Latest news with #batik
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Doctor by day, designer by heart: How Dr Nisha stitched a batik revolution in hospitals
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Doctors can now say goodbye to their dull, grey-toned scrubs and swap them for vibrant batik versions — thanks to Dr Nisha Puvanendran. Dr Nisha, a gastroenterologist at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), launched her unique line of batik scrubs (Craft by Nisha Puvan) following a Public Service Department directive issued in August 2023. The directive required all federal civil servants, including doctors in public hospitals, to wear Malaysian batik attire to work on Thursdays. At the time, many doctors expressed concern that conventional batik attire would compromise both practicality and hygiene during patient care. Scrubs with a tailored fit offer greater flexibility during long shifts and help reduce the risk of transmitting germs between patients during ward rounds. 'Thursdays felt like a dilemma at the time. 'That's when it struck me: Why not create scrubs using batik-inspired fabrics that are professional, breathable and hospital-appropriate? 'So I started experimenting with lightweight, durable, easy-to-wash and colour-fast fabrics, and eventually decided to make the scrubs from a cotton blend,' Dr Nisha told Malay Mail in a recent interview. Dr Nisha shared how her passion for fashion began in 2020 when she started sewing batik clothes for her twin daughters. She sources her batik fabrics from small vendors in Kelantan and Kuala Lumpur, using a mix of hand-drawn batik (batik tulis), stamped batik (batik cap) and printed batik. The scrubs are suitable for a wide range of clinical duties, including ward rounds, patient consultations, and teaching sessions. Doctors only need to wear a sterile gown over their scrubs when performing bedside procedures or more invasive interventions in daycare settings. 'We also worked on creating silhouettes for our scrubs that feel more polished than the standard ones sold in commercial stores,' said Dr Nisha, referring to her two full-time tailors. They currently operate from a craft workshop set up in her home. 'The scrubs are also slightly nipped at the waist for females to give them a fashion edge,' she added. Initially, Dr Nisha began wearing her batik scrubs to work to spark curiosity among her colleagues. Sure enough, her stylish designs caught on, and orders began pouring in from all over the country. 'One of my most heartwarming moments is simply walking into the hospital and seeing my colleagues from various departments wearing my batik scrubs. 'And all of this happened almost entirely through word of mouth,' she said. The scrubs proved to be so versatile that even non-medical professionals in desk jobs began incorporating them into their daily workwear. 'The scrubs have a chest pocket and two spacious front pockets for keeping handphones and other essential items, making them convenient for desk jobs too,' she said. Her batik-themed traditional outfits — including cheongsam, lehenga and saree — are among her most popular pieces for weddings and holidays. A passion for batik While her medical scrubs are a more recent venture, Dr Nisha's journey into fashion began in 2020 when she was pregnant with her twin daughters. A self-confessed perfectionist, she immersed herself in preparing for their arrival — organising clothes, blankets and accessories. Frustrated by the limited personalised options in stores, Dr Nisha took matters into her own hands. She bought a battery-operated sewing machine from Shopee, ordered batik fabrics and began sewing tiny outfits from scratch. Dr Nisha also makes batik hairbands, adding a playful and colourful touch to her fashion line. 'So when the twins were born, I dressed them in clothes that I made. 'I only work with batik because it's colourful, and I've always believed that children should wear vibrant colours rather than muted tones. 'Slowly, people started noticing the dresses and asked if I could make something similar for their children too. 'So I ventured into children's wear and eventually expanded into family fashion collections,' she said. Interestingly, her twin daughters, who turn four next week, have inherited their mother's love for batik. They often accompany her to pop-up stores and delight customers by confidently suggesting colour and design combinations. 'They do have a good eye,' she said with a laugh. A highlight of her collection includes batik-themed traditional outfits such as cheongsam, lehenga, and saree, which are highly sought-after for weddings and holidays throughout the year. She is now working on a modest-friendly scrub line, including long-sleeve and hijab-compliant sets, following requests from her Malay colleagues. With her daughters' fashion sense now blossoming too, Dr Nisha is confident her upcoming batik creations will be more vibrant than ever.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Emily Kam Kngwarray review – connected to something far beyond the art world
Painting quickly and directly, with few revisions and no changes of heart, Emily Kam Kngwarray's art is filled with exhilarations and with difficulties. Part of the pleasure of her art is that it is so immediate, so visually accessible, with its teeming fields and clusters of finger-painted dots, its sinuous and looping paths, its intersections and branchings, its staves and repetitive rhythms. You can get lost in there, and sometimes overwhelmed. You can feel the connection between her hand and eye, and the bodily gestures she makes as she paints. Kngwarray's paintings might well remind you of a kind of gestural abstraction they have nothing to do with, and which the artist would never in any case have seen. The things we look at in Kngwarray's art are about an entirely different order of experience to the similar kinds of brushstrokes driven this way and that around other, more familiar canvases we might also find in Tate Modern, where her retrospective