The Flora Motif as Design Identity in Local Traditional Block Batik

Abstract

This study discusses that floral motifs as the dominant traditional motifs in Malaysian block batik. In the 20th century, the block makers created any motif with purpose—the traditional block batik motifs not revealed due to lack of secure identity upon the development of high-tech modernisation. Based on the sequence of this issue, this study aims to classify the various types of local block motifs and designs. The classification base on their features using a suitable procedure. The crucial outcomes where the motifs of block batik still show the elements and innovation of the local motif identity. Keywords: Block Batik; Design; Motif; Identity eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bsby e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI3.2542

Malaysian Batik, Our Pride: A Systematic Literature Review

“…All eight studies used a qualitative approach, in which three of them conducted fieldwork (Kari et al, 2019(Kari et al, , 2020Sobri & Legino, 2020) and one study used MATLAB and Adobe Illustrator for design purposes (Mustapha et al, 2020). Meanwhile, another two utilised case studies (Abdullah, 2020;Abdullah & Samin, 2020) and one utilised systematic observation (Wan Bakar et al, 2021a).…”

“…For data collection, all the studies used observational approach. Furthermore, five studies employed interviews (Abdullah, 2020;Abdullah & Samin, 2020;Wan Bakar et al, 2021b;Kari et al, 2019Kari et al, , 2020Sobri & Legino, 2020), and only one employed the powerful mathematical software, i.e., MATLAB (Mustafa & Saleh, 2017) to innovate a Koch Snowflakes Batik Design.…”

“…The meta-analysis of the eight articles identified that the subject was divided into few categories, which are commercial batik (Wan Bakar et al, 2021a), contemporary batik (Wan Bakar et al, 2021b), batik Tulis (Abdullah, 2020;Abdullah & Samin, 2020), batik Sarong (Sobri & Legino, 2020), batik block (Kari et al, 2019(Kari et al, , 2020Mustapha et al, 2020), and commercial batik (Shaari & Abd Rahman, 2017). These research projects examining the batik design originated from different locations in Malaysia (Mustapha et al, 2020), including Melaka (Wan Bakar et al, 2021aBakar et al, , 2021b, Klang Valley (Abdullah, 2020;Abdullah & Samin, 2020), and Terengganu (Kari et al, 2019(Kari et al, , 2020Sobri & Legino, 2020) (see Table 5).…”

“…A subsequent study examined the distinction between flora (Kari et al, 2020) and fauna (Kari et al, 2019) in batik block design motifs. To comprehend the interpretations of the symbols and meanings conveyed by the design motifs, the public were required to have an appreciation for batik's design motifs.…”

“…Design motifs not only showcase beautiful visual art, but also emphasise on the importance of design. In some textiles, motifs serve as recognitions, symbols, and messages from artisans (Kari et al, 2020). Apart from Malaysia, batik textiles exist too in other regions of the world, including Southeast Asia such as Indonesia (Prayitno, 2020), Thailand (Khwansuwan, 2021), and China (Chen et al, 2021).…”