Strengthening Research and Cataloguing of Museum Tekstil Objects through Consultation with Tracing Patterns Foundation

On Wednesday, 7 January 2025, representatives of the SEAMS Team through Koleksi Kita conducted an online consultation session with the Tracing Patterns Foundation (TPF) to strengthen research and cataloguing efforts for the Museum Tekstil collections.

Tracing Patterns Foundation is an international community based in California, United States, that contributes to the development of research on traditional textiles.

The consultation was attended by Sandra Sarjono, one of the founders of Tracing Patterns Foundation, and Kristal Hale, a conservator at Tracing Patterns Foundation as well as at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).

Through this session, SEAMS team gained insights and feedback on best practices in the management and documentation of textile collections, drawing on the speakers’ experience in museum and research contexts.
Sandra Sarjono explained the importance of distinguishing the values highlighted in museum objects managed through Koleksi Kita. These differences include the museum’s perspective and the public access perspective.

According to her, the public requires information that is more general and communicative, while museums need more comprehensive and in-depth data covering all aspects of the objects under study.

She also emphasized the importance of enriching contextual knowledge, such as references to books and other supporting information sources, within the provenance section or the narrative behind each collection object.

Meanwhile, Kristal Hale shared her views on the importance of data consistency, particularly in spelling, before collection information is published for public access. Drawing on her experience as a conservator at LACMA, she explained the cataloguing workflow, which includes conservation processes through to report writing.

Kristal also highlighted the importance of database management, including image storage capacity. According to her, objects that have suffered damage need to be thoroughly documented as part of the research process, including detailed records of damaged areas.

She agreed with Sandra Sarjono’s presentation regarding differences in informational perspectives, which she referred to as the purpose of treatment, the need for a more communicative narrative for the public so that collection information feels engaging and not monotonous.

Currently, SEAMS cataloguing team through Koleksi Kita is conducting research and cataloguing on 74 objects from the Museum Tekstil collection, most of which consist of batik and woven textiles. This process requires a specific approach, considering the diversity of motifs, techniques, and cultural backgrounds inherent in each object.

These 74 Museum Tekstil collection objects possess two main values of significance: historical value and donor value. The collection showcases a wide range of traditional Indonesian motifs, including inland (pedalaman) motifs, coastal (pesisir) motifs, Sumatran textiles, Sawunggaling motifs, and many others.

During the consultation session, the SEAMS team and Tracing Patterns Foundation also discussed one particular Museum Tekstil object: a batik cloth donated by Ibu Lasmidjah Hardi in May 1976. Although the cloth features a nitik batik motif often associated with the Yogyakarta region, the discussion revealed that, based on its visual style, the textile actually originates from Sumatra. This finding was further strengthened through a follow-up consultation with Benny Gratha, a curator and textile expert.

Discover more stories behind other Museum Tekstil collections through Jakarta Digital Collections (JDC), which is scheduled to be launched in mid-2026.

This activity is supported by the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), which is committed to supporting the preservation of historic buildings, archaeological and cultural sites, as well as museum objects and collections, including various forms of traditional cultural expression in partner countries.