一叢草Serumpun(英文書)
在殖民政府到来之前，我們是“serumpun”。 Pak Sujianto是印尼加里曼丹（Kalimantan）Jagoi Babang村的村長（2022年）。“Serumpun”意指一叢共享相同根源的草。這個詞彙幫助我們傳達印尼加里曼丹、砂拉越和沙巴跨越邊界的知識、智慧和工藝物質文化如何連接成更廣泛的生態系統。“Serumpun”也是這個集體出版物的標題，分享並反映了C&VM以及2022年在婆羅洲進行的11個工藝項目的過程和成果。我們探討工藝，並深入了解工藝如何體現知識和智慧，推動行動主義並支持團結。
‘Before the colonial governments came, we were serumpun.’
Pak Sujianto, the ketua Kampung, Jagoi Babang in Kalimantan (2022)
Serumpun means a bundle of grass that shares the same root. It helps us convey how knowledges, wisdom and material cultures in craft across the borders of Kalimantan, Sarawak and Sabah connect together as a wider ecosystem. ‘Serumpun’ is also the title for this collective publication, which shares and reflects upon the process and outcomes from C&VM and the 11 craft projects that took place across Borneo in 2022. We explore craft and expand upon ways in which craft embodies knowledges and wisdom, drives activism and supports unity.
三滴米酒 Three Drops of Rice Wine(中文書)
本書的製作跨越了2021-2023的研究項目Big Trip-Tracking New Connections，集結了幾個不同時期和狀態之下的文章。
為了採集不同地方不同族群的祖先智慧，我們用了文字，影像，聲音，訪問和身體力行作為探索的媒介。大部分研究和採集的工作，發生在疫情期間， 我們各自困頓在世界各地的房間裡。當時，對疫情發展的不確定性似乎困擾著我們和我們所接觸的人，我們將各自所知道的記錄下來。
在這個計劃開始的時候，我們先從自己親身經歷或身邊人的故事開始。配合我們能夠找得到的材料，通過我們能夠找得到的材料，這些故事開始相互鏈接，並且逐漸展現一系列的共通性。
夢境如何引導人類探索；如何在自然裡採集並從而衍生智慧和文化； 我們因為環境變化而失去的能力；我們對於藥的認知。看似獨特的觀點，但是卻在各地可以看到相似的文本。
This book was created as part of the research project “Big Trip – Tracking New Connections,” spanning from 2021 to 2023. It brings together articles written in various temporal states.
To gather ancestral wisdom from different places and ethnic groups, we used text, images, sound, interviews, and experiential exploration as mediums of exploration. Most of the research and collection work took place during the pandemic, with each of us confined to rooms around the world. During this time, the uncertainty of the pandemic seemed to bond us with everyone we came into contact with, and we recorded what we knew.
At the beginning of this project, we started with stories from our own experiences or those of people close to us. These stories, combined with the materials we could find, began to interconnect and reveal a series of commonalities.
How dreams guide exploration, how gathering in nature shapes culture, the abilities we have lost due to environmental changes, and our perceptions of medicine. These may seem like unique perspectives, but similar texts can be found in different places around the world.
Rooted Practices(中文書)
Medium: illustration Book
Original Size: 6800mm X 1200mm
Illustrator: Chia Wei Kang
Inspired by the narratives in 'Three Drops of Rice Wine', the illustration depicts enduring practices deeply rooted in diverse landscapes, alongside the ancient wisdom gleaned from these varied terrains.
