Faye Abantao, a visual artist from Bacolod, Philippines, joined us for a two-month residency at Rimbun Dahan from May to June 2024.
About the Residency
During her time with us, Faye explored various printmaking techniques and advanced her project, Withering Memories. This ongoing series, which she began in 2020, evolves into its third installation titled What Becomes of Memories if There’s No One Around to Remember Them? This collage-based, wall-bound mural talks about the ephemeral nature of memory and the existential query surrounding its legacy in the absence of witness.
A combination of various medium—photographs, tearing and the use of paper as a material—each representing a different aspect of memory. The photographs depict fleeting moments of joy and mundane routine, now suspended in time. Tearing conveys intimate thoughts and unspoken words, slowly blurring into oblivion. These layers peel off eventually, leading us to reveal different memories, the vulnerabilities and our intricacies. Paper, with its worn texture, symbolizes the decay and erosion of physical remnants over time.
It raises a question: Do memories have any meaning beyond the minds that contain them? And if a recollection is an individual’s own story or narrative, a subjective perception of reality, what becomes of it when the person who told the story is no longer there to tell it? Memory in the real sense refers to human collective memory and experiences—our histories, cultures, and societies. Without preservation and transmission these too would be lost into nothingness.
It is a challenge to consider how we choose to preserve our memories and the stories we leave behind. In an age where digital archives are vast yet volatile, the permanence of memory becomes even more uncertain. The interplay of traditional and modern underscores this tension, prompting reflections on how future generations will access and interpret the past.
About The Artist
Faye Abantao (b. 1994) is a visual artist from Bacolod City, Philippines. She captures an essence of culmination in her multifaceted art practice. She makes homogenous the panache of creative impulses such as origami, print, digital art, photography, collage and painting.
The focus of her artistry is weaving in stories from the used books and archive of photographs that she uses into the diorama presented through her work. It visually represents herself with profiles and portraits of the human condition. It imitates life through the impact of culture and experiences to individuals. Her art establishes a link between the collection and deconstruction of altered digital images that presents a realm of memory and experience. These images have been noted for their distinct aesthetics and use of monochrome, which are common threads throughout her work. Whether depicting a personal experience, a portrait, or solitude in a peculiar context, they stand apart.
Writer and editor William Tham joined us from Petaling Jaya for a two-month residency from May to June 2024.
About the Residency
William has written novels, short stories, and creative nonfiction, and is particularly drawn to topics rooted in the twentieth century. His writing project at Rimbun Dahan centres around the 1927 visit by Rabindranath Tagore to Southeast Asia, engaging with questions of translation, interpretation, and politics in a time of change. Its epistolary structure is particularly inspired by Zhang Ruihe’s short story “Driving North” (2023) in The Second Link: An Anthology of Malaysian and Singaporean Writing, which engages with similar themes.
Tagore, despite being better known for his poetry and fiction, was also a philosopher who engaged deeply with key questions of a nascent modernity. Having navigated the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries in British-ruled India, where anticolonial foment would take the form of nationalism, he deeply pondered ideas of nation and tradition, modernity and spirituality—ideas which are addressed here. William’s work approaches Tagore by interrogating the act of translation, and in the process, what also emerges is a story about the aspirations and imaginaries of Tagore’s contemporaries: the peoples of Malaya/Nanyang/Tanah Melayu and their imagined nation-to-come—as well as the unease associated with these rapid political changes.
About the Writer
William Tham is the author and editor of several books, as well as an editor-at-large for Wasafiri. His writings have appeared in PR&TA, NANG and The Best of World SF: Volume 2, among others. He also co-edited The Second Link: A Malaysia-Singapore Literary Anthology and has an interest in literary and cultural studies.
A day of art and artists, in the 14-acre tropical greenery of Rimbun Dahan, 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.
On Sunday 30 June 2024, Rimbun Dahan will be open to the public with a special program of events investigating fiction, documentary film and the archive, curated by current Malaysian resident writer William Tham, as well as an installation art project by resident artist Faye Abantao from the Philippines.
Free entry. Registration required for garden tour only (see below).
Schedule
9:00am-11:00am: Guided garden tour of our 14-acre native Southeast Asian arboretum and garden at Rimbun Dahan by Angela Hijjas. Meet at the front gate. Slots are limited, and registrations are required for the garden tour. Register here: https://forms.gle/C1e1d9jrzyPi57jX6
11:00am-1:30pm: Faye Abantao’s studio, with her work What Becomes of Memories if There’s No One Around to Remember Them?, will be open to the public. Please visit and have a chat with the artist!
