This bamboo pavilion is created by Eleena Jamil Architect for a masterclass held within a Design Innovation Pop-Up Studio facilitated by Dr Lynn-Sayers McHattie and her team from the Glasgow School of Art and the team from British Council Arts Malaysia. The week-long studio is tailored to inspire local craft students at the National Craft Institute of Malaysia on innovation in design. Twentytwo students participated in the program where most are from the weaving studio, with others from the rattan, ceramics, woodwork, metal work and batik studios.
The overall main structure is made from treated local bamboo and consists of four freestanding pavilions. Each pavilion consists of screens that are filled with colourful and textured infills. The original brief had been for the students to use come up with innovative ways to complete the framed bamboo structure using natural materials provided, such as bamboo rings, split rattan and hemp strings. They are to draw inspiration from their own work, their surroundings and as well traditional and contemporary motifs, forms and techniques.
The result of the students’ intervention is a wondrously colourful and vibrant pavilion that is bursting with ideas and techniques drawn from traditional and contemporary craftsmanship. The bamboo rings especially, are used in ways that are innovative, especially when used in combination with thread weaving and painting. Vibrant colours animate the structure, which is something unique as colours are not often seen in contemporary architectural bamboo architecture.
Facilitators: Glasgow School of Art (Dr. Lynn-Sayers McHattie, Marian McAra) British Council UK (Elena Tamosiunaite) British Council Malaysia (Florence Lambert, Syarifah Said)
Architect: Eleena Jamil Architect (Eleena Jamil, Yow Pei San, Bahirah Rahman)
Institute Kraftangan Malaysia Lecturers (Nur Nadia Mohd Salleh Anuar, Abdullah Saari, Norizah Abdulah, Siti Noor Hazilah Maarop)
Institute Kraftangan Malaysia Students: Batik Studio: Hazlisya Asra Abd Rahim, Abdul Halim Mahmud Mansor; Woodcarving Studio: Nabila Suhada Sulaiman, Nur E’izzaty Muhamad Salimin, Metalwork Studio: Haslinda Abdullah, May Mei Lyana William; Ceramic Studio: Aina Fatihah Zulkiflee, Iklil Imanina Thein Han Jeff; Rattan Studio: Nur Aqalily Che Ismail, Helena Esan @ Hassan; Weaving Studio: Afiqah Azlan, Che Noor Ameera Al Hadis Che Azhar, Nuraliah Sarudin, Siti Nor Syafikah Abdul Razak, Nur Aziera Badrulhisham, Nur Alia Badrulhisham, Nur Fatin Najihah Fauzi, Nik Nur Raidha Farhanie Nik Razip, Nur Hafiezatul Nasyuhah Edid Maszuwin, Reymilda Natalia Joring, Nur Ezzaty Hanin Noorhayady, Nur Eliya Aqilah Zainal Azhar
