University art students undertake entrep
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Teaching Artist Journal
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University Art Students Undertake
Entrepreneurship Action in Brunei Darussalam
a
Mart ie Geiger-Ho & Kong Ho
a
b
Texas Tech Universit y in 2003
b
Universit y of Brunei Darussalam
Published online: 13 Jun 2014.
To cite this article: Mart ie Geiger-Ho & Kong Ho (2014) Universit y Art St udent s Undert ake Ent repreneurship
Act ion in Brunei Darussalam, Teaching Art ist Journal, 12: 3, 155-167, DOI: 10. 1080/ 15411796. 2014. 909208
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ABSTRACT
TEACH I N G ARTI ST JOURN AL 1 2 ( 3 ) , 1 5 5 – 1 6 7
Copyright © 2014, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
155
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An in- dept h analysis
of how som et hing
seem ingly sim ple—
t he est ablishing of a
st udent- run art s supply
st ore in Brunei—can
deeply affect a cit y and
nat ion’s art , educat ion,
and cult ural scenes.
University Art Students Undertake
Entrepreneurship Action in Brunei
Darussalam
I n t r odu ct ion
Mart ie Geiger- Ho
Kong Ho
Correspondence regarding
t his art icle should go t o:
M a r t ie Ge ige r - H o a n d
Kon g H o
Facult y of Art s and Social
Sciences
Universit y of Brunei
Darussalam
Jalan Tungun Link
Gadong BE 1410
Brunei Darussalam
m art [email protected];
[email protected]
The correlat ion bet ween necessit y and change is a well- proven
social int eract ion t hat can result in a ripple effect t hat has farreaching im plicat ions. Just as dropping a st one in st ill wat er causes
ringed waves t o spread out in all direct ions, t he im plem ent at ion of
a new idea or even a new business in a com m unit y can send out
ripples of change from it s epicent er. This is exact ly what happened
when Zairah Ent erprise, a st udent founded and run com pany
prim arily selling art supplies, was est ablished in t he Sult anat e of
Brunei Darussalam in 2012. The com pany was born of a need for
qualit y t radit ional art supplies, such as acrylic paint s and brushes,
so t hat st udent s could raise t he st andards of t he work t hey
produced in t heir m odules at t he Universit y of Brunei Darussalam
( UBD) . A group of st udent s undert ook t he challenge of being
ent repreneurs, and wit h t he advice of t wo of t heir professors from
t he Unit ed St at es t hey opened a specialt y art st ore t o provide for
t heir own needs and t hose of ot her st udent s. The im m ediat e aim
of t he st udent s was t o offer a full line of art supplies t hat would
also m ake it easier for t hem and int erest ed secondary and prim ary
schools t o purchase m at erials t hat offered qualit y and consist ency.
Ot her t arget ed client s included art ist s and designers working in and
around t he capit al cit y of Bandar Seri Begawan.
The opening of Zairah Art Supplies st ore and it s well- lit art gallery
and display area sent out not one but t wo t ypes of ripples t hat are
helping t o st ir t hings up t hroughout t he creat ive sect or of t he cit y.
I n t his art icle, t he aut hors exam ine how t heir st udent s set up an
ext ensive art supply st ore t hat is t he largest of it s kind in Brunei
for t heir own benefit as art ist s in need of supplies and exhibit ion
space and, as a secondary consequence, how t heir ent repreneurial
undert aking exem plifies t he phenom enon of conduct ing a business
t hat can aid a count ry’s econom y t hrough t he support of t he
creat ive indust ries.
156
The signs for t he em ergence of what
econom ist Terry Flew dubbed a new “ creat ive
class” are everywhere in Brunei. One
can see t his especially in t he appearance
of visual and perform ing art s venues
where cont em porary Bruneian art ist s are
showcasing works wit h an int ernat ional
st yle and appeal. Many young st udent s
are inspired by experim ent al avant- garde
art ist s like t he graffit i paint er and inst allat ion
art ist Banksy, and t hey are looking t o
m ake a nam e for t hem selves by em bracing
inst allat ion art and new m edia. However,
t here is a lim it t o what art ist s in Brunei
Darussalam can explore as subj ect m at t er
since t he count ry is t he world’s longest
running absolut e m onarchy where any hint
of disdain for His Maj est y Sult an Hasanal
Bolkiah, t he Sult an and Yang Di- Pert uan
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
of Brunei Darussalam and his policies,
especially t hose regarding t he following of
I slam as it is pract iced according t o Sunni
edict s, is prohibit ed.
According t o t he st at em ent of Minist ry
of Cult ure, Yout h and Sport s of Brunei
Darussalam regarding nat ion building and
rebuilding t he Bruneian cult ure:
Due t o ot her priorit ies in lives, people t end t o
neglect t heir own cult ural pract ices. People are
also lacking in underst anding t he relat ionships
of t he organizat ion of cult ure, value and
nat ional sust ainable in t he cont ext of t he
changing world t oday. The cult ure t hat is based
on Malay I slam ic Monarchy ( MI M) has changed
from t im e t o t im e due t o t he assim ilat ion of
foreign cult ural elem ent s. Due t o t his scenario
Brunei cult ure should be rebuilt and expanded
by considering t he nat ional concept such as
Malay I slam ic Monarchy ( Melayu I slam Beraj a) .
Alt hough it seem ed for a t im e t hat an
em phasis on Muslim cult ure m ight be
relaxing in Brunei, t he recent launch of t he
I m age 1: Final capst one proj ect , Decept ion of t he Eyes, done by Sit i Zubaidah bint i Haj i Ahm adin, and
shown in Spect acle: Art & Design Graduat ion Show 2013 in t he Art Gallery of Chancellor Hall, Universit y of
Brunei Darussalam , in April 2013.
Kong Ho
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Edu ca t ion a n d Br u n e i’s N e w
Cr e a t ive Cla ss
2014
157
st udent s. The ACT program
t eaches st udent s about visual
art concept s and skills t hrough
various design and art m odules.
St udent s finish off t heir fourt h
year of st udies by t aking a
direct ed st udy m odule t hat leads
int o a second- sem est er capst one
proj ect m odule. During t hese
t wo sem est ers all ACT st udent s
m ust choose a t opic or art
st yle t hat t hey wish t o explore
and produce as eit her a body of work or a
large inst allat ion t o be exhibit ed alongside
t he works of t heir peers in t heir graduat ion
exhibit ion, shown in I m ages 1 and 2. While
st udio equipm ent for building arm at ures
and fram es is quit e lim it ed, st udent s are
resourceful and usually can find a supply
st ore or sm all shop t o help t hem wit h
const ruct ing sim ple st ruct ures t hat t hey can
com plet e t hem selves on cam pus.
Ju st a s dr oppin g a st on e in st ill w a t e r ca u se s
r in ge d w a ve s t o spr e a d ou t in a ll dir e ct ion s,
t h e im ple m e n t a t ion of a n e w ide a or e ve n a
n e w bu sin e ss in a com m u n it y ca n se n d ou t
r ipple s of ch a n ge fr om it s e pice n t e r . Th is is
e x a ct ly w h a t h a ppe n e d w h e n Za ir a h En t e r pr ise ,
a st u de n t fou n de d a n d r u n com pa n y pr im a r ily
se llin g a r t su pplie s, w a s e st a blish e d in t h e
Su lt a n a t e of Br u n e i D a r u ssa la m in 2 0 1 2 .
Syariah Penal Code ( announced in lat e 2013)
has polit ical analyst s wondering what t his
will m ean for t he count ry’s approxim at e
415,717 inhabit ant s ( Populat ion census
from t he World Fact book of t he Cent ral
I nt elligence Agency) . Anot her indicat ion of
t he Sult an’s I slam ic reform was expressed
in his rem arks t o t he Novem ber 2013
graduat es of t he Universit y of I slam Sult an
Sharif Ali. As report ed by Azlan Ot hm an,
report er for t he Borneo Bullet in Sunday,
Sult an Hasanal Bolkiah not ed in his speech
t o t he 148 graduat es t hat he was pleased
t o see t hat m ore courses would be added
t o t he law program s already being t aught
at t he cam pus, because
t his addit ional knowledge
would assist fut ure degree
earners in im plem ent ing
and enforcing t he Syariah
Penal Code ( 1–3) .
I n Brunei, all st udent s
are given t he opport unit y
of a paid universit y
educat ion, provided t hey
pass t heir ent ry exam s
and are cit izens of t he
count ry. St udent s m ay
choose t heir own st udies
leading t o a num ber of
diversified careers, and
t hey m ay even change
t heir career t raj ect ory if
t hey desire. While UBD
does not offer m usic
or dance, st udent s can
choose t o st udy design
and art t hrough a wide
range of art m edia by
becom ing Art and Creat ive
Technology ( ACT) m aj or
Kong Ho
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Teaching Art ist Journal
I m age 2: Final capst one proj ect , Free Flow, done
by Muham m ad Nazreen bin Am in, and shown in
Spect acle: Art & Design Graduat ion Show 2013
in t he Art Gallery of Chancellor Hall, Universit y of
Brunei Darussalam , in April 2013.
