sector.
"Uniquely, now for the Surabaya Maritime Batik Motif, because in Surabaya there is a modern Tanjung Perak Port. So the picture of the ship that appears is not a traditional ship. But a classic tugboat with a distinctive shape with rows of tires surrounding the keel of the ship. Then decorated with Semanggi leaves (Marsilea creanata) which are typical Surabaya pecel vegetables are also depicted with the shape of the leaves resembling a ship's propeller," he said.
Pengky added, if someone comes to Rumah Batik Putat Jaya (in the former Gang Dolly localization) to learn batik. Then they will be encouraged to be free to create. "We free them, don't be bound by conventions. We make our own batik history, so that Surabaya batik has a modern impression and will be freer (to be developed), such as the Surabaya Maritime Batik Motif," he added while presenting his batik cloth in the middle of the discussion.
On that occasion, Ardhy Wahyu Basuki, Pelindo Corporate Secretary, reminded while joking, “However, batik craftsmen as MSEs must also remember the UUD (the end result is money) or in other words, they must also maintain that their batik business is profitable. First, the product must be able to meet market tastes. Therefore, Pelindo has the Maritimepreneur Program and Gedor Ekspor to bring Indonesian MSEs up a class and be able to enter the global market. Second, the product also needs to have characteristics. Like Batik Surabaya Maritim which romanticizes the exoticism of the city's maritime side, while also being a maritime education for the community. Because Indonesia's maritime potential is very large," he said.
This was also confirmed by Fabio Ricardo Toreh, a designer and lecturer at Ciputra University Surabaya, according to him batik artists should not be trapped in past understandings. "To compete with cheap products, (because hand-drawn and stamped batik are relatively more expensive), we must offer products with storytelling and understand market research. So that the products are in accordance with their wishes. Very happy that there is an FGD facilitated by Pelindo Marine. We as fashion designers can immediately align visions with artisans, as well as with the government and corporations as supporting stakeholders. Hopefully it can be continued as an incubation, communication, and coordination forum, to jointly empower batik," he concluded, who had just returned from Nanchang, China, to accompany his students to receive the fashion design award, Runhua Award 2024.
(ISL News Editorial Team/Corcom Pelindo Marine/email:islnewstv@gmail.com).
