30^th August 2022 Ms AnnSu

Hi, I wish to describe this “heartbeat” 😍. Kuching is the capital of Sarawak. The name of Kuching has many interpretations. One is that it is a Malay word for a cat, or it is named Cochin, the generic term for a trading harbour. Another theory states; “Ku” means Old, and “Ching” means Well in Chinese based on the “The Great Cholera epidemic” in 1888, when an old well provided clean water and saved many lives. The Malay name for cat is pusak, and hence there is some confusion😊. Nevertheless, let me talk about my painting.

I painted this in 2014, and hence may not resemble the present appearance of the waterfront. The old shops at the waterfront have a quintessential charm when juxtaposed against the towering gleaming modern hotels. I love ancient architecture, so I tried to capture it in my painting. I tried to create a sense of a bustling place filled with locals and tourists, as this is the busiest place in Sarawak. Hence I call it the “heartbeat”.

The heart never stops beating. For me, the waterfront changes her heartbeat from fast to slow, depending on the time of the day. During the daytime, it is fast-paced; hawker stalls selling fresh food and local shops bursting with handicrafts, clothes and indigenous stuff. There are places where one can get a tattoo. Anthony Bourdain got one done while he was in Kuching😊. By night, the heartbeat chimes with the pace of the Sarawak river, getting ready for the new day😄.