Travelogue 28/5/22 - Nik Rashiddin Academy

This is definitely my first time to enter the land of Kelantan. At the beginning, I was confused of what is the typology of this place. Before I reached there, I thought it will looks like a normal school but in fact it looks like a rich kampung house. The location is quite isolated as we need to stop at roadside and take a walk into a kampung.

Basically, ANR Academy functions as an institution to educate people about the history, tradition and practical aspects of woodcarving. It also displays the collection and woodwork of the late Nik Rashiddin. a master carver, a philosopher and a collector in Kampung Kandis, Bachok, Kelantan.

Puan Rosnawati Othman. the principal of ANR Academy, is actually the wife of Nik Rashiddin. The way she talked is very "architecture" and easy to understand as she has an architecture background. I was quite impressive for what she described about how modern people are living with fast pace and they have no time for art making. In order to focus and have the patience to make art and to get inspiration from the nature, you may need a context which is further away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The main building built from brick and concrete.

We had our lunch at the space under the main building.

Malay House

Interior of the Malay House

Dapur of Malay House

I get to know some special little things in ANR Academy. For example, the bird trap with exquisite design, the oval shape food container used by the fishermen in the old days, the hulu keris that made from the elephant tusk and the traditional wood mould for making kuih. These are all beautiful and creative artworks. Nowadays, the youngers are so obsessed with digital gadgets and indulged in virtual world. Everything is fast and instant, therefore sometimes we need to know how to slow down and appreciate the little thing.

Seeing the collection of the late Nik Rashiddin

Bird trap

Food container

Traditional wood mould

The institution is a treasury for all the art and philosophy of the late Nik Rashiddin. He had done a good job as an artist. He never gave up and always believe on what he loved. He was very confident and proud of what he had done for his entire life. To be a succesful artist, you not only need to have good skill in making art, you also need to know how to convey your thought through your art and through the way you speak. You can be introvert and focus in making your art but sometimes you also need to know how to convey your message and always have a purpose or intention so that your artwork is not only a peice of beautiful display, but also tells a story and a philosophy.

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