"Duka Dara II" is an artwork inspired by the art and craft of the Malaysian Batik, which showcases the beautiful characteristics of Malay girls. They are well-mannered, kind hearted and polite in both their speech and action. "Duka Dara II" is a manifestation of disappointment towards the fading of these good values and lost of respect due to the change of time and the girls' own desire to gain attention and popularity on their social media without heeding cultural norms and religious boundaries.
2nd Prize Winner
Participant Name
:
Nurul Atikah Binti Fauzi
University/College
:
University Sains Malaysia (USM)
Title of Entry
:
Spices
Description
:
I choose spices as the main subject because of its unique taste and it is the aroma of choice in most Malaysian cuisines. Along with our multi-ethnic culture, many dishes in Malaysia are now mixed with a variety of natural or artificial flavouring. Years ago, spices were famous in Indian cuisine. Today, we find the usage of spices in Chinese cuisine as well as in Malay cuisine too. The existence of these integrated cooking styles has cultivated the taste buds of the present generation. It's a truly multi-racial food culture in Malaysia.
3rd Prize Winner
Participant Name
:
Muhammad Syafiq Bin Kholid
University/College
:
UITM-Shah Alam
Title of Entry
:
Sembang Makcik-Makcik Bawang
Description
:
Every one of us has a story to tell, no matter how negative or positive the message. In social situations, in our very society, it is a custom to every generation that certain stories and situations are spread normally through word-of-mouth. "Sembang Makcik-Makcik Bawang" is based on a group of women who are chatting, gossiping and rambling during social parties or gatherings such as weddings or events that involve community activities. This act shows a group of men dressed in women's clothing which implicates that men gossip too but a lot less than women do.
Consolation Prize Winners
Participant Name
:
Yeap Fong Ray
University/College
:
Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA)
Title of Entry
:
A Simple Smile
Description
:
A brush is made out of different hairs - long or short, straight or curly - just like Malaysians. Despite having different religions, different languages and different skin colours, we are all one human race. Our skin tones are created in beautiful variety, but all of our souls are the same - depicted in the painting of using a single colour scheme. Mother Teresa once said,"Peace begins with a smile". The smiley faces in this painting convey the message that smiling is the key that unlocks everybody's heart.
Consolation Prize Winners
Participant Name
:
Nur Atiqah Binti Mohd Munir
University/College
:
UITM-Shah Alam
Title of Entry
:
Malay Shadow Puppet
Description
:
The Rama King comes from the character of a traditional Malay shadow puppet theatre that tells epic stories of Ramayana with strong colours in a fairy tale world, while focusing on King Rama in the state of Kosala. His people respect his responsibility and obey to his every word. He is a caring and sincere king with no nasty tricks or greed for riches.
Consolation Prize Winners
Participant Name
:
Abdul Rahman Bin Jabar
University/College
:
UITM-Shah Alam
Title of Entry
:
Kemboja Yang Dirindu
Description
:
This artwork is about a childhood experience and the subject of this artwork is a flower. As we know, "kemboja" or frangipani flower and trees can be found at the graveyard. The smell of the flower reminds the artist of his childhood and of his late mother who has passed away when he was only 3 years old. The object or subject in this artwork belongs to him when he was young. It is an important reminder of the precious thing he had lost.
1st Prize Winner
Participant Name
:
Mohammad Syamil Bin Mohd Rasli
University/College
:
Multimedia University (MMU)
Title of Entry
:
Love And Tradition
Description
:
Chinese culture is one of the dominant cultures in Asia. From traditions to festivals, it has a profound effect to the community. This photo was taken in Malacca, Malaysia, showing a group of family members and friends spending their quality time together. This is a common tradition for them and it is one of the ways they express their love towards one another.
2nd Prize Winner
Participant Name
:
Nur Nadhirah Binti Samsulsah
University/College
:
SEGi College-Subang Jaya
Title of Entry
:
Test of Time
Description
:
As the world changes, old cultural norms face the challenge to keep up with the times or fade away into obscurity. However, the new generation should take the initiative to upkeep the traditions in their own unique way, preserving history and making sure that in the future, we have an identity to proudly say to the world and proclaim, "Yes! We are Malaysians and we are proud of our culture!"
3rd Prize Winner
Participant Name
:
Yow Keat Sheng
University/College
:
ATEC Academy
Title of Entry
:
Time Flies
Description
:
Back in the day, the trishaw man was an energetic man who carries passengers around here and there. Time passes and the once energetic trishaw man have grown older. He is now the passenger and paying his fee, it's his time now to sit on the trishaw as a passenger.
Consolation Prize Winners
Participant Name
:
Melissa Foong Ern Huei
University/College
:
City University
Title of Entry
:
My Nyonya Grandma
Description
:
Rediscovering the culture of my roots, my grandma is of Nyonya heritage and I discovered my values and the importance of being a Malaysian. This is a photo that I took of my grandma when she was stringing her handmade 'manik' bracelet, which is a popular adornment among Nyonya women.
Consolation Prize Winners
Participant Name
:
Light Defines Our Culture
University/College
:
Management and Science University
Title of Entry
:
Light Defines Our Culture
Description
:
Light symbolises victory over darkness. Light brings out inner peace and strengthens one's soul. Light determines the brightness of one's future. Without light, life will be full of misery as light enlightens one's soul. Not forgetting that darkness cannot drive out darkness but only light can drive out darkness. In nature, light creates the colour. In the picture, colour creates the light. One should endure the light for it shows the way.
