What kind of accommodation is available?
Rimbun Dahan has a number of different styles of on-site accommodation which are provided to artists according to their specific needs and availability. All accommodation for artists at Rimbun Dahan includes access to a fully-equipped private or shared kitchen. Most bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms. All accommodation is fan-cooled, not air-conditioned. For more information, see Accommodation for Artists.
What will my daily schedule be like during the residency?
Your schedule is up to you. This residency is for artists to work independently on their personal artistic practice. Upon arrival, we will show you to your accommodation, and provide you with a short orientation to Rimbun Dahan. Once a week we take you to the supermarket so you can restock your groceries. Occasionally we may host optional activities, such as a group dinner or an excursion to see an exhibition or performance in KL, but these are not guaranteed.
All other activities are determined by you. You are welcome to work in your studios at any hours of the day or night. Resident artists occasionally find the residency to be boring and lonely; for this reason, you need to be happy to live and work independently. If you want to network with particular people of the local arts community, we can provide you with recommendations but you are responsible for making these connections. No other structured activities, meetings, or workshops will be provided, except for Open Day.
Can we apply as an artists’ group or collaboration?
Some of our accommodation can accommodate multiple people. If you are applying for the Southeast Asian Arts Residency you can apply as a group or a couple, but please be aware that if your application is successful, you will only receive one living allowance (i.e. RM1000 per month, divided between however many people in your group.)
The Open Residency for International Artists is open to couples and groups, but all must be accommodated within a single house if you are making a single payment. Please stipulate the number of bedrooms required when applying, so we can suggest the appropriate accommodation. Our largest house (Rumah Uda Manap), can sleep up to 7 people, in four bedrooms.
Can resident artists have guests?
Yes, resident artists can have guests visiting. For the security of the compound, please inform the residency director of any guests, at least a day before their visit.
We have single mattress cots and linen for short overnight stays, and most of our apartments, rooms, and houses can accommodate at least one extra person. Please do let us know about any expected overnight guests at least several days in advance so arrangements for bedlinen can be made with the staff.
Can I bring children?
Resident artists may bring dependent children. Long-term guests like partners or children need to be negotiated with the residency director before the residency begins. Some of our accommodation is not safe for small children — it may be close to open water, or have high balconies with open balustrades. If you are expecting to frequently host small children, please make sure the residency director is aware of this before your accommodation is confirmed.
Can I bring pets?
You can bring whatever pets habitually live in a tank or cage. You are not permitted to bring dogs or cats. Our dogs at Rimbun Dahan are territorial pack hunters; they regularly kill cats and savage other dogs. New cats in our accommodation also make it difficult for future guests and artists who may be allergic.
How accessible is Rimbun Dahan for people with disabilities?
We regret that most of Rimbun Dahan’s garden and many of our buildings are not wheelchair accessible. However, most of our artists’ studios are accessible, and some of our accommodation can be adapted to be wheelchair accessible. We can also provide accommodation for accompanying support workers. If you have specific needs, please contact us at arts@rimbundahan.org to discuss how we may support you.
What are the current Covid restrictions?
All relevant Malaysian government restrictions apply. As of 2022, there are no Covid restrictions in Malaysia.
Do you provide art materials for resident artists?
No. Artists are responsible for sourcing and bringing their own materials to Rimbun Dahan for the purposes of their work. We have a list of art supply and stationery stores in KL and surrounding areas, along with other service providers such as framers, and we can provide this list for resident artists.
Will there be other artists when I am in residence?
Other than artists, Rimbun Dahan is the permanent home of 6 staff members who work in cleaning and maintenance of our buildings and garden, and 3 members of the family of Hijjas Kasturi. We also run a residency program for environmental conservation researchers and have occasional interns in residence.
Rimbun Dahan can comfortably host up to 6 resident artists at a time, and at certain times we may have up to 20 artists staying here for a short workshop or training (for anywhere between 4—10 days). Usually we will have an average of 3 to 4 artists at the same time, although there are periods where there is only a single artist in residence. For more information on the artists in residence during your stay, ask the residency director.
It is up to you how much contact you wish to have with other residents. We host occasional social get-togethers so that residents can meet and chat. Many residents live a very quiet and secluded life working on their own, while others may meet, click and choose to collaborate. However, do not expect to have substantial social contact with other residents while you are here.
What do I do about food, cooking and washing?
All accommodation for artists at Rimbun Dahan includes access to a fully-equipped private or shared kitchen. The kitchen equipment includes fridge, stove, kettle, toaster, rice-cooker, cooking utensils, crockery & cutlery, and sometimes microwave. We do not provide any food or condiments like salt, pepper, oil, sauces — you need to buy what you need.
For those who do not wish to cook, there is a good choice of Malay food in the immediate neighborhood that is cheap and good (eg. lunch of rice with chicken or fish, a wide choice of vegetables and a drink can be had at Warung Selera Ria across the road for RM8 – 10). You can also get food delivery by Grab etc.