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158
2014
I n his book The Creat ive I ndust ries:
Cult ure and Policy, Terry Flew explains t hat
higher educat ion has been keen t o creat e
program s t hat provide professional t raining
leading t o em ploym ent in disciplines such
as m edia and com m unicat ion, digit al m edia,
design, film , and ot her relat ed fields. Flew
goes on t o say t hat “ m ore t radit ional areas
of t he creat ive and perform ing art s are also
increasingly at t uned t o t he em ploym ent
out com es of t heir graduat es” ( 7) . However,
t he best int ent ioned program s, whet her
t hey endeavor t o t rain t heir st udent s t o be
com m ercial designers or fine art producers
of work aim ing t o rock t he art world wit h
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
held his first sem est er ’s Advanced Paint ing
course. The problem of a com put er lab was
finally slowly resolved over t he course of
t he following t wo sem est ers, but t he need
for bet t er t radit ional m edia supplies such as
acrylic paint s and drawing pencils was m ore
of a problem . This was because t he arrival
of t he new com put ers in t he new st at e- oft he- art lab space for graphic design, digit al
phot ography, and new m edia was ult im at ely
provided by UBD, but no effort was m ade in
response t o Prof. Ho’s request s for t radit ional
m at erials and equipm ent . According t o
UBD, st udent s are expect ed t o purchase
all of t heir art supplies because t hey are
M a n y you n g st u de n t s a r e in spir e d by e x pe r im e n t a l a va n t - ga r de
a r t ist s lik e t h e gr a ffit i pa in t e r a n d in st a lla t ion a r t ist Ba n k sy, a n d
t h e y a r e look in g t o m a k e a n a m e for t h e m se lve s by e m br a cin g
in st a lla t ion a r t a n d n e w m e dia . H ow e ve r , t h e r e is a lim it t o w h a t
a r t ist s in Br u n e i D a r u ssa la m ca n e x plor e a s su bj e ct m a t t e r sin ce t h e
cou n t r y is t h e w or ld’s lon ge st r u n n in g a bsolu t e m on a r ch y w h e r e
a n y h in t of disda in for H is M a j e st y Su lt a n H a sa n a l Bolk ia h , t h e
Su lt a n a n d Ya n g D i- Pe r t u a n of Br u n e i D a r u ssa la m a n d h is policie s,
e spe cia lly t h ose r e ga r din g t h e follow in g of I sla m a s it is pr a ct ice d
a ccor din g t o Su n n i e dict s, is pr oh ibit e d.
avant- garde “ art for art ’s sake” one- of- akind of pieces, t he availabilit y of equipm ent
and art supplies for st udent s st udying wit hin
universit y program s is profoundly im port ant .
Because universit ies are acut ely aware of
t he im port ance of st udent dem ands for t he
best t raining possible, it st ands t o reason
t hat t heir professors would encourage
t hem and t heir depart m ent s t o invest in
t he lat est com put er soft ware and best
t radit ional art supplies and equipm ent .
However, when Professor Kong Ho arrived
at UBD in Brunei in July 2011 and t ook
up t he posit ion of associat e professor of
art , he discovered t hat t he st udent s were
learning t o paint wit h hobby- grade paint s.
Also, t here was lit t le t o no basic art st udio
equipm ent : easels, drawing boards, st udio
t ables, spot light s, and a washing sink were
not available for paint ing and drawing. The
only art st udio found in t he Facult y of Art s
and Social Science ( FASS) building was a
regular lect ure room , where Professor Ho
given a m ont hly allowance by t he educat ion
depart m ent for books and ot her supplies.
Prof. Ho recalls t hat t eaching his first
paint ing m odule in t he fall of 2011 was very
difficult due t o a lack of m at erials. Prof. Ho
first t aught advanced acrylic paint ing at UBD
in a cram ped dingy regular classroom space,
FASS 1.92, shown in I m age 3, t o st udent s
using low- grade t em pera and so- called
acrylic paint s. He sum m ed up his frust rat ion
wit h t he sit uat ion by st at ing,
Because m y 20 advanced paint ing st udent s
were used t o using really inferior paint ing
m at erials t hat had no sat urat ion or life, t hey
could not m ix t he correct colors or blend t he
paint on t heir canvases. When I asked m y
st udent s t o purchase bet t er product s t hey t old
m e t hat t hey could only purchase cheap hobby
st uff in Brunei and t hat sending for m at erials
was very expensive. Art m at erials were difficult
t o find in Brunei.
I t is t rue t hat Brunei im port s m ost of it s
com m odit ies from overseas, including m eat ,
159
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Nazreen Am in
Teaching Art ist Journal
I m age 3: Professor Ho crit iquing t he paint ings done by his Advanced Paint ing class st udent s in FASS Art
St udio 1.92 in t he fall sem est er of 2011–12. The recognized st udent s and t eaching art ist in t his pict ure
( left t o right ) are Professor Kong Ho, Ak. Khairul Am ilin bin Pg. Muham ad, Moham m ad Nuriskandar bin
Mohd. Hasnan, and Muham m ad Alinorm in bin Hj . Om arali.
fresh fruit s, and veget ables. I f t here is not
m uch dem and for professional art supplies,
t hen no one will st ock t hem . Not being t he
sort of person t hat gives up on his st andards
for t eaching, Prof. Ho offered his own
bought- and- paid- for acrylics t o his class t o
use unt il he could figure out a way t o get a
supply of bet t er acrylic paint s t o Brunei.
Aft er learning t o paint wit h bet t er acrylics
and acquiring great er t echniques for glazing
and building up t ext ured surfaces using
acrylic gel m edium and m odeling past e, Prof.
Ho’s st udent s, including Dk. Noor Affizah
bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Moham m ad
Nuriskandar bin Mohd. Hasnan, Muham m ad
Nazreen bin Am in, and Am irul Jazli bin
Jali, were convinced t hat t he dram at ic
im provem ent t hat t hey saw in t heir work
had t o be part ly due t o t he im proved qualit y
of t heir paint s and paint ing m edium s. Not
only did Ho see an im provem ent in t he
assignm ent s of his st udent s, he also felt
at t he t im e t hat he was est ablishing a new
baseline of qualit y work t hat he could expect
all of t he st udent s t o follow in t he newly
est ablished Art and Creat ive Technology
program , which had been running for only
t wo years. Soon Ho’s st udent s were as
det erm ined as he was t o find a way t o get
high- qualit y art supplies t o Brunei. Happily
for Prof. Ho and his st udent s, t he answer t o
t his dilem m a would soon arrive. This solut ion
would also involve everyone’s cooperat ion for
it s im plem ent at ion.
Ca se St u dy: Th e For m a t ion
of t h e Ar t En t r e pr e n e u r sh ip
Kn ow n a s Za ir a h En t e r pr ise
Three m aj or fact ors brought about t he
form at ion of Zairah Art s Supplies st ore. First
and forem ost was t he need by st udent s
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160
at UBD and elsewhere in t he region for
good qualit y art supplies; next cam e t he
opport unit y for ent repreneurship on t he part
of several st udent s who realized t hat if t hey
could st art a t rading com pany, t hey would be
able t o work and cont ribut e in several ways
t o Brunei’s fledgling creat ive art s indust ry;
and last , Prof. Ho and his wife Dr. Mart ie
Geiger- Ho ( who becam e em ployed at UBD
in June 2012) were put t ing t oget her a large
com m unit y m ural proposal for subm ission
t o t he U.S. Em bassy for sponsorship t hat ,
if approved, would require a subst ant ial
order of acrylic paint s, gesso, gel m edium ,
and ot her supplies. Grant ing of t he m ural
proj ect seem ed alm ost assured, and t he
prom ise of an order from t he com pany t hat
t he st udent s want ed t o est ablish provided
t he inert ia needed t o push one st udent ,
Affizah Rahm an, t o ask her fat her and her
elder sist er t o invest in and back a t rading
com pany wit h a ret ail st ore out let t hat
she and her art st udent friends, including
Nuriskandar Hasnan, Nazreen Am in, and
Am irul Jali, would be able t o run. The
st udent s felt from t he very beginning t hat
wit hout a ret ail st ore where t hey could
anchor t heir business, any at t em pt s t o
build a st rong m arket ing ident it y would be
lost . Furt herm ore, t he st udent s want ed t o
creat e a bout ique kind of st ore, shown in
I m age 4, where t hey could feat ure t heir
own art work and put t heir design skills t o
work in arranging in- house product displays
wit h creat ive t ailor- m ade exem plars of
finished art obj ect s wit h which t he local
cust om er could cult urally ident ify. The final
out com e of t he st ore’s ident it y is one t hat
is bot h professional and warm , wit h plent y
of browsing room and space for t eaching
paint ing classes. Zairah is planning t o add
t he equipm ent for t eaching ceram ics at a
lat er dat e.
Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an bin Pg. Haj i Tahir
im m ediat ely liked his daught er Affizah’s
idea for an art supply st ore for t he following
reasons: I n t he past Mr. Rahm an had been
t he sole owner of a dry goods ret ail st ore,
and he st ill held a covet ed regist ered t raders
license for im port ing and selling goods;
Mr. Rahm an believed t hat if Affizah’s elder
sist er, Pg. Dr. Noor Affizan bint i Pg. Haj i Abd
Rahm an, and her husband Mr. Joe Raihan
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
Knight s put capit al int o t he opening of
t he st ore t hat it would indeed be a fam ily
business t hat his son- in- law could help run
even when his elder daught er was busy
pract icing m edicine as an opht halm ologist .
Also, Mr. Rahm an felt t hat it was im port ant
t o est ablish a business where his younger
daught er and her peers could hone t heir
art design skills by creat ing a corporat e
ident it y. Adding t o t he posit ive reasons for
est ablishing Zairah Art Supplies was Prof.
Ho’s prom ise t o advise t he st udent s on how
t o order art supplies from a com pany called
Ut recht Art Supplies in t he Unit ed St at es.
161
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Kong Ho
Teaching Art ist Journal
I m age 4:
Zairah Art
Supplies st ore
locat ed in
an int erior
plazas area in
Beribi, Brunei
Darussalam .
Ho felt t hat he could help his st udent s
underst and how t o st ock art m at erials t hat
would sat isfy t he needs of m ost cust om ers
plus t he learners in his art classes. The
opport unit y t o be t he sole agent in Sout heast
Asia feat uring Ut recht ’s art supplies was
very appealing t o everyone involved in
t he ent repreneurship of a new art supply
com pany.