Consolation Prize Winners
Participant Name
:
Hafzan Bin Mohamed Khapid
University/College
:
UITM-Shah Alam
Title of Entry
:
Opera
Description
:
Chinese Opera is all about singing and the enunciation of this singing style is one of its main offerings. Many people can hear the Opera before seeing it. This is because of the high-pitched voice sung by actors along with live music being played in the background. Usually Chinese Opera shows are performed in large temples to show respect and gratitude to their ancestors. The show is easy to understand even though it is in Cantonese. The Chinese Opera brings us back to the time when Dynasties ruled and we as an outsider could learn much more about the Chinese culture and traditions.
In social hierarchy, there is social stratification - the categorization of citizens in socioeconomic rank based on race, education, power and wealth. Talking about race as a social status can lead to racism, which then could lead to genocide. The rats here represent the races that have been through discrimination and inequality. Snakes sometimes have venom that could cure, but most of the time it could only kill. This represents the high and middle class against the lower class of race. Now, what is the difference between the black rat and white mouse?
KITAB is a short film about a university student who is studying economics. The source of reference material he needs for his studies comes from this book but the book is not fully utilised because it was influenced by technological adversity of the surrounding compared to the traditional knowledge of the KITAB. The bookkeeper in this character is a wise person who talks about the book, and someone who really appreciates the value of a book. The main character eventually lost interest for the Internet when an unknown promoter tricked him. Even though the Internet charge is so much more expensive than a book, he still wants to have it.
This is a story about two siblings who was bargained by a rich guy persuading and tricking them into selling their land at a very cheap price. Being stereotyped as `idiot villager' in their mind, they then try to embrace that stereotype into the situation. But Igat immediately could sniff the scent of the rich guy trying to pull their legs, while his older sister, Umang, lusted over the amount of money offered. So Igat and his friend Kaka go out to town - a place he is not very fond of - in search for help.
This video is about the community's point of view. It is about their feelings and emotions as an individual. Interpretation and public opinion on problems, sorrow, excitement and the emotions experienced by human beings are evaluated - taken negatively or positively. The girl tasted in this video represents the emotions of an individual and the man covered with black plastic on his head represents the community who is judging the girl.
Muhammad Irfan Bin Muhammad Nizam, NoorAimi Syaqira Binti Ahmad Fadzil & Muhammad Sabri Bin Asmadi
University/College
:
UITM-Puncak Alam
Title of Entry
:
Short Film Apai
Description
:
This story is about Apai's desire to change the fate of his family's education. Faizal, who is a UiTM instructor, visits a faraway village in search of SPM graduates who could enroll into UiTM. However, the search was hopeless when there is only one school with students of grades 1 to 6. The clash of issues has led to the torn between families, communities and educational institutions of different cultural landscape.
This is a story about the struggles of dating in modern Malaysia and how other fictional stories and cultures such as Korean Dramas have shaped how girls perceive romance and how technology has taken over our lives. Dating culture has changed from just being an innocent love to "just complicated" since we have enveloped our lives around smartphone apps.
Sarah is a Malaysian who has lived overseas since a very young age. She came back to Malaysia recently to further her studies. She thought she could get used to living in Malaysia but after a sequence of funny little mistakes she made, she realized there are so many cultures and taboos that she has long forgotten. Join Sarah in her comedic journey of rediscovering her country's culture with the help of her friends from different races.
National Arts Culture And Heritage Academy (Aswara)
Title of Entry
:
Melodi Malaysia
Description
:
The inspiration of this song comes from the tolerance we have growing in a diverse, multi-racial country. This song forms a fusion of rhythm while the mixed-use of modern and traditional local instruments bring out the identity of Malaysian music. By learning the importance of sharing and protecting our identity, it makes us unique as Malaysians. Conserving our pride and patriotism towards our beloved nation, Malaysia. With love, together we stand as Malaysians.
Now living with technology, we tend to ignore the things around us and only focus on our little gadgets. Gaining 'likes' socially even though our loved ones are just right next to us, we tend to forget how to appreciate the beauty of nature and how one can fall in love at first sight. I hope this song will remind listeners to put down their gadgets - not forever, only sometimes - so that we can change this toxic culture someday.
This song is about a modern day fairy tale love.The lyrics of this fairy tale are stories of Puteri Gunung Ledang and Mulan that resonate with our generation who might have heard the original song in the past. The modern story is connected with the use of a modern commercial street in Malacca while wearing traditional clothes. The composition uses traditional instruments from the three major ethnic groups in Malaysia as well as from western countries. This is to show that Malaysia is formed by multi-cultural history.
Today, Malaysia is known as New Malaysia but what improvements have we done? Have we given our best as Malaysians to build our country to become the best? This song is an anthem for the younger generation to rise and protect our country, our tradition, our culture and our unity. The New Malaysia is 1 Malaysia.
WAU — a well-known traditional game that is played by the Malay community — is used as a metaphor for the younger generation that flies freely in this composition. We all know how important unity is and it is our responsibility to keep it up and shine for our country for a better tomorrow. W-A-U stands for "We Are United".
'We Are The One' is a song about the unique characteristics of our country. We have different races and religion sharing the same sky while living in mutual respect and harmony. The main language of the lyrics is English with some Malay language added to the lyrics - not only to accentuate the beauty of our multi-cultural country but also to encourage us to respect each other's race and religion.