Zhang, Min and Sas, Corina and Ahmad, Masitah (2018) Design for Songket Weaving in Malay Cottage Industry. In: CHI EA '18- Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computer Systems :. ACM, CAN. ISBN 9781450356213
Abstract
Songket is a traditional cultural heritage and national identity of Malaysia. Yet the hand-weaving practices are increasingly endangered. We know little about the current challenges faced by rural songket weavers. This paper reports on interviews with 12 home-based weavers from four Malay villages. We recognized two key actors in songket supply and demand chain: weaver and middleman, and outlined the motivations and challenges of three different types of weavers, alongside the multiple roles played by the middleman. We concluded with three design implications supporting songket cultural heritage preservation and weavers’ economic empowerment.