ROLE OF BATIK WOMEN AND WASTRA REGENERATION IN SUPERIOR POTENTIAL OF CONTEMPLATIVE LOCAL WISDOM BASED DESIGN INNOVATION IN GIRILAYU, KARANGANYAR CENTRAL JAVA

Abstraksi

Sustainable and distinctive characteristic development in a big country as Indonesia requires support from all aspects, directions and the whole forms of potential. The role of micro subsector in rural areas as the smallest administrative scope in Indonesia has become an important support especially from traditions which live within and support the communities. National identity and identity are visualized on cultural products consisting of artifacts (products), paradigms of the people's thinking patterns, and social diversity as cultural actors. Tradition sustainability demands smart efforts, methods, and steps to make it continuously preserved by the next generation as well as possess a high adaptive value through the development of the era. The unique format of tradition needs to be explored to extract the best potential essence. Thus, it is able to become a life pillar of the community by persistently observing the principles of environmental preservation and contributing to the development of the country. Some real steps have been conducted by batik women in Girilayu, Karanganyar, Central Java. Girilayu is located 31 km east of Surakarta city (Solo) on the slopes of the Lawu mountain range and situated in the middle of a large tomb of kings and the descendants of Pangeran Sambernyawa or KGPAA Mangkunegoro. Girilayu possess a hereditary batik tradition which is done as a contemplative daily activity by family of abdi dalem (the palace servants), Juru Kunci (tomb guards) of Mangadeg (tombs of KGPAA Mangkunegoro I to III), Astana Girilayu (tombs of KGPAA Mangkunegoro IV, V, VII, and VIII) and Astana Giribangun (tombs of the President of the Republic of Indonesia II: H.M. Soeharto; since Mrs. Tien is the granddaughter of Mangkunegoro IV. So, she has the right to build a tomb in this area). Batik tradition in Girilayu region encountered a number of obstacles from the children of batik makers who began to be reluctant to continue their parents’ business. The long process of making handmade batik, limited consumers, high production costs, and the existence of printing batik lead to pessimism among Girilayu generation. They feel hesitant and pessimistic that Girilayu batik remains demanded and can be used to economically support their family. Girilayu batik center began to rise in 2016 and there was an awareness of Girilayu community that they were able and had responsibility as the successor to the batik tradition to preserve it. Batik women (women working as batik artists) who are joined in Sido Mukti Batik Group try to persuade younger generation to create a variety of batik design innovations with superior potential basis of Girilayu Community local wisdom which contains contemplative values. Mbok Semok is one of the motifs produced in Girilayu. In addition, Mbok Semok is batik motif with standard style (the rules) of classic Surakarta style batik which is characteristic of Mangkunegaran palace. Mbok Semok motif is an icon of unique Girilayu batik and a symbol of the revival of the younger generation of batik artists in Girilayu. Moreover, it was initiated by Girilayu batik women. This study aims to indirectly abstract the activities and creativity of batik women in Girilayu that they are able to regenerate batik traditions to their younger generation through batik design innovation. The research method used is an ethnographic approach to directly obtain objective and detail data from the doers without any intervention. Interviews with batik makers, community leaders, and experts related to this research were conducted to strengthen the assumptions and analysis results. Furthermore, studies on library, archives and documentation related to research topics were carried out to strengthen data validity. Girilayu batik women have a significant role in the regeneration of wastra (traditional cloth) in Girilayu. The sustainability of batik tradition in the future generation is carried out in a familiarly way to batik artists’ community. Moreover, batik women do jobs division or special diversification to the younger generation to create new motifs with crative inspiration or basis on Girilayu's local wisdom. Nowadays, there have been a number of motif design innovations created in Girilayu, including: Manggis Girilayu (Girilayu Mangosteen), Duren Matesih (Matesih Durian), Gapura Tri Dharma (Tri Dharma Gate), and Mbok Semok. The last mentioned motif design, Mbok Semok which possess main motif in the form of a stylation of batik women who are kneeling with their hands dancing to apply wax drawing motif using canting on mori (white cotton cloth); after being deeply investigated from historical, visual aesthetic, and social the aspects is an abstraction of Girilayu batik women spirit values in particular and Girilayu community in general which hold the teachings of KGPAA Mangkunegoro I. The core of the three noble teachings in Tri Dharma i.e. protecting, preserving, and being brave to act has strongly permeated which is then implemented in a real way in the innovation of batik motif design in Girilayu by the women guarding the tradition to keep it long-lasting as a source of life.