“…the result of this blending is not simply a random mixture, a pot-pourri of bits and pieces, it is a genuine synthesis – something which not only incorporates but also transcends the component parts out of which it springs.”
Malaysia is a country of mixed races where every culture has continued to this day to uphold their own cultural and religious practices. However, as we progress through time, members of the present generation has slowly begun to forgo these practices and beliefs. The topic I will be exploring is, “The Preservation of Traditional Art and Design and its Development in Contemporary Fashion.� My main focus will be on the art and design of the Baba Nonya culture of Malaysia. The Baba Nonya, or Peranakan is a small community descended from the Chinese immigrants who came to Malaysia between the 15th and 17th century. The Peranakan culture is a blend of two of the dominant cultures in Malaysia; the Malays and Chinese, with some elements of the Javanese, Batak, Siamese and European cultures. With such a rich history, the Peranakan have formed an entirely unique form of traditional art and design. However, their culture has slowly begun to disappear as their numbers are on the decline and the younger generation are slowly assimilating back into mainstream Chinese culture. Next year, in COP3, I am hoping to further understand and study the different forms of design found primarily in their traditional costumes as well as the history behind them. I am also hoping to find ways in which Baba Nonya design can be further developed into mainstream design whilst still paying recognition to its heritage and culture. I’m hoping to make use of what I have learnt in level 4&5 to find ways to promote and preserve their cultural arts.
Relevant Subjects Historical Fashion Textile Design Fashion Identity Fashion Communication
Relevant Quotes
“The relationship be
Our C
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“Culture is the sum of coars
“The nature of cu
“A concerted eff educational, aesthetic, in
etween culture and development should be clarified and deepened in constructive and practical ways.” Creative Diversity: The UN World Commission on Culture and Development Report.
A culture is made, or destroyed, by it’s articulate voices.” Ayn Rand “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive” Mahatma Ghandi
all the forms of art, of love, and of thought, which, I the se or centuries, have enabled man to be less enslaved.” Andre Malraux
ulture is evolution. The practice of culture is adaptation.” Kelvin Chau
ffort to preserve our heritage is a vital link to our cultural, nspirational and economic legacies- all of the things that quite literally make us who we are.” Steve Berry
Relevant Books Wee, P.H.L. (2009) A Baba legacy. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Cheah, H. (2010) Phoenix rising: Narratives in Nyonya beadwork from the straits settlements. Singapore: Univ of Hawaii Pr. Cheo, K.B. (no date) A Baba wedding. Chia, F. (1994) The Babas revisited. Heinemann Asia. Lim, C.G.S. and Fee, W. (2003) Gateway to Peranakan culture. Singapore: Asiapac.
Relevant Images