A Time for Connections
and letting things settle
Hello dear Masak readers
The past few months have passed us swiftly, and we are again, closer to the end of the year than its beginning. A couple weekends ago, we shared a booth with our friend Paati Philosophy at the Asia Art and Craft Expo, meeting with an intense crowd that kept streaming through the aisles, some pausing to browse and make conversations that make such large bustling events feel more intimate.
With friends Hanjing and Aditi from Living Soil Asia, we also connected with other artists and makers at Earth Fest, a 3-day festival that happened just across the border in Johor Bahru, the southernmost city in Malaysia. There were many performances, hands-on activities, and booths helmed by groups from various parts of Malaysia. We left feeling inspired by many people and their work in this season.
We have also been hosting Masak-masak Study Group Events, such as an overnight camp at Pulau Ubin after attending a night-time art exhibition and theatre, wood whittling, stamp carving and finally some tempoyak making (a type of fermented durian dish) with Suria from Dapur Cahaya, taking advantage of this year’s bountiful durian season!
In April, we visited A Little Wild, a syntropic agroforestry farm based in Kota Tinggi, Malaysia, rewilding an old palm oil plantation to fulfil, as Will from ALW puts it, every land’s dream to become a forest.
The last time we visited ALW was at least three years ago, when the farm was just beginning. Since, the space has really flourished - planting sites have been extended to support diverse organic harvest (they have monthly subscription boxes where you can get fresh produce from their farm) and new rewilding zones marked and seeds planted. Aya, our host, generously brought us around the farm for an explorative foraging walk. Coincidentally, we passed by a row of coffee trees that we had planted during our last visit and felt like proud moms to see them flourishing!
Fruiting kapok trees had also left large brown pods scattered across the ground with silky white fibres expanding out, like long cotton balls.
Kapok cotton is very light, soft and fluffy to touch. Embedded in the soft floss are multiple black and hard seeds. Removing them can be a very satisfying process, leaving behind a soft bundle of fibres - so soft you can bury your face in it.
What surprised us initially about these fibres was how water-repellent they are! When placed in a tray of water, they resist and float, making them difficult to evenly distribute. We then prepared a pot of alkaline water to cook them through, a process that dissolves the natural layer of wax on the cotton’s surface.
Using mould-and-deckle, Liz attempted to make a sheet of paper -
The fibres remained in dense clumps, leaving irregular edges and uneven thickness across the deckle. Rather than trying to straighten them up, we left them as they were. The sheets retained a glossy sheen after drying, reflecting the fineness and uniqueness of kapok cotton.
Upcoming event:
Ambin Ubin
Ever wanted to be a Portrait Artist whilst sipping on gingerbug?
Here is the chance to DIY a self-portrait of yourself (or your friends, or you could just simply paint something you like) using our plant paints! A no-frills and all-chill session with Shirin, who will be serving up some home-brewed colourful gingerbug drinks at the same time.
It’s also a good time to try out gingerbugs if you haven’t, because if you love ginger and kombucha, this is for you.
This is a small paid event to help cover the transportation and material fees.
Registration is required to attend Ambin Ubin, which can be found here. Hope to see you soon!
Till the next post,
Liz and Shirin