The creation of ‘Indonesian–Malaysian’ culture-inspired terracotta vases

Residential houses in South East Asia, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, have unique forms and meanings that must be preserved in the present era. This article proposes that one method of doing so is to incorporate terracotta plant vases that combine local cultural ideas from Indonesia and Malaysia into the homes’ interior and exterior aesthetics. Aesthetic elements from both countries can be presented on the vases’ ornamentation. The vase creation process consists of the following steps: (1) exploring the source of ideas; (2) designing the terracotta vases; (3) processing the clay materials for the terracotta vases and creating vase forms and ornaments on the body of terracotta vases; (4) the firing process and (5) analysing the creations. This research presents examples of ornate terracotta vases that exhibit local cultural ideas inspired by the Malaysian Kelantan kite and the Garudeya story depicted on the Kidal Malang Indonesian temple relief.