01 Dec Traditional Trades

This book is a labour of love and a long time in the making. More than three years ago Chin Yoon Khen embarked on a project to meet, talk with, photograph and write about the women and men who keep alive the artisanal traditions of Penang. The result is his beautifully illustrated and nicely designed (by Malvina Anthony) volume Traditional Trades of Penang (Arecabooks Penang), released last week. Practitioners of calligraphy and lantern making, rattan furniture and perfume making, spice milling and kolam art are all here along with scores of others. This is not about heritage – at least how it’s usually understood – but about the people, processes and products that form a bedrock of the island’s traditional livelihoods and lifeways. It’s a book to cherish and a fitting tribute to those who invent, create, manufacture, repair and manipulate things: the artisans.

Header image via x