CONTINUING where we left off last week, we spoke to Machiko Watanabe, Jun Uematsu, and Aisyah Baharuddin from the Artists In School program of the Kajang Community Art Carnival. The aim of the project, among other things, is to revive interest in Kajang as a “Cultural Town”, as it was once known. The artists each spend two weeks with a group of children, and work with them to produce a performance or artwork portraying the children’s understanding of Kajang. At the end of the two weeks, over 200 children and teenagers will parade their work from New Era College all over Kajang.

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Aisyah Baharuddin is one of the co-founders of TIGA (Tindakan Gerak Asuh). A visual artist, Aisyah holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting (First Class Honours) from Universiti Teknologi MARA. Her previous works include Tablo, an installation exhibited at Galeri Shah Alam. In her work, she explores individualistic expressions of social, political, personal, and cultural issues.

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Tell us about yourself.

I’m originally from Indonesia, but I studied in Shah Alam. Since my student days I’ve founded TIGA, and done a lot of community projects and art workshops. Recently I conducted a free art workshop for Chow Kit kids.

So, what are you working on with the kids?

My forte is painting, so I want to get them to express themselves, and their hometown Kajang through visual art.

My first working title was My House. The kids can’t answer a lot of questions about Kajang, because it’s not the sort of thing they learn about in kindergarten. So, I had to focus on things they do know, but don’t necessarily connect to Kajang.

I asked the kids to tell me what they see on the way from home to school. The journey to and from school is one of the few kinds of excursions they make from home, and something almost all of them spoke about was the train. They either take the train as transport, or they pass the train at some point.

From there I realized that the whole concept of a ‘train’ is very meaningful for them. Aside from being a familiar sight, the KTM also connects Kajang to other towns and cities. The kids may not realize this, but every day in school they form a train when they’re teachers ask them to form a line (it’s the easiest way to handle little children). So we’re creating a “train” of Kajang.

What’s the process like?

Well, on the second day of the workshop I asked the kids to compose a series of portraits. Self-portraits, portraits of their friends and so forth. We’re using these compositions to decorate the cardboard train we’re building.

How are the kids?

They want to have fun. That’s their main focus, actually. So the best way to get them to learn anything is to combine the learning with fun activities. They’re having fun in the workshops, but at the same time they’re learning about Kajang, and they’re mixing around. By having to do portraits, they have to explore things they never pay much attention to, and talking to different people.

How are they going to parade the train?

I’m collaborating with Han Fei (one of the other Artists In School) for that. She’s helping with the whole walking and carrying thing, and I’m helping her with props and costumes for her students. You’ll just have to come and see.

What is your greatest hope for the carnival?

Aside from learning about their hometown, I hope the children will start exploring art for themselves, and continue to mix around with other children. Plus I hope the community gets involved, and appreciates what the kids have done, and be inspired to learn more about their hometown too.

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Machiko Watanabe and Jun Uematsu from Japan are both members of Puppet Theatre PUK, a 79 year old modern theatre company. Jun has designed a number of puppet programs for both TV and the stage, while Machiko facilitates workshops and classes on puppet making and acting. They’re working together as Artists In School to not only teach the children the art of puppetry, but also how to apply the principles to their daily lives.

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How do the children here compare to Japanese kids?

Machiko Watanabe: Before I say anything, I’d like to express how happy I am that I had the opportunity to join the carnival. New Era College is doing a great thing here. Art and theatre are fantastic things to keep children company when they’re growing up.

Jun Uematsu: Moving on. To me, there’s quite a significant difference between the kids here and the kids in Japan. Tokyo is a metropolis, and the children there are saturated with all the noise and happenings there. Not so here. If you observe their eyes you can really see the difference. Malaysian children’s eyes are full of brightness. They’re fresh and unaffected.

Since both of you are foreigners, how are you handling the theme of the program (My Hometown, Kajang)?

MW: Well, it becomes a learning experience not only for the children, but also for us.

JU: In terms of research, we got our resources from the children. We asked the children questions, and they helped to teach us the history.

So what are you doing with the kids?

MW: Based on the theme, we’re helping the children to create a puppet that portrays Kajang. The kids like puppets, so it’s an excellent medium for them to convey their understanding and feelings for Kajang.

How does it work?

MW: After we asked the children questions about Kajang, we asked them about the materials that can be found around town, and together we’re working out how these materials can be put into a puppet.

JU: We took the kids town-hunting, meaning we walked around Kajang, exploring and looking for materials. The children would sit down and draw the images they saw around them, and we’d discuss the materials they found and bring them home.

MW: Using the images they drew, and the materials they found, we drew a design for a puppet, and we’re going to build it.

Do the puppets you make follow any particular style?

JU: They’re like the puppets you see in Western countries, but a bit different. We personalize our puppets.

So what have you learnt from the kids?

MW: We learnt a lot about Kajang’s history, but we also learnt a lot about the children. We’ve found that in their own ways, they care a lot about development and ecology. A few of them are quite passionate about Global Warming!

What do you think the kids have learnt?

JU: Mostly, I think they’ve learnt a lot about themselves. We asked them what they hope for the future, and they couldn’t give us any specific answers. The funny thing is, a lot of adults have the same problem, so if we don’t help the children now, they’ll be stuck in later life.

MW: Most people’s hopes are tied down to convenience. They want everything to be convenient for them. You would think that answering questions about their own hometown would be convenient for them, but no, it’s not. Because they were born and raised here, the kids are blind to what they see every day. They don’t see the extraordinary things in their own town. But because we are foreigners, we can see them, and help them realize what they’re missing.

JU: I think they’re also discovering things about themselves that they didn’t know, and sharpening their observation skills. When we ask them questions, they realize what issues they cannot express in words, and try to find another way to express themselves, like in art.

What are your greatest hopes for the project?

MW: I believe that no matter how young the children are, they’ll always be able to relate to these experiences. For example, perhaps in the future they’ll see one of the materials on the side of the road, and remember picking up those same materials, and they’ll remember that everything has its uses.

JU: I just hope that they will carry this experience forward and with them into the future.

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Yasmin Zetti Martin writes for Kakiseni.

”"Revive Our Cultural Town" - Kajang Community Art Carnival is a long-term project. The final segment, a parade through Kajang town happens on Sat 07 June 2008 (10am – 12pm). The parade begins at New Era College.

Photos by Tan Wei Haw.

*Kakiseni is the official media sponsor for this event.