Prof. Ho and Dr. Geiger- Ho’s com m unit y
m ural proj ect , “ Transcending Cult ure and
Space: A Com m unit y Art Proj ect ,” was
funded by t he U.S. Depart m ent of St at e
t hrough t he Overseas Federal Assist ance
Award and t he U.S. Em bassy Brunei
Darussalam . This good news m eant t hat
a large art supply order would have t o be
fulfilled by som eone. I f Zairah could form
t heir com pany, t hen it would be a win–
win sit uat ion for t hem and for t he m ural
proj ect , since no one else could fill such
an order in Brunei. Also, Zairah needed
a large procurem ent in order t o ensure
t hat it s launch would be successful. Taking
int o account all of t he posit ive reasons for
est ablishing a new st art- up brick- and- m ort ar
st ore Mr. Rahm an and his elder daught er, Dr.
Affizan Rahm an and Joe Raihan, decided t o
162
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set up Zairah Ent erprise wit h a st ruct ure of
four divisions: Zairah Event s, Zairah Design
Services, Zairah Art Supplies, and Zairah
Cust om Badges.
Zairah Art s Supplies was t he first branch
of t he business t o open; however, before
t hings could really get under way, Affizah
and her peer Nazreen needed t o finish t heir
college sem est er abroad at t he Universit y
Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, where t hey
t ook art courses during t he spring session of
2012. When Affizah and Nazreen ret urned t o
Brunei in t he sum m er j ust prior t o beginning
t heir senior year at UBD, t hey j oined up wit h
several ot her UBD st udent s t o work part- t im e
in t he shop space t hat would soon becom e
a full- fledged st ore. Nuriskandar had also
gone abroad t o st udy in Sout h Korea in his
t hird year, and he becam e em ployed wit h
Zairah along wit h Affizah and Nazreen. Three
ot her t hird-year UBD st udent s were already
working part t im e for t he com pany because
t hey had st ayed in- count ry t o undert ake
an int ernship program t hat would fulfill
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
UBD’s requirem ent s for it s Discovery Year
Program . The four UBD art st udent s were
Am iral Jali, Moham m ad Airul Arif bin Awang
Dam it , Muham m ad Saifullah Al Waie bin
Mat Jinin, and Moham ad Niq’Mat ul Ghizalif
bin Md Jinin. These four lat t er st udent s
had also been working hard wit h anot her
t alent ed individual, Zaeem Om arali, who was
finishing his high school st udies at Jerudong
I nt ernat ional School, and t hey cont ribut ed
m uch t oward supplying t he m ural paint ing
m at erials and const ruct ing t he m ovable
m ural panels, shown in I m age 5, for t he first
com m unit y m ural proj ect in Brunei.
Fa cilit a t in g Ar t Pr odu ct ion
W it h Pr ofe ssion a l Ar t Su pplie s
a n d Su ppor t I n st r u ct ion
Zairah Art Supplies delivered t heir first
big order of art supplies t o Ho and his
crew of m ural volunt eers at Pusat Belia
Kong Ho
I m age 5: Zairah Art Supplies’ part- t im e workers building t he m ural panels for t he first com m unit y m ural
proj ect in Brunei at t he Pusat Belia Bandar Seri Begawan ( Yout h Cent er) in Bandar, Brunei. The recognized
Zairah Art Supplies workers in t his pict ure ( from left t o right ) are Moham m ad Airul Arif bin Awang Dam it
and Muham m ad Saifullah Al Waie bin Mat Jinin.
Teaching Art ist Journal
163
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Kong Ho
Bandar Seri Begawan
( Yout h Cent er) on June
15, 2012. According t o
Ho, t he qualit y of t he
huge acrylic on canvas
com m unit y m ural could
not have been undert aken
wit hout t he services and
art supplies t hat were
ordered t hrough Zairah.
Am ong t he supplies t hat
were delivered by Zairah
Art Supplies were canvas,
cust om - m ade st ret chers
for t he canvas t o be
st ret ched over, j ars of
professional m ural acrylic
paint , gesso, brushes,
and acrylic gel m edium .
I n addit ion, several Zairah
Art Supplies part- t im e
workers or UBD st udent s,
including Am iral Jali, Arif
Dam it , Saifullah Jinin,
and Niq Jinin, becam e
act ively involved in m ural
paint ing workshops wit h
t he yout hs from t he Yout h Cent er at Bandar
Seri Begawan, shown in I m age 6, and lat er
wit h t he volunt eers from t he Tim es Square
shopping m all and wit h ot her UBD st udent s
at t he UBD St udent Cent er.
I n t he approxim at e eight een m ont hs
since it s founding, Zairah Ent erprise has
provided services from all four areas of it s
subdivisions; however, t he first of t hese
divisions t o open, Zairah Art Supplies, shown
in I m age 6, is st ill t he lifeline branch of t he
whole operat ion because of it s im port ance
t o bot h t he st udent s who are now em ployed
t here and because of t he high- qualit y
art supplies t hat UBD st udent s can now
purchase for Ho’s and Geiger- Ho’s art and
design courses. The im port ance of Zairah
Art Supplies t o t he art com m unit y of Bandar
Seri Begawan and t he area surrounding t he
cit y was confirm ed in an art icle writ t en for
t he Brunei Tim es by Am m irul Adnan, who
explained,
Zairah Art Supplies brings in art supplies
from t he U.S. and offers personal art t ut oring
including workshops, m ural paint ings and
sells art works done by t he com pany’s art ist s.
I m age 6: Mural Paint ing Workshop at t he Yout h
Cent er at Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, in June
2012. The recognized st udent s, volunt ary art ist
and yout hs in t his pict ure ( from left t o right ) are
Am iral Jali, Arif Dam it , Annant Whalen, Nurul
Am al I wanina At hirah Munt assir, and Muham m ad
Saifullah Al Waie bin Mat Jinin.
Recent ly, a Korean living in Brunei request ed
for t he com pany t o m ake an eight m et er long
m ural which reflect s one of t he Sult anat e’s
fam ous scenery which is Kam pong Ayer. Zairah
Ent erprise art ist s t ook phot os of Kam pong Ayer
and creat ed t he m ural from t heir pict ures.
An im port ant considerat ion for any
est ablishm ent in Brunei t hat wishes t o
sell eit her art works or art supplies is t he
request from cust om ers for art lessons for
t heir children and t hem selves. I t seem s
t hat Bruneians have com e t o expect t hat
art dealers also provide on- prem ises
classes t hat are usually t aught by t he
art ist s whose work hangs in t heir gallery.
A t eaching arrangem ent of t his kind is
encouraged by Zairah Art Supplies and ot her
galleries because it increases foot t raffic
in t heir st ores and t hey earn m oney from
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
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Saifullah Jinin
164
I m age 7: Maj or Zairah Ent erprise associat es wit h Dr. Mart ie Geiger- Ho and Prof. Kong Ho in t he Zairah
Art Supplies st ore in Beribi, Brunei, in July 2012. The recognized st udent s, t eaching art ist s and Zairah
Ent erprise associat es in t his pict ure ( from left t o right ) are Dk. Nur Afiqah bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Dk.
Noor Affizah bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Dr. Mart ie Geiger- Ho, Prof. Kong Ho, Muham m ad Nazreen bin Haj i
Am in, Pg. Dr. Noor Affizan bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Moham m ad Nuriskandar bin Mohd. Hasnen, and
Muham m ad Haj i Hafiz bin Haj i Morsidi.
t he courses, which t hey share wit h t heir
t eaching art ist s. Also t eaching art ist s engage
in learning how t o pass down knowledge
and t echniques t hat t hey t hem selves have
em ployed in t heir own art works.
Cu lt u r a l, Socia l, a n d Econ om ic
Con t e x t of Br u n e ia n
Cr e a t ive I n du st r ie s
Brunei becam e an independent st at e in
Borneo in 1984 aft er a cent ury of colonial
ruling under t he Unit ed Kingdom and t he
Unit ed St at es opened an em bassy in Brunei
upon it s independence ( Bureau of East
Asian and Pacific Affairs) . Brunei encourages
foreign invest m ent in t he dom est ic
econom y t hrough various st im ulat ions in
new indust ries. However Brunei’s oil and
gas indust ries st ill account for m ost of it s
econom ic act ivit y. Sim ilar t o it s pet roleum
indust ries, t he Malay cult ure am ong people
in Brunei has been in place long before
t he Brit ish colonial era. Malay is t he official
language of Brunei, and coast al Malays m ake
An im por t a n t con side r a t ion for
a n y e st a blish m e n t in Br u n e i t h a t
w ish e s t o se ll e it h e r a r t w or k s or
a r t su pplie s is t h e r e qu e st fr om
cu st om e r s for a r t le sson s for t h e ir
ch ildr e n a n d t h e m se lve s. I t se e m s
t h a t Br u n e ia n s h a ve com e t o e x pe ct
t h a t a r t de a le r s a lso pr ovide on pr e m ise s cla sse s t h a t a r e u su a lly
t a u gh t by t h e a r t ist s w h ose w or k
h a n gs in t h e ir ga lle r y.
Downloaded by [University of Brunei Darussalam], [Professor Kong Ho] at 20:15 19 June 2014
Teaching Art ist Journal
up a m aj or part of it s m ult iet hnic indigenous
populat ion. Brunei em phasizes nat ional
cult ure building and fost ers it s rich Malay
cult ural background. Brunei also act ively
part icipat es in t he Associat ion of Sout heast
Asian Nat ions and is keen t o st ay abreast of
t he econom ic and educat ional concept s in
t his region.
