Hats, culture come together at Atelier Mad Hatters Party next month
KUCHING: The Atelier Mad Hatters Party next month will highlight the diversity of cultures in Sarawak – through hats.
The event is part of What About Kuching ( WAK) 2017 – the month-long celebration of the arts, culture and lifestyles of the people of Kuching.
“It’s a celebration for the diverse and unique cultural and innovative hats. It’s also an excuse to meet, to taste Sarawakian delicacies, drink tea, and enjoy a fashion show,” said Society Atelier Sarawak president Edric Ong, who came to the interview yesterday wearing a modern version of the Iban’s ‘ topi tunjang’ – a light, rimmed woven hat crowned with woven-in spikes.
Traditionally, the ‘topi tunjang’ is a scalp-fitting cap, but Ong has reimagined it in various ways – adding colour through the use of natural dye such as indigo, trimming it with design elements borrowed from other cultures, or turning a beaded headband into a hatband.
“The ‘topi tunjang’ is an art hat. It takes one month to make.”
Ong had many more with him – a Bidayuh tall hat, a Lun Bawang ‘raung’, an Orang Ulu sun hat and also a Melanau ‘terendak’.
“Let’s not forget the Chinese farmer’s hat and Mandarin hat, and the Malay ‘ tengkolok’ and ‘songkok’,” he said.
Pulling out a piece shaped like a button mushroom with its top sliced off, Ong said that it was inspired by the ‘ajat’, or the Penan basket. He pointed out that some ethnic groups like the Bidayuh have more than one style of hat.
“We have a number of innovative hat designers here like fibre artist Senia Jugi, and Michael Lim, and we’ve been promoting them in America,” he said, adding that he wanted to hold an Atelier Mad Hatters Party in Sarawak before toting it out for a feature on Sarawakian hats at the Santa Fe Folk Art Market in New Mexico, the US.
“But it’s nice to have it at home first.”
The Atelier Mad Hatters Party will take place at Dewan Sri Bunga Rampai, Jalan Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui here this Oct 28, running from 4pm to 6pm.
Participants are encouraged to go wild with their hats, as there is a prize for the ‘Best Mad Hatter’.
Tickets will be available soon. For details, visit and keep updated via aboutkuching.com.
Apart from being a celebration, WAK 2017 also creates a platform to share the abundant talents here and throughout Sarawak.
The event, running from Sept 30 to Oct 29, will encompass every genre – from visual to performing arts, traditional to contemporary arts, and from static exhibitions to active outdoor pursuits.
To date, over 50 components have already been committed by various groups, with more to come. If you know someone who fits into what WAK 2017 is trying to achieve, send proposals to info@ aboutkuching.com – if possible, include the contact details of the person or group that you are suggesting.
For updates, like WAK 2017 on Facebook ( http://www. fb.com/ aboutkuching), follow them on Instagram (@ aboutkuching), or check out hashtags #WAK2017 and # aboutkuching on social media.