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Sigrid Marianne Gayangos

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Sigrid Marianne Gayangos

Author Sigrid Marianne Gayangos from the Philippines is spending her 2-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in late 2023 translating her short stories from Chavacano, and drafting a collection of personal essays.

About the Artist

Sigrid Marianne Gayangos was born and raised in Zamboanga City, Philippines. She is the author of Laut: Stories (UP Press), a National Book Award finalist, and Lola Maria’s Candles (Aklat Alamid), a forthcoming bilingual children’s book. In 2021, she was the recipient of the NCCA’s Writers Prize for Fiction, which enabled her to complete a second collection of short stories in Chavacano. She is currently working on self-translating her Chavacano collection, El Vida Encantao (The Enchanted Life), to English. In 2023, she was awarded first prize in the Gawad Bienvenido Lumbera National Literary Contest for her poetry collection in Chavacano, Descarga. She teaches at the Department of Humanities in the University of the Philippines Mindanao.

Buy Laut: Stories by Sigrid Marianne Gayangos from UP Press

About the Residency

“I alternate between translating my second short story collection (from Chavacano to English) and drafting sections from what is shaping up to be my third book, which is a collection of personal essays. Inspired by “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, I aim to tell a story that is simultaneously very specific—as a Filipino with at least 7 cultural and linguistic influences growing up, and having had to move from one home to another in Zamboanga as dictated by personal circumstances and political upheavals in the city—and universal, for at its core the project is about a child going through difficult transformations as she maneuvers her way into the broader world.”

Open Day Activity

On Sunday 26 November 2023, as part of Rimbun Dahan Open Day, Sigrid will give a short talk on her background as a writer. Coming from a long line of fisherfolks who traveled from one island to another in search of better fishing grounds and having lived through several instances of uprooting herself, the idea of home is central to her work. Sigrid will be reading an excerpt from her work-in-progress while in residency, the prelude to her collection of essays entitled “All The Places We Called Home”.

In the following writing workshop, participants will be given a ‘Where I Come From’ template for a poetry prompt. This activity is meant to help participants reflect on the elements that have influenced and defined their identity. Participants are encouraged to use this template as a starting point but are free to adapt and modify it to best express their own experiences and stories. Volunteer readers can then share and read their works. Please bring your own preferred writing materials; basic writing materials will also be provided at the session.

Total duration: 1 hour

Southeast Asian Arts Residency – Terms & Conditions

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Dear resident artists, we look forward to welcoming you to our home and our community at Rimbun Dahan! Before you confirm your acceptance of this residency, please ensure you are comfortable with the following terms and conditions.

During the period of your residency, Rimbun Dahan will provide:

  • Private fan-cooled accommodation, including water and electricity, with a bathroom and kitchen. [In some cases, the kitchen may be shared with 1 other resident artist.] The kitchen is fully equipped with crockery (plates, bowls), cutlery (knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks), utensils (knives, spatulas, graters, cutting boards, can openers, etc.) and equipment, including fridge, stove, rice cooker and toaster.
  • For visual artists, a private fan-cooled studio, including sink with water and electricity. For performing artists, the use of the Dance Studio. For writers, unless you specifically require a separate studio, we will provide you with a writing space in your accommodation.
  • A living allowance of MYR1,000 per month.
  • Access to on-site facilities including clothes washing machine, swimming pool, Taman Sari vegetable garden, tennis court, exercise equipment, library, and shared office space (WiFi equipped).
  • Guidelines for living at Rimbun Dahan before your arrival, and orientation upon arrival to our site, facilities and operations.
  • Cleaning of your accommodation every 2 weeks. All other cleaning is up to you.
  • Transport to a local supermarket once a week, if required.
  • Occasional optional social mixers and excursions to local cultural events with other resident artists.
  • Occasional optional guided introductions to the heritage buildings, indigenous garden/arboretum, permanent collection of artworks, and the heritage textile collection.

Rimbun Dahan does NOT provide:

  • Meals or groceries.
  • Art materials or funding for art materials or artistic collaborators.
  • Flights to and from Malaysia, or funding for airfares.
  • Transfers between KL International Airport and Rimbun Dahan.
  • Any other local transport costs.
  • Travel visas, and any costs for procuring and maintaining travel visas, including short trips out of Malaysia to neighbouring countries.
  • Airconditioning or WiFi in accommodation or studio spaces.

