The Soul of The Masks: A Journey Through Mah Meri Indigenous Carvings

Abstract

As part of their rituals, one of the native tribes of Malaysia, the Mah Meri, carve wooden masks and statues. These masks and statues are used in prayer rituals and ceremonies, and as a way of passing on the culture and heritage of the tribe. The carving of these artefacts was studied to learn about the Mah Meri way of life. With the help of photogrammetry, we digitised the Mah Meri masks and statues and wrote down the stories behind each one. These folktales say a lot about how the Mah Meri treat nature and how much they value it. From this data set, we wanted to see how augmented reality, installations and transmedia storytelling could be used to disseminate and preserve Mah Meri culture and history. We tried to bring the stories that were told to us back to life in a visual format, using the screens on our everyday devices. We turned the oral stories into digital sketches, which were then animated and displayed in an installation. Then, those narratives were changed so that the Mah Meri’s stories can be used in augmented reality story books. We want to show and share this multimedia representation of their folklore with the help of the digital container we have placed them in. The initial aim of the research is to immerse the wider public in the culture and heritage of Mah Meri. In disseminating this “research–creation,” we also want to see what this multimedia output could give back to the Mah Meri community and help them keep their communal knowledge alive and pass it on to the next generation.