Portraying Orang Ulu’s culture in Belaga, Sarawak through participatory art (interactive-video mapping-sound visualization)

Abstract

This study examines how Orang Ulu cultural heritage in Belaga, Sarawak, can be documented, interpreted, and re-presented through a participatory and practice-based immersive media framework. Adopting a qualitative design grounded in ethnographic inquiry and practice-based research, the study combined participant observation, audiovisual documentation, semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis, and creative translation across two phases of fieldwork. A total of 20 participants were involved in the fieldwork and consultation process, and 5 semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected participants. The findings identified four cultural domains as central to heritage representation in the study context: tekna oral storytelling, tattoo symbolism, sape music, and ngajat dance. These domains were not treated solely as cultural content, but as analytical and design-generative resources that informed the development of projection mapping, sound visualization, and the SiRi-ART mobile prototype. Qualitative observations across two exhibition sessions and informal stakeholder review suggest that immersive and mobile formats can support cultural accessibility, interpretive engagement, and intergenerational interest, although the evidence remains qualitative rather than statistically evaluative. The study contributes a culturally accountable workflow that links ethnographic documentation, thematic interpretation, participatory validation, and immersive media design. It further argues that the value of digital heritage initiatives depends not simply on technological innovation, but on sustained community involvement, interpretive clarity, and ethical representation.