Art of Making Photos Stories ∞ ANYWAYINAWAY

Marcus, a traditional salt maker from Enga

Salt from Fire: The Salt Makers of Enga

Once traded across Papua New Guinea and included in bride-price exchanges, Enga salt is made not from seawater but from wood, water, fire and...

Coffee beans at Kun Kee, a traditional coffee roaster in Penang

Coffee, Butter and a Great Deal of Smoke

Malaysia’s traditional kopi owes its dark, powerful character not only to robusta and liberica beans, but also to an unusual roasting method involving sugar,...

Haja Mohideen Mohamed Shariff making a songkok in his George Town workshop

The Last Songkok Maker in Penang

For generations, the songkok has been part of everyday and ceremonial life for Muslim men in Malaysia. Yet the people who make these distinctive...

Kok Ah Wah carving a wooden Chinese signboard in his George Town workshop

Letters Carved to Last

For generations, hand-carved wooden signboards identified Penang’s Chinese homes, shops and temples, carrying family origins, business names and wishes for prosperity. The boards can...

Handmade Nyonya beaded shoes by Tan Kok Oo in Penang

One Bead at a Time

A pair of handmade Nyonya shoes can take three months to complete, with tiny glass beads stitched into elaborate patterns one by one. Once...

Lee Soo Kee making rattan furniture in his Penang workshop

Keeper of Penang’s Rattan-Weaving Tradition

Before plastic furniture took over Malaysian homes, rattan filled verandas and coffee shops with chairs, tables and baskets built for the tropical climate. In...

Lee Beng Chuan making traditional joss sticks in his Penang workshop

The Last Handmade Joss Stick Maker in Penang

For more than seventy years, Lee Beng Chuan made joss sticks by hand in the heart of George Town, mixing fragrant sandalwood paste, rolling...

Gary Lim making handmade popiah skins at Chowrasta Market in Penang

Slap, Twist, Lift: Handmade Popiah Skins in Penang

At Penang’s Chowrasta Market, Gary Lim turns a lump of elastic dough into paper-thin popiah skins with a practised slap, twist and lift. Each...

Blue Nyonya Chang wrapped in bamboo leaves in Melaka

Dumpling syndrome

Vivid blue or unapologetically brown, pyramid-shaped and wrapped in bamboo leaves, these traditional dumplings, Nyonya Chang and Bak Chang, are part of Melaka’s distinctive...