Batik Placemat

                                By:Carter Matteson

 When I was given this assignment I thought in my head, “What do I have that is important to my family”? Then I thought of my Grandma’s batik placemat! The batik placemat has a picture of a tradition we have in Celebrations, using shadow puppets to tell stories in Indonesia. This batik placemat is 59 years old, and to describe how old it is, there are stains, and the designs are fading away on the placemat. That is how long my family has had this placemat. My Grandma uses it as a reminder of Indonesia and traditions they have. When I first saw the placemat I learned about the Indonesian culture. My object is made of cotton and ink (The ink part are the designs on the placemat). There are three colors on the placemat which are black,white,and a lightish blue. The black and lightish blue are the colors of the ink.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 I chose this object because its an artifact that reminds my family what traditions they have in Indonesia. In Indonesia, some of my family is there, but I haven't visited them in a long time (about four years since I visited them).  My object teaches me that in Indonesia they create patterns on puppets that connect to the stories they tell at celebrations.

 

– C

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