Read the text aloud. Answer the questions that follow. 

    Batik represents one of Indonesian's most venerated traditions and is one of the world's most respected textile arts. Today, batik is seen as a definitively Indonesian art form and something you don't want to miss should you visit this country.

    Batik is a method of decorating textiles through dye resistance, in which designs are created by preventing specific parts of textiles from being exposed to dye. So, here's how it works. First, the cloth itself is washed repeatedly to remove any contaminants and then pounded flat to remove wrinkles. Then, the design pattern is traced onto the cloth using a soft material like charcoal. These designs tend to be extraordinarily intricate and complex, so this could take a while.

    Next, the artist covers the design itself in wax. This is traditionally done using a canting, a small pen-like copper tube that lets the artist draw the molten wax onto the cloth. As any accidental spilling of the wax could ruin the design and therefore the value of the cloth, this must be done with patience and precision. This wax will prevent the design from being dyed the same color as the rest of the fabric, so it's pretty important.

    Finally, the cloth is immersed in a dye bath. The areas without wax are dyed, while the design covered in wax remains white. From here, this process can be altered and redone as the artist sees fit. By applying wax to different areas; or removing wax from other areas, and dipping the cloth in the same or different dyes, the artist can achieve complex and multi-tonal designs.

Adopted from: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-batik-art-fabrics.html (March 17, 2020)

What makes batik valuable?