A team of twelve dragon boat athletes waiting for their race to start. The dragon boat race in Tanjung Pinang Bay, is held during the Laut Festival (Festival of the Sea) as part of Bulan Bahasa (Month of the Language).
In 2000, artist and academic Gilles Massot's focus turned to research with the 2003 book “Bintan, the phoenix of the Malay Archipelago”. Our collective archive features a selection from Gilles Massot's photography slides archive of Riau Islands taken between 2000-2003, which were made during the course of his research.
PDF of his book is available online: https://www.academia.edu/43507986/Bintan_Phoenix_Of_The_Malay_Archipelago
Row of images below, from left to right:
Dragon boat team: A dragon boat team at the race event during the Laut Festival (Festival of the Sea).
Dragon boat race in Tanjung Pinang Bay: Called Naga in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the mythical dragon has been a symbol of underwater spiritual forces from times immemorial. The long slim canoes used for this type of race are called lancang and are powered by a team of twelve athletes. A noticeable difference with the Chinese dragon boat is the absence of a drummer at the front of the Malay craft.
Half of a dragon boat team in the dragon boat race.
A three-quarter length portrait of a local at the Dragon boat race event during the Laut Festival (Festival of the Sea).
Ubah Rumah is an art residency and archive inspired by stories of our region.
