LIBERTY!.. Oui, oui..and that is what I actually felt living in secular city like Melbourne. This kind of scenario, even though it would be nice to have it from time to time in my hometown Penang, or even Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, deep down in my heart I have a feeling that it will never happen, or would it? How will the Malaysian react with this? Hevoc and Riot, that were the couple of first things come to mind. Anyway, I thought I share this with you.Would you get excited viewing this photos? And if you do.. ask yourself why, then I think you might need to consult a Psychiatrist.
Now, where were we… Oh yes, I was sitting in a cafe around Fitzroy, Brunswick St. (one of the chic suburb around Melbourne CBD) yesterday afternoon, over a pot of chai tea, my thoughts was disturbed by the cheers and roars by a group of Melbourne cyclist and screams if the supporters. I rush out from Babka (a warm feeling cafe managed by few lovely angles and homemade food by caring chef) and was blown with ride of celebrations. It was from Melbourne leg of Naked World Ride (see the Age online newspaper), all of the cyclist wear nothing but splash of colors painted on their body.
I smile and thought for a while.. Wouldn’t it be nice, and wish that the space I am standing at the moment is at the Kedai Mamak ‘Line Clear’ on Penang Road, and groups of Malaysian is celebrating the same cause with the same views.. Of course, cloth-off. I wasn’t shock, surprisingly, because that was I been told, the fact that to see people naked is bad ‘haram’ because it will rise some sexual interest in a child.. and furthermore it will bring bad luck.. Hmmm… I don’t think so.. what bad luck got to do with seeing naked people? Does it mean it is bad luck to see ourselves naked in the mirror too? I think people with this narrow views, who scared others, implying bad luck and sensual connotation ideas behind this kind of scenarios have their own agenda, and fear with consequences.
I believed if we allow people, children, provide them with information, monitor them, discuss with open ended and honesty, these children at least will not find naked body horrifying. Instead they will see it as natural, and might ask us a question like ‘Yes… so what?!”. What I am trying to say here is essential to expose our future children and discuss openly about ‘naked body’, because each one of us have it, and there is nothing wrong about it. No need to be shy or to be fear off..
Crowd along the cheered for the riders.
This scenarios implies many things, the state of mind of the community, the openness, the acceptance of the brave one, and the naked truth of our own body and nothing else. It is not sensual unless we want it to be sexual. And even so, it is not anybody fault accept ourselves. So stop scaring our future generation. It doesn’t mean that we have not been through this experience, we cannot allow our future children to experience it. What else unless CHANGE! And Malaysia… I think I take back my word.. I think we can see this happening in Malaysia in couple of decades if we broaden a little bit more of our our mind.
Photo credit: The Age, Melbourne, 22 March 2010. Article by Gordon Farrer
#Nurul Rahman is a practicing graphic designer, University Science Malaysia fellow researcher and a teacher. She is currently living in Melbourne completing her PhD.
In this page I try to capture my research direction. Below is my idea of my research in 2008-09. The research progressed and the idea evolved.
Typical Malaysian by Lat
Research Direction:
2010
Stereotypical icons and graphic representations plays a significant roles in shaping the construction of a countrys identity, and influenced in positioning the nations notion of their motherland national identity.
This study explores the relationship on how popular print mediums construct the notion of Malaysian national identity through stereotypical icon images.
It will examine through five decades spanning from 1957 to 2007 Malaysia as an independent nation. The case studies are made up of WANITA (women magazine), LAT (cartoon compilations from various publications) and ADS (advertisements from newspaper and magazines).
This research also attempted to follow on primary research questions. First, how Malaysian national identity is constructed in stereotypical icons and, second, how popular print mediums as populist, mass-culture oriented, unlike more elitist and officially sanctioned modes of cultural memory (i.e. national museums and achieves), as a ephemeral repository of cultural representation and images, has a significant role in construction of Malaysian national identity that often has been overlooked.
2009
Aim
The main aim of this PhD is to provide demonstration, through theorizing and documentation of design projects and exploration, on how the stereotypical concept of Malaysian national identity has been manufactured, packaged and contested through icons in Malaysian popular print media.