A great m any art icles and books have
been writ t en in t he past t wo decades about
t he rise and im port ance of t he creat ive
indust ries, also called t he cult ural indust ries
or creat ive econom y, as an im port ant social
and econom ic phenom enon. Mat ching t his
rise in t he form al research being conduct ed
in t his new suddenly popular area of social
science is t he num ber of people who are
act ively em ployed in such creat ive areas
as m usic, design, science, t he visual and
perform ing art ist , and ot her knowledgebased professionals. According t o Richard
Florida’s definit ion, t his new group of
professionals whose ranks are swelling t o
such levels t hat t hey are shaping t he values
and st ruct ure of t oday’s shift ing Am erican
socioeconom ic geography, is what he calls
t he “ Creat ive Class” ( Florida xiii) . I n his
book The Rise of t he Creat ive Class, Florida
explains t hat a force great er t han t he one
t hat t ransform ed societ y when it shift ed
from an agricult ural societ y t o an indust rial
one is already here in t he form of t he
creat ive indust ries, which he explains are
built fundam ent ally on hum an int elligence,
knowledge, and creat ivit y.
I t st ands t o reason, however, t hat t he
issues t hat Florida writ es ext ensively about
as t hey apply t o various widely recognized
econom ic m odels in t he Unit ed St at es can
also be seen t o be at work in ot her count ries
t hat also follow m any West ern econom ic
and social pat t erns. These sam e count ries
also engage wit h t rading part ners who are
part of t he whole global econom y t hat is
now driving m arket s around t he world,
and as such t hey t oo are experiencing a
huge upswing in t he creat ive indust ries. I n
Brit ain, t he UK Governm ent Depart m ent for
Cult ure, Media and Sport defines t he creat ive
indust ries as “ t hose indust ries which have
t heir origin in individual creat ivit y, skill and
t alent and which have a pot ent ial for wealt h
and j ob creat ion t hrough t he generat ion
165
and exploit at ion of int ellect ual propert y”
( Flew 9) .
I n Brunei Darussalam , t he UBD’s facult y
are encouraged t o recognize t he t erm and
concept of t he creat ive indust ries and t o
exploit it s use as a kind of discipline for
encouraging t he visual, perform ing art s, and
new m edia- based knowledge t o prom ot e
all form s of creat ive t hinking. An exam ple
of t he cross- pollinat ion t hat has young
creat ive t hinkers looking t o fut ure careers
as designers and ent repreneurs in Brunei
Kong Ho
I m age 8: Final capst one proj ect , Alt erat ion, done
by Noor Sa’Ariyah Haziqah bint i Moham m ad Ram li,
and shown in Spect acle: Art & Design Graduat ion
Show 2013 in t he Art Gallery of Chancellor Hall,
Universit y of Brunei Darussalam , in April 2013.
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166
can be seen in Noor Sa’Ariyah Haziqah
bint i Moham m ad Ram li’s capst one proj ect ,
Alt erat ion, showcased at t he Spect acle: Art &
Design Graduat ion Show 2013 in April 2013,
shown in I m age 8. Current ly, t he im port ance
of copyright and int ellect ual propert y are not
driving creat ive indust ry forces in Brunei like
t hey are in Hong Kong, China; however, it
is conceivable t hat t he Brunei governm ent
hopes t hat som eday t hey will have an
out pouring of creat ive pursuit s in every
field from m usic t o science and t hat t hey
t oo will also need t o place a great am ount
of em phasis on prot ect ing t he creat ive
propert ies produced by t heir cit izens.
Con clu sion : I m pa ct of
t h e Fir st Colle ge Ar t
En t r e pr e n e u r sh ip in Br u n e i
D a r u ssa la m
I n t he Bruneian governm ent sect or,
t he once- plent iful j ob m arket is relat ively
shrinking, so privat e sect ors have t o be
dynam ic and progressive in generat ing
m ore j ob opport unit ies for unem ployed
graduat es. I nst ead of looking for j obs in
governm ent or privat e sect ors in t he art
and design fields aft er graduat ion, Creat ive
Art s and Com m unicat ion m aj or st udent s
are encouraged t o apply pract ical working
experience obt ained from UBD’s Discovery
Year I nt ernship program along wit h t he
versat ile knowledge acquired from t he
UBD’s int erdisciplinary art s curriculum t o
generat e j ob opport unit ies for t hem selves
and t heir peers. This t hinking is in keeping
wit h how Florida describes t he way t he new
social creat ive class is realigning t hem selves
t o m eet t he needs of a world t hat is now
m oving away, or out of t he I ndust rial
Age. Florida illum inat es his view on t his
new econom ic philosophy when he writ es,
“ Creat ive people have always gravit at ed t o
cert ain kinds of com m unit ies, such as t he
Left Bank in Paris or New York’s Greenwich
Village. Such com m unit ies provide t he
st im ulat ion, diversit y and a richness of
experiences t hat are t he wellsprings of
creat ivit y” ( 15) .
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
Wit hout organizat ions like Zairah
Ent erprise, which are set up by creat ive
individuals for est ablished and pot ent ial
creat ive individuals, t he not ion of how
com m unit ies, and even a whole count ry,
can change t he course of it s econom ic
developm ent t o one t hat is m ore reliant on
t he creat ive indust ries will not be possible.
The im pact of t he first professional art
supplies st ore m ight not cause an inst ant
change in Brunei’s art educat ion; however,
it is definit ely indicat ive of an awareness
am ong UBD’s st udent s t hat a new approach
t o t hinking creat ively t hrough t he art s and
ent repreneurship is dawning.
The developm ent of Zairah Art Supplies
as t he m ain branch of Zairah Ent erprises
over t he past year has been rem arkable.
Besides being t he sole agent in Brunei
Darussalam t o supply professional art
supplies from t he Unit ed St at es, Zairah
Art Supplies also offers free art m at erial
workshops t o t he region’s prim ary,
secondary, and int ernat ional schools. Their
design services division creat ed a creat ive
“ St op Mot ion” video advert isem ent for
prom ot ing an online t op- up service provided
by a local bank. The advert isem ent was
first screened at Brunei’s cinem a houses
beginning in August 2013 and has cont inued
t o run unt il t he present . Also, Zairah
Design Services was com m issioned t o
const ruct an out door st eel dom e st ruct ure
for t he UBD 2012 Pest a Konvo, an annual
Convocat ion Fair in conj unct ion wit h t he
Convocat ion Cerem ony, in Sept em ber
2012. I n addit ion, Zairah Design Services
has been com m issioned t o design t he UBD
Convocat ion banners for t he last t wo years.
As t went y- first- cent ury t eaching art ist s,
Ho and Geiger- Ho believe t hat t hey have
a m aj or role in nurt uring Brunei’s next
generat ion t oward developing it s creat ive
indust ries. Brunei is a sm all nat ion t hat is
perfect ly poised t o t ake advant age of it s rich
herit age as a cat alyst for producing creat ively
designed and environm ent ally responsible
product s and services ranging from apparel
t o design t echnology. Wit h help from highly
m ot ivat ed and creat ive individuals wit hin
t heir own cult ural ranks, Brunei is sure
t o m eet it s goal of becom ing ever m ore
increasingly known as a creat ive societ y.
Teaching Art ist Journal
167
Works Cit ed
• Adnan, Am m irual. Zairah service aim s at im proving art . The Brunei Tim es. 18 Dec. 2012. Web.
< ht t p: / / www.bt .com .bn/ happenings/ 2012/ 12/ 17/ zairah- service- aim s- im proving- art >
Downloaded by [University of Brunei Darussalam], [Professor Kong Ho] at 20:15 19 June 2014
• Bureau of East Asian and Paciic Affairs. U.S. relat ions wit h Brunei. 18 Dec. 2012. Web.
< ht t p: / / www.st at e.gov/ r/ pa/ ei/ bgn/ 2700.ht m >
• Cent ral I nt elligence Agency. East & Sout heast Asia: Brunei. January 2014. Web. < ht t ps: / / www.
cia.gov/ library/ publicat ions/ t he- world- fact book/ geos/ bx.ht m l>
• Flew, Terry. The Creat ive I ndust ries Cult ure and Policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2012. Print .
• Florida, Richard. The Rise of t he Creat ive Class. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2002. Print .
• Minist ry of Cult ure, Yout h and Sport . Nat ion Cult ural Policy. Brunei Darussalam : Aut hor, 2010.
Print .
• Ot hm an, Azlan. “ Crit icism of Syariah Law Due t o Blurred Vision.” Borneo Bullet in Sunday 3 Nov.
2013: 1–3. Print .
M a r t ie Ge ige r - H o earned a PhD ( Fine Art s I nt erdisciplinary) wit h an em phasis in art
educat ion at Texas Tech Universit y in 2003. Current ly, Dr. Geiger- Ho is a senior lect urer
serving t he creat ive art s and com m unicat ion program at t he Universit i Brunei Darussalam
( 2012–present ) . I n 2006, she was awarded a Universit y Fellowship from t he Hong Kong
Bapt ist Universit y and worked at t he Academ y of Visual Art s ( 2007–09) . Her art has been
exhibit ed in num erous int ernat ional and nat ional exhibit ions.
Kon g H o ut ilizes his bicult ural background as a t eaching art ist t rained in bot h Chinese and
West ern paint ing t o t each as associat e professor of art and program leader of t he creat ive
art s and com m unicat ion program at t he Universit y of Brunei Darussalam , 2011 t o present . Ho
received a Fulbright U.S. Scholarship and t aught m ural paint ing at t he Nat ional Academ y of Art
in Bulgaria in 2010. His art has been exhibit ed in m ore t han ninet y int ernat ional and nat ional
exhibit ions.