媒介：插圖書
原尺寸：6800毫米 x 1200毫米
插畫師：康家瑋
啟發自三滴米酒裡的敘事, 這幅插畫描繪了根植於多樣化地形中的持久實踐，以及從這些不同地域中獲得的古老智慧。
材料變革 Material Transformation(英文書)
在當今時代，本地解決方案是應對全球挑戰的關鍵。Betterment Laboratory 所編著的《材料變革》為您開啟了可持續建築與設計的下一個前沿。這本書帶您踏上一段令人著迷的旅程，回顧了婆羅洲古晉三年來的創新研究，探討如何通過創新的材料方法重塑我們的建築環境。
探索我們如何利用乾式、濕式和混合工藝的潛力，轉化天然和合成材料，突破可持續性和設計的界限。從傳統智慧到最新的人工智慧技術，本書深入探討了材料的變革力量及其背後的故事。
《材料變革》不僅僅是一本書；它是一個邀請，邀請建築師、研究人員和材料設計師重新思考和想像材料應用的可能性。通過詳細的案例研究、跨地域的合作試驗場和人工智慧增強的研究，本書揭示了材料如何在工業和社區背景中驅動系統性變革。
加入我們這場變革的旅程，成為塑造可持續設計未來對話的一部分。深入探索《材料變革》，了解今天的材料如何鍛造更具韌性和創新性的明天。
In an era where local solutions are key to global challenges, Material Transformation by Betterment Laboratory is your gateway to the next frontier of sustainable architecture and design. This compelling journey through three years of pioneering research in Kuching, Borneo, explores how innovative approaches to materials can reshape our built environment.
Discover how we harness the potential of dry, wet, and hybrid processes to transform both natural and synthetic materials, pushing the boundaries of sustainability and design. From traditional wisdom to the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence, this book delves into the transformative power of materials and their narratives.
Material Transformation is not just a book; it's an invitation to architects, researchers, and material designers to rethink and reimagine the possibilities of material use. Through detailed case studies, collaborative testbeds, and Al-enhanced research, this book reveals how materials can drive systemic change in industry and community contexts. Join us on this transformative journey and become a part of the conversation shaping the future of sustainable design. Dive into Material Transformation and discover how the materials of today can forge a more resilient and innovative tomorrow.
土作的文本 Narratives of Soil (英文書)
與土壤相處是一種極具謙卑之感的體驗。這種樸素的材料說出它來自的大地的故事。使用土壤作為材料構建的結構和物件吸納了它內在的意義，儘管這些意義經常被常態所忽略。在這個項目中，我們踏上了一段旅程，通過古老和新興從業者的視角，探索土壤豐富的詞彙。
這個研究集合由Wendy Teo和Eliza Collin在渡過疫情時期, 逐漸的智識交流中合作而生。這個研究項目的成果以多媒體方式呈現，包括一本出版的書、一系列podcast、四個研討會和兩個展覽。
The process of working with soil is a humbling one. The material narrates a lesson for all involved about their landscape. Building and objects that use soil take on its meaning. But often, the hegemony dictates that this meaning is humble and undignified. In this project, we are interested in exploring the vocabulary of soil through the eyes of ancient and emerging practitioners. Through comparative study we will get to see what soil can reveal to us, contextualising our landscape in relation to what it has been through. In this time when climate change is affecting the entire planet, global connections using familiar materials are important when exploring solutions.
婆羅洲美學實驗室 Borneo Laboratory(英文書)
《婆羅洲美學實驗室》一書精選了一系列藝術項目，這些項目旨在延伸和發展婆羅洲現有的文化敘事。該書基於四個創意焦點支柱——設計與製作、食物、記錄和表演藝術——展示了經驗豐富的從業者及其在各自領域中帶來的創新變化。它將帶領你通過他們的項目，經歷挫折與成功、合作與個人努力，以及從概念到完成的過程。通過這些，你將領略到當代婆羅洲的藝術與文化多樣性。
這本書是對我們之前的《婆羅洲藝術集體》出版物的進步，《婆羅洲藝術集體》介紹了婆羅洲個別文化從業者的展開故事。而這本《婆羅洲美學實驗室》則更多是對作者原創內容的探索，並以他們自己的話語來講述。
The Borneo Laboratory book is a selected palette of art projects, conceived and carried out with the goal of extending and developing Borneo’s existing cultural narrative. Built on four pillars of creative focus – Design and Make; Food; Documentation and the Performing Arts – it presents experienced practitioners and the innovative changes they conjured in their respective fields. It will take you through their projects, through setbacks and triumphs, through collaboration and individual endeavour, and from concept to completion. From these, you will encounter the diversity of arts and culture in the contemporary Borneo landscape.
This book represents a progression from our previous Borneo Art Collective publication, which featured the unfolding stories of individual cultural practitioners in Borneo. This Borneo Laboratory book, instead, is more an exploration of the original content of its authors, told in their own words.