By Benny YP Siahaan
He looked very tired when he arrived in New York from Jakarta for an exhibition recently. Indeed, prior leaving for New York, he just landed from an Ulos exhibition in India and just few hours later he had to go to New York.
“Well, it is okay, all these sweats, I do it for Ulos and Indonesia,” he said. A bit strange comments coming from a fashion designer.
From March 12 until July 27, 2015, Ulos has been displayed in Charles B. Wang Centre, at Stony Brook University New York, under a titled “Seas of Blue: Asian Indigo Dye”. The exhibition is a specific installation dedicated to traditional and contemporary indigo-dyed textiles from India, Indonesia, Japan, and Korea.
During the exhibition, on 14 March Merdi was also invited to teach in a workshop dedicated to making Ulos. For that purpose he brought from Jakarta a set of Ulos weaving equipment to be presented to the Charles Wang Centre as a gift and be displayed there.
Aside general public, the participants of the workshop were coming from lectures and students. Merdi taught them not only the history of Indonesian textiles but also introduce them to various weaving techniques to create beautiful traditional Indonesian Ulos.
Ms. Jinyoung Jin, the Associate Director of Cultural Programs of the Charles Wang Centre, told the writer that the reason she invited Merdi to participate in the exhibition is because Merdi is a renowned Ulos designer for his artistry, innovation, and originality to design employing traditional Ulos woven fabric. “We are very happy and honored to have him here,” she explained.
Indeed, Merdi is one of Indonesian designers that are very serious in developing Ulos design. Many commented that his designs were unique and original. Unlike traditional Ulos that are mostly in dark or gloomy colors, Merdi’s designs are in cheerful and rather bright colors.
“I want Ulos to be widely known to the world. So far the world only knows Batik. I want to change that,” said Merdi. According to Merdi, Batik traditionally lives only in Java, but woven fabrics are spread throughout Indonesia, from Tenun ikat Timor to Ulos, from East Indonesia to West Indonesia.
For Merdi, this is his first time to make exhibition in New York--one of the most important cultural centers of the world-- and also his first time to visit New York. Hence, he was very astonished and amazed when he visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. “I have been to Louvre (referring to Louvre museum in Paris), but this museum is different,” he said.
The MoMA is often dubbed as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum's collection comprises an overview of world’s class modern and contemporary art, including works of designs and paintings.
“I have a dream that one day Ulos will be displayed at MoMA. “That would be an accomplishment for me as an artist and Indonesian,” he said. It is a noble and visionary dream.
The other passion that Merdi has is eco-fashion, particularly in making cutting-edge fashion/Ulos from recycled material in his work. In this regard, he already has cooperation with Jakarta’s Governor Jokowi in promoting eco-fashion, particularly utilizing garbage from clothing industry.
For that, the Indonesian Consulate General in New York arranged him to meet Professor Saas Brown of the world’s renowned the Fashion Institute of technology (FIT), New York. According to Merdi, Sass Brown is an icon in eco-fashion, so it was like a dream for him to meet her with a short notice and for taking the trouble, aside her busy schedule, just to meet him at the Consulate premises.
On the other hand, Professor Brown was also impressed by Merdi’s work. According to her, Merdi’s work is a combination of luxury and traditional –something rare in current cutting-edge and luxury fashion-- and deserved to be known to the world, and she is delighted to help him in that regard.
Good luck Merdi!
New York, 15 March 2014