Contribution
This study intends to contribute discourse about graphic design and its connection to construction of national identity in educational institution level and practice, and to provide documentations to demonstrate its roles as icons manufacturer and identity constructer through popular print media, thus highlighting its significant contribution in shaping the construction of Malaysian national identity.
2008
This PhD research project is looking at how visual metaphors/stereotype image and cultural symbols are used in newspaper and magazine advertisements; and comic, to find out its influences in conveying and creating belief in shaping the nation’s identity so that it can/in order to demonstrate the significant role of communication design in constructing the evolution of Malaysia National Identity from 1957 – 2007, 5o years of Independence.
Tonic Gajah Ads 1970
I am interested about the code of dressing for women in Malaysia. First question to be asked is, does it exist? Well, it seems like there is, because theres always a reminder or advise given to a female tourist before their trip to visit Malaysia is, not to dress ˜too sexy, or dress modestly, but really, what does it mean ˜dress modestly or ˜not too sexy? Didnt the Malaysian realized that these terms didnt have much meaning for others, because ˜sexy can be describe in different ways and on top of that it can also be understood in various ways. Sexy in English dictionary give a description of sexy as ˜sexually attractive or exciting. Now how does this explain about dressing? Does it mean that they should not wear anything that have that indication, meaning that anything that will be sexually attractive or exciting for people? Because for most western culture, a mini skirt would not bring or indicate that. Having said that, unlike western culture, a mini skirt can be seen as ˜too sexy or showing disrespectful on the code of dressing in Malaysia.
Ambank Ads in The Star Newspaper in Sept 2007
Now, having said that, one more point to support that there is code of dressing for Malaysian women, is the way you will be look at if you walk around in the public space with a single or sleeveless top with a short or a knee high skirt. You will get the feeling not at ease walking with that kind of dressing. Of course, if you look as a tourist then you can hide behind a statement such as ˜ Culturally insensitive tourist. However, if you are local, and furthermore if you happen to be a Malay women, then that is when the hot air start to fill in the space. You will be able to feel that every move is now being monitor, whispering between the people, guessing which race you from and what religion you believe in. And if you get lucky you might have a person or two who is meddling around asking about your background.
When is this code of dressing began to take place. This is interesting because I thought that this topic of discussion is new, and it only becoming popular since we describe ourselves as a modern nation. I was wrong, because as much as I thought it was, this issues is not new at all. Yes, nothing is new under the sun. As the matter of fact, it was as much as hot topic twenty years before our countrys independent, as much as it is a hot topic now among the young Malaysian women generation. I am confident to say this discourse has been there because of the articles that written about it taken in the nineteen thirties and forties. There are groups of scholars, academics, school teacher, religious teacher and many more who debate about the Malaysian women code of dressing. Different angle has been given in this debate, from religious perspective, modernist, feminist and socialist. Abdul Rahman Haji Abdullah in ˜Pemikiran Islam di Malaysia provide length of discussion about Malay women code of dressing in modern Malaysia. It is a debate between the western and the Muslim way of dressing, and which one should be taken as the image of Malaysian women.
One of the significant group that was against the western style dressing was driven by the leader of Women Teachers Association in Johor, Zainun Mushi Sulaiman1 or mostly known as Ibu Zain (1903-1989). Along with her fight against western culture she conducted and driven in publishing ˜Bulan Melayu (1930-1941), the first women teachers magazine in Malaya, that actively encourage Malay women to follow Arabic ways of dressing, with furdah, head-scarf and lose clothes. Her views are supported by many and one of them is a Malayan famous Malay literature Abdul Rahim Kajai (1894-1943) who thinks Malay women should not follow the way western women dressing, as he considered the way western dress is immodest. His critics on the Girl Guide uniform as inappropriate for Muslim women(see Editorial, Pakaian Girl Guide Melayu: Manakah caranya Pakaian Perempuan Islam dalam Majlis, Juni, 1934, hlm, 5).
