Cotton Fent Fabric as an Alternate Material for Batik Making

Abraham Ekow Asmah; Vincentia  Okpattah; Eugene  Padditey

doi:10.4314/just.v41i2.1566

Dr. Abraham Ekow Asmah Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Dr. Vincentia Okpattah Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Department of Indigenous Art and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9521-4145
Mr. Eugene Padditey Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/just.v41i2.1566

Keywords: batik making, cotton fent fabrics, mercerized cotton

Abstract

The art of batik making is very unique and labour intensive, yet culturally philosophically embedded in every piece and style of fabric decoration, and therefore must be sustained at all costs. The motivation for this study was due to the limited availability of quality fabrics, ever increasing cost of mercerized cotton and shedda in the local market and the need to find an alternate yet durable fabric for the batik industry. The objective of the study was to ascertain whether cotton fent as a substitute is durable, for batik making with the same characteristics as mercerized cotton. The art studio-based design was used. Purposive sampling was used to segregate the collected sampled cotton fent fabrics. These were evaluated through a pre-tested questionnaire by ten batik experts from Kumasi who had sound knowledge of batik making. The location of the study was the Asfatex batik studio due to its well-equipped facilities. The results of the study indicated sharpness, clarity, evenness, overall appearance and depth of colour in fent batik. Using the plain mercerized cotton as a standard for the comparison, cotton fent batik fabric used was rated the best. The possibility of using fent cotton as an alternate less costly readily applicable fabric for batik making was confirmed irrespective of the initial characteristics of varied pigment-coloured screen prints outlook. This project, recommends that batik makers explore it further for its artistic and economic development in Ghana and additionally advocate for scientific laboratory studies on cotton fent fabrics for other possible outcomes.

Author Biographies

Dr. Abraham Ekow Asmah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Asmah Abraham Ekow is a senior lecturer at the Department of Indigenous Art and Technology,
Faulty of Art, College of Art and Built Environment, KNUST, Kumasi-Ghana. He has taught
several fibres and fabrics subjects for the undergraduate, research methodology and materials
integration and sustainability courses for MPhil in the Department of Indigenous Art and
Technology. He holds an MPhil in Art Education, PhD in African Art and Culture, B.A in
Textiles and Diploma in Rural Art. He is an examiner at the National Vocational Training
Institute, Ghana and advocator for the National Design Policy in Ghana.
He has over 30 years of professional art and teaching experience in different spheres of his
academic and working endeavor. His creativity in African Art and Design has paved the way for
varied substrate colouration applications on fabrics, leather, cement wall, wood and clay. His
outstanding contributions to the promotion of design, education, inventions and operational
functionalities in weaving and fabric colouration are well recognized among many traditional
weavers and local dyers in Ghana. His research interests cut across Fibres and Fabrics Education
with special focus on fostering creativity, assessment and evaluation in art, design and studio
pedagogy.

Dr. Vincentia Okpattah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Department of Indigenous Art and Technology

Vincentia Okpattah is a senior lecturer in the Department of Indigenous Art and Technology,
College of Art and Built Environment of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology, (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. She teaches Fibres and Fabrics which encompasses
knowledge of indigenous textiles, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. she holds a Ph.D. in
Art Education, a Bachelor of Art (B. A.) degree in Integrated Rural Art and Industry all from
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST); and Master (M.Ed.) in
Special Education from the University of Cape Coast. With over ten years of professional
teaching and research experience, she has extensively researched and published scholarly articles
in peer review journals in the area of African indigenous textiles and basketry, technology,
education, and culture. Most of her research activities focus on finding avenues for sustainable
transformation of the indigenous textiles and crafts.

Mr. Eugene Padditey, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Eugene Padditey is a lecturer with the Department of Indigenous Art and Technology in Faculty
of Art, KNUST, Kumasi-Ghana. He has master’s degree in Product Design (MPD) from
Akershus University College, Lillestroem, Norway and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Art
Education with a focus on Product Design, KNUST.
He has over 10 years of experience in Product Design with skills, expertise and research interest
in Sustainable Design, Packaging Design, Interior Design, Indigenous and Contemporary Art and
very Proficient in CAD (Computer-Aided Design) among other software.