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The Star
  • 5/18/2024
Art is not always created using paint and brushes. In the case of the Kuala Lumpur Colour District exhibition by Dunia Motif, the unique art and craft showcased is made of food waste from markets in the city.

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Transcript
00:00 Art is not always created using paint and brushes.
00:05 It may come in other forms that we consider trash.
00:09 After visiting the Kuala Lumpur Colour District exhibition
00:12 and talking to the founder of Dunia Motif that led the project,
00:17 I discovered that food waste from markets can also be turned into unique art and craft.
00:23 This exhibition is located at the first floor of the Rajah Bhat Market Complex
00:28 and she collects food waste from the Chowkit market traders within the compound of the building
00:33 as well as the traders elsewhere to repurpose them into fabric dyes.
00:38 Through three different places, Jalan Petaling, Pasar Chowkit and then Pasar Malam Jalan Tah.
00:44 So from all these three places, I actually collected the dry food waste.
00:48 The idea is to make colours out of it and showcase the colours of Kuala Lumpur through natural dyes.
00:56 So gathering all three different locations, a total estimate of around 60 to 70 kilos.
01:02 For example, I've collected 5 kilos of onion skin, the avocado skin and then the pomegranate.
01:09 The purpose is to, of course, to create awareness and to educate the public
01:15 on the possibility of turning waste into resources
01:19 and we should also consider putting waste as a second life.
01:24 Umi Junid said to produce the art and craft, she needs 2 to 3 days to extract the colour pigment
01:30 from the food waste, which will then become a natural dye for her fabrics.
01:35 She said initially, it was not easy to collect the food waste as the traders were hesitant.
01:41 It took her some time to convince them.
01:44 After two months, we become friends.
01:46 Only then they started to, you know, contacting me, like telling me that, "Okay, I've got a bag of onion skin.
01:54 When are you coming over to pick it up?"
01:56 It is interesting to see that they actually want to work together with me and to support this kind of ideas.
02:03 It's not me who decide what colour I want to play.
02:06 This is all colours coming from the Kuala Lumpur city.
02:09 It's the colour of Kuala Lumpur.
02:11 I've gathered most of it is onion skin because Malaysian, we cook a lot of using onion.
02:16 A new discovery is actually Batang Pisang and Jantung Pisang.
02:20 It's a nice, beautiful colour.
02:22 The rest is all fruits, sayur-sayuran, also a little bit of flowers from Petaling Street.
02:29 Some market traders and visitors dropped by the exhibition and found it interesting and meaningful.
02:35 It's the best thing, I would say, to use colours that contain toxic substances.
02:42 So, it's okay to use it.
02:44 Now, if it's just thrown away, it can be reused, right?
02:47 When there's something like this, people can collect it and use it.
02:51 If it can be expanded, maybe for children or kindergarten, right?
02:56 Okay, it can be used. It's safe.
02:58 In Malaysia, there is a big issue on food waste.
03:01 By having this project, I would like to see the possibility of making colours through it.
03:07 Having the curiosity in you would eventually invent something new.
03:13 Initially, with this project, I have no idea what will the colour turn out to be.
03:18 At the end of this project, I can see the tone of Kuala Lumpur.
03:22 It inspires me to also inspire people, to invite people to see the potential of waste.
03:30 The exhibition will end on Sunday, but efforts to repurpose food waste into art and craft will continue.
03:37 It's part of a bigger project under the Creative Kuala Lumpur Grants Programme that Dunia Motif is undertaking
03:44 to make the Malaysian capital a more liveable and thriving hub.
03:48 [Music fades out]
03:51 [Music fades out]
03:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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