Double Ikat Flowers Reminiscent of India

In the Balinese village of Tenganan Pergerinsingan, geringsing has become synonymous with double-ikat. Double-ikat is the demanding process whereby warp and weft threads are ikat dyed independently, then precisely and accurately woven such that motifs coincide to create the patterns in the finished cloth.

Geringsing literally means “sing against gering sickness”. The textiles are said to be magically protective and are used during ceremonies for the ancestors and gods as well as in ceremonies for humans. With an uncut warp such as this would be used only for ceremonies for the Divine Ancestor. If a warp is cut, an offering is made, allowing the cloth to move from the dimension of the Divine to the human level where it can be used for human ceremonies. The motif cemplong is an old design found on the Indian tradecloths which were used as currency during the spice trade in Indonesia.

Information about the makers will be supplied with each cloth.
Double ikat, single panel, handspun cotton, natural dyes. Ikat tied, dyed and woven in Tenganan, Bali, 2015. Size 170 x 43 cm / 67 x 17 in