Presented as part of APAD’s 50th Exhibition: Rewang, Specimens of a Ceremonial Exchange by Rusydan Norr which considers the interrelations between humans and flora within Southeast Asian traditional practices. For this project in particular, the artist has used betel leaves that he grew to examine the social and cultural functions that it once served in the Malay community. 

 

Combined with the chlorophyll printing process, the leaves act as a photographic artifactual specimen from a wedding ceremony held in the past. He produced these prints with images of his parent’s wedding as a point of reference to look at how weddings have differed. The artwork was titled from how families of the groom and bride would present a set of lavish and tiered floral arrangement featuring these leaves as a ceremonial exchange, which was marked as a symbol of the newlywed’s virginity.The three compositions were crafted by laying out the sequence of events during a typical wedding- solemnisation, reception, a photoshoot of the newly married couple. 

 

The consumption of betel leaves had fallen out of favour among the Malay community when it was growingly associated with oral cancer in the 1930s. Likewise, the inevitable degradation of the leaves over time from exposure to light is a symbolic reminder of a fading tradition - the bygone activity of betel chewing within social gatherings, how it had been reduced to a wedding decoration, or even disregarded entirely in some cases. While the Malay community at large have evolved from these practices, those images exemplify interdependence of families through collaborative acts of support and care; merits that are critical to sustain and cultivate healthy bonds, especially through these uncertain times.