THE lilting music of the Kelabit people in Sarawak has stirred the imagination of artist, illustrator and art teacher Leong Yoke Mee, one of four recipients of the 2020 Krishen Jit Fund.
Planning a series of graphic, non-fiction stories dubbed The Music Of The Inner Land, the Bukit Mertajam-based personality says her work will explore the relation of music with nature and culture.
It will also be a narrative that connects the audience with a variety of topics about the music of the Kelabit, from the utilisation of the sape to the music content, including how it has been performed and influenced nowadays.
"The Music Of The Inner Land not only refers to the geographical location but also to our inner heart and inner being," says Leong in an interview.
"I first got to know about the Kelabit tribe when I was doing illustrations for a local newspaper, and later in 2018 when I was the illustrator for the picture book, Anak Murid Yang Memakai Kain Cawat.
"The story of The Music Of The Inner Land is set in the 1950s. It is about how the Kelabit pupils, wearing the cawat cloth, had to walk through the forest to get home from school.
"Mid-way through their journey, they also had to stay overnight at a village longhouse," says Leong.
For her fieldwork, Leong went to Bario at her own expense for five days. This was before the Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed.
"I could see that they were trying to preserve their culture and nature. This made me want to elaborate more on their way of life through my images."
One day, one of her wildlife conservation friends also told her about female sape musician Alena Murang.
"When I watched her various music videos on YouTube, I felt that music could also be an effective medium for me to tell more Kelabit stories," says Leong.
RARING TO GO
For Leong, the grant will help in her research, investigation and field work.
"I plan to head over to Bario sometime this year. The RM8,000 grant will help me greatly in my fieldwork there," she says.
The MCO and its subsequent forms due to the Covid-19 pandemic have of course held back many projects.
"My art classes had to stop but I remained positive. I stayed with my parents and besides taking care of them, I also help to take care of my brother's son as the kindergarten was closed.
"Then my solo exhibition, which was supported by the Oriental Art and Culture Association and slated for July last year, was cancelled.
"One series of my wildlife conservation illustration picture-book projects was also postponed due lack of funding. So I really appreciate this grant," she says.
Leong adds: "After the first MCO, I joined a community arts engaged training project organised by the Penang Arts-ED. The training and experience in working with various communities gave me the courage to apply for this grant.
"With the second MCO, The Music Of The Inner Land had to be postponed as well. But it's just a matter of time, so I try to stay positive," she says.
Leong is currently waiting for the travel restrictions to be officially lifted before heading over to Sarawak, where she intends to do her level best to document the music of the Kelabit people.
CELEBRATING LOCAL CREATIVITY
Introduced by Astro and the Five Arts Centre, the Krishen Jit Fund was named after the late theatre icon Datuk Krishen Jit a year following his death on April 28, 2006.
One of the longest-running grant-giving bodies in the country, the fund aims at providing deserving art practitioners with financial aid to pursue their passion projects.
One of the main objectives of Krishen's pioneering work was celebrating original Malaysian creativity in as varied and alternative ways as possible in all the areas of the arts.
The Krishen Jit Fund works as an extension of this spirit to encourage and support creative work in Malaysia.
The fund is now supported by Astro and Creador Foundation.
The selection panel for 2020 comprised the National Department for Culture and Arts; Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture former director-general Tan Sri Norliza Rofli; National Department for Culture and Arts, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture deputy director-general for policy and planning Salehhuddin Md Salleh; Astro corporate responsibility senior assistant vice-president Jolyn Gasper; Sunway University School of Arts' Leow Puay Tin; Creador Foundation's Shobana Sivanendran and Five Arts Centre's Ravi Navaratnam.
In 2020, the allocation of RM33,000 was to be distributed into grants ranging from RM1,000 to RM20,000 each.
The fund received 75 applications for projects in dance, theatre, film, video, publication, visual arts, music, education, training, research, and interdisciplinary work.
Aside from Leong Yoke Mee, the other three recipients are Catriona Maddocks, Jowin Foo and Aw See Wee.