Lubeng Cemplong is the name Ni Luh Suryati bestows upon this marvelous design. The wall hanging is woven by hand using traditional gerinsing techniques, as the artisan beautifully arranges a natural beige tone on the red background. These cloths are often believed to possess magical and protective powers by the Balinese people. The spectacular geringsing textiles of Bali are elaborated using the double ikat method. Ikat means to knot in Indonesian and Malay, and it is a time-consuming process known only to a handful of weavers around the world. Hand-spun cotton is initially dyed an eggshell-yellow hue using the oil of the kemiri nut, before the weaver determines which sections of the thread are to be dyed with what colors. She binds bunches of the fabric together with raffia, creating a tight knot resistant to the dyes in which the piece is to be placed. This process is carried out for each successive color, as the artisan uses natural extracts, such as indigo for the blue tones and root barks for the spectacular vermilion hue. A simple handloom is employed to execute the weave. Suryati presents the wall hanging on a carved mahogany display rod.
Language: English
