Weaving the Ocean

Ari Bayuaji

For centuries, textile production has abounded throughout the world. Balinese textiles were fabricated using materials found in nature, like cotton coloured with dyes extracted from root barks and leaves. My project is inspired by the role materials played both in the creation of textiles and in human civilization. 'Weaving The Ocean' began with the idea of replacing vanishing natural materials with new "natural" materials. One day, I discovered plastic fishermen's ropes entangled in the roots of mangrove trees along the coast of Bali. I was inspired to use the plastic threads from the rope as material for weaving textiles as sculptural fabric using traditional Balinese hand-weaving techniques. Plastic is now so omnipresent that it has now become an element of the natural world. In Bali during the pandemic, revenue from tourism has dried up. With many people unemployed, I was able to provide some income for nine assistants and collaborators but only been able to help out a handful of people, really wishing to do more. I have been exploring with fellow Balinese what the community might do if business from tourism is no longer viable. The answer is to be found in nature. Bali possesses a wealth of natural resources to be exploited as well as conserved. The interweaving culture and nature in a harmonious manner is one of most hopeful things human beings can do and hopefully, this project will develop further to sustain the environment and to help out more people in this society.