Penang Exchange 2022
Penang Exchange 2022 is an arts and crafts exhibition at China Street Ghat until 2 October. I visited the following stalls:
Batik painting
Acrylic painting on stretched frames using batik motifs.
Wayang Kulit puppets and Kuda Kepang (Bamboo Horses) by a Johore based artisan, Sapari bin Sukarjo. His company Safis Art also sells musical instruments and puts on Wayang Kulit performances.
To encourage interest in Wayang Kulit in the younger generations, the 60 year old grandfather also sells inexpensive unpainted puppets for school children to colour.
Moss and dried flowers displays
Handmade parangs from steel in Bidor, Perak by MyParang. MyParang forges it’s own range of local machetes called Parangs (straight blades) and Goloks ( curved blades) out of local steel from Bidor, Perak. Parangs are now used in jungle fieldwork to clear vegetation. But in the past, parangs were often the poor man’s cheap personal protection weapon of choice. The upper classes had curved wavy daggers called Keris Melayu with ornate carved hilts.
Prices range from RM270 for a 8 in parang, the most popular size according to the salesman at the exhibition. He was happy to show me the construction of the tang and explained why the wood for the handle is imported from Croatia.
Penang 360 -a local digital content creator based in Bayan Lepas, this two year old company showcases some 80 vendors in 360 virtual tours.
