Rafeah Legino

Variations of Malaysian Batik Sarong Design Motifs

This chapter discusses the variations and developments of motif designs in Malaysian batik sarongs and how these motifs reflect shifts in Malaysian national and cultural life. The study focuses on the characteristics of various motifs used in traditional batik sarong design. Samples of Malay batik sarongs were gathered from museums and private and personal collections. The samples were selected, traced, and classified according to their features, inspiration, and arrangement. This analysis found a shift in the style and design of motifs after 1957, the year of Malaysian independence. It was observed that there has been a gradual emergence of more Malay motifs while the decorative traditions originating in Indonesian patterning remain influential. The period from 1957 to 1971 saw the evolution of Malay aesthetics in the visual arts and crafts of Malaysia including the batik sarong industry. In 1971 the National Cultural Policy initiated more dramatic changes with the active promotion of motifs that were considered representative of Malaysian cultural identity. Influences from regional Malaysian and indigenous cultures, desirable traits, and strong Islamic design concepts were the three key factors outlined by the cultural policy makers. Government agencies were instrumental for the batik makers to develop a Malaysian style through financial support, training, and research, along with the active encouragement of the population to support the batik industry. The policy had a direct impact on the design of the Malaysian batik sarong.

Development of Contemporary Painting in Malaysia

Changes in Malaysia’s cultural domain has been very significant after the National Cultural Congress in 1971. In recent years, the Malaysian art scene has become an ongoing and thriving art initiative that is constantly changing. There are some problems raised in this study which are related to the content in contemporary Malaysian painting. The main point needed to be pointed out is in the rationale, interpretation, characteristic, form and content, and the spiritual role of artworks. This study was conducted to investigate the content of Malaysia’s contemporary painting that was produced by our local artists from 1971 to 2000. The objectives for this study were carried out to examine the characteristics of Malaysia’s contemporary painting, in order to study the formation of content and to analyse the uniqueness through the content preferred artist. These objectives are intended to identify the element of the visual character that is represented through the identity of contemporary paintings in Malaysia. This research employed the tracing of each structure of the artwork and observation of NAG compilation books, journals, and the National Art Gallery. In addition, the relevant material that has been studied by previous researchers was included in this study. The theoretical methods by Edmund Feldman are needed in analysing the artwork. The finding of this research covered a wide spectrum of issues which are closely associated with the artist that covers the culture, philosophy, and social culture. The significance of this study is to create an awareness and deeper appreciation, and contribute knowledge to the audience in understanding the meaning and approaches that are employed in artistic works. This research can add value to the previous research. The local artists should improve in terms of producing artwork that is consistent with the education community, and the educational institution itself.

Symmetrical Pattern: Analysing Songket in Wallpaper Patterns

Various patterns can be found in traditional Malay textile fabrics such as stripes, checkers and zigzag. These patterns often provide opportunities for identifying the unique mathematical patterns in the traditional Malay songket fabrics. Basically in songket, there are six types of patterns which have been identified by local weavers. However, this paper will explore more patterns in classifying mathematical pattern groups such as the frieze patterns and wallpaper patterns. By understanding regularities based on the data we gathered, we can actually predict what comes next, estimate if the same pattern will occur when variables are altered and begin to extend the pattern. The classification of wallpaper pattern can be found in the badan kain of a sarong and badan kain of a traditional shawl. This paper seeks to identify early Malay songket textiles within the context of the mathematical pattern groups in the twentieth century, which may have influenced, or been influenced by, technical development in the production of pattern-woven textiles from the Islamic world.

Visual Art Approach to Promoting Malaysia’s Art and Cultural Heritage Overseas

This paper examines how visual art appreciation can be used as one of the constructive guidelines to help Malaysian officials promote Malaysian art and heritage abroad. Its aim is also to explore the potential of developing a national monitoring and art appreciation policy to serve the same purpose. A detailed investigation of existing national guidelines covering art and cultural activities such as the National Cultural Policy, National Heritage Act and National Art Gallery Act will be conducted to identify their current weaknesses. The investigation will begin with a textual analysis followed by an in-depth study of these guidelines to develop a training model that can fit the new artistic and formalistic approach. The training programme would comprise the brief study of art history, the various styles, origins, context, media and methods used in the creative processes to enrich the understanding of Malaysian art and cultural heritage. The training will enhance the competency of Malaysian officials to interpret works of art, recognize what is valuable and draw meaning from them through reflection and discussion with others as a way of making connections with the outside world. An expected outcome of this study will be the formulation and adoption of a more robust policy of Malaysia’s imagery, through a national visual art appreciation policy that can be used by all Malaysian agencies involved in promoting Malaysian cultural and art heritage abroad. The policy as it is hoped will also contribute towards the development of greater understanding and expertise in art and cultural appreciation among members of the public in the interest of protecting and preserving Malaysia’s rich arts and cultural heritage nationally.

