Brunei's Art Showcases by Batik designer

Brunei's batik designer Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim (R) being filmed by China Central Television (CCTV), while decorating his 'batik' in the Brunei Pavilion

A BRUNEIAN batik artist plans to design the traditional textile made from wax-resist dye for the Brunei Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo.

Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim, who was invited by the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) to the Shanghai Expo, said that he is still coming up with a concept on the batik's design.

"I know that there are some specific landmarks that Shanghai is identified with, and there are also landmarks that Brunei is identified with," Zainal told The Brunei Times at the Brunei Pavilion yesterday.

"I think it will be fitting to design something that merges the two cultures on one piece of batik, especially now that Brunei is introducing itself to the whole world in Shanghai. A batik that has both Brunei and Shanghai on it will suit the occasion perfectly," he added.

The batik designer further said that he plans to present the cross-cultural batik to the Brunei Pavilion as a gift, so that it displayed to reflect the friendship between Brunei and China.

"This design will be especially for the Brunei Pavilion, and for the expo. It symbolises the point where Brunei meets Shanghai," he said.

Besides showcasing his products and design, Zainal also hopes that the expo will provide the opportunity for him to not just expand his business, but also broaden his creativity.

BEDB's other invited guest to the Brunei Pavilion is Hj Sabli Hj Omar, who is attracting many visitors to his counter while he displays his skills and dexterity with his carving knives.

Asked of his goal or objectives for participating in the Shanghai Expo, Hj Sabli expressed his aim to do Brunei proud.

"I feel very proud to be representing Brunei, and I hope I will make Brunei proud in this world event as well," said Hj Sabli.

Many visitors to the Brunei Pavilion have been asking if his works are for sale, but currently they are not sold at the moment.

"Many people wanted to buy my works, but we're not selling them now. We might sell them later during the expo, but for the moment, the visitors should just enjoy the art of Brunei," he added.

The experienced woodcraft artisan is hoping that he can expand his artistic works into other markets, beginning with the World Expo, which expects to attract about 70 million visitors in six months.

With the Brunei Pavilion welcoming another 15,000 visitors yesterday, the stage was set for both Bruneian artists to showcase not just their skills, but also Brunei's arts and traditions to the world.

The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2010/05/07/batik-designer-showcases-bruneis-art

Shanghai Expo, Brunei Arts and Tradition on Display

THE Brunei Pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai was busy yesterday making preparations to showcase the Sultanate's arts and tradition to visitors today.

Encountering a quiet day at the Brunei Pavilion with just over 6,500 visitors yesterday, probably due to the rainy weather, the staff of the Pavilion welcomed two craftsmen from Brunei, specially flown in by the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) to let the world in on the arts and tradition of Brunei.

Hj Sabli Hj Omar and Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim, a wood carver and a batik producer respectively, are the men Brunei will rely on to show the world what the Sultanate has to offer in linking tradition to trade. 

Both are business owners who shine brightly in their own industries, but both are also better known as designers or artists in Brunei, where their works are seen as valuable artistic creations, and of course, much sought after.

For batik producer and designer, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim who has a glorious record of holding several fashion shows, he certainly hopes to design his way out of Brunei into the world.

He will use both the traditional way of hand-drawing and also computer generated graphics to show interested viewers how the traditional batik of Brunei is produced. Various finished batik products will also be on display at his counter.

As for Hj Sabli, his art works are already on display at the Brunei Pavilion, and he will demonstrate his skills to the expo crowd on how he produces the exquisite carvings.

Both men will begin displaying their skills today, on Day 6 of Shanghai Expo, and hopefully make a name for Brunei and themselves on the international stage. 

The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2010/05/06/brunei-arts-and-tradition-display-shanghai-expo

Unissa poll : Tourists Splurge On Handicrafts, BATIK

A woman weaving. A poll says handicrafts and batik are among the popular purchases of tourists visiting Brunei. Picture: BT file

HANDICRAFTS and batik were the two most popular purchases that tourists make in Brunei, according to a study conducted by scholars at the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (Unissa).

