“The Earthen Infusion: Unveiling Rainforest Remedies through the Art of Ceramic” exhibition is a dialogue between the past and present, showcasing the beautiful harmony between traditional pottery, traditional remedies and modern creations. The ongoing exhibition is held at the Sarawak House, Main Bazaar, Kuching, and runs from October 19 and November 3.
Rich heritage of Sarawak’s artistic and culinary traditions
There is a refined beauty in handmade ceramics, which are slowly fading from the crossover of modernisation. But as local artisans strive to continue the old-age tradition of making these vessels, there is still much to do in the fight against machines.
An exhibition held at the Sarawak House, Main Bazaar, Kuching — “Earthen infusion: Unveiling Rainforest Remedies through the Art of Ceramic” — highlights both the traditional making of ceramics alongside infusions or remedies from the olden age.
The exhibition celebrates the rich heritage of Sarawak’s artistic and culinary traditions. ‘Earthen Infusion’ highlights the essential role of pottery in indigenous cultures, showcasing how ceramic vessels, or ‘mangkok’, have been used for centuries in store, serve, and rituals with locally sourced herbs and spices.
Running between October 19 and November 3, there have been a series of masterclasses, workshops and talks, and networking lunch sessions. At its heart, ‘Earthen Infusion’ is a dialogue between the past and present, showcasing the beautiful harmony between traditional pottery and modern creations by ceramicist Tuson Chong.
Mangkoks; a journey from the past to present
In many cultures, bowls are the most common kind of vessel used for serving and eating food. Known locally as mangkoks, a vessel to store liquid or solid, have been a practical item of use from back in the day, whether it is made from ceramic, bone, or skull, said Chong.
Sharing more about the exhibition, he explained that the display at the Sarawak House leaned towards natural-looking elements as clay is a natural resource.
“The clay that I used is local Sarawakian clay. These clays are not man-made, and they came from the wild. The clays I used are white clay, terracotta and a mixture of both.”
Always passionate about ceramics and its elements since 2003, Chong finds joy in moulding each bowl. The ability to create something out of nothing excites him.
“All of the bowls at the exhibition, which were amassed from the years I have been a ceramicist, are made of local clay. Even the glazes are mixed from my own recipe that I developed long ago using ashes from trees,” he said while also explaining that every detail of each bowl made is unique and has its own characteristics.
The ceramics industry was established in the 19th century by the Teochews, who migrated from China. According to the ceramicist, they had set up factories and made household items using clay.
“But as the time passed, they started to focus on vases and tourist-centric souvenirs. Then, we were introduced to modern machines, which use ready-made moulds instead of building them from scratch using pottery wheels.
“So, you lose the technique of moulding on a wheel and glazing them afterwards, something that has been passed down for generations. Although modern innovations are focused more on quantity in a short duration, the quality and art would be different.”
Examining Chong’s handcrafted bowls at the exhibition; there is certainly a feeling of finesse to it, a characteristic that machine-made ones couldn’t offer. Furthermore, there are no two pieces alike, as clay moulded on a wheel cannot be controlled.
Age-old ‘granny recipe’
Meanwhile, Siti Khadijah, helps with documenting the old-aged, traditional infusions for the exhibition. These infusions are either remedies for healing or used during rituals in the past.
Examples of infusions are those mixing turmeric and ginger, or pegaga for the means of healing, especially when women are menstruating. However, traditional infusions aren’t just that — it also involves natural ingredients from the wild, such as pandan, lemongrass, and many others.
Khadijah said that although these are just some granny recipes, these traditions are also slowly disappearing. “It may seem like basic recipes for others, but for some, it is not well known that there are healing properties in natural resources.
“These sorts of things are like old knowledge that is not documented about or is well-known within the urban community.”
Praises should be given to the team behind the ‘Earthen Infusions’ exhibition, which consists of Chong, Khadijah, Donna Yong and Ceres Lau, who has curated a wonderful display at the Sarawak House.
