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 Ripples of waves in a dream, sunlight on the water, faces carved out of stone… These are some of the inspirations behind the handmade batik designs of Simon Marks, a British national and part time resident of Bali. Alila Ubud Gallery will showcase Simon’s works in an exhibition titled “waxed . stitched . dipped”, which will open on Friday, 14 September 2007 and continue until 1 October 2007.
The exhibition is an exploration of how stitch, wax and colour combine and contrast becoming transformed into something to be worn, draped or simply contemplated. Simon is particularly drawn to the handspun-handwoven cotton of Tuban, its roughness providing a counterpoint to the crisp lines that can be achieved from batik and the fluidity of silk. He is as passionate about the process as the end result.The beautiful colours of natural dyes and the alchemy involved in coaxing colour from root, leaf or bark , the magic pungency of indigo, the wonder and elusive satisfaction of the colour red, the unmistakable warm and cinnamony smell of released wax on cloth. It’s the process itself that continually challenges, unfolding into new creative possibilities.
Simon’s fascination with traditional textiles began soon after he journeyed to the Orient. Having studied Theatre design at Central St Martins School of Art and Design, he spent many years working with costume on many productions in theatre, dance, musicals , opera, and the circus. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Cirque du Soleil among many others.
Touring with these shows gave him a taste for the nomadic life, and in 2002 , he embarked on his first voyage to the East , where he became more and more seduced by the amazing array of costumes and clothing that he saw in China, India, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, and the textiles from which they were made.
This facination turned into an addiction to learn all he could about the way things were produced and the techniques involved. He travelled repeatedly to India to learn about block-printing, embroidery, and natural dyes, working with local artisans that he found along the way. However it was on a trip to Indonesia that he discovered batik and everything that he had learnt and observed to date began to coalesce.
On Bali, he came into contact with Threads of Life, a fair trade organisation that is devoted to the continuation of Indonesia’s traditional textile arts and the welfare of the archipelagos indigenous weavers. It was under the guidance of their master indigo and natural dyer, Pak Tjok Agung , whose knowledge and enthusiasm inspired Simon to start creating his own designs, finally finding expression through the fusing of all his different strands of interest.
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