Project / Karyaneka, Kuala Lumpur
Task / Exhibition Design
Client / Kraftangan
Year / 2020
Exhibition Design // William Harald-Wong & Associates
Karyaneka Re-branding—Creative Concept & Art Direction // Suryani Senja Alias & Imaya Wong
Retail Design, Artisanal Brand Curation & Display // Imaya Wong
Copywriting // Kraftangan, Karyaneka & Syed Iskandar
Production // Visual Earth
Karyaneka is the retail arm of Kraftangan. The temporary exhibition, prepared for National Crafts Day, was held at Karyaneka’s flagship store in Kompleks Kraf. It gave visitors a glimpse of its re-branding and re-organisation of its interior spaces.
The new Karyaneka brand comprises four categories:
Adiguru, showcasing the works of Malaysia’s Master Craftspersons;
Karya (works of art), curated premium range of Malaysian artisanal creations;
Reka (invent), innovative and contemporary designs by homegrown brands; and
Aneka (variety), tastefully selected range of Malaysian lifestyle craft products for everyday use—functional and affordable.
The exhibition also marked Kraftangan’s entry on the Google Arts & Culture online platform, and showcased the ‘Tikar Pavilion’, the Malaysian submission for the 2019 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in Hong Kong.
Google Arts & Culture Project—a ‘portal’ composed with 100 images from Kraftangan’s craft collection that were published online for a global audience.
Introducing 12 of Malaysia’s finest Adigurus (Master Craftspersons), showcasing the nation’s strong craft heritage.
The ‘Tikar Pavilion’. Photo by Wendy Teo
A Woven Matness, by architect Shin Tseng with Kraftangan Malaysia, is an interactive installation celebrating the Tikar Mengkuang (woven screw pine mat). QR codes were woven into the mats for audiences to scan to establish an authentic relationship with the craft, the people and the place it comes from.
The project brings traditional art ‘to life’ with Augmented Reality, marrying Digital Craft with Traditional Craft, bridging the past with the future.
Crafts came from all over the country. Tikar (Mat) from weavers of the Bajau Ubian ethnic group, Kota Belud, Sabah, East Malaysia (Borneo) and the ‘Merdeka Chairs’ by Kedai Bikin, Kuala Lumpur.
The team had less than two weeks to dismantle the cluttered interior of the retail shop, identify and source new craft products from craft makers around the country, curate, design and install the exhibition in time for National Craft Day.