“Beyond Moving with Artisans: From Imagination To Creation” will be holding a 2-week open-studio residency from 16-28 May 2022 at Level 1, 1 Utama E, in association with PJ Performing Arts Centre.
This residency explores traditional occupations which are slowly going extinct, as jobs and skills are being replaced by the use of machines, and the younger generation is unwilling to perpetuate these handcrafted traditions. It continues the project called Moving with Artisans, developed by MyDance committee member Lau Beh Chin, of JinnD Productions.
The residency will include workshops, a one-to-one interaction session, public dialogue and work-in-progress sharing, on 28 May 2022 at Nero Event Space, PJ Performing Arts Centre, 1 Utama E.
Check out our social media platforms – Facebook and Instagram for latest schedule and program updates.
https://facebook.com/MovingwithARTISANS/
https://www.instagram.com/jinnd_productions/
About Moving with Artisans
This project began with the research and performance work ‘Your Memories, Our Identity’ in 2018. This was based on oral history research conducted with five artisans of traditional jobs on the verge of extinction — a rattan weaver, a typist, a coconut shell carver, a traditional coffee master, and a biscuit maker — in the city of Butterworth, Malaysia.
The project continued in 2021 with ‘Moving with Artisans’, an online mixed art presentation which included different dance genres such as Chinese folk dance, K-pop dance, contemporary dance & ballet together with the visual arts, through a collaboration with Haffendi Anuar, a Malaysian visual artist based in London. The 5 units of artists were paired with the 5 artisans from Butterworth. The chemistry and fun connections between the artists, the different art forms with the artisans, and the community, went beyond merely recalling nostalgic memories: it cultivated an appreciation of the skills in traditional arts and crafts in the young artists participating in the project.
The residency at PJPAC is based on the materials and research created during ‘Moving with Artisans’. It focuses on creating and crafting, shifting the exploration from virtual to physical, as well as inviting physical participation and interaction with the public.