On: 19 June 2014, At : 20: 15
Publisher: Rout ledge
I nform a Lt d Regist ered in England and Wales Regist ered Num ber: 1072954 Regist ered office:
Mort im er House, 37- 41 Mort im er St reet , London W1T 3JH, UK
Teaching Artist Journal
Publicat ion det ails, including inst ruct ions f or aut hors and subscript ion
inf ormat ion:
ht t p: / / www. t andf online. com/ loi/ ht aj 20
University Art Students Undertake
Entrepreneurship Action in Brunei Darussalam
a
Mart ie Geiger-Ho & Kong Ho
a
b
Texas Tech Universit y in 2003
b
Universit y of Brunei Darussalam
Published online: 13 Jun 2014.
To cite this article: Mart ie Geiger-Ho & Kong Ho (2014) Universit y Art St udent s Undert ake Ent repreneurship
Act ion in Brunei Darussalam, Teaching Art ist Journal, 12: 3, 155-167, DOI: 10. 1080/ 15411796. 2014. 909208
To link to this article: ht t p: / / dx. doi. org/ 10. 1080/ 15411796. 2014. 909208
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ABSTRACT
TEACH I N G ARTI ST JOURN AL 1 2 ( 3 ) , 1 5 5 – 1 6 7
Copyright © 2014, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
155
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An in- dept h analysis
of how som et hing
seem ingly sim ple—
t he est ablishing of a
st udent- run art s supply
st ore in Brunei—can
deeply affect a cit y and
nat ion’s art , educat ion,
and cult ural scenes.
University Art Students Undertake
Entrepreneurship Action in Brunei
Darussalam
I n t r odu ct ion
Mart ie Geiger- Ho
Kong Ho
Correspondence regarding
t his art icle should go t o:
M a r t ie Ge ige r - H o a n d
Kon g H o
Facult y of Art s and Social
Sciences
Universit y of Brunei
Darussalam
Jalan Tungun Link
Gadong BE 1410
Brunei Darussalam
m art [email protected];
[email protected]
The correlat ion bet ween necessit y and change is a well- proven
social int eract ion t hat can result in a ripple effect t hat has farreaching im plicat ions. Just as dropping a st one in st ill wat er causes
ringed waves t o spread out in all direct ions, t he im plem ent at ion of
a new idea or even a new business in a com m unit y can send out
ripples of change from it s epicent er. This is exact ly what happened
when Zairah Ent erprise, a st udent founded and run com pany
prim arily selling art supplies, was est ablished in t he Sult anat e of
Brunei Darussalam in 2012. The com pany was born of a need for
qualit y t radit ional art supplies, such as acrylic paint s and brushes,
so t hat st udent s could raise t he st andards of t he work t hey
produced in t heir m odules at t he Universit y of Brunei Darussalam
( UBD) . A group of st udent s undert ook t he challenge of being
ent repreneurs, and wit h t he advice of t wo of t heir professors from
t he Unit ed St at es t hey opened a specialt y art st ore t o provide for
t heir own needs and t hose of ot her st udent s. The im m ediat e aim
of t he st udent s was t o offer a full line of art supplies t hat would
also m ake it easier for t hem and int erest ed secondary and prim ary
schools t o purchase m at erials t hat offered qualit y and consist ency.
Ot her t arget ed client s included art ist s and designers working in and
around t he capit al cit y of Bandar Seri Begawan.
The opening of Zairah Art Supplies st ore and it s well- lit art gallery
and display area sent out not one but t wo t ypes of ripples t hat are
helping t o st ir t hings up t hroughout t he creat ive sect or of t he cit y.
I n t his art icle, t he aut hors exam ine how t heir st udent s set up an
ext ensive art supply st ore t hat is t he largest of it s kind in Brunei
for t heir own benefit as art ist s in need of supplies and exhibit ion
space and, as a secondary consequence, how t heir ent repreneurial
undert aking exem plifies t he phenom enon of conduct ing a business
t hat can aid a count ry’s econom y t hrough t he support of t he
creat ive indust ries.
156
The signs for t he em ergence of what
econom ist Terry Flew dubbed a new “ creat ive
class” are everywhere in Brunei. One
can see t his especially in t he appearance
of visual and perform ing art s venues
where cont em porary Bruneian art ist s are
showcasing works wit h an int ernat ional
st yle and appeal. Many young st udent s
are inspired by experim ent al avant- garde
art ist s like t he graffit i paint er and inst allat ion
art ist Banksy, and t hey are looking t o
m ake a nam e for t hem selves by em bracing
inst allat ion art and new m edia. However,
t here is a lim it t o what art ist s in Brunei
Darussalam can explore as subj ect m at t er
since t he count ry is t he world’s longest
running absolut e m onarchy where any hint
of disdain for His Maj est y Sult an Hasanal
Bolkiah, t he Sult an and Yang Di- Pert uan
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
of Brunei Darussalam and his policies,
especially t hose regarding t he following of
I slam as it is pract iced according t o Sunni
edict s, is prohibit ed.
According t o t he st at em ent of Minist ry
of Cult ure, Yout h and Sport s of Brunei
Darussalam regarding nat ion building and
rebuilding t he Bruneian cult ure:
Due t o ot her priorit ies in lives, people t end t o
neglect t heir own cult ural pract ices. People are
also lacking in underst anding t he relat ionships
of t he organizat ion of cult ure, value and
nat ional sust ainable in t he cont ext of t he
changing world t oday. The cult ure t hat is based
on Malay I slam ic Monarchy ( MI M) has changed
from t im e t o t im e due t o t he assim ilat ion of
foreign cult ural elem ent s. Due t o t his scenario
Brunei cult ure should be rebuilt and expanded
by considering t he nat ional concept such as
Malay I slam ic Monarchy ( Melayu I slam Beraj a) .
Alt hough it seem ed for a t im e t hat an
em phasis on Muslim cult ure m ight be
relaxing in Brunei, t he recent launch of t he
I m age 1: Final capst one proj ect , Decept ion of t he Eyes, done by Sit i Zubaidah bint i Haj i Ahm adin, and
shown in Spect acle: Art & Design Graduat ion Show 2013 in t he Art Gallery of Chancellor Hall, Universit y of
Brunei Darussalam , in April 2013.
Kong Ho
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Edu ca t ion a n d Br u n e i’s N e w
Cr e a t ive Cla ss
2014
157
st udent s. The ACT program
t eaches st udent s about visual
art concept s and skills t hrough
various design and art m odules.
St udent s finish off t heir fourt h
year of st udies by t aking a
direct ed st udy m odule t hat leads
int o a second- sem est er capst one
proj ect m odule. During t hese
t wo sem est ers all ACT st udent s
m ust choose a t opic or art
st yle t hat t hey wish t o explore
and produce as eit her a body of work or a
large inst allat ion t o be exhibit ed alongside
t he works of t heir peers in t heir graduat ion
exhibit ion, shown in I m ages 1 and 2. While
st udio equipm ent for building arm at ures
and fram es is quit e lim it ed, st udent s are
resourceful and usually can find a supply
st ore or sm all shop t o help t hem wit h
const ruct ing sim ple st ruct ures t hat t hey can
com plet e t hem selves on cam pus.
Ju st a s dr oppin g a st on e in st ill w a t e r ca u se s
r in ge d w a ve s t o spr e a d ou t in a ll dir e ct ion s,
t h e im ple m e n t a t ion of a n e w ide a or e ve n a
n e w bu sin e ss in a com m u n it y ca n se n d ou t
r ipple s of ch a n ge fr om it s e pice n t e r . Th is is
e x a ct ly w h a t h a ppe n e d w h e n Za ir a h En t e r pr ise ,
a st u de n t fou n de d a n d r u n com pa n y pr im a r ily
se llin g a r t su pplie s, w a s e st a blish e d in t h e
Su lt a n a t e of Br u n e i D a r u ssa la m in 2 0 1 2 .
Syariah Penal Code ( announced in lat e 2013)
has polit ical analyst s wondering what t his
will m ean for t he count ry’s approxim at e
415,717 inhabit ant s ( Populat ion census
from t he World Fact book of t he Cent ral
I nt elligence Agency) . Anot her indicat ion of
t he Sult an’s I slam ic reform was expressed
in his rem arks t o t he Novem ber 2013
graduat es of t he Universit y of I slam Sult an
Sharif Ali. As report ed by Azlan Ot hm an,
report er for t he Borneo Bullet in Sunday,
Sult an Hasanal Bolkiah not ed in his speech
t o t he 148 graduat es t hat he was pleased
t o see t hat m ore courses would be added
t o t he law program s already being t aught
at t he cam pus, because
t his addit ional knowledge
would assist fut ure degree
earners in im plem ent ing
and enforcing t he Syariah
Penal Code ( 1–3) .
I n Brunei, all st udent s
are given t he opport unit y
of a paid universit y
educat ion, provided t hey
pass t heir ent ry exam s
and are cit izens of t he
count ry. St udent s m ay
choose t heir own st udies
leading t o a num ber of
diversified careers, and
t hey m ay even change
t heir career t raj ect ory if
t hey desire. While UBD
does not offer m usic
or dance, st udent s can
choose t o st udy design
and art t hrough a wide
range of art m edia by
becom ing Art and Creat ive
Technology ( ACT) m aj or
Kong Ho
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Teaching Art ist Journal
I m age 2: Final capst one proj ect , Free Flow, done
by Muham m ad Nazreen bin Am in, and shown in
Spect acle: Art & Design Graduat ion Show 2013
in t he Art Gallery of Chancellor Hall, Universit y of
Brunei Darussalam , in April 2013.
