Ong Li Ting
"Money come, Money stay, Money is my lovely puppy"
御 (Yu)
Chinese culture is one of the world’s oldest cultures, tracing back to thousands of years ago. Important components of Chinese culture include ceramics, architecture, music, literature, martial arts, cuisine, visual arts, philosophy and religion. Therefore it is necessary to preserve it and pass it down from generation to generation.
This project is to design a food exhibition-cum-community space for all foodies and food producers. It is a mix and match of traditional food and fusion food exhibitions. It aims to promote the Chinese food culture and try to preserve the traditional skill and solidify the culture in social bonds.
The exhibition gives a chance for local food producers from urban or rural areas to showcase their signature dishes and skill. This maybe could give traditional cuisine a fresh twist and survive in this era.
However, in this fast-moving city, Chinese culture is profound in the new generation, many traditional cultures have been driven to extinction, and food is one of them.
Modern cuisine nowadays brings the extinction of traditional food and many delicious traditional foods are found in urban cities. Most of them are from rural areas, therefore it is a lack of visibility and less the younger generation know about the food.
OLD BUT GOLD
Malaysia is a country with a multicultural and diverse community that is made up of many different religions and races. It is also home to some of the richest cultures and handicrafts. All of the traditional handicrafts are a unique way to express and represent a country’s tradition, culture, and heritage through local materials and craftsmanship.
The handicrafts sector also plays an important role in employment and income generators which help reduce poverty in many developing countries, including Malaysia. It has been recognized as a tool for poverty reduction all over the world.
Although the importance of traditional handicrafts has been known for a long time, the handicrafts sector is still facing some challenges and facing the possibility of extinction in the future, as fewer younger generations are willing to continue. Not only that, underprivileged youth are unemployed and lack of education are also part of the issue in Malaysia. However, the handicrafts sector has a close relationship with poverty, it may bring a good impact on the poverty issue and may benefit each other.
This project is to design an empowering and interactive community center for the artisan, underprivileged youth and the local community. It aims to empower the underprivileged youth by providing handicrafts skills in order to improve themselves and increase their value.
It also aims to preserve and revive local traditional handicrafts and craftsmanship. Rattan art is chosen as the craft to explore on this project, as rattan art in Malaysia is becoming less and less.