Critics and debates toward Ibu Zain, Abdul Rahim Kajai and many more on their ideas of Muslim women dressing are followed with many intelectual womens in nineteen fifthties toward liberalisation women/muslim women code of dressing. Their thinking of modernism socialis is not only influence by sekular education, infact it is also supported by many religious groups. One of them is Haji Nik Muhammad Salleh bun Haji Wan Musa (1920-1971). In his religious book, he encouranged Malay/Muslim women to ignore Arab tradition and culture, and suggested to follow the way western women dress code to blend with the others around the world. He believed that by doing so, Malay women will be able to move toward modernity, and emancipation as how the Turkish, Egyptian and other race who has adopted Islam as their way of life earlier before the Malays. I cannot help to put in his quote to encourage Malay women to get their sense of freedom. I think there is a need for his text to be re-establish again. Disagree with the hadith Orang yang menyerupai sesuatu kaum, maka dia menjadi kaum itu, he considered the hadith is incapacitate as he believe that in Al-Quran it is not specify what code of dressing a Muslim women should wear as a women dress code2. Instead he urged Malay women to follow the way western or Turkish, Iran, Iraq or any modern style dressing, as long as the thoughts toward Allah (Azza wa Jalla) alway been there.
This fight for women have the right and freedom to dress and appear as they want, has been long fighting for. Thanks to the movement for women right in Malaysia, and not only supported by women but also there are many men involve in this debate since the nineteen thirdties, the image of women in the nineteen sixties are appeared to be free to choose their code of dressing. Therefore we can see through many images, photographs, advertisements, telivision series etc, that mini skirts, boycut shorts, bebek dress style seems to be a normal kind of dressing for Malaysian women at that period of times.
Now, after more then fifteen years of independent, if I walk in a shoping mall wearing a boycut short or a bebek dress, the situation will be the opposite. At some point I think that we moving backword. The notion of modernity seems to be taken away by the notion of Islaminization. It is not only a dilemma situation for a Malay women but also to women with other races and religion. In this imagined to be a modern nation, Malaysian women hold on certain kind code of dressing, and true, without doubt that this code of dressing might existed sixty years, but what is obvious and make a different is that, this code of dressing is now becoming a cultural rule that not only the Malay are obligue to follow but also the others. One might ask or blame the resurgent of Islam and Islamization of Malaysia as one of the goverment agenda towards the nation building? I would say, perhaps, not to ignore this matter completely because, yes, the Islamization of Malaysia, does stimulate this culture flux, but there are other factors that we cannot omit to bring in this thinking process. What most interesting is the behaviour or the reaction of Malaysian women toward it, agree and obidently follow the code. The label such as ˜Perempuan Melayu Terakhir seem to indicate that the women with tradition has long gone, therefore it is almost impossible to fine a true traditional women. What is the essence in that context? What is the essence in the state of being a ˜Perempuan Melayu Terakhir? Is it Muslim women with modern thinking, liberal, intelectual, independent, or a traditional religious Muslim women that follow all the tradition (adat resam) and cultural practices?
Why it has been omitted for decades, and why it is reappearing now?
For many fellow Malaysian mainly generation X cannot miss to remember an icons of a Kereta Lembu : Cow cart. It is always been associated with the historical city Melaka or Malacca. It might not be part of most generation X life time experience but the image of it is clear in many Malaysian. However, it may be an familiar icon for Malaysia generation Y, like my nephews and nieces. They might either be extra excited or scared to be near the Kereta Lembu, this is if they are lucky to have a chance to experience one. Kereta Lembu had become an icon that projected the image for the state of Melaka since sixties.
For few decades, Kereta Lembu has become a significant icon that are heavily use as a graphic elements such as in the company logo, signage, design for flyers, etc. Having said that, it was a significant icon not only because it represented the state, but also the image were associated with the cultural practice of Malaccanian citizen. Kereta Lembu was one of the main transportation for everyday life it takes passengers, villagers, school children, goods, and sometime are used as a ‘moving van’ from one village to another or from a village to town.
