A touch of gold: Royal Selangor shines a spotlight on ‘telepuk’, a nearly forgotten Malay textile art

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Royal Selangor, a renowned pewter manufacturer and retailer, recently launched a workshop at their Visitor Centre in Setapak to introduce the public to telepuk, a traditional Malay art of embellishing fabric with gold leaf or foil. This nearly forgotten art form had been dormant for nearly 90 years until Langkasuka Movement, a cultural organisation, began conducting hands-on workshops to revive interest in the craft.

Twenty participants, including the writer, joined the workshop and were given tool kits containing fabric, a carved wooden mould or block, and gold leaf. Under the guidance of skilled artisans, participants pressed the wooden mould against the gum-coated skin on their forearms, transferring the motif to the fabric. They then applied genuine gold leaf to the gum-coated areas, carefully brushing away the excess to reveal the floral motifs in clear detail.

Winston Tham, a participant from Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, expressed his newfound appreciation for telepuk, stating that without knowledge of the art, one cannot truly love it. He suggested that schools organize workshops to allow students to experience the craft.

Intan Jailani, co-founder of Langkasuka Movement, emphasized the importance of preserving telepuk by documenting its techniques and providing practical training. She highlighted that the art had nearly disappeared but hoped to share her knowledge before she leaves this world. She is also working on her third book about telepuk, focusing on its motif patterns.

The workshop was part of the 'Telepuk: The Imprint of Heritage' exhibition, which opened on August 27 and will run until December 31 at the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre. The exhibition showcases intricate telepuk textiles, carved wooden printing blocks, and demonstrations explaining the application of gold-leaf motifs to fabric.

An original mid-19th century royal attire set, Baju Sikap, associated with Sultan Sir Abdul Samad, is also on display, along with a collection of 77 telepuk wooden blocks from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.