Threads of Life is a fair trade business committed to supporting Indonesia’s textile arts since 1998 and has played a role in the renaissance of weaving traditions across the island, working directly with weavers across Indonesia in an environmentally sustainable way, promoting cultural integrity, and empowering women.
Opening its first gallery in 2001, Threads of Life has unveiled the opening of its second gallery in Lungsiakan, Ubud, 22 years later. This new education and retail space is committed to sustaining the textile arts of Indonesia and is a culmination of over two decades of the organisation’s work with 1000 weavers across 12 islands in the archipelago.
Threads of Life’s flagship gallery on Jalan Kajen in Central Ubud will continue to operate, which initially worked with only 14 natural dye traditional weaves from three islands: 12 from Lembata, one in Flores, and one in Sumba.
Guests of the new gallery can discover natural dye textiles, traditional basketry, and carvings from 12 islands of Indonesia, including Java, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Tumor, Lembata, Sumba, Flores, Savu, and Rai Jua, Bali, and Nusa Penida.
Showcased across walls and shelves are the work of over 1200 women and craftspeople dedicated to preserving and carrying on the traditions passed down from their mothers and grandmothers before them. Threads of Life’s mission is to uphold a high level of quality in a world that prefers instant and quantity.
Visitors are encouraged to take their time to appreciate the intricate and complex works of art, watch the Tradition Keepers Documentary Series in the lounge area, or book a class or residency at the Threads of Life Natural Dye Studio.
The pieces in the gallery transcend beyond mere objects: they are the hands and hearts of cultures that still incorporate these textiles in their rituals and ceremonies. Throughout Indonesia, the textile and basketry arts are women’s work, and over 90% of the weavers that Threads of Life works with are women. In a majority of isolated regions, these arts are still strongest in the poorest, with limited alternative income opportunities. This also means limited market access, however, when women come together in small work groups and cooperatives, they can bridge this isolation.
Threads of Life assembles weavers throughout Indonesia together in the hopes that they will help one another maintain their culture and identity, as well as figure out their livelihood in a swiftly developing world that is often hostile to their beliefs and practices. Threads of Life connects these indigenous people to other societies so that their voices are heard and their values appreciated. Therefore, Threads of Life hopes that they will be more mindful of the value of cultural diversity as we make small everyday decisions that collectively define our shared future.
Threads of Life Gallery
Jl. Raya Lungsiakan, Ubud
+62 813 3904 0293
@threadsoflifebali
