This was today. 12 April 2025. We went to Taman Tugu to attend the Celebrate Arts event. Organised by Taman Tugu and Yayasan Hasanah. We left Kampung Selamat at around 8:00 am and arrived just in time to catch the opening act, the muhibah performance.
Next, we went to see a labu sayong demonstration. Labu sayong inspired us to start tangankraf many years ago. We discussed this in our interview with Vulcan Post, which you can read here. So we were thrilled to see it included in the event’s programme at Taman Tugu.
There were also food and beverage trucks at the event. Oh my god. That mee goreng udang and cendol! DM us if anyone knows if the vendor has a physical shop. We’d love to go and eat them again. So delicious!
Ashraf then tried batik canting kit. An obligatory activity whenever he attends events like this. There were so many corak to choose from. All of them beautiful. Spoilt for choice, we picked one and Ashraf spent about 30 minutes colouring it.
While waiting for his batik canting to dry, we watched another cultural performance. The Kuda Pacu dance. Performed by Pertubuhan Seni Budaya Sabah Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (PERSENIBAH).
Originating in Kota Belud, Sabah, Kuda Pacu is one of Sabah’s traditional dances. It comes from the Bajau-Sama community and is typically performed at official, cultural, and wedding events. This was our first time seeing the dance in person. It was fascinating.
After that, we saw a telepuk demonstration by Fatimah Rashidi. If I remember correctly, Fatimah was the telepuk artisan who introduced us to the craft. Because of her, we later visited Pameran Persona Telepuk at Muzium Tekstil Negara in October last year and wrote about it here.
Lastly, a kelingkan showcase. Demonstrated by a skilled artisan from Kelantan, Nik Marhamah Nik Megat. kelingkan is a meticulous craft where fine metal strips (gilt with gold or silver) are hand-sewn onto soft fabric like silk or cotton. The word kelingkan is believed to have come from the French word clinquant.
And of course, books, books, and more books. We discovered some lovely titles at the telepuk booth. Writing some of them down here as a reminder.
Here’s our personal wishlist: 1) Simbolisme dalam Motif Songket Melayu Terengganu, 2) Malay Woven Textiles: The Beauty of a Classic Art Form, 3) Ratu Kain: Satu Rumpun, Satu Warisan and 4) Telepuk: Bunga-bunga Emas yang Dilupai. Thank you for reading. Reels and more pictures on Instagram.
