By Irmandy Wicaksono
Ancient textiles have played a major role in the social, economic, and religious structures of communities around the world. Iconic, indigenous clothes are imbued with unique designs and patterns. Some are believed to have magical powers and designed to carry specific meanings and wishes. Often complementing traditional dance and music, these textiles amplify a sense of community, identity, and expression.
Motivated by the craftsmanship and connections of cultural textiles such as Javanese Batik or Balinese Ikat to their traditional performance arts, we began to apply an artistic and humanistic approach into technological textile design and merge new materials, sensing technologies, and digital fabrication with contemporary dance and music into one united and harmonious piece of object and performance.