Penerapan Teknologi Tepat Guna Canting Elektrik Portable dan Modul Praktis Membatik dalam Pemberdayaan Kreatif Komunitas Punk Scholar Network (PSN)

Abstract

Batik, as an Indonesian cultural heritage, faces sustainability challenges when introduced to non-formal communities operating within alternative spaces due to its reliance on conventional equipment, such as stoves and open wax pans, which are less suitable for collective work settings and highly mobile activities. The Punk Scholar Network (PSN) community has strong potential to develop batik as a medium of critical expression through the spirit of "Batik is Resistance!"; however, its members face limitations in accessing practical, safe, and portable batik-making equipment. This community engagement program aims to implement Appropriate Technology (AT) in the form of a portable electric canting and a practical batik-making module designed for community-scale use to support the creative empowerment of the PSN community. The program employed a descriptive qualitative approach based on Participatory Action Research (PAR), consisting of needs assessment, technology procurement and testing, hands-on workshop training, production mentoring, and participatory evaluation. Data were collected through participant observation, reflective interviews, and documentation, and were analyzed using descriptive qualitative techniques. The results demonstrate that the portable electric canting accelerated participants' adaptation process, improved workplace safety, and enhanced community mobility. Meanwhile, the practical module functioned effectively as a knowledge transfer instrument that could be independently replicated by the community. The combination of these physical and non-physical technologies also fostered the exploration of expressive motifs reflecting subcultural identity, strengthened production self-reliance, and supported the sustainability of batik as a medium of contemporary cultural expression within alternative community spaces.