has arrived from the National Gallery of Australia. But this similarity is also one of the reasons Kngwarray became famous in the first place. Kngwarray only painted for the last six or seven years of her life, leading up to her death in 1996. She made upwards of 3,000 paintings. Before that she spent a little over a decade making batik prints, which were no less inventive than her paintings; foliage and flowers cover the cotton and later silk, lizards and emus erupt from the fabrics which swarm with life and her own lively and confident graphic touch. Her art always had a spirit of improvisation and immersion in the process, first in the complexities of printmaking and then in painting with thin, quick-drying acrylics. Born around 1914 in Australia's Northern Territory, Kngwarray spent her entire life around her ancestral Alhalker Country homeland. Colonisers had first appeared there in the 1870s, and confrontations had led to many Aboriginal deaths. As a child, Kngwarray learned to run away from the whitefellers. First came the surveyors, then the telegraph, and then police, trackers and settlers, digging boreholes for water for their sheep, goats, horses and cattle, and appropriating sacred ancestral lands. Missionaries came with camels, magic lantern shows and a gramophone. In the early 1930s, 100 or more Aboriginal people in the area were shot or poisoned by police and a colonist leaseholder (who had been involved in previous atrocities), in retribution for spearing cattle. Kngwarray spent much of her adult life on stations, watching cattle and sheep, working in kitchens and minding children. She spoke little English, and like other Aboriginal people, generally worked for rations rather than payment. The sheep and cattle stations couldn't function without their labour. She was an accomplished hunter-gatherer. Photographs in the fascinating catalogue show Kngwarray skinning echidnas and bearing a lizard by the tail. By the 1970s, land began to be returned to its traditional owners, and adult literacy and numeracy courses were set up, leading, circuitously, to a batik printing course at the former Utopia station homestead, as a possible avenue to self-employment for women in the area. Then in her mid-60s, Kngwarray became, as she said later, 'the boss of batik'. By the early 1980s, batiks by the Utopia artists began to be recognised and exhibited, firstly in Australia then further afield. By the end of the 1980s, an Aboriginal controlled organisation took over the Women's Batik Group, and began distributing paints and canvas as an alternative to the highly labour-intensive batik. The imagery, motifs, iconography, and even spatial sense of Kngwarray's work comes directly from her Indigenous Anmatyerr culture; women's songs and ceremonies involving communal body painting – using natural pigments mixed with fat to stripe breasts, torsos and arms, ceremonies involving scarification, and telling stories with the sand at one's feet, using leaves and twigs and other ephemera to represent characters, situations, weather. All this storytelling and bodypainting takes place while sitting on the ground, which is also where Kngwarray put herself to paint. For larger works she would sit on the unstretched canvas and work from within it. Painting for her was a continuation of her cultural practice – although it appears she was hesitant about revealing the stories her paintings told. This isn't unusual for any artist. Its good to have secrets and mysteries and things unexplained. Where her paintings are titled, they might be called 'Everything, or My Country, or be named after a specific place or a type of yam, an old man emu with babies, or appear to describe a journey through the bush. Arrow shapes turn out to be the footprints of emus in the sand as they make their way from here to there, pausing to eat fruits or grain or insects in their path. Tangles of line depict the vine of the pencil yam, whose presence betrays the tubers underground and the seed-pods from which the artist got her name Kam. 'I am Kam! I paint my plant, the one I am named after,' she once explained. 'They are found growing up along the creek banks. That's what I painted. I keep on painting the place that belongs to me – I never change from painting that place.' Sometimes the paintings are meticulous in their ordering, and at other times a line will scrabble all over the place, rolling and slewing around the large canvas. There are blizzards of dots, translucent white lines crossing and recrossing the territory of the canvas, and emphatic black lines crazing a white surface with marks that nearly cohere – but into what? Often, I'm left teetering. One long suite of 22 identically sized canvases, all dotted and clotted and clogged with colour, seems to evoke a consistent though shifting optical terrain, while banks of horizontal and vertical lines evoke the body markings of a traditional ceremony, and the sense of bodies in motion. The closer I get to Kngwarray's art, the more it recedes. On a physical and optical level, it feels accessible, in ways that are a bit overfamiliar. But that wasn't what the artist was doing. Her art was about life and connectedness to something more than just the art world and its manners. Emily Kam Kngarraway is at Tate Modern until 11 January
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Multicultural societies must be woven together like batik, not a patchwork quilt: Tharman
