AFTER a weekend trail hike, a father and daughter duo found themselves winding down at a traditional arts and crafts showcase in Kuala Lumpur.
Syed Zakaria and his daughter were clad in hiking gear, not the usual attire for attending an art lesson.
In the lush forest setting of Taman Tugu, they sat on a table covered with displays of telepuk, which are intricate gold motifs stamped on songket cloth.
Their instructor, Fatimah Rashidi, demonstrated how to spread a small patch of melted gum arabic, a natural adhesive used for telepuk, on their wrists.
She then pressed a small wooden stamp onto the gum arabic before firmly stamping it onto a piece of songket cloth spread flat on the table.
For the last step of the demonstration, she brushed a layer of gold leaf onto the still-sticky imprint.
“It is a special experience to try out this craft, especially in a place like this,” said Syed Zakaria.
On the table next to the telepuk demonstration, women were seen selecting motifs for kelingkan (a type of embroidery with thin metallic ribbons) while artisan Nik Marhamah Nik Megat embroidered a hibiscus onto a fuschia-coloured fabric.
Nearby, a shu bi (Chinese calligraphy) booth had two tables, with one showcasing calligrapher Jordant Chang’s works which were for sale.
Chang was seated at the centre of the other table as visitors tried their hand at writing Chinese characters in elegant brush strokes.
Fiona Lee was spotted helping her son as he wielded an ink-saturated mao bi (calligraphy brush pen) across the paper.
“Doing something like this helps connect us to our culture,” she said.
Dishen Kumar and his two children enjoyed watching a demonstration of how labu sayong (clay water pitcher) is crafted on a potter’s wheel.
Hundreds of ready-made labu sayong were snapped up by visitors to paint in their desired colours and patterns.
“My kids are having lots of fun doing all these activities,” he said.
In addition to a batik painting activity, there was also a Sabahan Magunatip bamboo dance workshop.
The event was organised by Taman Tugu Development in collaboration with Hasanah Foundation to celebrate World Art Day.