1:30-2:30pm: Lunch break; studios closed. You are welcome to bring your own picnic to enjoy in the garden; please take your rubbish with you.
2:30-6:00pm: Faye Abantao’s studio open to the public. Please visit and have a chat with the artist!
2:30-6:00pm: Imagining historically: Conversations about fiction, film and (informal) archives, curated by William Tham — more info below.
Imagining historically: Conversations about fiction, film and (informal) archives
Why are we continuously compelled to visit and inhabit a historical time and space. What are the ways in which we do so? History plays an outsized role in how we situate ourselves today, whether in Malaysia or abroad, and our programme negotiates these questions through three media: fiction, documentary film, and the archive.
In this Open Day event on 30 June 2024, William Tham, the outgoing writer-in-residence at Rimbun Dahan, will read an excerpt of his new short story, “The Boundaries in Men’s Hearts”, which is set during the visit of Rabindranath Tagore to Southeast Asia in 1927. Rather than attempting to reproduce the past exactly as it was, his story focuses on questions of translation and interpretation through its epistolary format. He then moderates a discussion with Caleb Goh, discusses the appeal of thinking archivally – whether by reconstructing the personal libraries of readers past, drawing insights from the audial contents of gramophone records, or restoring heritage mechanical devices. Finally, he discusses the making of documentary films with Chan Seong Foong, who reflects upon her involvement in work such as Five Tigers (dir. Victor Chin and Por Heong Hong, featuring the stories of female Parti Rakyat Malaysia activists during the 1960s), as well as the ethics and process of documentary making.
Our casual programme invites you to have a conversation with us and to (re)consider what it means to think historically.To set the mood for these sessions, we will be holding this session in the Rumah Penang, a restored 1920s’ Anglo-Malay house relocated to Rimbun Dahan from George Town, Penang. You are welcome to stay for the full programme or to drop by for specific sessions, as per your preference. The full itinerary is as follows.
2.30pm: First screening of Five Tigers. The film will be played on a loop throughout the day.
3pm: Event 1 – “Book reading: The Boundaries in Men’s Hearts” by William Tham
3.30pm: Event 2 – “Thinking archivally” with Caleb Goh
4.00pm: Event 3 – “Reflections on documentary-making” with Chan Seong Foong
4.30pm: Teatime and further conversations
Some simple refreshments will be provided – participants are encouraged to bring their own bottles and containers too. Expect plenty of interactions!
Landmarks: Our front gate is opposite Warung Selera Ria and also next to the start of Lorong Belimbing. Do not enter Lorong Belimbing, please enter the front gate from the main road.
Tips for Visitors
We have parking inside the compound, along the driveway. Just drive in the front gate and park as indicated along the drive.
Bring your own mosquito repellent!
We are sorry, Rimbun Dahan is not a wheelchair accessible venue.
Wear practical shoes if you are planning to walk around the garden.
Bring an umbrella in case of rain.
No refreshments or water provided. Feel free to bring your own picnic, and enjoy it in the gardens; please clean up all your trash.
No pets, no swimming — thank you for your cooperation.
If you have any questions, please email arts@rimbundahan.org or WhatsApp Bilqis at +6017-3103769.
About the Resident Artists
Faye Abantao (b. 1994) is a visual artist from Bacolod City, Philippines. She captures an essence of culmination in her multifaceted art practice. She makes homogenous the panache of creative impulses such as origami, print, digital art, photography, collage and painting. During her two-month residnecy at Rimbun Dahan, Faye explored various printmaking techniques and advanced her project Withering Memories. This ongoing series, which she began in 2020, evolves into its third installation titled What Becomes of Memories if There’s No One Around to Remember Them? This collage-based, wall-bound mural talks about the ephemeral nature of memory and the existential query surrounding its legacy in the absence of witness.
William Tham is currently a writer-in-residence at Rimbun Dahan, the author and editor of several books, as well as an editor-at-large for Wasafiri. His writings have appeared in PR&TA, NANG and The Best of World SF: Volume 2, among others. He also co-edited The Second Link: A Malaysia-Singapore Literary Anthology and has an interest in literary and cultural studies.
