Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the University of Dundee (UoD) from the United Kingdom collaborated to hold a field course for Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design students.
This program aimed to enrich the experiences of several students and faculty from UoD by introducing Indonesia’s traditional crafts, including the history, production techniques, and designs, focusing on batik and knitting crafts.
The program began on Feb. 24 and ended on Feb. 27, with a UGM Campus Tour as the kick-off. Professor Wiratni, Secretary of UGM’s Directorate of Global Partnerships and Relations, officially opened the program.
In her opening remarks, Professor Wiratni expressed that the program was supported by the Scottish Government, the Indonesia Natural Dye Institute at Universitas Gadjah Mada (INDI UGM), and Butimo Batik.
“This initiative aims to provide hands-on learning experiences through workshops and field visits. We hope to introduce various types and patterns of batik, especially those from Yogyakarta, which UGM experts will share,” she said on Thursday (Feb. 27).
The visiting group coordinator, Jane Keith, also expressed gratitude for the program’s implementation. She stated that this international field visit was a rare opportunity for students from abroad.
“To be able to carry this out now with UGM is amazing. We are very thankful to UGM for this wonderful opportunity,” she said.
The four-day program included activities for 16 students and three faculty members from UoD.
On the first day, participants were taken on a Campus Tour around UGM, followed by lectures on the History and Process of Batik Making and Design, Natural Dyeing Techniques, and Tie-Dye Techniques. Participants visited Batik Butimo in Kabrokan Wetan, Yogyakarta, on the second day for a batik-making workshop.
Additionally, on the third day, another workshop was held at Gamaindigo to practice tie-dye techniques, which was followed by a batik design drawing session in the afternoon at UGM’s Wisdom Park. The program concluded with visiting the Dowa Bag and Factory and finalizing batik dyeing at Gamaindigo.
Professor Wiratni emphasized the significance of this program in strengthening the partnership between UoD and UGM.
These two universities formally began their collaboration in 2024 with the signing of an MoU. Since then, they have carried out several collaborations in various fields, which are considered progressive for a newly established partnership.
This collaborative effort not only fostered cultural exchange between participants from UoD and UGM but also enhanced the academic and creative skills of the participating students while paving the way for further collaborations between the two institutions.
Report by: OIA UGM/Maylany
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photograph by: FT UGM/Alden