From Stone to Cloth: Symbolic Interpretations of Kidal Temple Statues in Contemporary Batik Motifs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31598/bahasarupa.v9i1.1968Keywords:
batik motifs; contemporary batik; design thinking; kidal statue; symbolic interpretationAbstract
Malang’s ancient temple statues embody deep symbolic meanings that reflect the region’s spiritual, historical, and cultural identity. However, in contemporary society, these artifacts often remain static relics with limited engagement from younger generations, creating a disconnect between cultural heritage and modern life. This research addresses the question of how the symbolic essence of temple statues can be preserved and reintroduced in forms relevant to today’s creative industries. The study aims to visually reconstruct and reinterpret the symbolic values of Kidal Temple statues into contemporary batik motifs, transforming them into living cultural expressions that can be worn, circulated, and appreciated in everyday contexts. The objectives are twofold: to develop batik designs that authentically represent the visual and symbolic richness of the statues, and to propose a model of cultural preservation through design innovation that bridges heritage and contemporary creative practices. The research adopts the design thinking method due to its iterative and human-centered approach, encompassing five stages: empathy, define, ideation, prototyping, and testing. Cultural insights are gathered through field observation and expert interviews, translated into visual elements, explored through motif development, and refined through feedback from artisans and users. The outcomes include a series of batik patterns that reinterpret Kidal Temple symbolism, contributing to heritage preservation, reinforcing local identity, and offering practical strategies for integrating cultural narratives into the creative economy.
References
1. Pramono, A., & Wijaya, I. B. (2023). Preserving Candi Kidal’s relief to sustain a cultural heritage site using ATUMICS approach. E3S Web of Conferences, 388, 04004. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202338804004
2. Wijaya, I. B. A., Pramono, A., & Maulana, F. I. (2023). Digital prototyping of Candi Kidal relief on interior accessories. E3S Web of Conferences, 388, 04021. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202338804021
3. Wijaya, I. B. A., & Pramono, A. (2024, February 6). Development of digital prototype interior accessories products from Candi Kidal relief with ATUMICS method. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2710(1), 020010. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0144204
4. Candra, P., Widita, A., Maulida, F. H., Shanti, M., & Kusuma, Y. (2023). Rebranding of Malangan batik as a symbol of Malang’s cultural identity through value chain analysis. E3S Web of Conferences, 426, 02129. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202342602129
5. Kusumawati, Y. A., Lasmy, L., Widita, A., & Qurma, A. A. (2025). Empowering Pandan Arum batik: The role of color guidebooks in design and sustainability. SEEIJ (Social Economics and Ecology International Journal), 9(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.21512/seeij.v9i1.12741
6. Rao, D. T., & Kalyani, C. (2022). Design thinking: A human-centered approach towards innovation—A conceptual framework. International Journal of Marketing & Human Resource Management, 12(2), 59–65. https://doi.org/10.34218/IJMHRM.12.2.2021.006
7. Razzouk, R., & Shute, V. (2012). What is design thinking and why is it important? Review of Educational Research, 82(3), 330–348. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654312457429
8. Petrelli, D., Dulake, N., Marshall, M., Willox, M., Caparrelli, F., & Goldberg, R. (2014). Prototyping tangibles: Exploring form and interaction. In TEI 2014: 8th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (pp. 41–48). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2540930.2540966
9. Wirasanti, N. (2023). Ornamental art of Kalasan Temple in the perspective of art philosophy. Mudra Jurnal Seni Budaya, 38(4), 468–479. https://doi.org/10.31091/mudra.v38i4.2337
10. Walcott, S. (2006). Mapping from a different direction: Mandala as sacred spatial visualization. Journal of Cultural Geography, 23(2), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/08873630609478223
11. Lavrenova, O. (2023). Color semantics of the cultural landscape. Arts, 12(3), 111. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12030111
12. Santosa, I., & Noorwatha, I. K. (2025). Symbolic and aesthetic fusion in Keraton Surakarta: Colonial influence and Javanese cultural resistance through architectural design adaptation. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12, 2482456. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2482456
13. Jaglarz, A. (2023). Perception of color in architecture and urban space. Buildings, 13(8), 2000. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13082000
14. Ningrum, D., Brahmana, C., & Mulyadi. (2024). Basic colors in Javanese and Indonesian languages: Natural Semantic Metalanguage theory. Humanus, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.24036/humanus.v23i1.126103
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Yudhistya Ayu Kusumawati, Feny Puspitasari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The author's copyright in the Bahasa Rupa Journal, assigns that the publication of published articles is owned by the editorial board with the author's approval, but the rights are still with the author. The legal rules for accessing digital electronic articles are under license 
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which means that the Bahasa Rupa Journal has the right to store, modify, manage databases, maintain and publish articles without the author's permission, but the author as the copyright holder is still written as it is. Articles published in Bahasa Rupa Journals, both in hard and soft copy forms are available as open access, for educational, research and library purposes, and beyond that purpose, the editorial board of the Language and Language Journal is not responsible for illegal copyright infringement. This journal also applies LOCKSS and CLOKSS archiving.
.png)