About the Invited Guests
Chan Seong Foong is a cultural activist involved in social/ documentary film-making. Aside from that, her interests lie in the sociology of religion and educational development. She has worked with international agencies on youth and women’s advocacy, as well as in funding and project management. She has had many years of experience in community organising, particularly with young women workers.
Caleb Goh Hern-Ee was born and raised in Muar, Johore. He is a collector of media in all forms, especially those related to the way of life in old Malaya. His interests range from architecture, fashion history, the development of the local music industry, to the Separation of Singapore and the modern political history of Malaysia. He currently practices law in Kuala Lumpur, where he now lives.
About Rimbun Dahan
Rimbun Dahan is the home of Malaysian architect Hijjas Kasturi and his wife Angela. Set on fourteen acres outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the compound of Rimbun Dahan is a centre for developing traditional and contemporary art forms. It features buildings designed by Hijjas Kasturi, as well as two early 20th century traditional Malay houses from Perak and Penang, in an indigenous Southeast Asian garden environment which has recently been awarded arboretum status. Rimbun Dahan is private property, and is only open to the public on Open Days.
Sunday 19 May, 7:30pm The Dance Studio at Rimbun Dahan The work-in-progress performance will last about 30 minutes, followed by Q&A and discussion. Free entry, no registration required.
Présenté par Groupe A – Coopérative Culturelle [FBIG] Artistic direction : Pascal Marquilly [FBIG] Sound composition : Rodolphe Collange [FB] Video creation : Nicolas Tourte [FBIG]
Performances of wayang kulit in Kota Bharu, Kelantan Shadow puppets and discordant sounds A mythological tale and childlike smiles
A border in the far North A few soldiers and congested roads A makeshift vehicle
The moucharabiehs at Jahar Palace Set against a backdrop of lace, the play of light glides across the floor Spaces preserved from the furnace
White-hot beaches and sparkling waves Insects sizzle in the sunshine A few temples here and there, the voice of the Muezzin
All around, the forest, impenetrable and imperious A misty green mass, teeming yet fragile A few coloured sparkles
Gaping holes, exploitations Palm groves as far as the eye can see Ribbons of tar smoke
A city bristling with grey towers An amorphous underground panorama Upside down
Humid, dense air Threatening low clouds Electrically charged skies and sudden storms
In Selangor, a haven of peace A few barks and fleeting ghosts A botanical garden and facetious monkeys
The haughty words confine conversations The night defies the darkness Dark silhouettes outline the azure sky
This heat…
————
We carried out an initial creative residency in April 2023 at Rimbun Dahan. We have sketched out a mechanical shadow theatre that aims to question our representations of nature. After a month’s work, we’re adding to it with new research and trial and error. In the night, we no longer seek the light, but rather the darkness.
Puisqu’on regarde les étoiles c’est qu’elles sont à quelqu’un nécessaires…
Direction artistique : Pascal Marquilly [FBIG] Composition sonore : Rodolphe Collange [FB] Création vidéographique : Nicolas Tourte [FBIG]
————
Des représentations de Wayang Kulit à Kota Bharu, dans le Kelantan Des marionnettes d’ombres et des sonorités discordantes Un récit mythologique et des sourires enfantins
Une frontière à l’extrême Nord Quelques militaires et des routes encombrées Un véhicule de fortune
Les moucharabiehs du Jahar Palace Dans un écrin de dentelles des jeux de lumière glissent sur le plancher Des espaces préservés de la fournaise
Des plages chauffées à blanc et les vagues scintillent Des insectes grésillent sous le soleil Quelques temples ci et là, la voix du Muezzin
Tout autour la forêt, impénétrable et impérieuse Une masse verte brumeuse foisonnante pourtant fragile Quelques éclats colorés scintillent
Des trous béants, des exploitations Des palmeraies à pertes de vues Les rubans de goudrons fument
Une ville hérissé de tours grises Un panorama clandestin amorphe Sens dessus dessous
L’air humide et dense Des nuages bas menaçant Un ciel chargé électrique et des orages soudain
Dans le Selangor, un havre de paix Quelques aboiements et des fantômes fugaces Un jardin botanique et des singes facétieux
Les paroles altières confinent les conversations La nuit défie les ténèbres Des silhouettes sombres dessinent l’azur
Cette chaleur…
————
Nous avons effectué une première résidence de création en avril 2023 au centre d’art Rimbun Dahan. Nous avons esquissé un théâtre d’ombre mécanique, qui a pour ambition de questionner nos représentations de la nature. Nous augmentons celui-ci, après un mois de travail, de nos nouvelles recherches et tâtonnements. Dans la nuit, nous ne cherchons plus la lumière, mais bien à rejoindre l’obscurité.