The study, conducted by Dr Mohamed Sharif Bashir, dean of the faculty and colleague Hjh Nur Annisa Hj Sarbini, showed an increase of $10 million in tourist expenditure last year from $475.5 million in 2008.

In 2009, tourist spendings in Brunei amounted to $485.3 million, based on figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The study was conducted last year to identify the spending patterns of tourists in the Sultanate.

"We wanted to do this study because Brunei has plans to diversify the economy away from oil and gas and tourism is slated to be one of the industries to help this diversification," said Dr Mohamed, in an interview on the sidelines of the recent International Islamic Conference organised by Unissa.

He added that his findings provided a general overview of the Brunei tourism sector. It sought to examine factors to improve Brunei's tourism sector, investigate tourists' profile and their expenditures in Brunei to help provide policymakers with information to implement more adequate and integrated policies in the specific segmented markets.

A questionnaire survey was given to 120 respondents in June last year in different locations in Bandar Seri Begawan, including hotels and shopping complexes in the capital.

"We found that in general, the tourists, were made up of females, between 20 and 30 years old, and that almost 29 per cent of them were Malaysians. The findings also showed that 86.8 per cent of the tourists recommended Brunei as a tourist destination," said Dr Mohamed.

Survey respondents were visitors who made their own travel arrangements and were accompanied by their friends.

Based on the gender profile of the study, it showed that 52 per cent were female and 48 per cent were male. Tourists from Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom also took part in the survey.

"Major items that were purchased was handicrafts, which was 45 per cent of the tourists surveyed, followed by batik, which accounts for 39 per cent of the respondents," he said. In the paper, titled "Study on Tourists Expenditures Pattern in Brunei Darussalam", the scholars showed that jewellery such as watches and gold, as well as computer and electronic appliances, also grabbed the interests of respondents.

The paper also said that 60 per cent of the respondents said the major attraction for picking Brunei as a tourist destination was because of its "safe environment", as well as the curiosity to find out more about the Sultanate, due to word of mouth from friends and families who have previously visited.

Respondents also recommended improving shopping facilities and public transportation system. 

"Another potential area to be developed is cultural events and more attractive activities for tourists, as many of them said that without these amenities, they wouldn't return to Brunei, so there needs to be a reason for these tourists to want to come back a second time," he said.

The dean also found that Brunei could establish a national brand identity, which could be based on the cultural and heritage background of Brunei. "What uniquely constitutes Brunei, must be promoted to keep the inbound visitors coming, and it also needs to improve many attractions including shopping complexes, transportation and hotel facilities," said the report.

"Although there are about 40 licenced travel agencies in Brunei, only a handful were actively engaged in inbound ground handling operations for foreign tourists, while most licenced travel agencies deal in ticketing and outbound travel," stated the paper. He said that the lack of competition in the inbound tourism sector is limited and has led to the aggressive promotional efforts by the Brunei Tourism Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. 

"It is without a doubt that Brunei Tourism is targeting the upmarket, discerning and mature segments in the tourist source markets such as Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, have positioned themselves to be a destination for ecotourism, relaxation, wholesome family trips, honeymoons, golfing, and even for stop-over programmes," said the study.

The authors concluded that "policymakers should give more emphasis on the development of the infrastructure including transportation, financial services, hotels and restaurants, entertainment and travelling facilities, such as the ones provided by the Immigration Department for facilitating the tourists' arrival". The paper also suggested the the private sector should play a role in participating to promote tourism activities, as it could bring benefits in terms of generating employment opportunities and increasing incomes, as well as "expanding the production capacity of the small and medium enterprises". The Brunei Times

source :
http://www.bt.com.bn/business-national/2010/03/06/tourists-splurge-handicrafts-batik-unissa-poll