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BATIK JALA

Batik Jala was inspired by Malaysian traditional food named Roti Jala. It means “bread” and “net” which represent how the yellow lacy pancakes look. Roti Jala can be made without using the mold and it is colored naturally using turmeric. This soft and fluffy looking pancake best dip with hot chicken curry. It is commonly served during the Malay festive seasons. I want to represent the uniqueness of this Batik Jala design as unique as the origin of the Roti Jala itself. Some said Roti Jala was accidentally created when a lady was trying to make a Malaysian pancake by scooping the batter, but the ladle was damaged with holes on it. Despite the accident, a new dish with a much softer texture was made. It created one of the best side dishes to eat at any time.

In Batik Jala, I highlighted Axis as my main design principle to portray the Roti Jala shape itself that looks aligned when we arrange them in the plate. The Axis principle can be seen horizontally in Batik Jala. Meanwhile looking at design organization, I mainly applied Linear organization as it is making the batik’s design neater. Linear was also used to create two sides of pattern so the shapes emerge better. It also helps the audience to appreciate the shapes better since it is cleaner in their lines.

Batik Jala’s colour scheme also represents the Roti Jala itself. Yellow was the main colour for lacy-like shapes to imitate the turmeric colour from the original dish and it symbolize happiness and joy. While Black and Grey were added based on the art movement of my previous work which is Surrealism Art. Both colours are mainly used in Surrealism art as it gives more emotion in understanding the colour. The three main colours were highlighted to help the audience have a better comprehension of Batik Jala’s concept. The colours are also contrasted better between each other and created stimuli to balance out shapes with larger composition.

Batik Jala’s geometry enthused by the original Roti Jala itself which is mainly lacy and stringy. The other geometrical shapes were used to create contrast between shapes, so the lacy parts are more emphasized. Batik Jala’s geometry also achieved the complexity of a batik design as all the shapes organization was treated in seamless juxtaposition arrangement. With that arrangement, proximity was created so the shapes differentiate better. It shows the identity of Roti Jala that originally overlapped but have various type of shape in it.

Batik Jala explained the importance of trusting the process. Back to the origin of the Roti Jala, during the process, we might encounter some “holes” and have some doubts about the outcome of the process. However, we should enjoy the learning journey. The outcome might be better than what we planned. Batik Jala was created to set one’s heart on to look at the bright side of our journey. Hopefully, Batik Jala will inspire people to be more enthusiastic and appreciative.