Rimbun Dahan staff provide transport once a week for resident artists to a nearby supermarket to provision for food. Simple local provisions can be bought from minimarkets at the roadside near Rimbun Dahan.
For clothes washing, several shared washing machines are available; bring your own detergent. Dryer machines are not provided; we do provide racks and outdoor lines for drying your clothes. There are no dry cleaners within walking distance.
What about water?
We do not provide bottled water or filtration systems for drinking water. We drink the tap water. If you’re concerned about the water, you can boil it before drinking it, as many Malaysians do, or buy your own bottled water outside.
What about Internet?
There is no WiFi available in any of the accommodation, only in the shared office space. Most residents hotspot WiFi from their phones, and have no problem with this — there is a Digi mobile tower just next door, and reception is generally good.
What transportation is available?
Rimbun Dahan is NOT well connected by public transport.
Rimbun Dahan is about a 45 minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, and 1hr 15 minutes’ drive from KL International Airport. The closest MRT station of Sungai Buloh is 12 minutes’ drive away; the MRT train to the centre of Kuala Lumpur takes about 30 minutes.
We do not provide cars or other transport for our resident artists. Malaysians are welcome to bring their own cars; parking is outdoors, not covered. International residents may rent a car. Grab (like Uber) is usually the easiest way to get around; a one-way Grab journey from the city costs between MYR35 and MYR60. A one-way Grab journey from KL International Airport is MYR85.
What is the local area like?
The 14-acre compound of Rimbun Dahan is an oasis of greenery in a bustling working-class residential area, in the urban fringe of Kuala Lumpur’s greater metropolitan area. The immediate area is Malay reserve, which means that only ethnic Muslim Malays are permitted to own land here.
There are small shops, local restaurants and services within walking distance along our main road of Jalan Kuang. There are weekly fruit and veg markets nearby, and a night market a short drive away. The nearest town with banks and chain stores is Sungai Buloh, about 10 minutes’ drive away.
Can I learn from traditional arts masters during my residency? Or meet the Malaysian indigenous people? Or work with the local community?
Many foreign artists are interested to engage with the indigenous people of Malaysia (the Orang Asli, in Peninsula Malaysia) or with the local community during their residency, or to learn from skilled craftsmen (particularly traditional Malay crafts). While we encourage you to meet and learn about all the cultures that call Malaysia home, Rimbun Dahan is primarily a residency for you to develop your independent art practice, in our compound. We regret that we do not have the capacity to arrange for you to meet with facets of the community beyond the local contemporary arts community.
Many masters of traditional Malay crafts live on the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia, about 3-7 hours’ drive away, and they do not speak much English. Both they, and the scattered communities of Orang Asli (at least 1 hour’s drive away), may be unwilling to meet with foreign artists who parachute in and out of their lives. And in terms of having workshops with local children or neighbours, Rimbun Dahan does not have a regular program of outreach to our local neighbourhood (and most people in the neighbourhood also speak only Malay). So while we can provide you with some contacts and suggestions, you will need to handle these connections by yourself.
Can I learn more about the indigenous garden at Rimbun Dahan? Can I take samples from the garden for my artwork?
We encourage you to explore the 14-acre indigenous Southeast Asian garden at Rimbun Dahan. You can read more about it here. Angela Hijjas conducts occasional tours of the garden, where you can get a general overview, and if you are looking for specific plants or information, you can ask her, or consult the books on tropical plants in our library. If you are interested in native wildlife, especially birds and butterflies, please let us know, so we can alert you if we spot anything.
You are welcome to take samples from plants in the garden to use in your artwork. If you are planning to take substantial amounts of a single plant (i.e. for natural dye production) please check with Angela whether this is feasible.
Can I view the contemporary artworks or the heritage textiles in the Permanent Collection at Rimbun Dahan?
Some of our Permanent Collection of works by previous resident artists and other regional artists is on display in the public indoor and outdoor areas of Rimbun Dahan. We usually also have a selection from our Permanent Collection on display in our Underground Gallery. You are welcome to browse our library of catalogues of local and regional exhibitions, and our art inventory catalogue. Please ask the residency director if you would like to view any specific works.
Angela Hijjas gives occasional presentations of the heritage textiles at Rimbun Dahan, most of which are Malay textiles from the Nusantara region — batik, songket, ikat, kain limar, etc — from the last century. If you have a special interest in heritage textiles, fiber, natural dyes and local weaving techniques, please discuss this with Angela.
What if I have questions or problems?
Angela Hijjas, owner and director, and Bilqis Hijjas, director and residency manager, as well as the groundskeeping, maintenance and cleaning staff are on-site and working 6 days a week. All residents are also provided with a residency guide (emailed before arrival, as well as provided in printed form in all accommodation) that provides details about operations within the Rimbun Dahan compound and basic information about our surrounding area in Kuang. We are also happy to provide information or connections with the arts community in Kuala Lumpur.