A Bornean experience: The Dalam virtual exhibition
Before reading, take the virtual tour of the exhibition HERE and read about the artist’s work in their own words.
This exhibition unravelled me and wove me into the journey of being Bornean, Indigenous and mixed. The theme of identity simmered excitedly within this exhibition entitled Dalam, exploring themes of the other and the outsider.
The range of craft varied from the 4 metre high installation of 100 handwoven mats created by craft artisans from the rural longhouse of Rumah Perdu to Sharon Chin’s Rich Country, prints created on tetra pak milk cartons of 30 different soil microorganisms from rotifers to fungi. Chin’s site-specific installation of 110 prints winds unexpectedly amongst the other art, creating an interconnectedness throughout the exhibition, much like the mycelium network. The artworks are the trees above ground communicating, visible to visiting eyes and drawing them in but unseen are the energies that make up this exhibition, the artists’ physical work, their creative thoughtwork and the inspiration behind the art - often the feeling of being outside looking in.
This theme of nature sustaining life and, therefore, art is echoed in Elroy Ramantan’s Baya Putih ari Tasek Merimbun as he depicts in Pua Kumbu style (an Iban cultural form of textile storytelling) the legend of the White Crocodile in the wetlands of Tasek Merimbun whose mysterious notoriety has created a protected area of its home. The necessity for Indigenous knowledge to preserve and nourish the blossoming of our rich areas of biodiversity often falls upon deaf ears or ignorance. Conservation is not a statement that people from privileged positions can throw at a landscape with the expectation it remains untouched. It is something we must entwine together in the co-creation of our futures. As Chin says 'Long life to the rich country beneath – and between – us!'
Poems from the Sem/Bunyi exhibition were also hanging high from the ceiling and made visible to read. Most poignant was Gaps by Bethany Balan which speaks about the experience of mixed race being more than a duality when she is also made to feel othered by the national experience of Malaysia. Being Sarawakian often means less than in comparison, as well as being Kayan (Bethany) or Iban or Bidayuh (myself). Selfishly, I would say this screams loudly at me:
too much of one
too little of the other
never enough no matter how you
divide it
I recognise the privileged space I take up - being read as white and hiding amongst the English. Yet, still I always feel the need to prove myself as being Bidayuh, growing up with a family that wasn’t white. The struggle depicted here, however, is more poignant. It is the tension between being regulated as a state and allowing freedom in language of the native tongue. She writes that she is asked to “set aside my state sanctioned scepticism” which evokes the bitter taste of her experience. She is expected to set aside her own feelings so they can align with a narrative created by a nation that oppresses the Indigenous identity.
This exhibition is made by Borneans for Borneans but the fact that the rest of the world is allowed a glimpse inside helps to gain perspective on what struggles people face in their daily lives. What was previously a 24 hour Instagram story has evolved into a permanent virtual structure. The rough barrier of time and space is becoming undone as we use technology to connect with something previously untouchable, feeling the woven energy of these textiles with our eyes and appreciating a history of culture.
Photo Credit: Catama