Symmetrical Motif Design in Malaysian Batik Sarong Patterns

The focus of this paper is to investigate the four main characteristics of the symmetrical placement in batik sarong design. The first is translation, or the repetition, of a motif so that each time it is repeated, it is placed at an equal distance and retains the same size. The second is rotation, when a motif turns around a point, which can be a rotation of 60°, 90°, 120° or 180°. The third is reflection, when the motif is mirrored in its repetition; and the fourth is glide reflections, when motifs translate along the axis and at the same time reflect across an axis. Batik sarongs from Malaysia commonly utilize these geometric design principles. This symmetrical patterning provides balance and harmony to the sarong composition. The result of the analysis shows the enhancement of the visual impact on fabrics. The symmetrical order is examined by analysing the layout of the batik sarong’s panels in the kepala kain (main central panel), the badan kain (larger left and right panel), the apit kain (the framing border) and the tepi kain (upper and lower edges). The findings show that in each layout of the batik sarong, more than one of the symmetrical processes are used.

Classification Design Motifs of Traditional Malay Wood Carving

The art of traditional wood carving is part of the common tangible heritage, which can be seen in traditional houses, mosques, and palaces in Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, the intricate design motifs of wood carving displayed intermix of design features and characteristic. Traditional wood carving is the most significant Malay ornamental art. The creative expressions of the Malay wood carving are very much influenced by the religious, moral, and ethical values of the craftsmen, which are developed as an act of submission to the Almighty. The study of this research examines the practical aspects that explain the creative and aesthetic aspiration of Malay wood carving. Data collection and analysis are gathered through a variety of means such as observation, interview, photograph, and written description, which occur concurrently with data analysis, where the explanations provided are analyzed and interpreted. It is hoped that the study would provide useful evidence of the existence of ethical values on Malay traditional wood carving. The findings could serve as valuable references for researchers who are concerned with the study of Malay traditional art of wood carving.

Framework Muwajjah as an Islamic Art Decoration Through Formgiving Process

Koran is a manuscript to learn the art of excellence in Islam. It is believed that the pattern decoration and illumination in the Koran began in the first century of Hijrah. During the era of Safavid in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, decorative art in the Koran has reached the highest of artistic achievement values. In Islamic art, the manuscript also has its own art called Muwajjah pattern. As time goes by, the Muwajjah pattern decoration became less prominent in Islamic art. Hence, this research aims to explore the elements and assimilate pattern decoration in 3D form by taking into consideration the formgiving method design to characterize the Islamic art. Moreover, using Muwajjah concept can be used as haptic learning for the blind by tactioception to learn about Islamic art decoration through formgiving process. Thus, not only the normal can see and recognized the Muwajjah pattern but also appreciated by the blind society. The research design process involves studying the related literature review on Muwajjah pattern decoration in order to understand the story behind the design. An observation on Muwajjah decoration and a few interviews with Islamic Art Museum officers and the experts in Islamic art were conducted to gain their feedbacks on this research and have a clearer view on the data collected. The intention of this research is to achieve the splendor in Islamic art through the influence of Muwajjah pattern decoration and its potential to be adapted into 3D form.

Graduate Work-Readiness in Malaysia: Challenges, Skills and Opportunities

This chapter provides an overview of graduate work-readiness (GWR) challenges in Malaysia in the light of various stakeholders’ perspectives. On the one hand, it is evident that the growing manufacturing, agricultural and domestic services sector in the country that are characterised by low pay, low skill and low productivity work with tough working conditions and limited career development opportunities do not appeal to locals, especially graduates, and are mostly filled by migrant workers. On the other, the low level of work-readiness among Malaysian graduates, despite continued government initiatives to facilitate human resource development, remains one of the major challenges. It is in this context, issues associated with transition from graduation to work as well as innovative GWR initiatives currently being undertaken are discussed.

Identification of Sarong Pattern Within the Context of Malaysia’s Contemporary Painting

Sarong design is usually decorated with various types of motifs and form a variety of patterns. The uniqueness of sarong designs sometimes is inspired any artist in their formation of creative visual artwork. In the recent years, Malaysia’s contemporary painting has shown constant movement that reflected from the National Culture Congress implementation an was restructured in 1971. However, the current scenario has a curve into the art scene in this country reflected in how and the artists are using any amount of tradition that represents the local identity. This parallels with the requirement that is expressed in the National Culture Congress in 1971. Therefore, the objective for this study is to determine the element of sarong pattern from selected contemporary painting, categorize and analyze the artworks that probably adapted the sarong elements within context. This study will begin with an early investigation from the real features of sarong and then reflects into an examination through the visual observation visit. Identification through the compilation and the exhibition will be carried out, which is in line with the selected artworks. This study will establish on how the artists represent their creativity within the tradition theme. At the same time, the artwork will partly sustain the sarong features invented into artistic formulation.

Asian Clothing Collection from Museum Victoria Australia

Museum Victoria has several significant collections of Asian textiles that originate from Laos, Indonesia and India. The artefacts were viewed, photographed and categorised according to their origin and design classification. There was a number of interesting characteristics and similarities of style among the motifs’ compositions, which were determined through the study. The findings demonstrate how design features were outstanding in each textile artefact, and how design and culture are intrinsically linked. All of the fabrics display aspects of their regional design. The motifs are mostly inspired from plants, flowers, insects and geometric shapes. Most of the samples illustrate unique and vital motifs, which represent features of Asian identity. Some of the artefacts have also been influenced and intermixed with foreign and regional cultures.