Haulage aid
May 23rd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
I’m excited to learn that word is spreading about the Lost arts of The Republic of Singapore exhibition that will be presented at Pop-up Singapore house in September here in London. Thanks to Geraldene and to all the people she contacted in goodwill! I am at the moment still on the lookout for haulage sponsors for transporting the objects to and fro. Some confirmed objects which the craftsmen have kindly agreed to contribute are:
1. 3 big chinese hand-painted lanterns
2. 1 dragon head(1 to 2m)
3. A number of small chinese lanterns(20″ x 15″)
4. Medium sized joss sticks(25″ x 6″)
5. Woodclay sculpture figurines (7″ x 5″)
6. Tapestries
If anyone has contacts with haulage companies, please send me an email on how I may contact the person-in-charge. Thanks very much! In the midst of preparation and we are full steam ahead!
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2012 news
May 17th, 2012 Comments Off
Article published in The design society journal 2012. A big thank you to Justin Zhuang, editor of TDSJ, Jesvin Yeo, my collaborator on this project, and photographer Kang Li!
Currently preparing to bring this project to London, for an exhibition titled Lost arts of The Republic of Singapore in September as part of Pop-up Singapore House, in conjunction with London design festival 2012. All updates shall be here!
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Red is the color
September 21st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
the young Yeo Hung Teo. doing what he does best
embroidered lanterns! from Taiwan
printed graphics on cardboard then folded to give wingssss
monster hand! for a larger than life figure at a festival
bamboo structure
sticking gold paper onto sides of boat
handwritten characters by the boss
boss Yeo Hung Teo
A visit to Yeo Swee Huat paper agency which produces various objects for Chinese festivals n rituals, mostly hand-made using paper, wood and a few other low cost materials. The current boss Yeo Hung Teo, specialises in writing Chinese characters and drawing imagery on huge lanterns. Not many craftsmen can do both jobs. He is also Teochew. I knew it.
Master Cheh
September 12th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
genuine hand-carved signboard
I caught Mr Cheh working on a new job for an Indian client
with English n Mandarin characters
tools Mr Cheh bought from Japan, Korea, China and everywhere whenever he travels
I managed to find a woodcarver who does signboards amongst other things, those black n gold shiny boards you see hanging at the entrance of Chinese restaurants, medical halls, pawn shops etc. But this is no machine carved quick solution. Mr Cheh said every afternoon he will be sitting outside his shop hand carving wood. It’s like a ritual, including the afternoon tea break. You can find him at Yong’s gallery along South Bridge road, just opposite Eu Tong Sen, near Maxwell food center.
Tay Guan Huat continues. . .
September 4th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
present day joss sticks
airbrushed joss sticks w typical symbolic neon colors
joss sticks originally reached for the skies but were eventually restricted in height due to the pollution it was causing
hand sculpted woodclay figurines
demo
woodclay– from the wild cinnamon tree
So it was that I spent a few hours speaking to a 2nd Teochew counterpart, and I learnt that there are three kinds of Teochew, the terms I cannot quite remember :x Amos(above) was the only brother of the three who could speak fluent English and he told me about how his family’s local joss stick business started when his grandfather came from China to Singapore before WWII. He learnt the tedious craft from his father after school hours and this was how he came naturally to take over the business, which he does not see any future with the next generation. Tay Guan Huat’s current business runs in the production of joss sticks, clay figurines and workshops conducted with schools & museums. Clients include locals and expats, the latter being very fond of his hand sculpted clay figurines of images of old Singapore. Amos said he does not know how long the business can continue but he will put his head down to work and keep at it until. . .
Lavender
August 30th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I’m so excited to say that on the walk back from football training at the Singapore Khalsa Association, Lavender Rd sprung some surprises on me. I saw a noodle manufacturer shop, a bamboo furniture shop(alike to that one at Joo Chiat Rd), an old confectionery, a Hakka suan pan zi(traditional Hakka food) shop and… I believe there are more treasures at Lavender!! It’s hard to find Hakka suan pan zi these days as it takes a lot of labour to make really good suan pan zi. Lavender’s in my list! so you see, actually Singapore has many treasures. we just need to find them. it takes time and effort, but at the same time, you get to know about your country and its heritage, things you barely learn once you reach a certain age. I did not even know that there are three kinds of Teochew(a dialect of Mandarin). I forgot the proper terms for it, but from what Amos from Tay Guan Huat said, there is one kind of Teochew which is soft-spoken, the other kind sounds more harsh(probably like Hokkien?) and the other… I have no idea. HA HA
I shall blog about my visit to Tay Guan Huat latersss. Tay Guan Huat uses a material called woodclay to make joss sticks and figurines. And I must mention this, Industrial parks/estates hold treasures! It’s an eye-opener to just walk around these flatted factories. It has been a good return to Singapore so far. I’ve walked into places I’ve never entered in my entire life. Please take a walk around Little India. I’m so glad that those decorative houses along Sam Leong Rd, Syed Alwi rd, and perhaps in a few more of those lanes, are still intact. guh, no one should have the heart to knock those gems down.
3 hours at Eng Tian Huat
August 28th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Jeffrey & his mother runs the shop at River valley road. Promoting and providing traditional Chinese Cultural products is how he defines his business.
since Jeff’s grandfather came from Teochew, China to Singapore in 1935
hand-stitched for the altar table
machine-stitched. the difference is appalling.
I do have a thing for wooden swords
A big thank you to Jeff who generously gave me 3 hours of his time, telling me patiently about Chinese culture all the way back to Teochew in China. ha ha I was like a wide-eyed kid listening to a storyteller weave tales of history. but of course they are true, as from his experience. and yes we are Teochew! I speak only a little and sometimes I sound Hokkien, but I’m practicing. hehe. You can check out the Facebook page for his shop h e r e
swirling the dough
August 27th, 2011 Comments Off
a visit to Kway Guan Huat at Joo Chiat rd made me wanna check out more of that swirling.
that’s cool man~
