Batik, the Indonesian handcraft of decorating fabric with hot wax and dye, was designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009. Creating batik is a laborious and time-consuming process, and it’s one that’s slowly fading. Enter: iWareBatik, the app striving to keep this traditional art alive.

What we love: iWareBatik leverages AI to decode more than 120 batik motifs, revealing their meanings, origins and cultural significance. Take a photo of a batik pattern, and the app will identify it and provide detailed information on its province of origin and background stories.

Quick tip: Explore the app’s interactive map feature to discover batik motifs specific to different Indonesian regions. Each region’s page provides a visual and textual narrative of its unique batik heritage, giving you a comprehensive and visually appealing learning experience. Want to shop locally produced batik? Find information about batik villages across Indonesia by tapping a province you’re interested in.

Meet the creator: Puspita Ayu Permatasari, an Indonesian researcher whose study focuses on the intangible heritage of batik and its connection with global fashion and tourism, developed iWareBatik with the support of UNESCO and the Indonesian Cultural Digital Library among other cultural organisations. Her love for batik began in her childhood days when her grandmother would wear batik and tell her stories behind the textile’s motifs.