ghaib (2024) by Nur' Afifah and Danial Ahmad / audio, video projection on fabric sculpture
ghaib (2024) draws a parallel between our shifting physical environment and the fading cultural folklore of the region — reflecting on how modern life displaces not only the natural world but also the intangible narratives woven into our sense of place.
As urban development continues to reshape our landscapes, what’s lost often extends beyond what’s visible: forests give way to buildings, and with them, ancestral stories and spiritual connections recede into silence. This installation explores that dual displacement — of land and lore — through the lens of the Orang Bunian, elusive beings in Malay folklore believed to dwell just beyond human sight.
By invoking the vanishing presence of the Orang Bunian, ghaib becomes a metaphor for both ecological erasure and cultural amnesia. It asks: What are we no longer seeing? What remains when something disappears?
This was my first time showcasing work in a public exhibition, and presenting ghaib as part of Kampung Halloween’s Our Ghost? felt incredibly meaningful. The show’s themes of haunting, memory, and disappearance aligned deeply with the ideas I was exploring. Through this process, I not only deepened my understanding of material and myth, but also found confidence in sharing my voice as an emerging practicing artist.
ghaib (2024)