Wax / Threads / Roots — A Batik Experience at Artistic Artifacts
Hosted by Babaran Segaragunung Culture House
Saturday, July 26/Sunday, July 27, 2025
10:30 am–4:30 pm, ½ hour lunch break (both days)
Location: Warehouse area of Artistic Artifacts
Join internationally recognized batik artists Brahma Tirta Sari for a rare two-day workshop exploring the wax resist technique of batik! Participants will explore how batik not only a technique, but an intangible creative process rooted in ancestral knowledge. This program is presented by Babaran Segaragunung Culture House, an organization based in Indonesia and dedicated to nurturing creative growth through traditional wisdom and artistic practice. Facilitated by Nia Fliam and Desmond Anabrang Fliam-Ismoyo, during this immersive workshop, participants will engage with the philosophies, methods, and technical practices of batik as it has been taught in residencies across Indonesia, Australia, Africa, and North America. While batik serves as the medium, this experience invites artists, cultural workers, educators, and creatives from all disciplines to reconnect with inner sensibility, creative embodiment, and ecological awareness through a culturally rooted process. Day One offers you an introduction: Learn the foundations of batik using wax-resist dyeing with natural dyes, exploring traditional motifs and design elements. This day introduces participants to the material, tools, and basic philosophy that guide this artistic tradition. Day Two will dive deeper into the cultural and philosophical underpinnings of batik. Experience creative practices that involve movement, inner reflection, and symbolic design — drawing from the ancient Javanese worldview of Tribawana (the three realms of self, nature, and source of creativity). This workshop is open to artists, educators, designers, students, cultural practitioners, and anyone curious about traditional knowledge, creative process, or ecological and cultural sustainability — no batik experience is required! Your registration cost includes a $25 supply fee: all materials will be provided. Student Supply List: while all materials to batik are provided for your use, please bring a lap cloth to catch drips and a notebook or journal for reflections (if desired). If you want to draw or prepare your personal symbol, bring a sketch book and 3B pencils. Plan to wear clothing that can get stained! Visit our website to learn more about this class, Babaran Segaragunung Culture House, Brahma Tirta Sari, and the collaborative duo of Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam.
About the Facilitators Nia Fliam is the co-founder of Brahma Tirta Sari and Babaran Segaragunung Culture House. Nia has been working with batik since the 1980s and was trained in both fine arts and Javanese philosophical traditions. Desmond Anabrang Fliam-Ismoyo has been raised within the world of batik and brings generational insight into the cultural significance and evolving relevance of this creative heritage.
