MCO 3.0: reflection of PdPR / Sharel Abdul Wahid

The work is a version of the artist’s interpretation of tradition and technology infusion, where it combines the essence of the traditional art of ‘Wayang Kulit’ (shadow puppetry) with modern art. Traditional crafting methods were applied, simulating motives via cutting and pasting cutouts as a tribute to the artist’s children’s current art of choice. The piece was inspired by a real-life dilemma of a father, who is concerned about the future and the challenges his three children are facing during the nationwide lockdown, due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia. While the shift to home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) is inevitable, the lack of physical interaction at school somehow impacts one’s social and emotional development which is essential for every healthy growing child. The ‘schooling experience’ such of having to wake up early, rushing to be in school before the school bell rings, having the gang in class laughing at stupid jokes, and being disciplined by the teacher for making noise; such experience is important in building characters, learning other social values, tradition, and ideas whilst helps in being more open and more functional in society. Unfortunately, this is the big hole in PdPR which the artist hopes that life would return to normalcy as soon as possible before his children are all grown up.