The display pieces are collected from various countries. How do the designs differ?
Teo The objects were primarily made to the tastes of Southeast Asia, though we can only be sure of the geographical source of very few pieces, mainly by records, inscriptions, or family provenance.
Embroiderers often borrowed and “translated” techniques and designs from other cultures and other media, including batiks, ceramics and metalwork, thus introducing novelty and dynamism into the art. The overlaps in regional styles of beadwork and embroidery convey a shared sense of identity. At the same time, their diversity expresses their local connections.
In this exhibition, Hwei-fen has tried to broadly categorise the objects by region, based on certain stylistic affinities. For example, works from Malacca and Singapore are characterised by small and delicate designs, with figures that are not rendered to scale; Penang needlework is known for its jewel tones and lavishness; while Indonesian gold and silver embroideries are really part of a wider continuum of traditions of the urban populations in Southeast Asia.
What are the most unforgettable displays?
Teo One of the highlights is an extravagantly beaded wedding gift made in Penang, inspired by European needlepoint patterns of little blonde children. It is also interesting for the long inscription in English that encircles the entire border, taken from a book of verse.
Another highlight is a stunning pair of velvet boots from Java, which is embroidered in gold thread with Chinese motifs such as peonies but in fact, [it was] modelled on a style which was popular with fashionable European ladies in the 1880s. The Nyonya lady would have worn these with a traditional Chinese costume on her wedding day, or for a special occasion.
Another piece has a fascinating back-story because we know a lot about the provenance — it is a crest with the word “Emmanuel”. We know that it was beaded by the women of Wu Lien Teh’s household, as a gift to him before he left for Emmanuel College, Cambridge to study medicine. Wu was a prominent Peranakan, who was also known as the “plague fighter” of Penang, and was the first Malayan to be nominated for a Nobel prize. Here we see the lion of the crest [being] transformed into a Foo Dog — evidence of the translation of motifs that takes place, where Peranakans are not simply borrowing or slavishly copying foreign examples, but adapting influences with things that are more familiar to them from their own culture.
What’s the message for visitors?
Teo I hope that the exhibition will challenge some conventional perceptions of this beloved traditional artistry that we are used to in Southeast Asia. It’s not just a community craft, of beaded slippers and wedding purses.
Visitors will see how the Peranakans, straddling influences from all over, demonstrated great inventiveness in creating and embracing design and stylistic influences in their needlework. We hope visitors will enjoy the refinement and detail in these works, and discover the innovative spirit and craftsmanship, as well as the tatler_tatler_stories of the Peranakan Chinese embedded in this cross-cultural art form, and perhaps even be inspired to create their own.
What else can we look forward to at the Peranakan Museum?
Teo As part of the experience, the Peranakan Museum will be organising needlework workshops in September 2016 to inspire more visitors to try their hand at it, and keep the art going for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.
Find out more at the Peranakan Museum.
