Friday, December 28, 2007

Learning From The Environment


Before there was cement, before there was electricity, and of course before there was air conditioning and piped water the approach to living 'comfortably' was by incorporation of resources that the environment provides. Natural behavior of the environment and other living systems are taken into consideration as part of the design.
Environment and ecosystem were dominant in the scheme of things, including in the design and construction of dwellings. The design makes use of the path of the sun, North-South orientation, exploitation of topology of the site, streams and lakes, as input variables or boundary conditions. The construction made use of available resources. The environmental impact was minimal then. The design of the traditional Malay house for instance incorporate means for collecting rain water. The floors are raised above ground level, ranging from about 1 meter to several meters high, enough to park a car, to provide air circulation that cools the house. The windows usually are just like doors, with openings right down to the floor level, equipped about half way with decorative wooden railings as safety measures.
As fans and air conditioning became available, and water can be distributed by piping system, environment becomes less and less of a constraint. It is no longer an element in the design and construction. Linked terrace houses have only two paths for air to enter or exit: the front door and the kitchen door. Corner units have one extra path. But no matter. We can air condition the space, the room, and everywhere.
Buildings, according to a report, use about half of the global energy consumption, and is set to increase as urbanization progresses. There are efforts to re-look at traditional philosophy of incorporating the environment in the design. Efforts to use more energy efficient materials; to capture wind to cool the space; capture, collect, and store rain water; making nature as part of the construct of the house. That is the green house, not the kind used in agriculture research, but 'green' as in the context of environment friendliness. This is where we have to re-look and re-visit traditional technology. They look old, simple in design and construction but sophisticated in concept.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Tapai Nasi (Fermented Rice)

Fermentation, one of the oldest food preservation technique, is still being used today - both in traditional sense and in large industrial processes. Tapai, a product of such technique is still made by traditional means, in small scale quantities, and sold at food stalls. It's not mass-produced in large scale production process.
It is a very popular delicacy in some parts of Malaysia, particularly in the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu, or among Kelantan and Terengganu people residing elsewhere. Rarely is that tapai not served especially during festive seasons. Tapai nasi, made of rice, is more popular compared to tapai pulut, made of glutinous rice. Tapai is also made of tapioca, tapai ubi, but it is not as easily found as the tapai nasi.
Tapai seems to be available also in Kuching, Sarawak. To say the whole of Sarawak may be over stretching the fact as Sarawak itself is as big as peninsula Malaysia and diverse in population. A noticeable difference is that coconut leave is used as the wrapping. Rubber tree leaves are almost exclusively used to wrap tapai nasi in Kelantan and Terengganu. Tapai ubi, especially in the state of Perak in Malaysia, is usually wrapped using banana leaves. Again, the process is the same, but the materials used are dictated by local preferences.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Gong of Kampung Sumangkap


Traditional way of doing things in a particular community is different from another as they were separated from each other by physical distance. Means of communication for interaction was limited or non-existence. Each therefore is self-sufficient in their own way, making use of resources within their reach, and developing their own ways of doing things. Thus, a particular implement developed by one community may not be useful by another, even if the implement is for achieving the same results. As communication developed and travels became affordable cultural exchanges took place, and a larger community was formed.
The gongs made at Kampung Sumagkap, Sabah is different from the one made in Terengganu. The copper gong of Terengganu is made by the lost wax method whereas the gong of Kampung Sumangkap is made by forming the shape using some kind of mallet. In Sabah gongs are made of brass or bronze. The sounds coming out of the two are different. In fact it is different even between gongs of similar manufacturing method. Each gong has different names depending on the sounds they produce. Gong is prevalent in Sabah especially among the Rungus, Kadazan Dusun, and Murut people. Kampung Sumangkap is one that is specializing in gongs production under the one village one product concept.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

More Keris (Wavy Blade Daggers)

It is heartening to know that there are still three keris (wavy blade daggers) makers actively in operation in Perak. We visited one in Kampung Padang Changkat near Kuala Kangsar recently. Although the operation is similar in some respect to that practiced in Terengganu, there are slight differences. The 'musang' is made of planks in square pipe formation instead of hollow wooden log as in Terengganu. The concept of mixing iron from various sources to make the keris is similar. The code 7P for seven type of sources from which the keris is made is also practiced here. 7P for example stands for keris made up of pieces of seven implements or objects with the name beginning with the letter 'p' in the Malay language such as parang, paku (nail), pisau (knife), and penyabit. So, don't throw any old pieces of implements or objects, collect them and better if they are all having names beginning with the same alphabet. I guess it could be names in the English language too: blade, brake pedal, bicycle wheel, boat anchor, bulldozer, etc.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Pots, pots, everywhere


The village is not far from the royal town of Perak. A bit isolated, but accessible. We can easily spend several hours there looking at the various designs and shapes of labu sayong, as the product is known. Those made by hand fetch a higher price, almost three times as much as the one made by casting method. The designs are various, each depicts the area from which the pot come from. It can be used as indoor as well as outdoor decorations.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Is Tradition A Hindrance To Progress?

In this modern, contemporary living, how relevant is tradition? Does it have a place at all?
Most traditional products may have little use, they are being replaced by new, more efficient ones. Some become obsolete altogether as we change our way of life, our environment, and our pattern of living.
Practice, however, should not be affected much. As much as possible it should be preserved, and maintained in its original form. The importance of doing so is to instill discipline. If something is labeled as traditional, it should follow strictly the traditional way. It should not be modified to cut cost.
The proverb, 'biar mati anak jangan mati adat' is harsh if taken literally. I believe it could also be taken to mean that whatever we do in traditional sense must faithfully adhere to traditional specifications and methods in order to earn the label traditional. It is the quality control, the quality assurance, not taking corners or taking shortcuts. That is hardly hindering progress. Discipline, QA, QC are all essential to progress.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Let The Artisans Speak

Some peoples are good at speaking. Others are good at their hands, the artisans. They feel more comfortable with their wares and the trade than with others in any formal event.
However, something different was tried out in a seminar at Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia last August. A keris (wavy blade dagger) maker, a coppersmith, a boat maker, a kite maker, and a weaver were persuaded to make a presentation each in front of a gathering of academics, researchers, and curators. They elaborated the methods and practice of craft making in their area of specialty, and a brief history on how it all started, mostly with them as the actor as well, of course, and what have changed, if any.
Each presentation was followed by another delivered by researchers or academics elaborating on the scientific basis of the steps taken by the artisans in producing their crafts. They, the artisans, were oblivious to those scientific basis, but the achieved those that they set out to do.
The results of that juxtaposition, artisan on the practice of their craft and researchers in providing the scientific explanation of all those steps, are fantastic. It gives insight into how the artisans come to know the processes and ingredients that are suitable for their crafts. The keris maker even has an age old home brewed organically-based acid for etching the keris.
Greater understanding of the role of each other and mutual respects I believe are another significant achievements of the seminar.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Keris Making (Wavy Blade Daggers) -- A Dying Art


Making keris (wavy blade daggers) in Terengganu, Malaysia... looks simple, but there are a lot of scientific principles underlying the age old traditional method for making keris... forging, tempering, etching... the tools look equally simple, but they are able to be perform the task of producing a beautiful keris used to make the keris... it is a dying art, no one to pass on the knowledge to; youngsters no longer find such a 'career' or vocation attractive...

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Introduction

Old things tend to find uses later, they tend to be recycled and become useful again. This is not just for material things, but also for concept, philosophy, and fashion.

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