1. H-ISLAMART: The Heritage of the High Caliphate
  2. H-ISLAMART: Turkish Studies Association Prize and Scholarship Competition [X-H-TURK]
  3. H-ISLAMART: Exhibition of Malay woodcarving in London [Annabel Gallop]
  4. H-ISLAMART: From the Editor
  5. H-ISLAMART: HIA Annual Majlis [Eva Hoffman]
  6. H-ISLAMART: Grant Competition, Institute of Turkish Studies
  7. H-ISLAMART: Call for articles - Lilith: A Feminist History Journal
  8. H-ISLAMART: International Conference on Discourse and Cultural Transformation
  9. H-ISLAMART: Call for Papers: Ottoman and Atlantic Empires in the Early Modern World
 
Date:    Wed, 4 Feb 2004 08:35:41 -0500
From:    Alan Fisher < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it >
Subject: H-ISLAMART: Exhibition of Malay woodcarving in London  
I would like to recommend 'Spirit of Wood', a wonderful exhibition of Malay woodcarving that opened at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Russell Square, London, on 19 January and which runs until 19 March (open Monday - Friday 10.30-17.00, NB closed weekends): http://www.semangatkayu.com/ 
On display is a private collection of historic and more recent woodcarving from the northeast coast of the Malay peninsula, from the states of Terengganu, Kelantan and Patani (in southern Thailand), which includes architectural panels from mosques and houses (some with inscriptions), domestic implements and keris (Malay daggers). The collection, which belongs to the Kandis Resource Centre of Kelantan, was built up by two master woodcarvers, the late Nik Rashiddin bin Haji Nik Hussein and Norhaiza Noordin, and includes some examples of their own work. There is also a superbly illustrated book which accompanies the exhibition: 'Spirit of Wood', by Farish A. Noor & Eddin Khoo, Hong Kong: Periplus, 2003. The exhibition, which was previously shown at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, will travel to the National Museum in Kuala Lumpur in June 2004.  There is no Malay woodcarving of this quality in any British museum, and so material of this calibre has never been seen in the UK before. The pieces reflect a very attractive calm aesthetic characterised by elegance and restraint.
 
Dr Annabel Teh Gallop
Head, South & Southeast Asia section
The British Library
Asia, Pacific & Africa Collections
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
Tel: (00 44 0)20-7412 7661
Fax: (00 44 0)20-7412 7641
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http://www.bl.uk/