Since late late 90’s, the use of Kereta Lembu gradually began be forgotten as the new way of transportation took place. However, the icons stayed not only as a collection of Melaka’s historical artifacts but also adding in the stereotypical icons of Malaysian national identity. Kereta Lembu vanished forever from Malaysian everyday life as its used now been replaced by cars, buses, motorbike and other new vehicles. Generation Y might not be able to imagine that Kereta Lembu was one of the only vehicle that are available in their parents generation allowing them to move around, but this logo of Malaccanian Carnival in 1988 is one of the evidences that could trace back the significant contribution Kereta Lembu have made for the people in Melaka. In fact the evidences that Kereta Lembu were useful for Malaccanian people can also be seen in songs and movies produced around the seventies. One of the songs that has been captured and expressed is called Kereta Lembu by Helen Velu or her real name Halina Abdul Wahab, a well known seventies female singer. Fairly recent, (see Utusan Online) after few decades since the song was Kereta Lembu song become well-known again. One of the reason is because it is nostalgic, but more over because it is an icon that has been promoted for branding and tourism.
Below, in a newly constructed video clip of the song includes some snap shots of scene the use of Kereta Lembu in people’s everyday life. Thanks to Abang Jebat for sharing this video.
‘Design in the service of control and influence’: Is that so?..what about communication?
Found this site www.labna.org while browsing around looking for some interesting Malaysian graphic design work. Am I that naive? It’s like waiting for the moon to fall on your lab (direct translation from Malay proverb) ‘Umpama menanti bulan jatuh ke riba’, which mean, almost nearly 99% it will not happen. But it does not mean that 1% just sit still. So yes, my 1% hope on Malaysian graphic design movements finally comes true. May be it was there for a long time, it’s just I have not been looking far or deep enough (cari dengan mata lutut! is what my mother from time to time said to me when I cannot find things around the kitchen, which does have a deep personal connotation behind it, and we’re don’t want to go there).
It appeared to me that this new emerging of Malaysian graphic design have a new strong vigorous voices of being Malaysian through their graphic work. It makes me wonder when was this turning point began. Definately the internet and new media have played a significant roles in opening doors for Malaysian graphic designer. Internet allows most Malaysian graphic designer aware of social, economy, and politics issues. Also realising that this medium that people called idea holds a strong magical power behind it, and that as a graphic designer they are able not only to express their personal opinion toward the community and political issues, but also to convey and communicate the ideas to community.
Advertisements collection, one of the case studies
Since middle December I have been working on my imagery collection. Well, this process is divided on difference stages. Stage I is organising the images which are parts of three difference case study, cartoon collection from Lat since 1979, Wanita magazine cover from 1970’s and collections of advertisements gathered from magazines and newspapers from the day the people of Malaya were announced their independence, in 1957. Organising it not just mean put them together, at this stage is more on the details of the digital collection I have, meaning to name the files, the year it was published and the source of the publication. This takes a while after all I have almost more than 500 digital images in my data storage. Then once this process is done, as I put them in difference name folder, I have to begin the process of editing the files. Now some of this files are scanned, or captured using just a compact digital camera. Their sizes are vary and their condition is pretty bad. I have to touch-up and clear some of the sketches and marks on them. That takes around two weeks.
Later I created a layout and began to place the images in one size, so that they would be presented in only one size. This size is 13.7cm x 94 cm. Only this process took more then 3 weeks. Later this images are cropped and then pasted on a thin box card board. Now the idea behind this process it to have the images presented like a playing card, just that this playing card is not like the normal playing card, it’s a little bit bigger. The reason is because if it is too small like a playing card then I will not be able to see the images clearly and will not be able to do what I wanted to do.
The objective of doing this is to be able to lay the collection of the images on a table so I will be able to analyzed the images from three different case study. It is in the plan of Stage II of this process that I should be able to analyzed and then get some details information on the collection.
I break the collection through period of time. They are separated in 5, as in 1957 to 67, 67-1977, 77-1987- 87 – 1997, and 97-2007. What I want to find out is whether is there a certain kind of icons that emerged in each decade, or is it not? If there is then what is it? Is this icons reappeared again in different forms and shapes but still the content can be clearly seen?
Friday 16th Jan 2010, I spend more then 7 hours with my supervisor Nasya analyzing this collection that I managed to lay it out on few table. Luckily there are plenty of the table and there is space. The result is fascinating. I am exited! I cannot wait to share this finding with others and start writing about it. However, I also discovered for each of my case study this approached of analyzing, in order to get further information I needed to use difference methods. Lat for example, because I have mainly all his books, that means I have more then 500 images of Lat by itself, it allow me to analyzed each of the images closely and also allow me to count how many time it appear?
