Chop Yang Hilang

Name : Chop Yang hilang (the missing "chop")
Theme : Still life
Media : Watercolour on paper
Size : 59.4 x 42.0 cm
Painted by : Fadzlan Rizan Johani

Year made : 5 October 1997

Edition : Original
Status : belong to Johani Md. Zain (LINK)

Description:

"Chop" is a Malay Village traditional sharp pointed metal put on a hardwood and used to peel out the coconut skin. When the skin is peel out then only the coconut could be cut into two and abstract of coconut.

However "Chop Yang Hilang" (the missing "chop") is reflecting the missing "chop" in the picture. As you can see the only part left on the traditional simple machine is the hardwood where the "chop" should be.

Around this equipment were a lot of coconuts. All the coconuts are old and dry. Some of the coconut even grow on one tree and soon will produce more coconuts. Without the "chop" these coconut could not be processed and left to rot.

Right on the top of the picture is a few bricks left abandon. The amount of bricks laying around don't seem enough to build a house thus left useless.

In simple chronology the "chop" is represents scenario of losing someone who are very important for us or in society. The important person might be our father or mother, our boss, our teacher, our prime minister or simply our beloved one.

There is someone in our life that we need so much and depend on to turn us into useful person. Our parents are important figure who bring us up to become "Insan" (good people). The great teachers are those who teach us vast knowledge as part of preparing us for the real world. With our best skills and knowledge we'd then be discovered by our bosses. Even in the context of a country a strong Prime Minister is needed to use all the necessary resources (labour, materials, land, etc) in order to build up a country.

Without these important figure, "chop" in our life the transformation might not be possible. It would be a devastating lost and we would not be able to discover our best potentials hidden beneath our mind which is the main ingredient of the recipe for improving our life and others. The country could not be built if the people lost their country's visionary and unable to take part in building it. Lastly, we may be dependent to stand on our own but then there are plenty of instances where one loses oneself (represented by losing "chop") once he lost his mind and trapped between reality and fantasy hence become insane.