Our expectations for resident artists:

  • Resident artists will use the residency to engage in the development of their artistic practice. The resident is NOT required to fulfil the artistic proposal as submitted in the application, although this is preferred.
  • Rimbun Dahan should be your primary home and full-time work place for the duration of your residency. This includes sleeping here at night, and being here on weekends. Occasional trips into the city are fine.
    • Malaysian artists should not be carrying on full-time or substantial part-time work (i.e. more than 2 days per week) in the city. Please discuss this with the residency manager if you plan to be away regularly.
    • Southeast Asian artists are encouraged to travel within Malaysia during their stay (and may be required to travel overseas to renew their visas), but such trips should not be longer than a few days and should be discussed with the residency managers.
  • Resident artists are expected to participate in 1 scheduled Open Day during their residency. Open Days invite the public to visit the studios of the artists to meet the artists and experience the art works being developed. On Open Days, the artist is expected to be on site and available to share in discussions about their art with visitors. The format can be discussed with the residency manager, and depends on the genre of the artists: for example, performing artists may offer a workshop or studio performance, writers may give readings. An Open Day is NOT guaranteed, however. Other than Open Day, the residency does not offer any kind of exhibition or performance production. 
  • Visual artists are expected to leave 1 artwork that has been made at Rimbun Dahan for our Permanent Collection. Selection can be decided by the artist, or the artist may invite the residency manager to discuss the selection of the work. If you are planning to make only one single work during the course of your residency, then you should discuss this requirement in advance with the residency manager.
  • Resident artists are expected to acknowledge the Rimbun Dahan Residency as a source of support when work created here features significantly in the first instance in any publication, exhibition, performance or other dissemination to the public. As such, resident artists may use their residency to create work for display/sale for external commissions, exhibitions, performances, partnerships & collaborations, etc.
  • Non-Malaysian resident artists are responsible for their own immigration/visa status. We do not provide work visas for resident artists. ASEAN passport holders are usually given a Short Term Social Pass automatically on entry, which usually lasts only 30 days. If you are interested in a residency longer than 1 month, you may need to exit the country for a few days to renew your social pass. You will need to support the costs of this travel. If you want a residency longer than 1 month, it does not need to take place consecutively; for example, for a two-month residency, one month of the residency can take place in February, and one month can take place in September.

Acceptance of Terms

These terms will be laid out in a Letter of Offer, which we will send to you once we have fixed the dates of your residency next year. Your signature on the Letter of Offer will indicate your acceptance of these terms.

If you have any questions or concerns about the terms & conditions of this residency, please do not hesitate to discuss this with the arts manager by email at arts@rimbundahan.org, before you sign the Letter of Offer.

Ignis Familiaris — A Solo Exhibition by Amar Shahid

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Ignis Familiaris — A Solo Exhibition by Amar Shahid

𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗱, resident artist at Rimbun Dahan in 2023, presents his solo exhibition of photorealist paintings, 𝙄𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙨 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨, in the Underground Gallery at Rimbun Dahan from 15 October to 5 November 2023.

𝙄𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙨 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨 is the central event in a proposed trilogy of exhibitions by Amar Shahid. What started as an exploration in photographic materiality is now evolving into the dismantling of the picture plane, towards photo-abstraction. The selection of images are bordering on disfiguration and the eventual abandonment of pure representation. The abstractions are intentional and highly calculated, however, rather than conforming to the free-form expression of the postmodernist – though the image may be vague, in definition it is still very much a photorealist approach. This coincides with the artist’s personal negotiation on the permissibility of image reproduction according to his faith.

This intermediate step is a preparation for a journey into ultimate abstraction, soon to be ventured by the artist. In this exhibition, Amar also emphasises the powerful potential of symbolism, in the form of ‘familiars’ superimposed upon the images. 𝙄𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙨 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨 was conceived entirely during Amar’s 6-month residency at Rimbun Dahan from May to October 2023, which has proved to be fruitful and fertile, paving the way for the conclusion of the trilogy of shows in the near future.

Download the catalogue about the exhibition here: PDF 3MB

For any inquiries regarding reservations, purchases or media, please contact the project manager, Danial Fuad, at +6011 2700 0963.


