Project Intro
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Straight from the mud. I am currently developing a site-specific project on Tuba Island, Langkawi for Bakat Muda Sezaman (Young Contemporaries) by the National Art Gallery.
This project isn’t about making art in a vacuum. I want it to be a two-way street—a place where the villagers and I trade secrets. Instead of just showing up and placing a sculpture in a village I am here to listen and learn. I’m here to see life through the eyes of Tuba Island, I bring the pencils and the community brings the story. Think of it as a knowledge-sharing party where the island is the classroom.
A Note on the Process
Please excuse my messy documentation. My goal isn’t to write a perfect thesis, it is to capture the raw vibe of this place and the incredible wisdom of the people who live here.
The Tuba Diary is an ongoing archive—a collection of unscripted moments, analog scans and stories from the field. While my official Working Title for the Bakat Muda Sezaman 2026 exhibition remains 'in-development' behind the scenes, this diary is where I invite you into the Director’s Cut of my research.
Most of what you will see here is direct photo documentation of my process and the occasional raw video. No heavy editing, no fancy filters, just the real and unpolished reality of the work. I might not always use the right artistic terms, but I’m showing up, getting my hands dirty and learning as I go. At the end of the day, I’d rather share a story that’s a bit rough around the edges than one polished until it loses its soul.
Deep Water & Buffaloes
To tell you the truth, this is my first project that involves community coordination, a specific place and other non-human living things (including the buffaloes who clearly run the show here)— all in one package.
I am taking this project seriously and I want to make the absolute best out of it. Because of that, I will committed to a self-initiated residency on Pulau Tuba. This project is a challenge for me (Challenge Accepted!), but I believe staying here is the only way to truly understand the rhythm of the tides, the depth of the stories and the spirit of the land.
Why Fund This Project?
This isn't art that sits quietly in a white room. You are supporting a site-specific, community-led practice where the process is the artwork. You’re helping prove that art can happen anywhere—even in a paddy field and in the quiet corners of Tuba Island. Your support validates that these spaces are just as significant as any museum.
Real-world Social Impact:
Your support doesn’t just fund an object; it reactivates an abandoned structure within the Tuba paddy fields, transforming a forgotten space into a collective hub. By choosing to restore rather than build new, we are sharing resources and breathing life back into the island’s existing space.
Direct Support, No Middleman:
Every support goes directly into the field—for the timber, the island transport and the makan that fuels the collaboration. You are seeing exactly where your "fuel" is going through the raw, unedited updates in the Tuba Diary.
Investing in Creative Growth:
Let’s be real. most artists are great at talking to blank walls and drinking too much coffee in a quiet room. By supporting this, you’re helping me transition from a studio hermit to a field researcher. You’re funding the evolution of an artist who is trading a comfortable chair for a muddy pair of boots and a steep learning curve.
To help me navigate these practical challenges, your support goes directly toward:
The Survival Kit: Research materials, tools and the island transport needed to get the materials from point A to point B without falling into a mangrove.
The Makan Fund: Sharing knowledge is hungry work. This pays for the food and drinks at our community gatherings. Because let’s be honest: you can’t have a breakthrough if your stomach is growling louder than the discussion!
The Making Fund: This helps the islanders and me turn these raw sketches into a final work for the island.
Let’s see what we can build (and eat) together!
Norfatihah Yusof
Note: Images shared with the kind permission and blessing of the Tuba Island community.
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