From Palais to Pulau: Rethinking ‘home’ and ‘oddities’

Synopsis

The Critical Craft Collective’s From Palais to Pulau reinterprets Mrs. Beeton’s domestic guide through a Southeast Asian perspective, uncovering narratives of invisible labour, gender roles, and colonial legacies. By engaging with embodied knowledge and regional practices, the project bridges historical and cultural frameworks, offering a nuanced exploration of domesticity. Using "temperature" as a metaphor, it examines the emotional and physical dimensions of labor, care, and resilience. This reinterpretation reframes domestic spaces as sites of complex interactions between history, power, and culture, highlighting how these forces shape everyday life. Through this lens, From Palais to Pulau reveals the enduring relevance of these themes, urging viewers to critically engage with their own cultural contexts. The project serves as both a critique and a celebration, illuminating Southeast Asian practices while challenging conventional understandings of domestic roles and their cultural significance.