Next stage – Stage III, I shall work on Lat and continue adding some of the images in advertisements, as there are some gaps that need to be fill in, around the 80’s and 90’s. I also interested to see if there are other elements that appear in those images and why is it vary?
Once could wonder how many magazine Malaysia have produced? Some of them I don’t even know when it begin to published. like mushrooms.. This site of MPA Malaysia shows many Malaysian publishers and their published magazines.
By the way, Happy New Year! Hope this year will brings lots of happiness and love. Peace!
I have been engaging in a exploration to try to understand or to find out a methods that allow me to capture and make my prints collection visible to others. Not on the design of the way to present the print artifacts but also the organization of the material and the information I have. So far I been digging in ideas from few design research methods such as Brenda Lauren, Philip Meggs and Steven Heller. In America there are quite a few books that is publish as a collections of many graphic design work throughout the years. This is interesting as I find it very similar to what I am exploring with Malaysian Artifacts. I am intended to try these methods and hopefully I will be able to work this process out.
The questions I am having running around my head is firstly ‘How do I organize the print artifacts that I collected and make them visible to others? What kind of direction I should take? Is there any model I would be able to follow in doing this?
Secondly, If the focus of my study is to explore and investigate how the concept of Malaysian identity has been manufactured or constructed through stereotypical iconography, then how does this collection of print artifacts would be able to demonstrate my argument?
In the process of exploring the methods that will work in demonstrating my print materials, I am also reflecting on the process of discoveries itself. In doing the process of finding the methods, I also realized how long hours I have spend on Adobe Photoshop software. Cropping, re-touch images, changing the sizes of the images and many other is part of the graphic designers job. In my situation, the images that I have are pretty old, on top of that I only have them in hard copy and there is none that is available in digital, apart from some efforts making by few Malaysian designers. Therefore scanned or photo shooting is also part of the process, before we even get to the reconstruction process.
Anyway, got to go and continue retouching my imagery, I will update the blog hopefully in few days. Meanwhile, to whom who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas and for the new life in 2010, Happy Jolly New Year and hope all your wishes may all comes true!
Now, this is an interesting efforts. I think it should be more. A site call Malaysian Design Archive is up and waiting for people to contribute adding the collection. If you have any printed material that you think could help to add in the collections of Malaysian design archive then join in. We need more of this going. Ezrena is one of many Malaysian graphic designer who feel the needs to start making the collections available to others. I think too. In my study, one of the findings is there is not archive of Malaysian graphic ephemeral available to public. I know that News Straits Times keeps the collections of the newspapers since they started, but that is only one part of graphic ephemeral, what about others? What about the poster for elections for examples, the promotions printed material from Tourism Malaysia, flyers or brochures promoting some vernacular Malaysian products? How do we trace the Malaysian graphic design evolution or identity if these materials are not available for us to refer to, and how can we claimed that we are this and we are that as a Malaysian if our roots of origin is still vague and confuse. Now, please correct me if I am wrong but, so far, through my research trip up and down from Malaysia to Melbourne, I didn’t come across this collection of graphic ephemeral in national collections such as library, and national archive. Nothing. We need to start collecting and share this collection with others so that we can understand our own culture, questions where it belong to and start to considered a lot of issues before we make any claim that it is authentically Malaysian. Designers will be able to refer to something that is local, and not to the western literature and design book.
In my research I have collected from second hand book shops and personal collectors, Malaysian advertisements from 1957 to 2007. Of course this collections is not complete but it is still an on going process. Now why do I stop on year 2007? Well, I thought 50 years is a descent time to see the evaluation of Malaysian identity, enough time for me to work on, of course there are possible future research that will rise from this, which I think is great. That means there are still gaps to be filled in relation to Graphic Design in Malaysia. Would be wonderful to be able to write about this, as I think that is what lacking in Malaysia. Most of Malaysian graphic designer are confuse and lost with the idea of their national identity, why? Well, one good reason is because we don’t have much literature to refer to, apart from the western graphic design literature and perspective.
Here are samples of the collection I have in hand, I am still collecting. If you have any of them please let me know. Thanks.