Visiting Hours

Open to the public on Saturdays & Sundays, no appointment required
10am-5pm
Sunday 15 October – Sunday 12 November

Visits on weekdays by appointment only
To make an appointment, please email anjangakuan@gmail.com

Getting to the Gallery

Underground Gallery
Rimbun Dahan
Km. 27 Jalan Kuang
Selangor, 48050

Use Waze to drive to Rimbun Dahan: https://waze.com/ul/hw284q6meb
Use Google Maps to drive to Rimbun Dahan: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ft5fV9YpGsvciCtU8

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.

Parking is available on site; please enter the front gate and park on the side of the driveway.

About the Artist

𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗱 is a Southeast Asia-based practicing artist, with a specialty in linguistics and multi-disciplinary arts. His current work focuses on the intricacies of socio-linguist history with regards to the Southeast Asian social and cultural sphere. Working both in conventional and experimental media, he aims to reflect on the conflicts of cultures and their ecosystems based on his personal anecdotes on the vernacular and conservative educational background of his Malaysian hometown. This clash in values and doctrines shape his works and writings towards a uniquely Southeast Asian narrative.

Annabell Ng

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Annabell Ng

Annabell Ng undertook a three-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in 2023, continuing to explore her practice focused on mark-making reminiscent of minute fragments, as well as developing her concepts of mycelium cultivation.

About the Artist

Annabell Ng, a Malaysian-born artist, developed a strong bond with her father over their shared interest in plants, sparking her fascination with edible plants from a young age. Despite her passion for creative arts and music, she fell in love with the piano at 5 and dedicated herself to mastering it, earning a bachelor’s degree in classical music. However, her journey took an unexpected turn when she enrolled in the Fine Arts course at the Malaysia Institute of Art. There, she found inspiration leading her to develop a unique symbolic language in her art using natural materials. With an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Annabell now focuses her art on addressing pressing environmental issues, raising awareness worldwide about the environment’s preservation.

Website : www.annabellng.com
IG : @a_n_n_a_b_e_l_l_n_g

About the Residency

Throughout the residency, my primary objective is to relocate my ongoing artwork to this new studio, allowing me to advance and refine it through fresh encounters with perspectives and reflections in this novel environment. The mark-making methods I’ll employ will encompass a diverse array of forms, reminiscent of minute fragments extracted from various information systems. My approach involves a methodical re-exploration of these fragments, strategically layering them to establish a harmonious rhythm, which will eventually find integration into my paintings, sculptures. Beyond this, I intend to embark on an experimentation journey, further evolving my ongoing mycelium concepts focused on mycofiltration.

Suhaimi Fadzir

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Suhaimi Fadzir

Malaysian visual artist Suhaimi Fadzir continued his practice of ‘archipainting’ during a two-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in July and August 2023, creating wall-mounted assemblages from found materials from here and elsewhere.

About the Artist

Suhaimi Fadzir is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is motivated by his non-traditional research based practice driven by observing our history, culture, nature, context, and the intersections between science, art and architecture.

He studied art and architecture at Washington University, St. Louis, USA. He has won many art and architecture awards and grants, and has exhibited internationally in numerous biennials, solo and group shows, among them, the prestigious 12th, 13th and 14th Venice Biennale (Architecture), Venice, Italy in 2010, 2012 & 2014, Meiji University Museum, Tokyo, Japan in 2011, the Dublin Biennial, Dublin, Ireland alongside Yoko Ono, where he won the Dublin Biennial Award of Excellence in 2012, a two-man show with late renowned photographer Ansel Adams’ works at Schmidt Art Center, Belleville, Illinois, USA in 2010, Art Basel Miami Week, Miami, Florida, USA and a solo show organized by Saatchi Gallery London and M&C Saatchi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2013. 

His art practice has displayed a consistent sculptural quality, and his hybrid term “Archipainting” has been used in reference to his artworks, a concept that he developed in the 1980s which, blends fine art with structural intricacies and special deconstruction of architecture. History, collective memory, personal experience and environment are elements woven together by him into a non-linear story where distinctions between present, past, fiction, imagination, and reality are nullified. His mixed media works, as well as installation and sculpture pieces have included canvases daubed with found objects and covered in unusual textures and materials, or is inspired by, found objects, which he collects extensively while on the fields both locally and abroad. These overlapping points of reference run throughout all his works and his paintings resist easy interpretation, but rather suggest alternative possibilities of seeing. The interaction with the landscape around him is also reflected in his work, which comments astutely on the nature of contemporary society.

