Nets of Connectivity: Contemporary Maritime Voyages
Jaringan Penyambungan: Pelayaran Maritim Masa Kini

Serina Rahman & James Jack 

This project weaves upon intimate maritime links in the Malayo-Polynesian world through a synergy of artistic and scientific methods reconnecting communities in Kona (Hawai‘i), Pandan (Singapore) and Tanjung Kupang (Malaysia), working with our shared passion for stories. Voyaging with stories as our compass we find new ways of understanding trade routes within the hybrid realities of today. We share food recipes to overcome national borders, colonial separations and social distancing with innovative approaches to not only survive, but to thrive.

Fishnets are a symbol of our maritime connections, embodying our continuous engagement in tying, mending and maintaining the knots between individuals, groups and cultures that weave shared his/herstories. This project tells tales of co-creation by two groups of youth working across the Tebrau Strait before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, through the distinct yet intersectional work of science and art revitalizing knowledge of informal trade networks past and present.

International Forum on Maritime Spice Trading Routes and Cultural Encounters in Indo-Pacific: Past, Present and Future