————
All monochrome works pictured on this page: scalpel cut on 250gr Bristol paper
Malaysian visual artist Syahnan Anuar is undertaking a 2-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in 2024, preparing for his upcoming solo exhibition.
Syahnan Anuar (b. 1992, Kelantan) is a visual artist and founder of Bogus Merchandise. He works primarily in the medium of silkscreen across different surfaces. His works explore the personal and political tensions in his lived experience as a Malay-Muslim male living in 21st- century Malaysia.
He is currently working on his upcoming solo exhibition. You can check his work on Instagram @kerjasanan.
Malaysian contemporary artist Yap Chee Keng has joined us for a 3-month residency from February to April 2024.
About the Artist
Yap Chee Keng was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2010 and 2013, he obtained an Associate Degree in Interior Architecture and Diploma in Visual Arts from New Era College, Malaysia. He went to Taiwan to study in 2016, where he obtained a Bachelor Degree from Tunghai University, and in 2020, he received a Master Degree from the Fine Arts Department of National Taipei University of the Arts, Taiwan.
Chee Keng’s artworks have won the 2022 Malaysia Young Contemporaries / Bakat Muda Sezaman (Jury Award), 2021 Next Art Tainan Award, 2020 Nanying Award (Western Media: Excellent award), the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (National Art Exhibition) Oil Painting (Category: Silver Medal), and also the National Taipei University of the Arts’ important creation award “Outstanding Art Prize of School of Fine Arts 2020” and many other affirmations.
Carpenter’s ink marker is Chee Keng’s creative inspiration, which connects with his childhood and his experience studying interior architecture. Now the line made by the carpenter’s ink marker presents a continuation of his life story on the canvas; they are repeatedly overlapped, stretching endlessly into eternity. The lines are densely or loosely distributed, or they are piled up. Countless colorful lines are piled together, injecting into the painting a sense of time and labor. Through the color combination that symbolizes culture and life, the author tries to create a diverse color space.
“Body Machines: Life’s Rhythm and the Dialogue with Technology”
In this series of work, Chee Keng use the human body’s repetitive actions to investigate the challenges posed by mechanization and the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to replace artistic creation. Through bodily performance, he engages in continuous actions and line-making, responding to the relationship between human creativity and mechanized labor in the contemporary technological age.
Chee Keng juxtapose human bodily movements with mechanized repetition, highlighting the similarities and differences between repetitive human labor and AI algorithms. With this comparison, Chee Keng hopes to provoke deep reflection among viewers regarding the impact of technology on traditional artisanal craftsmanship.
Additionally, the exhibition is inspired by elements of nature. Chee Keng has drawn inspiration from the life cycles and changes in the natural world, connecting the falling of leaves to the concept of life’s end. Similar to how leaves grow, wither, and regenerate throughout the year, the exhibition portrays the continuous cycles and resilience of life. This natural phenomenon serves as a reminder of life’s fragility and impermanence, juxtaposed with its enduring qualities.
The fusion of painting and natural elements prompts contemplation on life’s cycles and the passage of time, while also inviting reflection on the significance of human bodies and behaviors in the technological era. Through their artworks, the artists explore the impact of AI on artistic creation and examine the relationship between individual lives and technological advancements in modern society.
[This text was written with the assistance of ChatGPT.]
A day of art and artists, in the 14-acre tropical greenery of Rimbun Dahan, 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.
On Sunday 28 April 2024, Rimbun Dahan will be open to the public to view works in progress by our current resident artists Yap Chee Keng (Malaysia), Nadiyah Suyatna (Indonesia) and Syahnan Anuar (Malaysia). Our intern Amirul Arif will also be sharing his collection of traditional Malay woodcarvings.
Free entry. Registration required for garden tour only (see below).
Schedule
9:00am-11:00am: Registration for the garden tour is full; please join us for other activities which do not require registration!Guided garden tour of our 14-acre native Southeast Asian arboretum and garden at Rimbun Dahan by Angela Hijjas. Meet at the front gate. Slots are limited, and registrations are required for the garden tour.
11:00am-2:00pm: Visual artists’ studios open to the public. Please visit the studios and have a chat with the artists.
