Kebun Jiwa Halus (Garden of Fine Heart): IRRESISTABLE WEAR

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

IRRESISTABLE WEAR

October  - November 2011, "Irresistible Wear", Petronas Gallery, KL. 

The show is  mainly a showcase of works by fashion/textile/costume/shoe  designers, and looking at their works as a form of creative and  artistic expression, other than wearable form of art.

I was invited,  together with Hamid Hassan, to add visual artists' perspectives. I  obliged mainly out of honoring my theater, fashion and set design guru,  Najib Nor who is the curator. He specifically requested me to join the  show to have a visual artist's touch. Thank you Najib.

"Wearing  History and Independence", was initiated in 2009 and considered as an ongoing work. It was actualized in collaboration with  M.Haniff and Shamsul Ikhmar Mansori. Thank you Haniff and Sham. Initially, I wanted  to come up with a new work (based on old ideas in the nineties),  "Fashion Parade", but I was too busy preparing for Fine Art Asia in Hong  Kong. Had to drop the idea.

The  "art we-ar" materials are supposed to be suspended or hanged, but then  Najib had a different idea. He used to be my guru, so don't want to  argue too much la!

Anyhow, I like the show. Well, I'm all for  convergence, in this case, fashion, textile and visual art. The show has  a 'different' feel than other typical visual art show. It doesn't shy  away from being 'beautiful' and nice to look at. After all, I respect  most of the designers involved in the show. At some points, they do work  and function like a visual artist.

From a cultural study point of view,  fashion and textile products can be read as cultural 'texts' and  integral parts of cultural phenomena. Inter-textual approach and  trans-discipline projects have always always been parts of Najib's  repertoires. I was blessed to be able to work with him way back in the  late 80s and early 90s during our 'Centrestage' years with Kak Normah  Nordin, aruah Mustafa Nor, Fauziah Nawi, Ladin Nuawi, even Pak Mail  (Ismail Zain) used to drop by few times.

For description of the work, can read my blog entry. Or better, get the catalog at Petronas Gallery. 

Would be nice to lit up the cut-out figures above with small LED white light.

Cut out figure of David Brown character with M. Hanif interpretation  plus projected pictures of visitors 'wearing history' (from MGTF stock  photos of its visitors).

A cut out figure of Tok Janatun character with projected picture of it's ultraman cousin (actually, that was Zam posing).

Japanese soldier in the middle. Do not be mistaken with Mat Sabu's communist.

Also added in, projected image of 'Red Guard' character - perhaps an  'alien', in response to so many 'aliens' invading Malaysia today.

Wearing  'colonialism'. Visitors can pick them up and wear them.

Too bad,  Petronas Gallery sometimes feel like a heavily guarded bank, with  policemen (security officers) staring at you as if you are a suspected  terrorist. Had to discreetly use my daughters' hand phones to snap the  pictures.