Disabled Artisans in Solo Make Mandalika MotoGP Themed Batik

TheIndonesia.id - A batik artisan in Solo, Central Java, is collaborating with disabled artisans to create MotoGP themed batik collection to celebrate the Indonesian MotoGP that kicked off in Mandalika today.

Taufan Wicaksono, the owner of Batik Toeli Laweyan shop, said he wanted to introduce batik to international audience while all eyes are on Indonesia, who will host the race on March 18-20 in Mandalika, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

“Through this Mandalike-themed motifs, we want to celebrate and introduce local batik to global market,” he said on Friday, March 18, as reported by Antara.

He said the production of this special batik started in March, and so far, he and his team have finished four batik fabrics.  Lombok is the main theme for the creation as well as the Mandalika Circuit and the face of current and former MotoGP riders, such as Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi.

One piece of fabric is completed in five days even though it also depends on the complexity. Wicaksono said the price of one batik is Rp1 million, or about US$71.4.

Disabled artisans were involved in the batik production, and Wicaksono said he wanted to give platform for them to innovate and make their own creation.

“We want to show the creativity of the deaf artisans. We know that people with disabilities have talents, but not all of them can make batik,” he explained.

So far, there are four deaf partisans involved in the project, but Wicaksono said it’s possible that more artisans will be involved in the future.

The products are mainly promoted through social media because it can more easily reach both domestic and international customers.

“In addition, we’ve also been working to find a way to promote this batik to Mandalika because shipping the products there isn’t easy. And so far, we optimally promote through social media and marketplace.”