Batik Week

A 7-day workshop to deepen your practice and explore natural dyes

Sunday 10 December - Saturday 16 December 

A week of batik and natural dyes in Bali at the Threads of Life studio and natural dye garden offers an inspiring opportunity to deepen an existing batik practice, or discover a new fibre art form, through a vibrant creative experience with other practitioners. Drawing on Threads of Life’s detailed ethnobotanical field research and practical application of Indonesia’s ancient natural dye traditions, this workshop explores the interaction between this pallet of colours and the batik process. For beginners to advanced practitioners alike.

The workshop offers a residential and a non-residential option:

- The Threads of Life studio and dye garden are at the Umajati Retreat where residential participants will stay in shared rooms. Twin share rooms may be made up with a king size bed for couples; single room supplements are available on request; shared accommodations for a non-participant partner are available on request.

- Non-residential participants staying in the center of Ubud will be provided with morning and afternoon transfers between accommodations in central Ubud and the workshop venue.

The workshop will be held at the Threads of Life Dye Studio and Bebali Dye Garden at the Umajati Retreat

Participants will:

- experience 5 days of studio time with teaching and support from studio staff

- explore batik with natural dyes on cotton and silk, using indigo blue and tannin browns

- practice exercises that explore how these dyes interact and change through the batik process on different fibres

- spend the majority of the week developing their own natural dye batik projects. 

Jean, William, Komang, Wayan, and Made are the workshop leaders

Workshop Leaders

The workshop is hosted by Threads of Life founders, Jean Howe and William Ingram. Threads of Life’s staff dyers Komang Sujata, Wayan Sukadana and Made Maduarta, bring a combined 35 years of experience to the teaching of this workshop. Focusing on traditions that have degraded and are being recovered, they document local dye recipes and processes in the field, and test them in the studio before taking suggested refinements back to the communities. In the dye garden, they establish cultivation and harvesting methods to address plant resource scarcity being faced by traditional dyers. In the studio, they lead half-day up to weeklong workshops, both for indigenous weavers and international students. Their approach to natural dyeing seeks plant-sourced dyes by plant-sourced processes and avoids synthetic additives or mordants. 

Residential accommodation at the Umajati Retreat 

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

* Starred days include morning and afternoon transfers between accommodations in central Ubud and the workshop venue
 

Sunday, 10 December 2017

Residential participant arrivals at Umajati, non-residential participants shuttled to Umajati | Group introduction and program overview | Group Dinner at Umajati

Monday, 11 December 2017*

Introduction to natural dyes and workshop program | Indigo dye vat preparation | Dyeing for colour gradation with indigo and tannins

Tuesday, 12 December 2017*

Introduction to batik, and batik sample making using canting (wax pen), cap (stamp) and brush work | Dyeing samples with indigo and tannin | Wax removal | History of Textiles lecture with William Ingram | Group dinner at Umajati

Wednesday, 13 December 2017*

Personal natural dye batik project
 

Thursday, 14 December 2017*

Personal natural dye batik project (continued)

Friday, 15 December 2017*

Personal natural dye batik project (continued) | Finishing (washing) of the week’s work | Review of workshop results | Group dinner at Moksa Restaurant

Saturday, 16 December 2017

 Check-out and departure

Price, Payment, Cancellation and Refund Policy, Group Size

Included for all participants:

5 days of workshop program; arrival and departure airport transfers; 5 lunches, 3 dinners; scheduled local transportation. 

Included for residential participants:

6 nights of twin-share accommodations, 6 breakfasts.

Note: twin share rooms may be made up with a king size bed for couples; single room supplements available on request; shared accommodations for a participant’s partner available on request.

Included for non-residential participants:

Morning and afternoon transfers between accommodations in central Ubud and the workshop venue.

Payment 

Payment will be made through PayPal via an automatic link in the booking website. You do not need to have a PayPal account to make a payment; PayPal will simply be used to process your credit card payment.

Cancellation and Refunds

Cancellation requests must be made by email to tours@threadsoflife.com. The date of cancellation is the date on which the written cancellation is received in Bali. No refund will be made for failure to attend or if you voluntarily leave the workshop for any reason after it has begun. No refunds will be given for any accommodation, transport, sightseeing, meals or services not used during the workshop. Cancellation may be made at any time and refunds will be reversed directly from PayPal to your PayPal account or credit card with the following conditions:

• A 100% refund will be made within 7 days of booking to allow participants to arrange air tickets and time off from work. 

• From 8 days after booking, and if there are still more than 91 days until the workshop, a 90% refund will be made for cancellation.

• From 90 days before the workshop up to 31 days before the workshop, a 50% refund will be made.

• Within 30 days of the workshop, no refund will be made.

Group Size 
Maximum group size is 8 participants. Minimum group size for the published itinerary is 3 participants. If the group size is less than 3, the daytime studio program will continue as published but the evening schedule of meals and lectures will be cancelled.

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 Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is required for all participants. Travel insurance should, at minimum, provide coverage against personal accident, personal liability, medical expenses, and emergency evacuation. (An emergency air medical evacuation to Singapore can cost upwards of USD 30,000.) Medical care facilities in Indonesia are significantly different from the West and medical evacuation is extremely expensive.

Photo credits: @somewherelikethis, @sheeski, @nattyzed.