More info: http://instagram.com/suhaimifadzir

About the Residency

“What I’m working on at my residency with Rimbun Dahan is a continuation of what I started in Langkawi in 2018; it is artwork based on the examination of nature, context, surrounding events, and observances of human behavior and their relationships with others.

“By observing and studying intangible elements such as neighbor and family relationships, feelings, smells, listening to sounds of nature, flipping through site debris, taking photographs, checking minerals, insects, local culture, food, artisans, etc., together with incorporating materials found in the neighborhood, I produce the possibility of art in the form of calligraphy, painting, sculpture, assemblage and installation.

“Editing, questioning and experiencing the art process is a part of my practice, my way of marking my stay. It is like a recording of my presence at Rimbun Dahan.”

Charuwan Noprumpha

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Charuwan Noprumpha

Thai visual artist Charuwan Noprumpha undertook a 2-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in July and August 2023, combining a daily practice of sketches from what she saw with a personal project exploring drawing and watercolour, depicting the seen and the unseen.

About the Artist

Charuwan Noprumpha lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand. A graduate with a master’s degree from France (École européenne supérieure d’art de Bretagne-site de Quimper) and the Erasmus Exchange Program at Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe, Germany (Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe), Charuwan received an award from French Cultural Center, Freiburg, Germany from participating in the festival of La Biennale of Young Contemporary Creation, Mulhouse, France. She was selected to participate in the artist residency at Les ateliers du Plessix-Madeuc, Dinan, France. Charuwan has participated by invitation in exhibitions in many countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and Thailand.

About the Residency

“Upon arriving at Rimbun Dahan, I found the gardens, trees and surroundings here very interesting and worth exploring. I decided to challenge myself by setting a condition to draw every day from what I see and discover from Rimbun Dahan. This is the origin of the project “What an everyday gives”. I also use this task to bring form, colors, shape etc to further develop into works.

“At the same time, I am continuing to develop my personal project which is interested in the perspective of observing people, their behavior – walking, standing, sitting, lying, talking – and clothing. I find these works evoke a feeling of lack, emptiness, void, imperfection and disappearance. From pencil drawings that represent what can be seen, I combine it with watercolors that represent the way I think about what I see. Because sometimes when we look, there will be parts that we see and don’t see at the same time.

“My work begins with impressions of nature and the observation of everyday life and translates them in an abstract way through form, line and color. At the same time, I express myself in a very realistic way. I use several mediums to build and reconstruct sensations. The observations accumulated day after day have influenced my identity and my work – thinking and speaking in a sincere language to share what I see, observe and feel.”

Yosep Arizal

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Yosep Arizal

Indonesian multidisciplinary artist Yosep Arizal undertook a 1-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in August-September 2023, exploring the similarities and differences between Malaysia and Indonesia.

About the Artist

Yosep Arizal graduated from Indonesian Institute of The Art in 2016. His practice mostly discusses
genders, history, and their friction with religion, tradition, and cultural identities. Yosep concretizes
his aesthetic ideas in various media, such as drawing, painting, installation, video, and performance. His
work has been shown in both local and international venues, such as PBSR Swaranusa in Museum and Cultural
Centre Jayapura Papua (2014), Jogja Biennale in Jogja National Museum (2019), UOB Painting of The
Year in National Museum Jakarta (2019), “Clothing As A State of Power” in Cemeti Institute of The Arts and
Society Yogyakarta (2020), Babad Lembana #2 in Sumenep Madura (2022), “Queer-Muslim In
Conversation” at the University of Melbourne (2022), ArtJog Motif Lamaran in Jogja National Museum
(2023).

In 2021 Yosep was selected as one of grantees of the Arts Innovation & Professional Development
Program for Performing Arts Residency, Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja, Yogyakarta. In 2022,
he was awarded a Seed Award by the Prince Clause Fund, Amsterdam, and was one of the three best
young artists who received ArtJog 2023 Young Artist Awards.

