Dora Jok

Biography

Dora has been working at Sarawak Museum since 2010. Her first responsibility was in Administration and Finance until 2016 when she moved to Ethnology and Collection Management. It is estimated that Sarawak Museum has 25,000 ethnographical objects ranging in material and size and all very significant to the culture of the people of Sarawak. Dora has found that there are gaps in information on museum’s objects at Sarawak Museum and as a result the documentation of ethnographical objects is Dora’s main priority in her role. As information is collected and documented Dora has begun sharing the stories of objects with the public and she has also been involved in the enhancement of the online collection database.

Dora is also responsible for moving 1000 objects from the Ethnology Gallery in Kuching to a storage facility while the gallery is closed for refurbishment. Her tasks include photographing, cleaning, fumigating, packing and recording. In her new role she has enjoyed curating two small exhibitions on heads and ethnic fine art. Dora will also be working on the storage plan for the new Sarawak Museum.

Aside from her work responsibilities Dora is studying for a PhD part-time at the local university. Her study is on the epic in oral tradition in Sarawak. She hopes this PhD will make the beauty of Sarawak literature known outside of Borneo.

At the British Museum
During her time on the International Training Programme in 2016, Dora was based in the Department of Asia and her partner placement was spent at Glasgow Museums.

Dora’s exhibition project proposal was entitled Sacred ink: connecting heaven and earth in Borneo.

Dora’s place on the International Training Programme was generously supported by Sarawak Museum.

Legacy Projects
In December 2017 Dora attended the ITP+ course on Photography and Documentation. In a series workshop, spread over a 5 day period, fellows attended seminars, creative workshops, hands-on sessions and practical working groups with colleagues from the British Museum. The aim of the course was to further the professional development and reconnect the alumni from the summer programme.