KUCHING: The Borneo International Beads Conference (BIBCo) 2019 is back with its sixth instalment, this time with the theme ‘Beads of Our Time’.
Participants can expect a fruitful time, sharing knowledge and expertise at the conference, which will be held at The Waterfront Hotel here from Oct 4 to 6, while getting some hands-on time at the various workshops available.
Conference sessions are broken down into five topics. ‘Beads in History’ will feature talks on ‘Viking Beads in the Ancient World Trade’ by Torben Sode and ‘Chevron and Millefiori Beads of India’ by Dr Alok Kanungo.
The session on ‘Beads from Far Away Lands’ will have Dr Marsha Bol talking about ‘Lakota Sioux Beadwork of the Central Plains USA’, as well as Niyati Kakadia talking about the ‘Living Bead Cultures of Gujarat, India’.
This will be followed by the third conference session on ‘Beads, Science and the Law’, featuring Dr Margaret Chan presenting ‘Nothing is wasted — Making Beads from Sago Processing Residue’. Meanwhile, Ritu Sethi and Dr Moe Chiba will talk about ‘Traditional Art Designs and Intellectual Property Rights’.
On the final day, conference delegates will hear about the ‘Bead Culture of the Maloh People of Kalimantan’ from Siti Musrika and ‘The Beaded Parang of Belawan’ from Dora Jok under the ‘Beads from Borneo’ session.
This will be followed by ‘Beads and Textiles’, where Dr Linda McIntosh will be discussing ‘Beaded Textiles of the Katu People of South Laos and Central Highlands of Vietnam’, while Christopher Lim Zamora will talk about ‘Beaded Garments of Bagob Tagawawa in Davaoi Region, Philippines’.
There will also be a total of 22 workshops to choose from, ranging from working with traditional beads and creating your own jewellery to opportunities to consult with industry professionals.
Borneo International Beads Abuzz Bazaar will also take place at the same time at Plaza Merdeka, featuring beads and craft vendors from around the world.
The rates for this year’s BIBCo are RM550 for Malaysians and USD450 for Non-Malaysians. Groups of five or more will pay RM500 per pax, while Malaysian students get a special rate of RM350 per pax.
Workshops are priced at RM100 each excluding the materials. The rate for those looking to set up a booth at Beads Abuzz is RM850/table (inclusive of two chairs and tablecloth) for the duration of BIBCo.
BIBCo is organised by Crafthub, a non-profit organisation which aims to promote and market Sarawak handicrafts in an economically viable way with international standard quality control.
For more information, updates and workshop schedules, visit crafthub.com.my/bibco2019-2 or follow ‘CrafthubSdnBhd’ on Facebook.
