THERE is a certain charm when it comes to woodwork.
Often the skill of a craftsman is imprinted onto the masterpiece that he/she is responsible for – this is what makes a craft highly prized or sought after.
What if the carpentry in question is done by technologically assisted laser beams instead? Would it take away the eminence of the master behind a creation?
“I decided to pursue a more modern take on craft, which is laser cutting because, at the time, no one else was doing it,” said woodworker Mohd Ashraff Ammar Affandi when met at his workshop in Jalan Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup, Langkawi earlier this week.
“Growing up, my late father has always advised us to look for a niche market if we want to sustain in business.”
Results differ but passion remains parallel
Before the drive to Ashraff’s creative den, which sits on approximately one-acre family land, we had little knowledge about the artisan that we were about to meet.
Kraftangan Malaysia had organised the trip to Langkawi in conjunction with its week-long Langkawi Craft Musical Fest 2021, and the engagement was partly to introduce us to the array of craft masters that they partner with within the locale.
Quite frankly, we were ready to face some serious traditional craft that is at risk of being fazed out no thanks to challenges created by innovation.
So when the introduction to Ashraff was made, it made things even more interesting. Nevertheless, the team worked to understand his passion behind his craft and the change it may stipulate on other local artisans.
When asked about what kind of satisfaction he gains from functioning a laser-cutting enterprise, he shared: “There is no limit to the items we want to design.”
“It also gives a sense of fulfilment when the product outcome is produced with accurate precision, which closely reflects the design (graphic) sketched out,” said Ashraff.
Basically, obtaining sharp corners, tight angles, and intricate scrollwork with tight tolerances and repeatability that traditional woodworking methods do not allow.
It comes with no surprise as to why the Langkawi native gravitates to these advantages given that he is an aircraft maintenance graduate from the Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL MIAT).
On what he thinks about the implication of technological innovation towards traditional carpentry and craftsmanship: “Machines will take over the traditional way of carpentry, no doubt.”
“I have seen machines that could do a better job than hand carving for the results mentioned earlier but this requires the operator to know 3D model or graphic designing. Most of the older generations are not ready for such approaches compared to the young,” highlighted Ashraff.
Roles and responsibilities
“Although the way we create craft or art has changed with the usage of new tech rather than the traditional way, I have to say that Kraftangan Malaysia is doing a good job of keeping the generational practices (be it in carpentry/craftsmanship/handcrafting) alive,” said the Sentuhan Hyder founder. He added that embracing new tech such as working with laser machines is a matter of expanding the good mix of skills by local talents.
“We initially approached hotels (on the island), which were our main clients, to complement their guests' stay experience.
“It took us about a couple of months before people started to take notice via word of mouth. The growth was quite organic,” he added.
Having started Sentuhan Hyder back in 2016, the 35-year-old entrepreneur shared that most craftsmen enjoy working independently alone.
“That said, we then face a problem to expand our products to reach a larger market.
“I was quite lucky that Kraftangan Malaysia reached out the year I started the business. If it weren’t for them, I would not be able to grow (the business) on my own – operations are much faster when the right agency is involved,” said Ashraff, noting it to be the most appealing factor about having a body to connect him with a wider pool of customers
“Previously, the interaction was only business-to-business”.
Although the interest he has towards woodworking was not passed down or taught to him directly, he does attribute his father partly since “he would collect all sorts of craft items and bring them back home”.
Sharing that the business is mostly occupied with fulfilling clients’ orders/requests, “we have more experimental works for the National Art Gallery (Langkawi)”. – The Vibes, December 18, 2021
*More on our recent visit to Sentuhan Hyder in the video interview below…