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158
2014
I n his book The Creat ive I ndust ries:
Cult ure and Policy, Terry Flew explains t hat
higher educat ion has been keen t o creat e
program s t hat provide professional t raining
leading t o em ploym ent in disciplines such
as m edia and com m unicat ion, digit al m edia,
design, film , and ot her relat ed fields. Flew
goes on t o say t hat “ m ore t radit ional areas
of t he creat ive and perform ing art s are also
increasingly at t uned t o t he em ploym ent
out com es of t heir graduat es” ( 7) . However,
t he best int ent ioned program s, whet her
t hey endeavor t o t rain t heir st udent s t o be
com m ercial designers or fine art producers
of work aim ing t o rock t he art world wit h
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
held his first sem est er ’s Advanced Paint ing
course. The problem of a com put er lab was
finally slowly resolved over t he course of
t he following t wo sem est ers, but t he need
for bet t er t radit ional m edia supplies such as
acrylic paint s and drawing pencils was m ore
of a problem . This was because t he arrival
of t he new com put ers in t he new st at e- oft he- art lab space for graphic design, digit al
phot ography, and new m edia was ult im at ely
provided by UBD, but no effort was m ade in
response t o Prof. Ho’s request s for t radit ional
m at erials and equipm ent . According t o
UBD, st udent s are expect ed t o purchase
all of t heir art supplies because t hey are
M a n y you n g st u de n t s a r e in spir e d by e x pe r im e n t a l a va n t - ga r de
a r t ist s lik e t h e gr a ffit i pa in t e r a n d in st a lla t ion a r t ist Ba n k sy, a n d
t h e y a r e look in g t o m a k e a n a m e for t h e m se lve s by e m br a cin g
in st a lla t ion a r t a n d n e w m e dia . H ow e ve r , t h e r e is a lim it t o w h a t
a r t ist s in Br u n e i D a r u ssa la m ca n e x plor e a s su bj e ct m a t t e r sin ce t h e
cou n t r y is t h e w or ld’s lon ge st r u n n in g a bsolu t e m on a r ch y w h e r e
a n y h in t of disda in for H is M a j e st y Su lt a n H a sa n a l Bolk ia h , t h e
Su lt a n a n d Ya n g D i- Pe r t u a n of Br u n e i D a r u ssa la m a n d h is policie s,
e spe cia lly t h ose r e ga r din g t h e follow in g of I sla m a s it is pr a ct ice d
a ccor din g t o Su n n i e dict s, is pr oh ibit e d.
avant- garde “ art for art ’s sake” one- of- akind of pieces, t he availabilit y of equipm ent
and art supplies for st udent s st udying wit hin
universit y program s is profoundly im port ant .
Because universit ies are acut ely aware of
t he im port ance of st udent dem ands for t he
best t raining possible, it st ands t o reason
t hat t heir professors would encourage
t hem and t heir depart m ent s t o invest in
t he lat est com put er soft ware and best
t radit ional art supplies and equipm ent .
However, when Professor Kong Ho arrived
at UBD in Brunei in July 2011 and t ook
up t he posit ion of associat e professor of
art , he discovered t hat t he st udent s were
learning t o paint wit h hobby- grade paint s.
Also, t here was lit t le t o no basic art st udio
equipm ent : easels, drawing boards, st udio
t ables, spot light s, and a washing sink were
not available for paint ing and drawing. The
only art st udio found in t he Facult y of Art s
and Social Science ( FASS) building was a
regular lect ure room , where Professor Ho
given a m ont hly allowance by t he educat ion
depart m ent for books and ot her supplies.
Prof. Ho recalls t hat t eaching his first
paint ing m odule in t he fall of 2011 was very
difficult due t o a lack of m at erials. Prof. Ho
first t aught advanced acrylic paint ing at UBD
in a cram ped dingy regular classroom space,
FASS 1.92, shown in I m age 3, t o st udent s
using low- grade t em pera and so- called
acrylic paint s. He sum m ed up his frust rat ion
wit h t he sit uat ion by st at ing,
Because m y 20 advanced paint ing st udent s
were used t o using really inferior paint ing
m at erials t hat had no sat urat ion or life, t hey
could not m ix t he correct colors or blend t he
paint on t heir canvases. When I asked m y
st udent s t o purchase bet t er product s t hey t old
m e t hat t hey could only purchase cheap hobby
st uff in Brunei and t hat sending for m at erials
was very expensive. Art m at erials were difficult
t o find in Brunei.
I t is t rue t hat Brunei im port s m ost of it s
com m odit ies from overseas, including m eat ,
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Nazreen Am in
Teaching Art ist Journal
I m age 3: Professor Ho crit iquing t he paint ings done by his Advanced Paint ing class st udent s in FASS Art
St udio 1.92 in t he fall sem est er of 2011–12. The recognized st udent s and t eaching art ist in t his pict ure
( left t o right ) are Professor Kong Ho, Ak. Khairul Am ilin bin Pg. Muham ad, Moham m ad Nuriskandar bin
Mohd. Hasnan, and Muham m ad Alinorm in bin Hj . Om arali.
fresh fruit s, and veget ables. I f t here is not
m uch dem and for professional art supplies,
t hen no one will st ock t hem . Not being t he
sort of person t hat gives up on his st andards
for t eaching, Prof. Ho offered his own
bought- and- paid- for acrylics t o his class t o
use unt il he could figure out a way t o get a
supply of bet t er acrylic paint s t o Brunei.
Aft er learning t o paint wit h bet t er acrylics
and acquiring great er t echniques for glazing
and building up t ext ured surfaces using
acrylic gel m edium and m odeling past e, Prof.
Ho’s st udent s, including Dk. Noor Affizah
bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Moham m ad
Nuriskandar bin Mohd. Hasnan, Muham m ad
Nazreen bin Am in, and Am irul Jazli bin
Jali, were convinced t hat t he dram at ic
im provem ent t hat t hey saw in t heir work
had t o be part ly due t o t he im proved qualit y
of t heir paint s and paint ing m edium s. Not
only did Ho see an im provem ent in t he
assignm ent s of his st udent s, he also felt
at t he t im e t hat he was est ablishing a new
baseline of qualit y work t hat he could expect
all of t he st udent s t o follow in t he newly
est ablished Art and Creat ive Technology
program , which had been running for only
t wo years. Soon Ho’s st udent s were as
det erm ined as he was t o find a way t o get
high- qualit y art supplies t o Brunei. Happily
for Prof. Ho and his st udent s, t he answer t o
t his dilem m a would soon arrive. This solut ion
would also involve everyone’s cooperat ion for
it s im plem ent at ion.
Ca se St u dy: Th e For m a t ion
of t h e Ar t En t r e pr e n e u r sh ip
Kn ow n a s Za ir a h En t e r pr ise
Three m aj or fact ors brought about t he
form at ion of Zairah Art s Supplies st ore. First
and forem ost was t he need by st udent s
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160
at UBD and elsewhere in t he region for
good qualit y art supplies; next cam e t he
opport unit y for ent repreneurship on t he part
of several st udent s who realized t hat if t hey
could st art a t rading com pany, t hey would be
able t o work and cont ribut e in several ways
t o Brunei’s fledgling creat ive art s indust ry;
and last , Prof. Ho and his wife Dr. Mart ie
Geiger- Ho ( who becam e em ployed at UBD
in June 2012) were put t ing t oget her a large
com m unit y m ural proposal for subm ission
t o t he U.S. Em bassy for sponsorship t hat ,
if approved, would require a subst ant ial
order of acrylic paint s, gesso, gel m edium ,
and ot her supplies. Grant ing of t he m ural
proj ect seem ed alm ost assured, and t he
prom ise of an order from t he com pany t hat
t he st udent s want ed t o est ablish provided
t he inert ia needed t o push one st udent ,
Affizah Rahm an, t o ask her fat her and her
elder sist er t o invest in and back a t rading
com pany wit h a ret ail st ore out let t hat
she and her art st udent friends, including
Nuriskandar Hasnan, Nazreen Am in, and
Am irul Jali, would be able t o run. The
st udent s felt from t he very beginning t hat
wit hout a ret ail st ore where t hey could
anchor t heir business, any at t em pt s t o
build a st rong m arket ing ident it y would be
lost . Furt herm ore, t he st udent s want ed t o
creat e a bout ique kind of st ore, shown in
I m age 4, where t hey could feat ure t heir
own art work and put t heir design skills t o
work in arranging in- house product displays
wit h creat ive t ailor- m ade exem plars of
finished art obj ect s wit h which t he local
cust om er could cult urally ident ify. The final
out com e of t he st ore’s ident it y is one t hat
is bot h professional and warm , wit h plent y
of browsing room and space for t eaching
paint ing classes. Zairah is planning t o add
t he equipm ent for t eaching ceram ics at a
lat er dat e.
Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an bin Pg. Haj i Tahir
im m ediat ely liked his daught er Affizah’s
idea for an art supply st ore for t he following
reasons: I n t he past Mr. Rahm an had been
t he sole owner of a dry goods ret ail st ore,
and he st ill held a covet ed regist ered t raders
license for im port ing and selling goods;
Mr. Rahm an believed t hat if Affizah’s elder
sist er, Pg. Dr. Noor Affizan bint i Pg. Haj i Abd
Rahm an, and her husband Mr. Joe Raihan
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
Knight s put capit al int o t he opening of
t he st ore t hat it would indeed be a fam ily
business t hat his son- in- law could help run
even when his elder daught er was busy
pract icing m edicine as an opht halm ologist .
Also, Mr. Rahm an felt t hat it was im port ant
t o est ablish a business where his younger
daught er and her peers could hone t heir
art design skills by creat ing a corporat e
ident it y. Adding t o t he posit ive reasons for
est ablishing Zairah Art Supplies was Prof.
Ho’s prom ise t o advise t he st udent s on how
t o order art supplies from a com pany called
Ut recht Art Supplies in t he Unit ed St at es.
161
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Kong Ho
Teaching Art ist Journal
I m age 4:
Zairah Art
Supplies st ore
locat ed in
an int erior
plazas area in
Beribi, Brunei
Darussalam .
