OLLIE ON THIS BATIK!

BATIK SKATEBOARD!

The first thing that springs to mind when thinking of skateboards is colorful, gradient, and bold decks. According to the website Skateboard Warehouse (n.d), there are a few things to contemplate once you decide to build a complete skateboard, and picking the right size of the deck is the first of many choices you'll make. Choosing board shape is also super important. What you will be able to perform with your skateboard will be determined by the length, width, materials, and concave of your skateboard deck. I still remember one gloomy afternoon when I came across this one “tweet” on my Twitter timeline, a tweet retweeted by one of my beloved friends. I gasped and an odd excitement just filled up my body. "WOW", was the only thing that I could think of. My eyes were locked into this collage of four, purple batik motifs, painted on a SKATEBOARD! How does one think of that! As a result, I decided to conduct an interview with the mastermind behind this extraordinary combination to answer my curiosity. As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.

Meet our local gifted skateboard deck artist, Miss Aniqah Syahmi, 17, who came up with the combination of our local treasure, batik, as a design for the decks in February 2021.

• “The batik skateboard is a skateboard deck painted to look like traditional batik sarongs. The designs I paint are all my original designs, though they are heavily inspired by the batik sarong I own. I look at the designs and the details on the batik fabric and reference that for my paintings”.

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Q&A WITH MISS ANIQAH SYAHMI

Friday, 29/10/21, 7:22 p.m.

Can you please tell me, how can you come up with such an idea?

the idea of the batik skateboard started when I was looking through skateboard deck designs. I was interested in buying a board and trying out skateboarding, but I couldn’t find anything I liked. so I decided to paint my own deck.

When did you start making these extraordinary decks?

It started around February 2021.

Up until now, which decks that is the most remarkable for you?

“The product I like the most 

must either be the third batik skateboard

I painted or the latest one.”

Why the batik and skateboard combination? Can you please elaborate more?

Why I chose the batik design is because I really like the whole look of batik. the traditional and cultural element to it makes me feel connected to my roots and just makes me happy.

Do this business and idea relate to you in any way?

Yes, my idea/business is very personal to me. I get to combine my love for art, batik, and skateboarding into one.

What is your biggest achievement so far related to your Batik business?

I think my biggest achievement so far is working with Umobile on a Hari Malaysia competition where the winners got their own personalised batik skateboard made by me.

Source: @aquekraisis via Twitter

What are the obstacles you have faced regarding involving yourself in this industry?

I think some of the hardest challenges are making sure my art is original. there are so many batik designs out there and I really don't want to copy another’s work, even if it was unintentional.

Instagram: @artniqah

Where do you see yourself with Batik in 10 years' time?

I think in 10 years i would still love to be painting and selling batik skateboards.

Can you give some words of wisdom related to Batik for yourself and for the whole nation?

Well, I hope what I'm doing can expand so more people know about it. I want to be able to incorporate cultural art into our modern lives. I think mixing our culture into everyday lives could help our country make a mark in this world.