Cirebon Motifs

So, last Wednesday and Thursday, I took my actual "planned absence" to accompany my mom visiting her hometown. On the first day, we've spent meeting my mom's aunt (the sister of my granny), who looks super-duper healthy at her 82 years of age 😎. I only sat in the living room and listened to them talk in a language I didn't understand (they were using Sundanese language). But, by listening to the intonation and digesting some words that sound more Indonesian, I bet they were talking about my grandma's health condition, and few things they used to live back then.

Then the next day, my mom asked me to visit Cirebon, a town located not far from the village where my mom used to live (it's about 45 or an hour drive, I think). Basically, Cirebon is one of the biggest cities that West Java has. It is located on the northern coast of Java, and of course, it's a historic city.You can google it to explore more anyway. It also stores many interesting things you can see or experience there. You name it, places or buildings with colonial architecture, foods, and cultural stuff, you'll find it.

And there was a thing that caught my attention to capture using my phone: batik. When it comes to batik, you can find many varieties or kinds about it. West Java has its motif, and so do Middle Java or East Java. Even other regions have their own batik. Actually, I know nothing about it. But I always love to see the craft they made. How they meticulously put small elements or scratches into a specific pattern, combined it with several colours and made a great visual. For me, each craft has its soul, and it differs from another. Some look calming, and some looks so vibrant. 

As someone who works in the advertising industry, seeing batik is like seeing a deck presentation of a big idea 😆. In batik, you can see small intertwined concepts that bind each other to form a massive interesting message to those who see it.