Ho felt t hat he could help his st udent s
underst and how t o st ock art m at erials t hat
would sat isfy t he needs of m ost cust om ers
plus t he learners in his art classes. The
opport unit y t o be t he sole agent in Sout heast
Asia feat uring Ut recht ’s art supplies was
very appealing t o everyone involved in
t he ent repreneurship of a new art supply
com pany.
Prof. Ho and Dr. Geiger- Ho’s com m unit y
m ural proj ect , “ Transcending Cult ure and
Space: A Com m unit y Art Proj ect ,” was
funded by t he U.S. Depart m ent of St at e
t hrough t he Overseas Federal Assist ance
Award and t he U.S. Em bassy Brunei
Darussalam . This good news m eant t hat
a large art supply order would have t o be
fulfilled by som eone. I f Zairah could form
t heir com pany, t hen it would be a win–
win sit uat ion for t hem and for t he m ural
proj ect , since no one else could fill such
an order in Brunei. Also, Zairah needed
a large procurem ent in order t o ensure
t hat it s launch would be successful. Taking
int o account all of t he posit ive reasons for
est ablishing a new st art- up brick- and- m ort ar
st ore Mr. Rahm an and his elder daught er, Dr.
Affizan Rahm an and Joe Raihan, decided t o
162
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set up Zairah Ent erprise wit h a st ruct ure of
four divisions: Zairah Event s, Zairah Design
Services, Zairah Art Supplies, and Zairah
Cust om Badges.
Zairah Art s Supplies was t he first branch
of t he business t o open; however, before
t hings could really get under way, Affizah
and her peer Nazreen needed t o finish t heir
college sem est er abroad at t he Universit y
Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, where t hey
t ook art courses during t he spring session of
2012. When Affizah and Nazreen ret urned t o
Brunei in t he sum m er j ust prior t o beginning
t heir senior year at UBD, t hey j oined up wit h
several ot her UBD st udent s t o work part- t im e
in t he shop space t hat would soon becom e
a full- fledged st ore. Nuriskandar had also
gone abroad t o st udy in Sout h Korea in his
t hird year, and he becam e em ployed wit h
Zairah along wit h Affizah and Nazreen. Three
ot her t hird-year UBD st udent s were already
working part t im e for t he com pany because
t hey had st ayed in- count ry t o undert ake
an int ernship program t hat would fulfill
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
UBD’s requirem ent s for it s Discovery Year
Program . The four UBD art st udent s were
Am iral Jali, Moham m ad Airul Arif bin Awang
Dam it , Muham m ad Saifullah Al Waie bin
Mat Jinin, and Moham ad Niq’Mat ul Ghizalif
bin Md Jinin. These four lat t er st udent s
had also been working hard wit h anot her
t alent ed individual, Zaeem Om arali, who was
finishing his high school st udies at Jerudong
I nt ernat ional School, and t hey cont ribut ed
m uch t oward supplying t he m ural paint ing
m at erials and const ruct ing t he m ovable
m ural panels, shown in I m age 5, for t he first
com m unit y m ural proj ect in Brunei.
Fa cilit a t in g Ar t Pr odu ct ion
W it h Pr ofe ssion a l Ar t Su pplie s
a n d Su ppor t I n st r u ct ion
Zairah Art Supplies delivered t heir first
big order of art supplies t o Ho and his
crew of m ural volunt eers at Pusat Belia
Kong Ho
I m age 5: Zairah Art Supplies’ part- t im e workers building t he m ural panels for t he first com m unit y m ural
proj ect in Brunei at t he Pusat Belia Bandar Seri Begawan ( Yout h Cent er) in Bandar, Brunei. The recognized
Zairah Art Supplies workers in t his pict ure ( from left t o right ) are Moham m ad Airul Arif bin Awang Dam it
and Muham m ad Saifullah Al Waie bin Mat Jinin.
Teaching Art ist Journal
163
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Kong Ho
Bandar Seri Begawan
( Yout h Cent er) on June
15, 2012. According t o
Ho, t he qualit y of t he
huge acrylic on canvas
com m unit y m ural could
not have been undert aken
wit hout t he services and
art supplies t hat were
ordered t hrough Zairah.
Am ong t he supplies t hat
were delivered by Zairah
Art Supplies were canvas,
cust om - m ade st ret chers
for t he canvas t o be
st ret ched over, j ars of
professional m ural acrylic
paint , gesso, brushes,
and acrylic gel m edium .
I n addit ion, several Zairah
Art Supplies part- t im e
workers or UBD st udent s,
including Am iral Jali, Arif
Dam it , Saifullah Jinin,
and Niq Jinin, becam e
act ively involved in m ural
paint ing workshops wit h
t he yout hs from t he Yout h Cent er at Bandar
Seri Begawan, shown in I m age 6, and lat er
wit h t he volunt eers from t he Tim es Square
shopping m all and wit h ot her UBD st udent s
at t he UBD St udent Cent er.
I n t he approxim at e eight een m ont hs
since it s founding, Zairah Ent erprise has
provided services from all four areas of it s
subdivisions; however, t he first of t hese
divisions t o open, Zairah Art Supplies, shown
in I m age 6, is st ill t he lifeline branch of t he
whole operat ion because of it s im port ance
t o bot h t he st udent s who are now em ployed
t here and because of t he high- qualit y
art supplies t hat UBD st udent s can now
purchase for Ho’s and Geiger- Ho’s art and
design courses. The im port ance of Zairah
Art Supplies t o t he art com m unit y of Bandar
Seri Begawan and t he area surrounding t he
cit y was confirm ed in an art icle writ t en for
t he Brunei Tim es by Am m irul Adnan, who
explained,
Zairah Art Supplies brings in art supplies
from t he U.S. and offers personal art t ut oring
including workshops, m ural paint ings and
sells art works done by t he com pany’s art ist s.
I m age 6: Mural Paint ing Workshop at t he Yout h
Cent er at Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, in June
2012. The recognized st udent s, volunt ary art ist
and yout hs in t his pict ure ( from left t o right ) are
Am iral Jali, Arif Dam it , Annant Whalen, Nurul
Am al I wanina At hirah Munt assir, and Muham m ad
Saifullah Al Waie bin Mat Jinin.
Recent ly, a Korean living in Brunei request ed
for t he com pany t o m ake an eight m et er long
m ural which reflect s one of t he Sult anat e’s
fam ous scenery which is Kam pong Ayer. Zairah
Ent erprise art ist s t ook phot os of Kam pong Ayer
and creat ed t he m ural from t heir pict ures.
An im port ant considerat ion for any
est ablishm ent in Brunei t hat wishes t o
sell eit her art works or art supplies is t he
request from cust om ers for art lessons for
t heir children and t hem selves. I t seem s
t hat Bruneians have com e t o expect t hat
art dealers also provide on- prem ises
classes t hat are usually t aught by t he
art ist s whose work hangs in t heir gallery.
A t eaching arrangem ent of t his kind is
encouraged by Zairah Art Supplies and ot her
galleries because it increases foot t raffic
in t heir st ores and t hey earn m oney from
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
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Saifullah Jinin
164
I m age 7: Maj or Zairah Ent erprise associat es wit h Dr. Mart ie Geiger- Ho and Prof. Kong Ho in t he Zairah
Art Supplies st ore in Beribi, Brunei, in July 2012. The recognized st udent s, t eaching art ist s and Zairah
Ent erprise associat es in t his pict ure ( from left t o right ) are Dk. Nur Afiqah bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Dk.
Noor Affizah bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Dr. Mart ie Geiger- Ho, Prof. Kong Ho, Muham m ad Nazreen bin Haj i
Am in, Pg. Dr. Noor Affizan bint i Pg. Haj i Abd Rahm an, Moham m ad Nuriskandar bin Mohd. Hasnen, and
Muham m ad Haj i Hafiz bin Haj i Morsidi.
t he courses, which t hey share wit h t heir
t eaching art ist s. Also t eaching art ist s engage
in learning how t o pass down knowledge
and t echniques t hat t hey t hem selves have
em ployed in t heir own art works.
Cu lt u r a l, Socia l, a n d Econ om ic
Con t e x t of Br u n e ia n
Cr e a t ive I n du st r ie s
Brunei becam e an independent st at e in
Borneo in 1984 aft er a cent ury of colonial
ruling under t he Unit ed Kingdom and t he
Unit ed St at es opened an em bassy in Brunei
upon it s independence ( Bureau of East
Asian and Pacific Affairs) . Brunei encourages
foreign invest m ent in t he dom est ic
econom y t hrough various st im ulat ions in
new indust ries. However Brunei’s oil and
gas indust ries st ill account for m ost of it s
econom ic act ivit y. Sim ilar t o it s pet roleum
indust ries, t he Malay cult ure am ong people
in Brunei has been in place long before
t he Brit ish colonial era. Malay is t he official
language of Brunei, and coast al Malays m ake
An im por t a n t con side r a t ion for
a n y e st a blish m e n t in Br u n e i t h a t
w ish e s t o se ll e it h e r a r t w or k s or
a r t su pplie s is t h e r e qu e st fr om
cu st om e r s for a r t le sson s for t h e ir
ch ildr e n a n d t h e m se lve s. I t se e m s
t h a t Br u n e ia n s h a ve com e t o e x pe ct
t h a t a r t de a le r s a lso pr ovide on pr e m ise s cla sse s t h a t a r e u su a lly
t a u gh t by t h e a r t ist s w h ose w or k
h a n gs in t h e ir ga lle r y.
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Teaching Art ist Journal
up a m aj or part of it s m ult iet hnic indigenous
populat ion. Brunei em phasizes nat ional
cult ure building and fost ers it s rich Malay
cult ural background. Brunei also act ively
part icipat es in t he Associat ion of Sout heast
Asian Nat ions and is keen t o st ay abreast of
t he econom ic and educat ional concept s in
t his region.