About the Residency

“The project I am working on in Rimbun Dahan is about my position as an Indonesian, tourist, and artist
who is having a chance to work for about four weeks in Malaysia. As an Indonesian, I found there are so
many Indonesia-related things here that make me feel “comfortable” while seeing them, and assure
myself that I am not far away from home. As a tourist, I realize that even though there are some similarities
between Malaysia and Indonesia but we still have a lot of differences that make me feel alienated,
surprised, amazed, and even intrigued by so many things in Malaysia. My position as an artist might
trick me to a “stealer” state, who can collect particular things I find here as creative and artistic
inspiration for my art practice ,and take them away to Indonesia. Then I came up with the idea of
exchanging: before I take some things away I should give and leave something to this place that I
brought from Indonesia.”

All photos on this page by Charuwan Noprumpha.

Open Day August 2023

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Open Day August 2023

A day of art and artists, in the 14-acre tropical greenery of Rimbun Dahan, 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.

On Sunday 27 August 2023, current resident artists Suhaimi Fadzir (Malaysia), Annabell Ng (Malaysia), Yosep Arizal (Indonesia) and Charuwan Noprumpha (Thailand) will participate in an Open Day at Rimbun Dahan. See schedule and further info below.

Free entry, no registration required.

Schedule

9am-11am: Guided tour of our 14-acre native Southeast Asian arboretum and garden at Rimbun Dahan by Angela Hijjas. Meet at the front gate.

11am-6pm [closed for lunch break 2-3pm]: All artists have open studios — come check out their works and have a chat. Some works are available for sale.

The Rimbun Dahan Underground Gallery will also be open from 9am to 6pm, showing ‘Menagerie’, a selection of works from our Permanent Collection.

Travelling Directions

Use Waze to drive to Rimbun Dahan: https://waze.com/ul/hw284q6meb

Use Google Maps to drive to Rimbun Dahan: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ft5fV9YpGsvciCtU8

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 Artists

Charuwan Noprumpha lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand. A graduate with a master’s degree from France (École européenne supérieure d’art de Bretagne-site de Quimper) and the Erasmus Exchange Program at Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe, Germany (Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe), Charuwan received an award from French Cultural Center, Freiburg, Germany from participating in the festival of La Biennale of Young Contemporary Creation, Mulhouse, France. She was selected to participate in the artist residency at Les ateliers du Plessix-Madeuc, Dinan, France. Charuwan has participated by invitation in exhibitions in many countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and Thailand.

Annabell Ng, a Malaysian-born artist, developed a strong bond with her father over their shared interest in plants, sparking her fascination with edible plants from a young age. Despite her passion for creative arts and music, she fell in love with the piano at 5 and dedicated herself to mastering it, earning a bachelor’s degree in classical music. However, her journey took an unexpected turn when she enrolled in the Fine Arts course at the Malaysia Institute of Art. There, she found inspiration leading her to develop a unique symbolic language in her art using natural materials. With an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Annabell now focuses her art on addressing pressing environmental issues, raising awareness worldwide about the environment’s preservation.

Suhaimi Fadzir is an interdisciplinary artist motivated by his non-traditional research-based practice driven by observing history, culture, nature, context, and the intersections between science, art and architecture.He studied art and architecture at Washington University, USA. He has won many art and architecture awards and grants, and exhibited in numerous events worldwide, including the Venice Biennale (Architecture) in 2010, 2012 & 2014, Meiji University Museum, Tokyo, in 2011, the Dublin Biennial in 2012, Art Basel Miami Week, and a solo show organized by Saatchi Gallery London and M&C Saatchi, Kuala Lumpur, in 2013.His hybrid term “Archipainting” refers to a concept he developed in the 1980s blending fine art with the structural intricacies and deconstruction of architecture.

Yosep Arizal graduated from Indonesian Institute of The Art in 2016. His practice mostly discusses about gender, history, and its friction with religion, tradition, and cultural identities. Yosep concretizes his aesthetic idea in various media, such as drawing, painting, installation, video, and performance. His work has been shown in local and international venues such as Jogja Biennale (2019), UOB Painting of The Year (2019), Cemeti Institute (2020), Babad Lembana #2 in Sumenep Madura (2022), “Queer Muslims In Conversation” at University of Melbourne (2022), ArtJog Motif Lamaran in Jogja National Museum (2023). In 2021 Yosep was selected for the Arts Innovation & Professional Development Program for Performing Arts Residency, Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja. In 2022 he was awarded a Seed Award from Prince Claus Fund, and the ArtJog Young Artist Awards in 2023.

