Editorial photo #8194524 Human Interest

North Coast Javanese Batik Textiles

Workers dry batik after dyeing process as they make traditional Javanese textile called batik at low-lying Jeruk Sari neighborhood in coastal Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia, June 5, 2021. An area in which almost every available space is used for batik production, with a high level of poverty, vulnerable to both rising sea levels and high river peak flows. Pekalongan is a city known for batik, a traditional Indonesian method of using wax to resist water-based dyes to depict patterns and drawings, usually on fabric. This textile has traditionally been crafted by hand in family workshops and small-scale cottage industries. Today, young Pekalongan residents are increasingly confident that they can aspire to reputable work and a reasonable income without having to join the migration to Indonesia’s larger cities. (Photo by Garry Lotulung/NurPhoto)