The funding from Cendana was mainly used in a supporting role, covering extra expenses and material costs. The project has sought support from main partners during the expeditions abroad, i.e Taiwan and Japan. During the Malaysian leg, in partnership with art bodies from Taiwan, the fund played a bigger role in enabling the project to go further in terms of locations and duration.
The funding programme has contributed much to the development of new techniques in print-making and camera-building. It has also enabled the artist to explore different mediums and formats, widening the experience and understanding. In terms of personal development, this programme has given the artist new outlooks and perspectives, to explore new ideas and concepts in future works.
Visiting Malaysia is Adrien Tache from France, on a long stay over. We managed to catch up before I left and we checked out the cameras. He is currently in Australia, but I hope he will return soon and maybe we will do something together then.
《KANTA Portraits馬來西亞—台灣交流計劃》（KMTX 2019）是延伸自去年我與馬來西亞藝術家林猶進（Jeffrey Lim）合作的計劃。我以自身的台灣原住民的文化經驗、處境為鏡，映射出彼此被納入異族殖民與拓墾的歷程與交會。在每段旅程中，綿延不斷的棕櫚樹林總是無止盡地在公路兩旁展開，這樣帶有熱帶風情卻又廣泛栽種的人造風景佔據了我們的視野；在穿越棕櫚樹林之後才到達半島原住民（Orang Asli）的部落。這次我們造訪了上霹靂州庫內村（Kampung Cunex）的Temiar部落、雪蘭莪州Lanjan山旁特姆村（Desa Temuan）的Temuan族人、彭亨州雲彬Jemeri村的耶坤族，以及在加厘島（Carey）布本村的瑪美里族（Mah Meri tribe），探究在不同的兩國體系經歷各自不同的殖民歷史、棲地開發後，原屬於南島語言系統的不同語族—甚或「原住民族」身份—被置入不同統治位階的原民族群之間，如何透過部落耆老與青年的訪談，描繪出一個在流浪遷徙與渡河歸鄉之間的可塑性空間，進而質問：它可不可以成為一個跨越國家的、相互「再生／產」的起點？（Posak）
講者– Posak Jodian，生活於台北的阿美族人。Posak是名字，Jodian是父親之名。Posak有著民族語言學與傳播學背景，並主要以紀錄片作為方法，及自身的族群身份為起點，透過長期的田野研究關注部落的傳統領域形塑，以及離鄉原住民的都市生活；亦同時參與於各群眾運動的場景以及青年在城市縫隙間的各種行動可能，持續拍攝「從直走到半路咖啡的社會實踐」紀錄片的影像素材。試著透過族群與文化行動作為支點，拉開身份與認同的邊界。Posak作品〈自畫像〉曾發表於花蓮文化創意產業園區、〈Bai的故事〉原住民族電視台（2011），能勝興工廠國際藝術村《Flames on the water》（2016）， 亦是半路咖啡及海筆子tent16-18成員之一。
Description– “I haven’t heard enough. What else? I want to know more, I want to know more about the future.” This was told to us by an Orang Asli after my sharing on the story of Taiwanese Indigenous People at Kampung Cunex. He was talking to Jeffrey in Bahasa Malaysia, saying that he wanted to hear more of our story, imagining that could be their story in the future as well.
KANTA Portraits Malaysia –Taiwan Exchange 2019 is based in the collaboration between Malaysian artist Jeffrey Lim and the indigenous director Posak Jodian in PETAMU Project last year. Being treated and experienced exceptionally as Pangcah identity, Posak reflected on the processes of colonization in Taiwanese and Malaysian indigenous tribes. On the roads to their destinations of different tribes of the Malay Peninsula, they saw endless shadows of palms from the window until the reached the tribes of Orang Asli – the oldest inhabitants on this land…
Speaker– Posak Jodian, an Amis (corrected Pangcah) who lives in Taipei. Posak is the given name and Jodian is the father’s name. Posak has a background in Ethnolinguistics and Communication studies. She mainly uses documentary as a method, and observes the traditional field formulation of tribe and the urban life of the indigenous people who left their hometown through long-term field research based on her ethnic identity. Meanwhile, she participates in the scenes of various mass movements, and the various actions of young people in between the gaps of cities. Continue to work on the documentary “Social Practice from Straight to Halfway Cafe”. Trying to use the ethnic and cultural actions as a fulcrum to open the boundaries between identity and recognition. Her work was published at several places, “Self-portrait” (2008) at Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park, “Story of Bai” (2010) at Taiwan Indigenous Television, Flames on the water (2016) at N-Factory AIR. She is also a member of Halfway Cafe and Haibizi Tent 16-18.
Cunex Village of the Temiar tribe, robbed and lives destroyed (Upper Perak). They are protecting what is last of their ancestral land and the most sacred site to what would be the story to the beginning of us in this world. Here is the log pile and ‘kongsi’ (loggers quarters), waiting for extraction from their ancestral land. Irreversible, life destroyed and cultural genocide continues. Sacred sites, graves, their food source, their medicine, their spirituality, their life as it disappears. Today loggers forced their way through the blockade set up by the indigenous village as their last stand. The logging continues, no where else left to run, or hide, they stand to fight but alone, as the silence of this continues to feed the development that we on the outside world remain ignorant to. Failing to see our silence is the undoing of our connection to earth.
In collaboration with Rumah Attap Library & Collective 亞答屋84號圖書館 and Into The Wild Borneo 走进婆罗洲,Kanta Portraits together with Posak Jodian will be giving a short presentation and a screening of the short film essay “LAKEC”.
Kanta Portraits Malaysia Taiwan Exchange (KMTX) at Centre for Malaysian Indigenous Studies (CMIS), 4th May 2019, 10.30am-12.30pm. A presentation and reflection from the field trips done in Taiwan and Malaysia by visiting indigenous media artist Posak Jodian of the Pangcah tribe, Taiwan and Jeffrey Lim, a local KL-lite photography artist who started a project exploring the concepts of identity. Between April to May 2019, they have been on study trips to four indigenous communities on the Peninsular, understanding and documenting the social and cultural affinity between the communities of both countries.
Both artists will be presenting a preview of their work in the forms of portrait prints, and clips from audio & video recordings. The first film essay “Lakec” from the Taiwan collaboration will also be available for viewing. A selection of maps and studies including literature, the cameras and artworks from previous exhibition in Taipei will also be on exhibit.
Programme – Slide presentation introducing the project & collaboration – reflections of the communities visited in Malaysia – clips of audio & visual recordings, artistic expression & methodology – Q & A session and demonstration of portrait session Co-organiser / 共同主辦單位 1. 打開-當代藝術工作站 / Open Contemporary Art Center (OCAC) 2. 《數位荒原》駐站暨群島資料庫計劃 / NML Residency & Nusantara Archive Project 3. Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) (馬來西亞半島原住民關懷中心) Sponsor / 贊助單位 1. 國家文化藝術基金會,臺灣 / National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF), Taiwan 2. 財團法人原住民族文化事業基金會 / Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation 3. Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA), Malaysia (馬來西亞文化經濟發展機構)
CENDANA Malaysia 3 Jun 2019– The success of Malaysia lies in the strength of our talents and the vibrancy of our country lies in the hands of our artists and culture practitioners.
Get to know our CENDANA beneficiaries - Kimberly and Imran from ASK Dance Company,Jeffrey, a KL-based photographer and Taka from The Venopian Solitude. They are one of the many great folks with interesting projects which fuel our nation's cultural vitality.