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.

Joel Donato Ching Jacob

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Joel Donato Ching Jacob

Author Joel Donato Ching Jacob from the Philippines is a resident author at Rimbun Dahan in July 2023.

Joel Donato Ching Jacob is the novelist who wrote the Scholastic Asian Book Award and Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award winning novel Wing of the Locust and its sequel Orphan Price. He was awarded Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) in 2021. In the same year, he was a cohort for the Clarion West Summer Writers Workshop. He lives in Bay, Laguna with more dogs than he can manage, plus a cat.

During his residency, Joel is working on the outline for the third and final book in the series.

Rimbun Dahan Open Day July 2023

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Rimbun Dahan Open Day July 2023

On Sunday 23 July 2023, current resident artists Rosemainy Buang (Singapore) and Joel Donato Ching Jacob (Philippines) will participate in an Open Day at Rimbun Dahan. See schedule and further info below.

The Rimbun Dahan Underground Gallery will also be open from 9am to 6pm, showing ‘Menagerie’, a selection of works from our Permanent Collection, as well as ekphrastic poetry works by recent resident poet Yee Heng Yeh.

There will be a morning guided tour of our 14-acre site, including a general introduction to the contemporary architecture and our Southeast Asian indigenous garden and arboretum at Rimbun Dahan, as well as the Rumah Uda Manap heritage house.

Free entry, no registration required.

Schedule

9am-11am: Guided tour of Rimbun Dahan, meet in the central plaza.
11am-4:30pm: Rosemainy’s studio open
1.30-2.30pm: Lunch, studios closed, visitors can picnic and walk around gardens
3-4:30pm: Workshop by Joel Donato Ching Jacob in the Underground Gallery
5-6pm: Rosemainy’s closing ritual performance in the Dance Studio

About the Workshop

Joel Donato Ching Jacob, author of the popular young adult novels Wing of the Locust and Orphan Price (published by Scholastic Asia), will explore AI tools that support a writer’s process, from grammar checking to sentence rephrasing, and more.

Joel will also share a work-in-progress amendment to contracts that protects publishers and authors from having their manuscripts fed to an AI Language Model in order to recreate, emulate, or mimic a copyrighted text. This could also be used to protect other forms of art like visual arts, choreography and composition, and even other creations like code.

The workshop is for writers and the general public interested in the application of AI in creative practice. Entry is free.

About the Closing Ritual Performance

Rosemainy Buang, a gamelan musician, educator, composer, and sound artist from Singapore, will weave together a short performance of sound samples she has collected from the gamelan at Rimbun Dahan, around our 14-acre site, as well as in the city of Kuala Lumpur. The performance will take place in the Dance Studio from 5pm, and may be followed by an informal short discussion. Entry is free.

Travelling Directions

Use Waze to drive to Rimbun Dahan: https://waze.com/ul/hw284q6meb
Use Google Maps to drive t Rimbun Dahan: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ft5fV9YpGsvciCtU8
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.
  • Bring your picnic, and enjoy it in the gardens; please clean up all your trash.
  • No pets, no swimming — thank you for your cooperation.

For any questions, please email arts@rimbundahan.org or WhatsApp Bilqis at +6017-3103769.

About the Artists

Rosemainy Buang is a gamelan musician, educator, composer, and sound artist from Singapore. With a decade of training in gamelan, she is dedicated to expanding her creative horizons through collaborative projects with other artists from diverse disciplines. Approaching art-making with a multidisciplinary and experimental attitude, she attempts to question, build upon and expand the limits of traditional soundscapes, philosophies and aesthetics.

Joel Donato Ching Jacob is the novelist who wrote the Scholastic Asian Book Award and Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award winning novel Wing of the Locust and its sequel Orphan Price. He was awarded Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) in 2021. In the same year, he was a cohort for the Clarion West Summer Writers Workshop. He lives in the Philippines, in Bay, Laguna, with more dogs than he can manage, plus a cat.

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.