Location: Malaysia
Mae Bayu; a Malaysian born multi-disciplinary artist.
Metal sculpture series
"Kotumbayaan" inspired by the "Sininggazanak" ; a very old traditional wooden figure of a woman that used to be made by the Kadazan Dusun in Kampung Tampasak, Kinarut Papar once upon a time. The incomplete construction of the chair represents the fading story of Sininggazanak which is rarely being told amongst the present community. The decaying hat or "sirung" depicts the old traditional beliefs going extinct while the various patches and wired frame represents preservation and conservation efforts by several parties that eventually fails due to diferences in ideology and personal beliefs.
The sculptor's frustration on environmental issues is finally showcased through the image of an iron monstrous entity that represents how modernisation is threatening natural sustainability of the world. The male and female figures are the populace with their heads gripped by the monsters ; showing how the greed of mankind leads to the polution on the environment.
The monsters also resembles Dipterocarpus which grows on the twisted tree which symbolises that the monsters were created by man without realising it themselves. The sculptor describes that the greed of mankind in achieving modernisation will only lead towards the withering of the world.
The sculptor deeply studies and processes the anatomy of the Sundatang that various versions of Sabahan traditional musical instruments were combined on a driftwood sculpture.
"The Sound of Vision" is the sculptors insight on the fate of the Sundatang in the future. The sculpture of this stringless chordophone instrument represents the fading identity of the Sundatang if its maker continues the trend of adding changes on a whim. The instrument will no longer retain its original sound due to changes on its anatomy. The sculptor believes that not only should the identity and sound of the Sundatang be preserve, but also its history and non-tangible cultural aspects such as the making process of the instrument itself.
“"Kotumbayaan"”
“"Binasa"”
“"The Sound of Vision"”
