Retroprospective of Songket: A Visual Ethnography Documentation on Songket Rajang

Authors

  • Yu Wei Chow Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, University Malaysia Sarawak, MALAYSIA
  • Anyshya Jusam Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, University Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak, MALAYSIA
  • Yakup Mohd Rafee Fakulti Seni, Komputeran Dan Industri Kreatif, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjong Malim, Perak, MALAYSIA
  • Muhammad Zamhari Abol Hassan Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, University Malaysia Sarawak, MALAYSIA
  • Awangko Hamdan Awang Arshad Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, University Malaysia Sarawak, MALAYSIA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37134/kupasseni.vol9.2.3.2021

Keywords:

visual ethnography, participant observation, non-participant observation, Songket Rajang

Abstract

This paper focuses on the documentation approach in recording songket, where previous research has placed too much emphasis on analyzing only the craft; and misinterpreting the craft as an object rather than a representation of a community. As a response, the researcher modified the viewpoint in documenting the craft into a record on songket as a community; a visual ethnographic documentation on Songket Rajang was carried out. For this study, a visual ethnographic approach was utilized to record the Songket Rajang manufacturing process as a binder in the community, and both observation methods were employed throughout the documentation: participant observation method and non-participant method. As a results, the researchers were able to capture Songket Rajang more successfully utilizing visual ethnographic techniques, without disregarding traditional songket craft art, while also displaying Songket Rajang as a symbol of communal togetherness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Awang Arshad. (2006). Songket Rajang: Menenun kembali sejarah keagungan kerajaan majapahit dan tradisi Islam kerajaan Brunei. Paper presented at the Seminar Sejarah Sosial dan Ekonomi Brunei: Memahami Sejarah Negara, Mengukuhkan Jati Diri Bangsa. Anjuran Jabatan Sejarah, Fakulti Sastera dan Sain Sosial Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Barrantes-Elizondo, L. (2019). Creating space for visual ethnography in educational research. Revista Electrónica Educare, 23(2), 361-375.

Brockway, Z., Cunningham, T., Lucia, H. Y. J., Pedroza, J., & Plotkin, M. (2019). Art as meaning making. Retrieved from LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations. 776.

Costin, C. L. (1998). Introduction: craft and social identity. Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, 8(1), 3-16.

Dhamija, J. (2002). Woven Magic: The Affinity between Indian and Indonesian Textiles. Dian Rakyat.

Fried, M. (2008). Why photography matters as art as never before. Yale University Press.

Gobo, G., & Molle, A. (2017). Doing ethnography (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.

Greenhalgh, P. (1997). The history of craft. In P. Dormer (Ed.), The culture of craft (pp. 20-52). Manchester University Press.

Haji Suhaili, H. S. (2019). Background on Pusat Tenunan Songket Kampung Rajang (Personal interview).

Haji Suhaili, H. S. (2019). Making process of Songket Rajang. (Personal interview).

Hänninen, R. (2020). Participant-induced elicitation in digital environments. In T. Lähdesmäki, E. Koskinen-koivisto, V. L.A., Eginskas, & A. Koistinen (Eds.), Challenges and solutions in ethnography research: Ethnography with a twist, 55. Routledge.

Knoblauch, H. (2005). Focused ethnography. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 6(3). https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/20/43

Maying, D., Rafee, Y. M., Leong, S. N. A., Arshad, A. H. A., Siri, H., Jussem, S. W., Abol Hassan, M. Z., Halim, H., & Bala, P. (2019). The effectiveness of visual research in enhancing the cultural knowledge and practices in creative industry. International Journal of Business & Society, 20(2).

Norwani Mohd, N. (1989). Malaysian songket. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Norwani Mohd, N. (2016). Ikat limar: The ancient Malay textile. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka

Torell, V., & Palmsköld, A. (2020). Dwelling in Craft: Introduction: A Call for Studies about Craft. The Journal of American Folklore, 133(528), 131-141.

Pauwels, L. (2019). An integrated conceptual and methodological framework for the visual study of culture and society. In L. Pauwels, & M. Dawn (Eds.), The sage handbook of visual research methods (pp. 15-36). Sage Publishing.

Pink, S. (2020). Doing visual ethnography (4th ed.). Sage.

Rafee, Y. M., Arshad, A. H. A., Siri, H., & Javeril, A. T. (2016). Practice-based research as an approach in bridging the visual arts and ethnography in social science study. Proceeding of the 3rd International Conference on Arts and Humanities, 3, 95-102.

Redmon, D. (2019). Video ethnography: Theory, methods, and ethics. Routledge.

Schembri, S., & Boyle, M. V. (2013). Visual ethnography: Achieving rigorous and authentic interpretations. Journal of Business Research, 66(9), 1251-1254.

Seim, J. (2019). Hybrid ethnography: Mixing participant observation and observant participation. [Unpublished manuscript], Department of Sociology, University of Southern California. https://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/62/docs/Seim_Hybrid_Ethnography_190212_2.pdf

Schwedler, J. M., Simmons, E., & Smith, N. (2019). Ethnography and participant observation. American Political Science Association Organized Section for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research, Qualitative Transparency Deliberations, Working Group Final Reports, Report III, 3.

Sullivan, G. (2010). Art practice as research: Inquiry in visual arts (2nd ed.). Sage Publishing.

Unveiling ‘make-up’ secrets of Sarawak songket. (2019, June 4). Borneo Post Online. https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/06/04/unveiling-make-up-secrets-ofsarawak-songket/

Wahsalfelah, S. N. H. (2015). Penyebaran Tradisi Kain Tenunan Brunei. Susurgalur, 3(2).

Zouggari, N. (2018). The Ethnography of Craft and the Craft of Ethnography: Asking for Help in the Workplace. Sage Publishing.

Downloads

Published

2021-08-19

How to Cite

Chow, Y. W., Jusam, A., Mohd Rafee, Y., Abol Hassan, M. Z., & Awang Arshad, A. H. (2021). Retroprospective of Songket: A Visual Ethnography Documentation on Songket Rajang. KUPAS SENI, 9(2), 26–41. https://doi.org/10.37134/kupasseni.vol9.2.3.2021