Samarang - Roema batik 1863 - 1869

Editor: This photograph, “Samarang – Roema batik”, captured sometime between 1863 and 1869 by Woodbury & Page, portrays a group of people engaged in batik making. It has an almost voyeuristic feel to it, offering us a peek into a seemingly private and carefully choreographed setting. What’s your initial take on it? Curator: That voyeuristic feel you mentioned hits a chord. I imagine stumbling upon this scene, feeling the humidity, the low murmur of conversation. I immediately consider the photographers’ gaze – who *were* Woodbury and Page, what perspective did they bring? Were they really documenting, or were they framing an idea of Southeast Asia for a Western audience? It is worth asking ourselves why are we drawn to such seemingly ‘everyday’ scenes captured so far away in time and space? Editor: It’s definitely complex! What do you make of the figures themselves, these artisans creating the batik? Curator: They seem suspended in concentration, utterly absorbed. Notice how their placement almost mimics the repeating patterns they're creating – a beautiful, accidental mirroring. The light itself almost feels woven. Though perhaps what really lingers with me, are those in-between shades of grey… They almost speak volumes. Doesn’t it make you wonder about the untold stories of those depicted and those, like us, contemplating them now? Editor: Definitely food for thought. It challenges us to consider both the beauty and the inherent power dynamics at play when we look at art like this. Curator: Precisely. And in a way, that constant questioning is the real beauty, isn't it?