a collection of batik sarongs from Malaysia

conventional batik sarongs

Of the hundreds of sarongs for sale in markets and shops, stacked in neat piles on shelves so that only a narrow folded edge is visible, an overwhelming majority will look something like this. Two basic colors predominate: a dark rusty red or a black that is the sum of the other colors; finally there is the yellow ochre crackling called bala kuning. The batiks at either end of this photograph are dyed the traditional way, completely immersed in successive vats of color. The two batiks in the middle have some spots of bright color dye applied with a brush but the major colors are still red or black. This happens to be what the local population prefers but it is not to my taste. Hence the sweaty rummaging through heaps of batiks and the triumph of finding The One.