2:00-3:00pm: Lunch break; studios closed. You are welcome to bring your own picnic to enjoy in the garden; please take your rubbish with you.
3:00-6:00pm: Visual artists’ studios open to the public.
Landmarks: Our front gate is opposite Warung Selera Ria and also next to the start of Lorong Belimbing. Do not enter Lorong Belimbing, please enter the front gate from the main road.
Tips for Visitors
We have parking inside the compound, along the driveway. Just drive in the front gate and park as indicated along the drive.
Bring your own mosquito repellent!
We are sorry, Rimbun Dahan is not a wheelchair accessible venue.
Wear practical shoes if you are planning to walk around the garden.
Bring an umbrella in case of rain.
No refreshments or water provided. Feel free to bring your own picnic, and enjoy it in the gardens; please clean up all your trash.
No pets, no swimming — thank you for your cooperation.
If you have any questions, please email arts@rimbundahan.org or WhatsApp Bilqis at +6017-3103769.
About the Participants
Yap Chee Keng, from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he obtained an Associate Degree in Interior Architecture and Diploma in Visual Arts from New Era College, Malaysia. His further study in Taiwan earned him a Bachelor Degree from Tunghai University and a Master Degree from the Fine Arts Department of National Taipei University of the Arts. Highly awarded both in Malaysia and Taiwan, Chee Keng’s work uses the carpenter’s ink marker to create a diverse color space, while reflecting on the impact of technological advancements on traditional artisan’s work.
Nadiyah Suyatna is a comic artist/illustrator born and raised in the outskirts of Jakarta who draws inspirations from everyday life. Besides Smoldering, she has been working on another comic project about a fishing community in North Jakarta, in collaboration with Marco del Gallo. Their short comic Blessing of the Sea was featured in the anthology DENCity: Stories of Crowds & Cities as a part of the DenCity research project at Durham University’s Department of Geography. Her works can be seen at nadiyahsuyatna.com or instagram.com/nadiyahsuyatna.
Syahnan Anuar (b. 1992, Kelantan) is a visual artist and founder of Bogus Merchandise. He works primarily in the medium of silkscreen across different surfaces. His works explore the personal and political tensions in his lived experience as a Malay-Muslim male in 21st-century Malaysia. He is currently working on his upcoming solo exhibition. You can check his work on Instagram @kerjasanan.
Amirul Arif is a Diploma student in Landscape Horticulture currently undertaking an internship in Rimbun Dahan. This Open Day, Amirul will be showcasing his collection of craft items associated with the mythos of the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, including regalia and instruments of daily life. Carvings of monochromatic wood are characterised by the use of techniques and motifs with a long history and are now highly prized. Other materials like leaves, bones, metals, and silk have also receive refined treatment in the hands of accomplished artisans, and will be exhibited on Sunday.
About Rimbun Dahan
Rimbun Dahan is the home of Malaysian architect Hijjas Kasturi and his wife Angela. Set on fourteen acres outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the compound of Rimbun Dahan is a centre for developing traditional and contemporary art forms. It features buildings designed by Hijjas Kasturi, as well as two early 20th century traditional Malay houses from Perak and Penang, in an indigenous Southeast Asian garden environment which has recently been awarded arboretum status. Rimbun Dahan is private property, and is only open to the public on Open Days.
Nadiyah Suyatna, a comic artist/illustrator from Indonesia, is undertaking a two-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in 2024.
About the Residency
Nadiyah is currently working on Smoldering, a graphic novel about fire governance in Central Kalimantan. The project is co-written with Sofyan Ansori as part of Fire Play research project with funding from KONEKSI (Collaboration for Knowledge, Innovation, and Technology Australia and Indonesia).
Set in Central Kalimantan during the dry season, Smoldering explores the friendship between Elin and Bunga, two high school girls navigating adolescence. Elin, a Dayak girl, aspires to leave her village and pursue her dreams. Conversely, for Bunga, who has recently moved from Bandung, the village is a new home she is trying to make sense of. As the weather gets dryer, Elin and Bunga experience the heat at the fire frontier where ideas, myths, feelings, and practices pertaining to flaming landscape collide and overlap.
Based on ethnographic research, Smoldering engages with the multifaceted fire governance at the village level, depicting the everyday realities amid burning forests, declining livelihoods, and devastating fire policies.
