Tangential to the fellowship, Shooshie had begun work with her long time collaborator, Tamaki Ono, to begin accumulating what she calls Nusantara Colours. These were pigments made from natural materials (rocks, soil, plants) found around the Indo-Malay Archipelago, that would eventually make up a colour palette that represented the region. Her project began with a workshop she conducted with Tamaki in Sulawesi with the University Kritian Indonesia, Tomohon.
When she came to Singapore for by way of slowing, the programmes team paired her with Singapore-based collective, Wild Dot, on a programme entitled Earth to Paint, where they made pigments from soil found around Singapore. Shooshie also brought in different pigments that she had gathered from her travels around Malaysia and Japan to add to the selection of colours.
Shooshie was particularly interested in the ways in which Wild Dot had developed methods to create pigment binders, using rice and pastes to achieve bright and smooth colours. Shooshie said that she felt grateful to feel like a student with them again. We visited their studio the next day to learn more.