SINGAPORE – The fabric of a multicultural society must be like a piece of batik – a single cloth woven by different hands to create a larger motif of many colours, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on June 24. In contrast, many societies see multiculturalism as a quilt of different patches stitched together, he said. But in times of stress, when economic insecurity or polarising forces intensify, the stitches weaken and the quilt is easily forced apart. Mr Tharman has often used the quilt analogy when speaking on multiculturalism. He added the batik twist in his opening address at the three-day International Conference on Cohesive Societies held at Raffles City Convention Centre, where batik was the preferred attire of many audience members. 'We have to weave threads of different colours, even different textures, into a single tapestry – or involve many artisans in making a single fabric... that creates a larger motif of a nation with many strands and many histories, but at one with itself,' he said. More than 1,000 people, including policymakers and young leaders from over 50 countries, attended the conference organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The conference was first held in 2019 to provide an international platform for interfaith and multicultural dialogue, and for participants to exchange ideas and develop solutions to create cohesive and resilient multicultural societies. Mr Tharman's address focused on reasons for division across the world while highlighting areas that societies should work on to nurture multiculturalism. He first provided context, noting that enthusiasm for multiculturalism is waning and social cohesion is weakening worldwide. No political system can guarantee that a government or people will prioritise integration of different cultures, and recent evidence suggests the opposite – people are moving away from moderate tendencies towards more polarising behaviour, views and politics, he said. 'Shared values and belief in a common future do not come naturally, and there are always countervailing sentiments below the surface. Multicultural societies must therefore be actively woven,' he said. Advancing political polarisation is weakening the moderate middle ground and fuelling the rise of extremes, especially the radical right, said Mr Tharman. A startling trend observed in the last decade is the widening social and political divide between the better educated and the less, as well as those who live in the countryside and those who live in cities. 'What is most worrying is the way in which culture and identity is being injected into normal contentions over economic issues,' he said. Economic insecurity has converted identity and culture into a more virulent and more divisive political tool, he added. There are several deep forces behind the growing division, said Mr Tharman. First, the failure to control immigration and integrate immigrants, as seen in Europe. Second, the polarising effects of a fragmented media landscape and social media algorithms. While social media empowers many voices and frees access to information, much of it is now shaped by algorithms run by large technology companies, which have a polarising effect, said Mr Tharman. These algorithms offer a feed of stories that aligns with an individual's ideological preferences and strengthens them. Tech firms also have an incentive to maximise attention by propagating negative messages, he added. The third force contributing to division is the growing isolation in how people live their lives, especially in advanced countries. People are living more on their own and interacting less with neighbours who would have helped them to understand differences and accept disagreements. 'Societies can advance economically whilst regressing socially,' said Mr Tharman. Weaving a multicultural society requires sensible guard rails to prevent extremism and self-reinforcing polarisation, while allowing and encouraging differences in views, he said. This must begin from education, the most powerful tool available to integrate people, he added. Apart from allowing for social mixing, effective education can also uplift people of all backgrounds, said Mr Tharman. Without evidence that people can get ahead on their merits – with necessary support for those who start from behind – it will be difficult to sustain a sense of togetherness, he added. 'Education systems must be effective in uplifting every individual and every group. And I must say that is what we put great effort into, in Singapore,' he said. Another area is urban design to prevent ethnically or socially defined enclaves. He cited Singapore's public housing estates where more than 75 per cent of the population live, with a mix of ethnicities and income groups in every block. 'It is not just about housing. It is (also) about the facilities for recreation, for learning, for interaction, for morning qigong, a whole set of activities that bring people together,' he said. 'Common spaces in every neighbourhood, where you can develop your skills in a futsal court or watch others, or try out a new dance together. It is not just housing, it is an estate for social life.' While not every society can replicate what Singapore has done, it is still important to provide public spaces in societies with existing segregated neighbourhoods, he added. The third area to work on is that of media fragmentation and social media algorithms, which Mr Tharman characterised as 'one of the most complex'. Mr Tharman noted that the world is nowhere near agreement on the regulation of social media platforms, though advances have been made. 'It requires bold thinking. Both government and civil society have to actively work together, and with the tech companies that run the largest social media platforms, to make democracy safer and more sustainable,' he said. He cited the European Union's new Digital Services Act as a good example of how this can be done. The Act requires social media platforms to be accountable for content, such as the quick removal of hate speech. Singapore and Australia are also doing similarly. While some may say this is over-regulation – it is more regulation than big tech players are used to – an unregulated media landscape will only see democracy gradually unravel, Mr Tharman said. Established news media will also have to show journalism that is built on accuracy and transparency, he said. They have to separate news from opinion, and when they publish opinion, they should provide different perspectives for people to assess, he added. While he would not promote Singapore media as a model for the world, he pointed out that the mainstream media here is by far the largest chosen source of news among citizens, among many alternatives. That is critical, as it keeps that shared reality and common framework of facts for citizens, said Mr Tharman. Fourth, society must develop a culture of respect and solidarity that comes from everyday actions and not just governments and politicians. Civil society, educators, religious and community leaders and individuals also have to pitch in, he said. Each society must aim to build a community of respect, which goes to the heart of social cohesion and multiculturalism, said Mr Tharman. Respect is a source of upliftment as a society, he said. 