Beyond its capital city of Kuala Lumpur and three commonly known ethnicities (Malay, Chinese and Indian), there’s far more to Malaysia than meets the eye. Divided by the South China Sea, its two massive land areas, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, are each home to diverse terrains and various indigenous groups with rich heritage and craft traditions that remain largely undocumented. Escaping the colonial mentality, the current generation of designers is looking inwards, exploring the land and vernacular history in search of inspiration. The lack of government support doesn’t faze them as they chart their own paths from the ground up.
Originally a graphic designer, Wei Ming Tan began exploring three-dimensional