Nadiyah Suyatna
Nadiyah is a comic artist/illustrator born and raised in the outskirts of Jakarta who draws inspirations from everyday life. Besides Smoldering, she has been working on another comic project about a fishing community in North Jakarta, in collaboration with Marco del Gallo. Their short comic Blessing of the Sea was featured in the anthology DENCity: Stories of Crowds & Cities as a part of the DenCity research project at Durham University’s Department of Geography. Her works can be seen at nadiyahsuyatna.com or instagram.com/nadiyahsuyatna.
Sofyan Ansori
[creative collaborator, not in residence]
Sofyan is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Northwestern University whose research project examines relationships between humans and fires in light of the current climate crisis. Since 2015, his ethnographic work engages specifically with how Indigenous communities in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, navigate their thoughts and actions amid the recurring massive fires and the state’s ongoing desire to enforce anti-fire policies. Website: sofyanansori.com.
Multi-disciplinary Australian artist Lucy Zola is undertaking a 1-month Open Residency for International Artists at Rimbun Dahan in February 2024. During Open Day on 25 February 2024, Lucy will be sharing her multi-disciplinary works exploring the tranquility and unease evoked by the night.
About the Artist
Lucy Zola is a multi-disciplinary artist and musician from Adelaide, South Australia, who works in sonic art, installation, sculpture, interactive digital art, and photography. Rooted in the discourse of walking, Zola’s creations reflect on the human condition and our interconnection with the environment.
Lucy has been studying and undertaking language training, internships and artist residencies abroad on a New Colombo Plan Scholarship for the past year, her journey taking her to South Korea, Malaysia and soon Nepal.
In her artistic practice, Lucy strives to spotlight the overlooked beauty and richness inherent in ordinary sights and sounds. Through her work, she seeks to evoke the emotions and atmospheres of the landscapes she traverses, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in these settings and cultivate a deeper appreciation for their surroundings. Amidst an age marked by technology-induced detachment, her goal is to reveal both the allure and disquiet of the auditory and visual realms that surround us.
During her residency at Rimbun Dahan, Lucy’s explorations have also extended into the nocturnal domain, where she uncovers the delicate interplay between beauty and terror interwoven into the visual and auditory tapestry of the night. Her objective is to convey the coexistence of tranquillity and unease within these nocturnal landscapes, drawing from personal encounters with fear, fascination, and anxiety.
Lucy will be presenting her ongoing works, including an interactive digital graphic notation, sculpture, photographs accompanied by soundscapes, and an experimental film.
For more information about Open Day on Sunday 25 February, see https://rimbundahan.org/open-day-february-2024/
Singapore-based filmmakers and visual artists Studio 1914 are in residence at Rimbun Dahan in February 2024.
About the Artists
Studio 1914, a Singapore-based art practice led by filmmakers and visual artists Adzlynn & Hong Hu, explores the intersections of Southeast Asian folktales, ecology, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) art and experiential exhibitions.
They produced a video ‘Gambut’ which reflected on the futility of resolving the decades-long haze issue in Sumatra. It has been screened at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore, VT Artsalon Taipei and George Town Festival. More recently, they created an AI-based animation piece ‘Madu’ featuring a Southeast Asian folktale for the National Museum of Singapore.
They were invited to curate a trilogy of experiential exhibitions as part of Rainbow Families SG, a queer art collective. The exhibitions took the form of temporary spatial interventions of defunct spaces at The Projector, a local independent cinema.
With moving images as their primary medium, they hope their works contribute to and encourage progressive conversations around navigating identities as Southeast Asians.
Since completing ‘Madu’, our AI-based animation featuring folktale ‘Hitam Manis and the Tualang Tree’, it sparked even more introspective conversations about biodiversity mentioned in Southeast Asian stories and how we relate to nature.
In our Hitam Manis animation, the term ‘Taman Larangan Diraja’ (Forbidden Garden) was a key visual space we had to design. These taman (gardens) are architectural spaces mentioned in the Sejarah Melayu and across other folktales from Southeast Asia. We wondered about the function and aesthetics of such gardens. In designing a fictional forbidden garden, do we make comparisons to actual historical royal gardens in Southeast Asia? What kind of biodiversity would the royal palaces have encouraged? Did any parts of their designs endure through to our modern times, if at all?
In our research, we noticed parallels between the layouts of forbidden gardens and Rimbun Dahan. We turn again to our palace gardener, Hitam Manis, for inspiration. What would it be like, if we were to imagine and design the scene of the ‘Forbidden Garden’ inspired by Rimbun Dahan?
