Suzy with one of her previous art installations for Nippon Paint x Urbanscapes: Trend Beyond Colours 2020/21. She hopes Tukang will strengthen the relationship between modern and traditional designers.
Tourism Selangor is organising a festival to promote traditional crafts and unearth talented makers to showcase their skills and innovativeness.
Tukang - Selangor Craftsmanship Festival 2022 also aims to recognise skilled craftsmen who have contributed to the development of heritage craft arts.
Tourism Selangor Industrial Development Department manager Chua Yee Ling said the agency was exploring crafts as part of the state’s tourism product, besides spreading awareness on traditional crafts-making, its culture and heritage.
“The tourism sector was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and Tourism Selangor is eager to curate new content and experiences for the public.
“Selangor has many arts and culture talents and we hope Tukang will be able to connect local artists and create a Selangor brand by using aesthetic arts,” she said.
As part of efforts to encourage this, Tourism Selangor is providing grants for artists, craft makers, designers or organisation representatives to be part of the festival by pitching their items and artwork production proposal.
Each successful applicant will receive RM10,000 for the production of the artwork or product.
Applicants will also have the opportunity to exhibit their crafts at the Tukang - Selangor Craftsmanship Festival 2022, which is set for October.
The deadline for applications is June 19.
Chua said some of the applications that the department had received included ideas for art installations, furniture works and handicrafts.
“If we find the idea interesting, we may collaborate with the craftsmen and come up with a public art installation which will become a new tourism spot in Selangor.
“Handicrafts that are innovative can also be turned into merchandise and souvenirs that represent Selangor,” she said
“These crafts can be of any form and we accept carpentry works, handicrafts and art installation,” said Chua.
Tukang curator, Suzy Sulaiman, hoped the project would strengthen the relationship between modern and traditional designers to elevate the crafts, giving them a new and exciting twist.
Now a lecturer at the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University, Suzy’s art installation “Jungle of Nusa” was selected as a General Prize winner for YouFab Global Creative Awards 2019 in Tokyo, Japan in early 2020
For details, check out https://selangor.travel/tukang
