As part of the Rainforest Fringe Festival 2018, Forbidden Fruits is an installation composed of large, surreal woven fruits created by the indigenous and rural communities in Sarawak. Using natural materials such as rattan and bamboo, the weavers were challenged to create unfamiliar forms that would give new relevance to their age-old practice.

Rattan baskets were never regarded by the indigenous peoples who made them as purely functional objects devoid of meaning – they often took up spiritual significance as part of rituals, especially in regard to farming ceremonies. Forbidden Fruits seek to investigate the possibilities of expression through traditional rattan & basket weaving, in order to restore that sense of meaningfulness in the modern context.

In a series of large-scale vignettes, Forbidden Fruits present a narrative of the life-cycle of fruits, from seed and germination, to propagation and decay, culminating in an inhabitable “still life”. Ultimately, it also explores the myriad connections humans have had with fruit, and how they still embody for us a sense of nourishment as well as danger.

A unique collaborative effort – the weavers worked alongside Jacqueline Fong; co-founder of Tanoti Crafts, Rosemarie Wong; director of Ranee Gift Gallery and architect-designer Edric Ong. IDC Architects designed and curated the installation, with Keynote.Co and JustLight Enterprise providing the construction and light fittings.