Telepuk art will come back to life, the height of fineness of Malaysian craft art
LONDON: Telepuk art, which is a form of traditional Malay textile decorating art, will ‘come back to life’ and become a unique and exclusive national heritage product art, thus elevating the fineness of Malaysian craft art, believes National Craft Figure Norhaiza Noordin.
He said telepuk art, a traditional Malay textile decorating technique that has not been practiced for the past 50 years, is getting the attention of craft art enthusiasts again following the hard work he has done with related bodies and agencies.
Relying on his confidence in the interest of art activists, especially among the younger generation and the efforts he has made to revive the art of folding over the past few years, he together with Malaysian Crafts and several craft art bodies and foundations want the art of decorating textiles to be one of the art commodities that benefit the country .
“Insya Allah there is already demand and interest (for the art of telepuk)… this art will not die out. The efforts of Her Majesty the King Queen Agong in dignifying various craft arts and national heritage products including telepuk art, which on ancient times were the property of the palace, very coincidental,” he said when met by Bernama at the Malaysia International Pavilion held in conjunction with London Craft Week 2023 (LCW).
Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, led the Malaysian delegation in the exhibition themed ‘Abstract Nature: Malaysia’s Heritage Crafts’ from Saturday to May 14, featuring craft arts and heritage products that display Malaysia’s rich cultural landscape through the uniqueness of craft traditions and heritage products The Malaysian community, especially the Malays, the Orang Asli Semelai from Pahang, Mah Meri (Selangor) in Peninsular Malaysia as well as the Orang Asal ethnic tribes in Sabah and Sarawak.
The second edition of the Malaysian exhibition, after the first held last year, also featured Terengganu Songket, telepuk art and wood carving.
Malaysia’s participation in the exhibition is spearheaded by the Royal Pahang Weaving Foundation and supported by the Federal Government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Government of Pahang and Sarawak, Malaysian Crafts and the Royal Songket of Terengganu.
Norhaiza, 60, who is also Adiguru Fine Carving Crafts, said telepuk is a unique art of textile decoration using gold pieces or tinsel (gold colored powder) and is ‘property of the palace’ because the art of gold decoration is owned and preserved by the palace and its use reserved for the royal family and the nobility.
Telepuk art involves the process of stamping a motif using a wood carving stamp (wooden block) which is glued onto a fine thread woven cloth, which is then mounted with gold paper or tinsel. Luxurious and apart from full fashion clothing, telepuk fabric is used as a ramp, side, scarf, belt cloth and handkerchief which are often used to attend official events in the palace and as wedding ceremonial clothing.
Norhaiza, who is an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, explained the process of patting is usually done on cotton or silk cloth that has been brushed, which is a technique of polishing and smoothing the fabric using a scouring snail (Cypraea tigris).
Norhaiza, who was previously known for wood carving art with its own identity that decorates palaces, residences of dignitaries, mansions, offices and buildings in Malaysia as well as office premises and institutions abroad, produces wood carving stamps.
Hailing from Besut, Terengganu, this artist has studied and studied wood carving with six famous wood carvers in Kelantan and Terengganu, namely Wan Su Wan Othman (National Artist 1997), the late Tengku Ibrahim Tengku Wok (National Craft 1999), Wan Mustaffa Wan Su (Adiguru Wood Carving Craft) and the famous wood carvers Abd Rahman Long, Abd Latif Long and Nik Rashiddin Nik Hussein, use their knowledge to produce wood carving stamps for the art of folding.
“In 2014, I was approached by someone who wanted to order a cape flower motif wooden stamp with nine petals symbolic to nine districts in Selangor for telepuk art.
He said based on the findings of his research, the art of telepuk is the ‘art of royal property’ and most states in Malaysia have the art of decorating cloth and it is most notable among the royal family of Selangor, which was recorded during the reign of Sultan Sir Abdul Samad (1857-1898). , patting his majesty’s clothes himself.
In conjunction with London Craft Week 2023, Norhaiza, who is also the President of the Malaysian Carving Art Practitioners Association, is among the seven craft experts who were flown here to demonstrate their respective crafts.
He also produced wood carvings with crown motifs and the inscription ‘King Charles III. Coronation. 6th May 2023’ which was exhibited at the Malaysia International Pavilion and will be presented to the King of England in conjunction with his coronation ceremony.
Regarding the Malaysian exhibition in the capital of the United Kingdom, Norhaiza said the efforts and initiatives carried out by Tunku Azizah, as Patron of the Royal Pahang Weaving Foundation, as well as Malaysian Crafts and related parties to conserve art and craft products is a noble effort that aims to dignify the national art heritage.
He agreed with Tunku Azizah’s order that continuous efforts should be made to ensure that the craft arts and national heritage products that have their own uniqueness continue to live, be inherited by the next generation, and become a national treasure that does not fade over time.
