KUCHING: Eighteen textile artisans were awarded recognition at the prestigious Hasanah Gold Threads Awards 2023 held at the Borneo Cultures Museum here Friday (Sept 15).
The awards ceremony, presented by Yayasan Hasanah and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in collaboration with Tanoti and Asean Handicraft Promotion & Development Association (AHPADA), aimed to address the fading textile traditions and heritage motifs.
Datuk Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Trustee and Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, highlighted the importance of preserving Malaysian legacy motifs and weaving techniques.
“At present, many of our textile traditions have faded into the fabrics of history, some precious heritage motifs have gone extinct, and legacy weaving techniques have already been lost across the generations.
“Recognising this crucial gap, initiatives like digital documentation, intellectual property protection, and youth training in heritage textile arts have been undertaken, as well as developing an experiential centre of heritage textiles.
“The Hasanah Gold Threads Awards emerged as a means to empower local textile producers to innovate, use alternative materials, and elevate their craft. The goal is to preserve arts, heritage, and culture while boosting the local creative economy,” she said in a statement Saturday (Sept 16).
The awards recognized excellence in six categories: Beadwork, Drawing and Stamping, Embroidery and Embellishment, Ikat, Plaiting, and Supplementary Weft.
In the Beadwork category, Nyonya Heritage Art and Juliana Embrose were awarded with a Special Mention Award.
In the category of Drawing and Stamping, Batik Linut Sdn Bhd, Helmi Chek and Ramsay Ong Liang Thong earned Special Mention Awards.
In Embroidery and Embellishment, Danny Zulkifli won the Best Traditional Award, Muhammad Hilmi claimed the Best Innovative Award, and Special Mention Awards went to Crisna Mojupi and Emis @ Emmilianah Dahun.
In the categories of Ikat, Plaiting, and Supplementary Weft, Best Traditional Award Winners were Bangie Embol (Ikat), Ngot Bi (Plaiting), and Seri Gedong (Supplementary Weft).
Best Innovative Award Winners were Shah Nor Ramin Mohamad (Ikat), The Ranee Sdn Bhd (Plaiting), and Davis Mering (Supplementary Weft).
Special Mention Awards were also presented to Nancy Ngali (Ikat), Mandona Jusly (Plaiting), and Ong Wan Fen and Hasmah Yamin (Supplementary Weft).
The winning submissions, along with Special Mentions,are on display at the Borneo Cultures Museum Shop until Sept 17.
A Discovery Exhibition is open to the public until Sept 20, in the Function Room at Borneo Cultures Museum.
Also present were Acting Head of State’s wife Datin Sri Fatimah Mohd Iskandar; Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Special Administrative Officer Dr Rashidah Bolhassan; and Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
Supplementary Weft Best Traditional, Seri Gedong.
