Learning from the Children of Sasaran Village

By: Suzy Sulaiman / 26 December 2011

Part of DA+Cs ongoing mandate is to cultivate Asian values in media art. We do this by utilizing technology to express artistic vision that benefits local communities. In December, DA+C and National Visual Art Gallery (NVAG) co-organized a 5-day multimedia theater workshop in the fishing village of Sasaran, Kuala Selangor. Fifteen students, ranging from standard 4 through 6, participated in the workshop conducted in the computer lab at Chung Hwa School. Our aim was to introduce technology to rural children; and to leverage their unique environmental asset, the fishing village, as inspiration. The workshop began by providing basic instructions on using a digital camera; facilitators were also on hand to lend further assistance if needed. With no expectation on output or skill levels, the children were free to explore the capabilities of their new high-tech tools. Their first task encouraged them to explore shooting angles and field of view. When they got the picture, we asked them to document activities at designated areas in the fishing village. They were then unleashed as shutterbugs to observe their world as seen through digital viewfinders. Initially very hesitant, the cameras gave the children confidence to make their way through crowds sorting fish or delivering ice. We encouraged the children to politely ask subjects for permission and to thank those who agreed to have their photos taken. The children spent the remainder of the workshop processing images. Their images would serve as backdrops for the performance. We loosely rehearsed the storyline in the lab to get a feel of the overall performance. In order to include every child in the play so none would feel `left out, they were all given a role to perform onstage.

Above:

DA+Cs Catherine encourages a child to explore new software.

Above:

A `work-in-progress animation on Scratch.

Kok Yoong from DA+C introduced Scratch, a multimedia software package for children. With this tool, it took the children only a day to animate their photos and master simple scripting. Afterwards, Kok Yoong added sound effects to enhance each scene.

Above: Kok Yoong explaining animation.

Performance Day The children were asked to produce posters in three languages to promote their show. The working title was `A Day in Sasaran Fishing Village. The children refer to their village as sod sod ran in Cantonese, which loosely translates to crazy crazy. Their elders have not warmed to this nickname, but it never fails to get the children in stiches when we try to pronounce it. The posters were finally titled Hari ini yang Gila-gila in Malay, A crazy day. Ultimately the story presented the childrens take on a day in the life of the fishing village in Sasaran.

Above: Children making posters to announce their performance. Childrens Voice: Their story The backdrops created by the children helped them identify scenes that directed their performance roles. The story they presented is as follows: A typical day begins with handling large blocks of ice. A few children acted as ice blocks while their friends pushed them on a trolley cart, much to their delight.

Screen-capture of a childs piece of man moving ice blocks

Huge blocks of ice are unloaded off a truck and stored in a storage unit. The ice is broken down into smaller pieces and passed on to the fishmonger who was aptly nicknamed uncle no money no talk. He would buy the morning catch from fisherman; his employees would then sort and store them with the ice.

Another work done by another. It translates as, Man: Ohanother hard day of work!

The scene then shifts to the fishermen on the pier. The children observed various activities including harnessing heavy crates, pushing them along the pier and fishermen enjoying a cup of coffee at a nearby kopitiam. The smaller catch is taken to the `belacan factory. Here, the catch is dried on timber planks then scooped up into bags to be shipped off to Penang. The last scene has fishermen sitting in the kopitiam enjoying a drink after a hard days work.

Translation: Man 1: Tastes good Man 2: I want a cup too.

Learning from Children Walking around the village, one is immediately struck by the sense of communal. The Sasaran Arts Festival allowed international artists to gather at this obscure location to participate in various artistic endeavors from paintings to public art. The residents community-spirit was extended to the artists through their shy smiles or firm handshakes. At first, Sasaran village looked like any rural roadside settlement. Newcomers are deceived by generic shop houses whose dull faades contrast sharply against the river front that bustles with activity. Fishing is the mainstay of the local economy. The village is situated on converging rivers of Sungai Buloh and Kuala Selangor where fishermen from surrounding areas gather to sell their catch to a local supplier. At a nearby factory, shrimp is dried and shoveled into bags of `belacan. They are then shipped to Penang for further processing. This small yet robust industry generates hundreds of local jobs.

