specifically for the magazine, but a fair few were selected from a series of sketches
I came up with in 2014 while conducting research in the field. This collection of
“new” and “old” drawings are reflective of my own metamorphosis and make up
the bulk of my texual contribution towards this manuscript.
8
It was also only as I was reviewing the latter of these artworks that I eventually
came up with the idea of presenting the magazine the style of a field journal. As an
anthropologist and ethnozooogist, I always found the task of field journaling to be
one of the most meaningful and significant components of field work. More than
just recordings of interviews and photographs, the field journal can also function as
a window into the thought processes of the researcher themselves; an insight into
their personal growth and journey as they grow into, navigate, and respond to the
world as learmed academics and as human beings.
The theme and style of the magazine therefore seeks to capture the essence of
every contributor’s journey and growth; their metamorphoses. And though we don’t
all end up as butterflies on the other side (hence the decision to include moths in
the artwork), I am of the opinion that there is no such thing as an “ugly” or “useless”
insect. Each insect on this planet is inherently beautiful when you consider the fact
that the endless possibilities of forms, structures and colors in which they appear
today are all results of their ongoing responses to environmental interactions and
pressures that are refined through metamorphosis over thousands, or even millions
of years. Which is a reflection on the changing nature of our own selves, with each
incarnation reflected in the stories we choose to tell.
Dr. Cyren Wong has been with the School of Arts and Social Sciences from
the beginning (2008), first as a student, as now as a member of the academic
staff. He has taken over both the Creative Writing Labs with the School of Arts
and Social Sciences and is the Malaysian Country Coordinator for the Global
Immersion Guarantee (GIG). He is also the founder of the Community Biodiversity
and Environmental Outreach platform “Naturetalksback” (www.facebook.com/
Naturetalksback)
1 There is something to be said about those of us in the anthropological profession, and a compulsive need
to record, collect, and curate just about everything and anything!
2 Conversations have been paraphrased.