The 4th Borneo International Beads Conference, entitled "Stringing Past to Present", will be held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, between 9 and 11 October 2015. The bead culture of Sarawak, part of a greater Malaysian heritage, is rooted in centuries of tradition. An ancient maritime trading network linked Sarawak to the world; the beads most treasured today came from production centres on the Malay Peninsula, India, China, and even further afield. In the hands of Sarawak’s craftwomen and collectors, these masterpieces of the glassmaker’s art became intrinsically ‘Borneo Beads.’ The 4th Borneo International Beads Conference will feature several activities, including:

• Papers presented by leading bead researchers, printed in the BIBCo Journal 2015
• Beads Abuzz, the international bazaar
• Lamp Bead-making workshop
• Polymer clay beadmaking workshop
• Paper bead rolling workshop
• Natural fibre bead plaiting workshop
• Bead stringing workshop
• Eco-bead painting workshop
• Borneo indigenous bead-working techniques workshop
• Plus other bead technique demonstrations

A 3-day post-conference tour is also planned. The 4th Borneo International Beads Conference is organised by Crafthub, with support provided by the Sarawak State Government, the Sarawak Craft Council, the Sarawak Tourism Board, the Jabatan Muzium Sarawak, the Sarawak Convention Bureau, the World Crafts Council and the World Crafts Council - Asia Pacific Region. For additional information, please visit http://crafthub.com.my/?page_id=539