Ni Luh Suryati shares the deeply rooted beliefs of the people in Tenganan with this hand woven wall hanging. It is known as geringsing, (meaning against sickness) and it is believed to have magical, protective powers. These textiles are frequently used in village celebrations. The wall hanging is woven on a traditional loom with cotton threads previously dyed with kemiri nut for yellow, and the bark of the Morinda citrifolia tree for red, and includes a mahogany display rod. 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.
Language: English