'We need something more intrinsic to upliftment, we need the motivation that drives people to strive to overcome difficulties and to do their best. And the respect we lend each other is the most powerful source of motivation.' Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
CNA
08-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - India launches strikes on Pakistan, Islamabad vows to ‘settle the score'
CNA938 Rewind - India launches strikes on Pakistan, Islamabad vows to 'settle the score' India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery along their contested frontier on May 7, after New Delhi launched missile strikes on its arch-rival in a major escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng get the latest updates from Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, Senior International Affairs Analyst, Solaris Strategies Singapore 13 mins CNA938 Rewind - Asian currencies rally amid greenback weakness Asian currencies rallied recently on hopes of a thaw in the US-China trade war and regional tariff deals with the Trump administration. While Tuesday brought a measure of stability, following a stunning 10% two-day leap for Taiwan's currency, Hong Kong's dollar was testing the strong end of its peg and the Singapore dollar has soared close to its highest in more than a decade. How long will this rally be sustained? And what impact does it have on consumers? Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng find out from Saktiandi Supaat, Chief FX Strategist, Head of FX Research & Strategy, Maybank 11 mins CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Oniatta Effendi on the art of batik and bouncing back Oniatta Effendi is a cultural entrepreneur well-known for celebrating the art of batik through her fashion label 'Baju by Oniatta', which she launched in 2016. Her passion for batik has taken her around the world, including to some of the top fashion capitals. But success did not come easy. Oniatta reflects on the most valuable lessons she's gained on her journey as an entrepreneur, mother of five, and caregiver to her elderly parents. 33 mins CNA938 Rewind - #TalkBack: If you're using a pram or stroller… stay off escalators? Last Sunday afternoon, the wheels of a woman's stroller got stuck between the steps of an escalator at HarbourFront Centre, which then became dislodged. No one, including the woman and her baby, was hurt. While there isn't a law disallowing the use of strollers on escalators in Singapore, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) strongly discourages the practice. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discuss further with Teo Orh Hai, Group Director for Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Group, BCA. 28 mins
CNA
07-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Oniatta Effendi on the art of batik and bouncing back
CNA938 Rewind Oniatta Effendi is a cultural entrepreneur well-known for celebrating the art of batik through her fashion label 'Baju by Oniatta', which she launched in 2016. Her passion for batik has taken her around the world, including to some of the top fashion capitals. But success did not come easy. Oniatta reflects on the most valuable lessons she's gained on her journey as an entrepreneur, mother of five, and caregiver to her elderly parents. CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Oniatta Effendi on the art of batik and bouncing back Oniatta Effendi is a cultural entrepreneur well-known for celebrating the art of batik through her fashion label 'Baju by Oniatta', which she launched in 2016. Her passion for batik has taken her around the world, including to some of the top fashion capitals. But success did not come easy. Oniatta reflects on the most valuable lessons she's gained on her journey as an entrepreneur, mother of five, and caregiver to her elderly parents. 33 mins CNA938 Rewind - #TalkBack: If you're using a pram or stroller… stay off escalators? Last Sunday afternoon, the wheels of a woman's stroller got stuck between the steps of an escalator at HarbourFront Centre, which then became dislodged. No one, including the woman and her baby, was hurt. While there isn't a law disallowing the use of strollers on escalators in Singapore, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) strongly discourages the practice. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discuss further with Teo Orh Hai, Group Director for Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Group, BCA. 28 mins CNA938 Rewind - From avocados to tequila, among the top traded products between Mexico and Singapore A free trade agreement between Singapore and the Pacific Alliance has taken effect - with Peru and Chile being entered into force first, while Colombia and Mexico undergo ratification processes. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin find out more from Ambassador Agustín García-López Loaeza, Ambassador of Mexico to Singapore. 15 mins CNA938 Rewind - Conclave Day 1: Did you know that 108 out of the 133 cardinals are new? Catholic cardinals from around the world meet today (7 May) in the Sistine Chapel to start voting for a new spiritual leader for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin learn more from Michel Chambon, Research Fellow, NUS. He also coordinates the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics (ISAC). 14 mins
