‘Borneo Bengkel’ to explore the rich heritage of Sarawak
KUCHING: The ‘Borneo Bengkel’ is opening its doors to the public for two extensively- curated sessions, where participants are out to discover the rich heritage of Sarawak.
The mid-week sessions are part of the week- long creative experience running until Oct 22 – all held at the city’s first creative arts hub, HAUS KCH.
Serving as a platform to engage like-minded experts and researchers, Catama Borneo and content collaborator, Friends of Sarawak Museum ( FoSM) hope to extend this invitation to all interested parties for them to experience this expedition of Sarawak culture.
The sessions will kick off tomorrow (Oct 18), running from 7.30pm - 9.30pm. The first of these sessions is the ‘Motifs, Meanings and Myths: Borneo’s Traditional Creative Expression’ – a dialogue among anthropologists, craft specialists and tattoo experts delving into the discovery of the diverse voices of indigenous groups in Borneo and how their rich culture is utilised to express their individual identities and folklores.
The speakers will be Valerie Mashman, who will talk about ‘Oral Traditions from Long Peluan’, and Limuel Estrop, who will touch on ‘Hand-Tapped Tattoo’.
The second session on the next day ( Oct 19), to commence at 7.30pm, will be entitled ‘Fireside, Fables and Folklore: Candlelight Stories’, where local storytellers will fill the imagination of participants with tales of ‘ furry spirits’ of the swamp, ancient giants and the ‘ Hantu- Hantu of Kalimantan’ in Borneo.
The collection of stories and songs will feature Dora Jok, Alvin Danker, Ferrah Fusfita and Adrian Milang from FoSM. The two sessions will be an integral build- up to the ‘GlassHaus Weekends’ – a two- day event where HAUS KCH opens its doors to the public for an all- access interactive exhibit running from Oct 21 to 22.
Following the week-long ‘Borneo Bengkel Artist Residency’ that brings together masters of their craft from Sarawak and Sabah, the weekends will be packed to the brim with master- classes, workshops, performances, exhibits and a makers market.
A crowdfunding dinner, ‘Sup4good’ and another ‘ Timbre Sessions’ featuring a new bunch of local bands, will be held simultaneously. For more information and updates, follow Facebook page ‘ HAUS KCH’ or email hauskch@ gmail.com.
The ‘ Borneo Bengkel’ is part of What About Kuching ( WAK) 2017 – the month- long festival that celebrates the arts, culture and lifestyles of the people of Kuching.