Hairol Khan, a UBD graduate (2015) who has been specializing in graphic design since his third year in university, created his artwork entitled 'Alai Bubu' for the EMERGE 5 Folklore Exhibition. Hairol has been exposed to art since his high school days and in the span of about ten years, he has experimented with fine art, sculptures, charcoal drawing and many more.
Central to his style of artwork is having a pop-art visual, where he incorporates bright and vibrant colours that create a sense of boldness and energetic dynamism. He also incorporates a lot of Bruneian elements into his work, as an attempt to promote Brunei to the world.
Hairol Khan’s 'Alai Bubu' is unique in the EMERGE 5 Exhibition as it is the only printed digital graphic art piece being showcased. The use of bright yellow and blue with bold black outlines can be seen through 'Alai Bubu'. The only gradient effect he uses are the dots and series of lines which are found at the blue colour of human figures.
Hairol's art piece talks about Brunei's traditional dance; 'Tarian Alai Bubu' - a slow, delicate dance that was often performed during His Majesty's Birthday back then. These traditional dances explain much on the rich culture of Brunei and some tell stories, which are often quite creepy. 'Tarian Alai Bubu' is believed to be an ancient dance consisting of music and chants with a 'Bubu' or Fishtrap placed in front of the dancers. The chants are believed to call upon a spirit from the jungle to come and dance in the 'Bubu', resulting in the 'Bubu' to jump up and down with the presence of the spirit. The artist depicted the dance moves and arranged it in a way that represents a ritual ceremony rather than a dance performance. The black circle in the centre of the artwork represents the dark energy or spirit that are being called upon. It is still unsure if this dance are still practice or not.
Catch Hairol's work in the EMERGE 5: Folklore Exhibition til the 31st of May 2018.