Geringsing is a textile created by the double ikat method in the
Bali Aga village of
Tenganan Pegeringsingan in
Bali. this demanding technique is only known in three places, India, Japan and Indonesia. In Indonesia it is only produced in the village of Tenganan.
According to textile expert John Guy, "the ancestry of Balinese geringsing is far from clear, although some cloths display the unmistakable influence of
patola",
the silk double ikats produced in Gujarat during the height of the Spice Trade. Many of these imported cloths became inspiration for later locally-made textiles, but one theory is that the Balinese-made cloths were exported to India and copied there for production to Asian markets. Many have unique Hindu motifs such as a bird's eye view of a mandala with a sacred center from which everything radiates. Others feature designs clearly inspired by patola, for example a design known as the
frangipani flower.
The palette of geringsing is typically red, neutral, and black. Geringsing are regarded as sacred cloths, "ascribed supernatural properties, especially to assist in forms of healing, including exorcism."
Gering means decease and sing means no.
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