Participants can explore the use of common daily objects as instruments in the 'Sounding Our Surroundings' workshop. Photo: Borneo Laboratory
Borneo Laboratory’s Tides That Bind: On Senses is an 11-day event that celebrates the connection between our senses, ancestral knowledge and the natural world.
Held at the Think & Tink creative space in Kuching from April 28 to May 7, it includes workshops, film screenings, exhibitions and sharing sessions that explore the beauty and wisdom of our environment and heritage.
Inspired by the Bornean cultural concept of berjalai, which means conversing with the world, this event aims to promote sustainable development, preserve cultural heritage and provide a space for diverse voices and perspectives to come together and exchange ideas.
KL-based duo Shaman Tearoom explores acoustic instruments, lyrical poetry and tea ceremony, in a contemplation of the human experience in 'To The Mountain', a mixed media performance at Borneo Laboratory's 'Tides That Bind: On Senses'. Photo: Tengsoulwong
“In the fourth chapter of Myth and Meaning, (French anthropologist) Claude Lévi-Strauss describes a phenomenon that fills us with wonder. A tribal group he encountered could see Venus under the full daylight. Centuries earlier, European sailors possessed the same ability during navigation. Lévi-Strauss concluded, ‘We would have been able to see them if we had the trained eye’. What have we lost by not seeing the light of Venus? The ability to distinguish medicine from weeds, to hear the messages animals try to remind us of, and to comprehend our dreams, which were once seen as portals to ancestral knowledge,” says lead curator Wendy Teo in a curatorial statement.
“(At Tides That Bind) we take a break from our capitalistic routine to explore the senses, ancestral wisdom and narratives that surround us. Join us in this special event to rediscover our connection to nature and the knowledge of our ancestors. Let us embrace the beauty and wonder of our world, where the light of Venus still shines for those who have the trained eye to see,” she adds.
This 2023 Borneo Laboratory special project is supported by BESarawak. This is a ticketed event, with more info at Borneo Art Collective.
Among the activities at Tides That Bind: On Senses are:
Sounding Our Surroundings, an instrument discovery workshop (April 29)
In this workshop, participants will explore the use of common daily objects as instruments. Expect a crash course in basic principles such as resonance and vibration transfer, an exploration of “micro-sounds” outside our usual perception, and construction of an instrument with locally-sourced materials.
Big Trip: Tracking New Connections, a sound exhibition (April 28 to May 7)
Curated by Teo and Wei Ling Hung, with Nigel Brown as sound engineer, this research project explores how traditional practice and ancestral knowledge from around the world can be connected to create a holistic global narrative. Sit back and listen to the sounds of different communities in this sound exhibition.
To The Mountain, a mixed media performance (April 29 and 30)
Shaman Tearoom - comprising Aiwei Foo and Kent Lee - explores acoustic instruments, lyrical poetry and tea ceremony, in a contemplation of the human experience and how it changes within the environment. To The Mountain depicts a voyage and a search to go beyond the mundane.
Moving Images, video screenings (May 1)
This exhibition features six videos from the McNally School of Fine Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. Curated by Adeline Kueh, the selection includes five experimental short videos and one narrative short that tackle diverse themes, from wedding rituals to human-machine interactions and everyday observations. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Kueh and the artists.
