Sustaining comfort practices 31Typically attached to the ceiling and composed of palm fronds or a cloth-covered
wooden frame, the punkah fan would be operated by a human operator of
“wallah” via pulleys and ropes. Now regarded as one of the iconic images of
British colonialism, the punkah spread to other parts of Southeast Asia, and even
as far as the houses and offices of nineteenth-century plantation owners in the
southern states of America (Connors 2002; Gontar 2009). Electrification in Asia
led to the installation of mechanical punkah and early versions of the electric fan
familiar today. While the precise pathways taken by the different technologies
of fanning across different societal contexts in Asia is difficult to track and
scope for worthy further research, it has remained ever present in the practice of
maintaining bodily comfort. Whether designed to provide comfort at the scale of
the individual or the room, fans intended for the hand, desktop, floor-standing,
or ceiling represent energy-efficient alternatives to electronic air conditioning
(see, for example, Big Ass Fans 2015). But crucially, their effectiveness stems in
part from the material combinations within which they are used. It has long been
understood, for example, that the design of furniture has a notable impact on the
degree to which comfort can be physiologically achieved and sensed.
To cite just one example, there is a long tradition across various parts of Asia
of seating designed around slats and meshes, facilitating a through flow of air and
the efficient dissipation of heat away from the body (Figure 2.4). One particularly
noteworthy design was the “Planter’s Chair”, various versions of which became
popular across the Caribbean, southern United States, as well as the European
Figure 2.4 Climate responsive furniture and fans, Melaka, Malaysia
Photo by Tim Winter