IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section B

Abstract

In Borneo, cultural assets are modes of expression that articulate intangible and tangible cultural heritage, which extends to beliefs, traditions, languages, rituals, dreams and craft narratives located in Indigenous communities (McHattie and Teo 2024). Across Borneo’s craft sector, a range of complex challenges have created barriers for craft practitioners and artisans to actively participate within the creative economy. The profound effects of climate change and extractive industries are directly impacting the island landscapes, which are changing in ways do not support natural craft resources (such as rattan, bamboo, timber and bark) to grow and thrive leading to material shortages. Furthermore, large scale and low-cost manufacturing and imports are becoming increasingly pervasive, requiring craft practitioners and artisans to adapt ways of making; diversify in the use of materials; and innovate ways to promote and sell work. Against this backdrop, there is a lack of structural support and equal access to education and limited infrastructure in more distributed geographies. This paper presents empirical research from a two-year collaborative research project, which mobilised 11 community-based projects across the regions of Sabah, Sarawak and West Kalimantan to explore pressing sustainably challenges facing their respective place-based practices. This included experimenting with alternative craft-based materials, innovating approaches to documentation and archiving, and prototyping new ways to engage with younger generations. The participatory process and outcomes of these projects collectively supports an experiential and expanded understanding of craft as cultural assets, which embody ancestral wisdom and the intimate relations to vernacular materials, landscapes and mythology.