A Gift to the River Spirit
The Bidayuh people believe that certain places in the wilderness are sacred gateways where the spirit world and the human world overlap. Among these places, riverbeds are considered especially powerful. The river, flowing with life and mystery, was said to be home to spirits that could see into the hearts of mortals (such as thePenunggu Sungai, the guardian spirit of the river who will visit you and offer you what you want if you sleep on the riverbed at night).
I couldn’t help but notice whilst spending time on the river, how many of the rocks felt like sleeping people under the water.
I have decided to lower the Pennungu Sungai clay head into the riverbed and document it’s dissintegration/ return to the river.I aim to create a short film to capture this moment and the story surrounding the journey of this work.