LONDON, May 9 — Seni Telepuk or the Art of Textile Gilding, a dying traditional Malay textile decorating technique, is returning to life and will become a unique and exclusive national heritage art that will elevate the fineness of Malaysian craft, according to Master Craftsman Norhaiza Noordin.
He said the art, which has been abandoned for almost 50 years, is now gaining the attention of craftsmen following several efforts taken by him and the relevant agencies to promote it.
Based on the confidence shared by young art activists and enthusiasts, as well as his research to revive the art of textile gilding over the past few years, Norhaiza is now working closely with Kraftangan Malaysia and several other crafts associations to revive the dying art as a profitable art commodity for the country.
“InsyaAllah, there are already demands and interest (shown for the art)…it will not die and extinct. In fact, Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah’s effort in lifting the status of traditional arts and crafts, including gilded textiles, is very much appropriate and timely.
Norhaiza, who was crowned the Tokoh Kraf Negara award at the National Craft Day last year, said this to Bernama when met at the Malaysian Pavilion at the London Craft Week (LCW) 2023 here.
Tunku Azizah is leading the Malaysian delegation at the LCW which showcases Malaysia’s rich cultural landscape through its extraordinary craft traditions, and highlights craft skills that have their roots in the country’s indigenous communities – Orang Asli folk of Semelai from Pahang, Mah Meri (Selangor) in Peninsular Malaysia and Orang Asal ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak.
The LCW, which began last Saturday, will run until May 14 with the theme of ‘Abstract Nature’.
This is Malaysia’s second participation in the LCW, offering live demonstrations and workshops, among others, on wood carving, textile gilding, basketry, mat-weaving, songket (brocade), embroidery and tribal beading.
The country’s participation in the LCW is led by the Royal Pahang Weave Foundation and supported by the federal government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Pahang and Sarawak state governments, Kraftangan Malaysia and Royal Terengganu Songket.
According to Norhaiza, gilding is the unique art of decorating fabric with a thin coating of gold in leaf or powder form and it is always deemed a ‘property of the palace’ because the golden decoration is owned and preserved by the palace and the gilded textiles are usually worn by the royalty and nobility.
The art involves the process of stamping a motif using a wooden block with a sticky paste onto the fabric before the shimmering gold leaf or dust is laid onto the sticky cotton or silk fabric to create a cloth adorned with gold leaf or tinsel.
Norhaiza, who is also an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, is also a Master Woodcarver whose work can be seen in many palaces, mansions, offices and buildings in Malaysia and abroad.
The Terengganu-born craftsman has had the privilege of learning the art of woodcarving from six famous woodcarving gurus in Kelantan and Terengganu, namely Wan Su Wan Othman, the late Tengku Ibrahim Tengku Wok, Wan Mustaffa Wan Su, Abd Rahman Long, Abd Latif Long and Nik Rashiddin Nik Hussein.
“One day in 2014, someone came and wanted to order a wooden stamp with a bunga tanjung motif with nine petals to symbolise nine districts in Selangor, using the art of gilding.
“From there, I have visited many museums to study and find as much information as possible, other than carrying out my own research and development on the art of gilding. I have also been called to hold seminars and workshops on this subject,” he said.
Norhaiza is one of the master craftsmen flown to London to demonstrate their crafts at the LCW.
He is also responsible for producing the wood carving with crown motifs and the inscription ‘King Charles III. Coronation, 6th May 2023’ which is currently on display at the Malaysian Pavilion at the LCW and will be presented to the King of England as a gift for his coronation.
