With Dine on Art coming to a close this weekend, Kuching’s gastronomy sector has now seen a bold new model embedded in its culinary landscape. In the first year of the City’s designation as a Creative City of Gastronomy under UNESCO, this kind of commercial/ creative partnership will become a driving force for Kuching’s membership and a great spur to culinary experimentation in Kuching going forward. As stakeholder engagement on the City’s new gastronomy centre begins, UCCN Kuching are urging other players in the city to propose new events under this model which can be supported by the city’s designation and eventually feed into programming for this community hub.
Dato Wee Hong Seng, who is leading UCCN Kuching said: “We were very excited to be able to take part in this event. The UCCN Kuching team, including Datin Dona Drury Wee and Gracie Geikie enjoyed a fantastic dinner prepared by Chef Achang Libat, in the most inspiring surroundings – truly a feast for the eye and the stomach. All this self-funded, of course! But we genuinely felt that this was an important event for us to support, even in our personal capacity, as this collaborative model is exactly what UCCN Kuching is trying to promote.”
He went on to say: “This event was a model on two different bases. First, it shows exactly how the different creative fields can work together to amplify their reach. In this case, we saw renowned Sarawak artist, Hoan Kee Huang, collaborating with Chef Achang. Visual media translated into a gastronomic offering with a series of dishes inspired by the artworks in the Hoan Gallery.”
“This new gallery space at La Promenade Mall is currently holding its ‘Rebirth’ exhibition, celebrating the work of many of Sarawak’s most esteemed visual artists – batik work from Stephanie Eng, Sarawak’s largest watercolour from Michael Chong, among many other luminaries. Sarawak’s most famous muralist Leonard Siaw was also on the guest list, taking a break from his latest mural at the mall. All this inspiration was reborn on plates, these crafted by Tuson Chong at Gardencraft Co, through dishes creatively reimagined by one of our rising chefs.”
“Second, we saw collaboration between various players in the creative ecosystem. For creativity to grow, multiple requirements are needed to support creative producers, from venues to funding agencies. Dine on Art was a follow up to Dine on Clay, held at the beginning of the year and supported by Penjana, Cendana and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak. But this iteration saw support transitioning
from government to private enterprise. Hock Seng Lee, the owners of La Promenade Mall, provided the backing and the space, all part of their broader CSR agenda. But this is exactly how a creative ecosystem should grow: stimulated by government, supported by commercial entities, conceived by creatives.”
“Kuching’s designation under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network seeks to drive exactly these kinds of partnerships for the goals, providing economic opportunity for creative players by harnessing the infrastructure of the city and the commercial sector. An exhibition on exactly this creative ecosystem can currently be seen at MBKS lobby before it goes ‘on tour’ around the city. The forthcoming gastronomy centre will follow this model too, becoming a hub for all community members in Kuching. Engagement is the only way this can grow for all.”
