Keeping songket alive
By : ZUHAILA SEDEK
2009/06/09
Songket is now made from a lighter and softer material, with new and contemporary motifs. |
Royal Terengganu Songket is the latest initiative to keep songket at the forefront of fashion, writes ZUHAILA SEDEK.
HANDWOVEN songket has been getting a makeover of late and it seems that many are accepting these changes with open arms.
Yayasan Tuanku Nur Zahirah (YTNZ) may be the biggest organisation working hard to sustain the art of songket weaving in the country.
The organisation has gathered many experts in the industry to ensure songket lives on. Its songket products will be marketed under the Royal Terengganu Songket brand name.
YTNZ’s textile design and production director Dr June Ngo, who was in Kuala Lumpur recently, said songket used to be made from polyester and cotton and was known to be heavy. As such, it was not something suited for daily wear.
“Today, however, we make songket from spun silk or filament silk,” she said, adding that because of this, the songket is now light and easy to manage.
Because silk is softer, lighter and has the potential to shrink, the final product will have a ripple effect that allows the songket to be used for many designs.
Ngo, who is also a lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, said “because of the new fabric, it can be used as your working attire, evening gowns and even sports wear!”
Songket is available in a variety of contemporary motifs and colours. Its length, too, has developed to reach six metres per piece.
Songket can be woven for products like furniture, interior dècor items, accessories and home gifts.
YTNZ is working on projects in Kuala Terengganu and Sarawak.
“Apart from developing songket, it is also important to ensure that the weavers are protected because without them, songket will be gone.
“We have employed and are teaching some 60 full-time weavers on the latest motifs and materials. These weavers are on our payroll,” Ngo said.
Learning new songket motifs and using new materials didn’t come easy to the many senior weavers who were used to the old ways.
“We had to convince them and after we proved that it could be done, the weavers opened up to the idea,” Ngo added.
Although songket is well-known among the Malays, Ngo said it should span cultures, too, and can be used for saris and cheongsams.
An event called the Songket Ball will be held on July 10 to raise funds for YTNZ and recognise the efforts of those who have contributed towards its preservation.
The funds will be used to expand on what the organisation had achieved and set up a songket factory.
YTNZ was set up in 2007 and it is a foundation under the patronage of the Queen, Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah.
Popular songket motifs
There are several motifs in a songket. Here’s a glimpse of some of them.
Bunga Bogan: This motif is usually found in old songket cloths as a scattered motif. In Kelantan, it is known as “three virgin flowers”. This motif is very popular with royalty as it features the crown and the mace, which symbolise power. The motif has been transformed to look like a flower with a fine and long stem, decorated with leaves on both sides.
Bunga Pecah Lapan: This motif contains eight sepals or petals and is usually not associated with any specific flower. It is an abstract name given to any flower with eight sepals. This motif is usually placed at the body of the cloth or sarong’s head.
Kendik Tali: This motif is a small potong seri kaya motif sandwiched between two lines. It resembles a rope that is spun into an S or Z shape. It is the most popular motif and usually found at the sides of a cloth.
Pucuk Rebung Lawi Ayam: The bamboo shoot chicken tail-feather motif is the most popular of the bamboo shoot motifs. It is usually used in old sarongs and shawls and inspired by the rooster’s tail.
Tampuk Buah Kesemak: This motif is taken from the kesemak or pisang kaki fruit (persimmon). It is similar to the mangosteen’s calyx but bigger and its sheath is connected like a poppy flower.
Tampuk Manggis: The mangosteen is one of the most delicious fruits in Southeast Asia and is known as the Queen of Fruits. Its purple skin, when ripe, can be used to make colour. At the top of it you will find the calyx which ranges from five to eight segments. It is one of the main motifs used in songket.
Here are some tips on how to care for your songket:
• Storage area must be clean, dark and dry with ample breathing space.
• It is best rolled (don’t roll it too tight) using a tube with acid-free tissue/paper/washed cotton cloth lining in between. The tube must be longer than the songket.
• Keep the songket in a pre-washed muslin pouch.
• Label the songket according to the year it was made and its master weaver.
• Flat storage is not suitable for songket sarong.
• Avoid folding songket for too long as the gold thread may break and the songket will have a permanent folding effect.
• Hang the songket if it’s not too heavy, but don’t use metal hangers, as it could get rusty. Wooden broad padded hangers help minimise fibre damage.
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