Above: Sungai Buloh river is a source of income for the fishing community. Upon discovering this local attraction, we were struck by the disconnection between life on dry land and that below the highway. We wondered how could this significant facet of Sasaran be ignored and marginalized within the context of the village. Development efforts had failed to integrate the riverfishing economy and left it to eke out a meager existence for survival. Exacerbating this state is a local attitude that does not regard fishing as a desirable or respectable vocation. Children here do not aspire to become fishermen. Due to this, DA+C wants to encourage the community to acknowledge their contribution to the village, both economically and as part of the local culture. We shaped our workshop around this challenge. We utilized technology to make children more aware of this vibrant community within their own backyard by capturing the fishing village and its activities on digital media. To ensure they felt immersed in their tasks, we provided an environment in which they were able to express their opinions freely. Facilitators stepped back and allowed the kids to joke, dance and play while creating a storyline for the performance. Each day centered on completing one task and as much play time as possible. Even the facilitators participated in games, further dissolving the formality of teacher-student dynamic to make the children feel at ease.

Above: Children and facilitators warming-up before they hit the keyboards.

Above: Laughter is something we encourage in our workshops.

Practicing the `learning-by-doing concept, each child carried a camera with which to shoot photos of the fishing village. We escorted them to the piers and pointed out whatever seemed interesting. In turn, they did the same. Given a task to collect photos, the children became more confident as their curiosity grew. The village seemed to become more significant with each frame. A 9-year-old participant exclaimed, Ive never been on field trip like this before!

The multimedia pieces expressed each childs interpretation of village life. Nearly all incorporated humor. One boy imagined a mutated crab and fish admonishing the fishermen who had caught them. In another, a man and his cat sit riverside yearning for fish. For the final step, the children performed a short play depicting the activities they had captured. They coordinated their roles with changes in backdrops. The audience requested two repeat performances. For their commitment and support, each participant was presented a certificate and a chocolate bar. Over the several days, we grew attached to the students. But we were floored when they shouted in chorus, please come again next year! We want to learn more. This was the first time they had experienced so much learning in school. Touched by their appreciation, we agreed to return if invited again. While advances in technology and digital media are largely channeled towards mainstream consumers, we wanted to apply these same tools in a constructive educational setting. Multimedia software such as Scratch enables children to learn animation quickly. Still, an educator must decide when to apply technology to make the experience more fun and engaging for the students.

Above: Children are given `free rein on high-tech equipment. While technology may change, the message of community spirit within Asian context is constant.

A common challenge for rural areas in Malaysia is to instill pride in its residents; for kampung Sasaran, this meant acknowledging and appreciating its fishing community. Exploring the idea of `identity to empower, our goal was to implement this value throughout the program. The workshop focused on children learning about their own community by expressing themselves in a multimedia theater performance. We wanted to help children to experience fishing-related spaces and activities with a renewed sense of pride. Technology helped us make the issues more fun and immersive for the children.

This workshop was co-organized by Balai Seni Visual Negara@edu and DA+C with special invitation from Sasaran Arts Festival 2011.

Sasaran Arts Festival was held from 8th December 20th December 2011 at Sasaran, Kuala Selangor. This is the second festival as the first was held in 2008. The main objective was to develop Sasaran village to become an international art village. This time SAF hosted 50 international and local artists from countries such as Hungary, Vietnam, Thailand and Philippine. SAF hopes to promote the understanding of art to the public, to promote art education and environment and to promote creative thinking. SAA is a non-profit organization (NPO) and is a collective aspiration and effort by all residents in the village.

This project was made possible for the great people of:
Team DA+C: Lim Kok Yoong, Fairuz Sulaiman, Catherine Kong and Suzy Sulaiman Multimedia University Students: Okui, Nana, Hanafi, Afif and Ayu. Team National Art Gallery: Koon Tan Special thanks to the organizers of Sasaran Arts Festival 2011 for their kindness and support throughout our stay at Sasaran village. -Suzy Sulaiman 26/12/2011 Appendix Multimedia scenes done by the children of the workshop.

Translation: Man: I want fish., Cat: Me too.

Translation: Crab: How dare you take us on shore!

Boy: Come and beat me! Man with fish cart: I will beat you to death. Eel: I will shock you to death.

Man: What do you want to drink? Man: Hmmm (thinking)