WANITA - Malaysian first established woman magazine cover collection. Which one of this covers was published in 1972? One of the first few published woman magazines?
Collection of Malaysian Advertisements since 1957, I still need to get more around 1990's, anyone have them?
Now, when it comes to writing, I think it is a common phenomenon for graphic designer not to write, well clearly that it is was not part of graphic designers’ practice, but now to be able to let the graphic designers’ voice heard by others, writing is essential. I think it is important to be able to explain and articulate the process and the idea behind the action in writing, furthermore to be able to document our thoughts not only through visual communication but also through our writing skills. Here in Melbourne, there is more and more graphic designer who writes, but still there are many who prefers to focus on communicating their thoughts through visuals and forms. We need this balance in Malaysia. We also need to stimulate this awareness of adding to literature about Graphic Design in Malaysia, the history, the practice, the style, methods, identity, etc. There is so many areas that we can start to investigate and study. Isn’t this great! Malaysian is a new country, and indeed the areas of study has never been an interest of some, particularly when it comes to the funding wise. But I think if we highlight this as an significant contribution to other study, such as cultural studies, other design practices, and historical studies, then perhaps we might be able to get some funding to keep this study going. If anyone is interested in funding the printing, publication in relation to Graphic Design in Malaysia please email me at nurulrahman[at]hotmail.com
I have been waiting for this moment. The moment that graphic designers’ in Malaysia feel the need to have this archive and collection available for further research. I hope to be able to see this more. The discussion I have started in the discussion online forum in 2006 through www.malaysianidentity.com was an attempt to stimulate the conversation and the awareness of this. Please feel free to contact me if you have some collections of Malaysian old printed materials.
Why we have become like gods as technologies and like devils as moral beings, supermen in science and idiots in aesthetics – idiots above all in the Greek sense of absolutely isolated individuals, incapable of communicating among them selves or understanding one another? (Levis Mumford)
Surrounded by icons, anything from this icons you cannot relates to?
Have you ever thought about what are the elements that conceptualize our notion of national identity? Or perhaps do you think that identity is what we are born with? Well what about the role of the icons, pictorial forms of images that are around us from day one we are able to view? I think identity is part of the construction of our society. And further more it relates closely with our past and its connection to the present. Future is where the concept of identity is heading. To become modern one have to understand the concept of tradisional. Otherwise what define modernity apart from comparing it to the idea of tradition.
In the images above I attached a poster taken from classical Malay theater performance known as ‘Bangsawan’ (nationalist) called ‘Tanah Abang’ (Brother’s land) held in Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was performed in 2008. The Bangsawan theater are mainly based on the past, the time where the kingdom ruled by the Malay King. Its narratives focus on the Kingdom, middle class people and discussed mainly about the social issues, control of power and status. But the story is a story. It can be created based on a fantasize historical fiction or based on the hostorical fact. However, what we interested here is not the story, but the icon projected through this performance. The graphic iconography through the poster of the show, containced the costume, the prop they use, the gesture etc, is informing the Malaysian what the Malay used to wear in the past. At the same time continue constructing the Malay cultural identity and Malaysian national identity.
The iconic ‘tenggolok’ (man’s head gear), ‘Baju Melayu’ (man’s traditional clothes) and the veil on the womens head instead of head scraf, which is what you can see most women wears in South East Asia nowdays, is classic icons of Malay cultural identity. However as the Malay is the majority ethnics group in Malaysia, a lot more Malay cultural identity is embended in Malaysian national identity. For example, the Baju Melayu is now considered as the ‘Baju Kebangsaan’ (National costume). What really fasinating is how this notion of identity states in our mind. Of course to say that the roles of graphic design, when it comes to the poster or visual projection, is the most influencial in the process of identity construction is overstated, because there are other areas such as theater, films, painting and so on are as much as influencial as the role of graphic design. But we cannot omit the roles of the arts itself in influencing the societies. And in this modern nation world, country such as Malaysia, used heavily the graphic pictorial form to communicate or to contest the idea of identity, that is why iconography is important in this study, and to establish the roles of graphic design is this process of production of these Malaysian icons.
Having said all of this discussion, I am back on the research track. Unofficially I am continuing working on my research. Ciao for now and keep on working..