A great m any art icles and books have
been writ t en in t he past t wo decades about
t he rise and im port ance of t he creat ive
indust ries, also called t he cult ural indust ries
or creat ive econom y, as an im port ant social
and econom ic phenom enon. Mat ching t his
rise in t he form al research being conduct ed
in t his new suddenly popular area of social
science is t he num ber of people who are
act ively em ployed in such creat ive areas
as m usic, design, science, t he visual and
perform ing art ist , and ot her knowledgebased professionals. According t o Richard
Florida’s definit ion, t his new group of
professionals whose ranks are swelling t o
such levels t hat t hey are shaping t he values
and st ruct ure of t oday’s shift ing Am erican
socioeconom ic geography, is what he calls
t he “ Creat ive Class” ( Florida xiii) . I n his
book The Rise of t he Creat ive Class, Florida
explains t hat a force great er t han t he one
t hat t ransform ed societ y when it shift ed
from an agricult ural societ y t o an indust rial
one is already here in t he form of t he
creat ive indust ries, which he explains are
built fundam ent ally on hum an int elligence,
knowledge, and creat ivit y.
I t st ands t o reason, however, t hat t he
issues t hat Florida writ es ext ensively about
as t hey apply t o various widely recognized
econom ic m odels in t he Unit ed St at es can
also be seen t o be at work in ot her count ries
t hat also follow m any West ern econom ic
and social pat t erns. These sam e count ries
also engage wit h t rading part ners who are
part of t he whole global econom y t hat is
now driving m arket s around t he world,
and as such t hey t oo are experiencing a
huge upswing in t he creat ive indust ries. I n
Brit ain, t he UK Governm ent Depart m ent for
Cult ure, Media and Sport defines t he creat ive
indust ries as “ t hose indust ries which have
t heir origin in individual creat ivit y, skill and
t alent and which have a pot ent ial for wealt h
and j ob creat ion t hrough t he generat ion
165
and exploit at ion of int ellect ual propert y”
( Flew 9) .
I n Brunei Darussalam , t he UBD’s facult y
are encouraged t o recognize t he t erm and
concept of t he creat ive indust ries and t o
exploit it s use as a kind of discipline for
encouraging t he visual, perform ing art s, and
new m edia- based knowledge t o prom ot e
all form s of creat ive t hinking. An exam ple
of t he cross- pollinat ion t hat has young
creat ive t hinkers looking t o fut ure careers
as designers and ent repreneurs in Brunei
Kong Ho
I m age 8: Final capst one proj ect , Alt erat ion, done
by Noor Sa’Ariyah Haziqah bint i Moham m ad Ram li,
and shown in Spect acle: Art & Design Graduat ion
Show 2013 in t he Art Gallery of Chancellor Hall,
Universit y of Brunei Darussalam , in April 2013.
Downloaded by [University of Brunei Darussalam], [Professor Kong Ho] at 20:15 19 June 2014
166
can be seen in Noor Sa’Ariyah Haziqah
bint i Moham m ad Ram li’s capst one proj ect ,
Alt erat ion, showcased at t he Spect acle: Art &
Design Graduat ion Show 2013 in April 2013,
shown in I m age 8. Current ly, t he im port ance
of copyright and int ellect ual propert y are not
driving creat ive indust ry forces in Brunei like
t hey are in Hong Kong, China; however, it
is conceivable t hat t he Brunei governm ent
hopes t hat som eday t hey will have an
out pouring of creat ive pursuit s in every
field from m usic t o science and t hat t hey
t oo will also need t o place a great am ount
of em phasis on prot ect ing t he creat ive
propert ies produced by t heir cit izens.
Con clu sion : I m pa ct of
t h e Fir st Colle ge Ar t
En t r e pr e n e u r sh ip in Br u n e i
D a r u ssa la m
I n t he Bruneian governm ent sect or,
t he once- plent iful j ob m arket is relat ively
shrinking, so privat e sect ors have t o be
dynam ic and progressive in generat ing
m ore j ob opport unit ies for unem ployed
graduat es. I nst ead of looking for j obs in
governm ent or privat e sect ors in t he art
and design fields aft er graduat ion, Creat ive
Art s and Com m unicat ion m aj or st udent s
are encouraged t o apply pract ical working
experience obt ained from UBD’s Discovery
Year I nt ernship program along wit h t he
versat ile knowledge acquired from t he
UBD’s int erdisciplinary art s curriculum t o
generat e j ob opport unit ies for t hem selves
and t heir peers. This t hinking is in keeping
wit h how Florida describes t he way t he new
social creat ive class is realigning t hem selves
t o m eet t he needs of a world t hat is now
m oving away, or out of t he I ndust rial
Age. Florida illum inat es his view on t his
new econom ic philosophy when he writ es,
“ Creat ive people have always gravit at ed t o
cert ain kinds of com m unit ies, such as t he
Left Bank in Paris or New York’s Greenwich
Village. Such com m unit ies provide t he
st im ulat ion, diversit y and a richness of
experiences t hat are t he wellsprings of
creat ivit y” ( 15) .
2014
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
Wit hout organizat ions like Zairah
Ent erprise, which are set up by creat ive
individuals for est ablished and pot ent ial
creat ive individuals, t he not ion of how
com m unit ies, and even a whole count ry,
can change t he course of it s econom ic
developm ent t o one t hat is m ore reliant on
t he creat ive indust ries will not be possible.
The im pact of t he first professional art
supplies st ore m ight not cause an inst ant
change in Brunei’s art educat ion; however,
it is definit ely indicat ive of an awareness
am ong UBD’s st udent s t hat a new approach
t o t hinking creat ively t hrough t he art s and
ent repreneurship is dawning.
The developm ent of Zairah Art Supplies
as t he m ain branch of Zairah Ent erprises
over t he past year has been rem arkable.
Besides being t he sole agent in Brunei
Darussalam t o supply professional art
supplies from t he Unit ed St at es, Zairah
Art Supplies also offers free art m at erial
workshops t o t he region’s prim ary,
secondary, and int ernat ional schools. Their
design services division creat ed a creat ive
“ St op Mot ion” video advert isem ent for
prom ot ing an online t op- up service provided
by a local bank. The advert isem ent was
first screened at Brunei’s cinem a houses
beginning in August 2013 and has cont inued
t o run unt il t he present . Also, Zairah
Design Services was com m issioned t o
const ruct an out door st eel dom e st ruct ure
for t he UBD 2012 Pest a Konvo, an annual
Convocat ion Fair in conj unct ion wit h t he
Convocat ion Cerem ony, in Sept em ber
2012. I n addit ion, Zairah Design Services
has been com m issioned t o design t he UBD
Convocat ion banners for t he last t wo years.
As t went y- first- cent ury t eaching art ist s,
Ho and Geiger- Ho believe t hat t hey have
a m aj or role in nurt uring Brunei’s next
generat ion t oward developing it s creat ive
indust ries. Brunei is a sm all nat ion t hat is
perfect ly poised t o t ake advant age of it s rich
herit age as a cat alyst for producing creat ively
designed and environm ent ally responsible
product s and services ranging from apparel
t o design t echnology. Wit h help from highly
m ot ivat ed and creat ive individuals wit hin
t heir own cult ural ranks, Brunei is sure
t o m eet it s goal of becom ing ever m ore
increasingly known as a creat ive societ y.
Teaching Art ist Journal
167
Works Cit ed
• Adnan, Am m irual. Zairah service aim s at im proving art . The Brunei Tim es. 18 Dec. 2012. Web.
< ht t p: / / www.bt .com .bn/ happenings/ 2012/ 12/ 17/ zairah- service- aim s- im proving- art >
Downloaded by [University of Brunei Darussalam], [Professor Kong Ho] at 20:15 19 June 2014
• Bureau of East Asian and Paciic Affairs. U.S. relat ions wit h Brunei. 18 Dec. 2012. Web.
< ht t p: / / www.st at e.gov/ r/ pa/ ei/ bgn/ 2700.ht m >
• Cent ral I nt elligence Agency. East & Sout heast Asia: Brunei. January 2014. Web. < ht t ps: / / www.
cia.gov/ library/ publicat ions/ t he- world- fact book/ geos/ bx.ht m l>
• Flew, Terry. The Creat ive I ndust ries Cult ure and Policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2012. Print .
• Florida, Richard. The Rise of t he Creat ive Class. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2002. Print .
• Minist ry of Cult ure, Yout h and Sport . Nat ion Cult ural Policy. Brunei Darussalam : Aut hor, 2010.
Print .
• Ot hm an, Azlan. “ Crit icism of Syariah Law Due t o Blurred Vision.” Borneo Bullet in Sunday 3 Nov.
2013: 1–3. Print .
M a r t ie Ge ige r - H o earned a PhD ( Fine Art s I nt erdisciplinary) wit h an em phasis in art
educat ion at Texas Tech Universit y in 2003. Current ly, Dr. Geiger- Ho is a senior lect urer
serving t he creat ive art s and com m unicat ion program at t he Universit i Brunei Darussalam
( 2012–present ) . I n 2006, she was awarded a Universit y Fellowship from t he Hong Kong
Bapt ist Universit y and worked at t he Academ y of Visual Art s ( 2007–09) . Her art has been
exhibit ed in num erous int ernat ional and nat ional exhibit ions.
Kon g H o ut ilizes his bicult ural background as a t eaching art ist t rained in bot h Chinese and
West ern paint ing t o t each as associat e professor of art and program leader of t he creat ive
art s and com m unicat ion program at t he Universit y of Brunei Darussalam , 2011 t o present . Ho
received a Fulbright U.S. Scholarship and t aught m ural paint ing at t he Nat ional Academ y of Art
in Bulgaria in 2010. His art has been exhibit ed in m ore t han ninet y int ernat ional and nat ional
exhibit ions.