Gravestones as Mirror: A Visual Discourse on Batu Aceh
Date
2017
Authors
Shahir, Safrizal
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Abstract
This practice-led research project was conducted to
recognise the artistic and cultural significance of the Batu Aceh
from several perspectives and interpretations through the use of
drawing and printmedia. Batu Aceh gravestones were created
between the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries by Muslim
communities in Southeast Asia. Batu Aceh have special
characteristics which lie in their form and socio-cultural
context. In my studio research I explore the various forms of
Batu Aceh, and their ornamentation, via multiple series of
drawings employing a range of experimental processes, materials
and techniques. My engagement with the Batu Aceh is personal and
subjective and my reflections and speculations on them have
evolved over my period of study. Drawing was chosen as the medium
for perceptual disclosure and artistic interpretation due to its
own visual characteristics, such as directness, spontaneity and
modesty of means. Through drawing, the Batu Aceh subject is
perceived and interpreted using three approaches, which are
representational-realistic, subjective-intuitive and
contextual-schematic. As a result, the drawings have highlighted
my personal experiences pertaining to the quality and formation
features of Batu Aceh as well as spatial, temporal and
socio-cultural contexts that relate to their existence. The idea
underlying this project is significant and relevant as it
suggests that artistic interpretation could broaden the
appreciation, experience and perception towards historical
objects like Batu Aceh.
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Keywords
Contemporary Drawing, Batu Aceh, practice-led research
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Thesis (PhD)
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