On a typical day in Medan Pasar behind Central Market, you’d find the usual colonial buildings, some restored shophouses, casual eateries, small traders and the landmark clock tower, its art deco façade giving us a glimpse of 1930s history.
But recently, passersby strolling through the pedestrianised Old Market Square could not have missed a colourful pop-up structure that has nothing to do with selling bubble tea or mobile phones. The installation, titled “Main-main media”, was part of the recently-concluded Urbanscapes 2019, an annual Malaysian creative arts festival spread across central Kuala Lumpur, bringing together creative communities from the fields of music, the arts, design, film and other creative disciplines.
At the same time, not far from Medan Pasar, a particular back alley near Petaling Street attracted visitors not just to see hidden old-world charms like pre-war buildings but also for an unusual, picturesque display of colourful strings and textiles.
The artists behind these two innovative, eye-catching pieces are Malaysian; they’re women (which is rare as installation artists are predominantly male), and they’re boldly using their artistic creativity and vision to engage with local audiences.
ART OF SUZY SULAIMAN
Oozing “creative director” vibes in her denim jacket and sneakers, Suzy Sulaiman looks far from the computer geek that she confesses to be. Her decision to specialise in new media art was probably the result of being so immersed in a digital environment.
“I play games, I’m on my phone and you’re always doing things on the computer so it’s that world,” reveals the artist from Klang who graduated in architecture. “But new media art is not new anymore. You’re holding digital gadgets in your hands; that media art has become so common.”
Suzy’s work isn’t necessarily all hi-tech. For Urbanscapes, she and her collaborator created an interactive playpark that redefines the concept of a play area. We all know how a conventional one works, but there’s more to consider.
She has been working on this unique idea for three years, based on a version that she saw in Japan which impressed her so much that she wanted to introduce it in Malaysia. Developed by her Japanese co-collaborator Daiya Aida, the original playpark is the result of his 7-year research into how children play and the idea of relearning play.
Made entirely of wood painted in a palette of pastels and light cheerful hues sponsored by Nippon Paint, there are two separate sections, one more suitable for toddlers while the other contains a unique ramp that allows kids to slide down it.
“Kids don’t explore new ways of playing a conventional seesaw so with this playground there are a couple of technologies embedded inside the ramps and the idea is for the children to find out what works and how. There are microphones, speakers, it records your voice. In a way, we want the children to look and be more observant of their environment,” elaborates this mother-of-one.
ACCESSIBLE AND ENGAGING
Featuring an unconventional design, the playpark is relatively small and contained because Suzy had to ensure that it didn’t become a major obstruction on the walkway at Medan Pasar. As I peruse photos of the installation, she adds: “If you notice, there’s no door entrance. I used diagonal wood to kind of deter adults from entering because you have to squeeze through the wood. It’s supposed to be for kids. By entering, you have to change the way you move. You have to bend, and that’s the whole point - that physical awareness that the playground creates.”
Suzy noticed that children were more careful than adults, such as when they’re sliding down the ramp slowly, whereas the grown-ups were a bit more gregarious. “I encountered a bit of a challenge because adults also want to play but weight-wise…” and she trails off laughing before confirming that some breakage did occur. “There are adults who want to engage with it but I didn’t calculate the weight for adults. Fair is fair. It’s public art.”
Another challenge that she faced was working on location. After spending two months in the workshop cutting lots of wood and basically creating all the components, she then moved to the site and practically lived there for a week to construct the playpark.
Besides the physically-tiring work and being exposed to the natural elements, she found that the area there “…has a lot of urban grain, like the homeless, drug addicts, and there was theft so you always have to watch your back as our tools are everywhere.”
This was most likely a scenario after dusk, after those working in the nearby offices, banks and retail spaces have left the vicinity. There is ongoing hope and concerted efforts by pro-heritage and culture communities to breathe another life into places like Medan Pasar, a precious remnant of Malayan history.
For Suzy, a social activist in her own way, she hopes that by creating temporary installations like her free-to-use playpark, families will consider coming to the area, rather than resorting to shopping malls that are filled with ways to quickly lose one’s salary. “Where do you hang out with your family if you don’t have that much money? Creating all these art installations gives options for the Malaysian public to experience something different,” she asserts.
As an artist who likes to explore ideas of art becoming more accessible to the public, Suzy also favours the public taking ownership of her pieces, allowing her to release it into society and detach herself from it.
Not the kind of artist that produces artwork which is meant only to be looked at, this part-time lecturer explains: “My work is supposed to be stepped on, touched, broken, repaired, because it’s supposed to be part of life.” If something from her installation breaks or comes undone, she has designed it so that anyone can make reparations easily.
“I always work with everyday objects, stuff that you can find in hardware stores,” she shares. Whether it’s a child who can re-attach an item that falls off or a shopping mall employee who can easily buy a replacement part, Suzy’s installations are made for all Malaysians and her concepts set out to help change Malaysian behaviour for the better.
ART OF HANISAH JOHARI (CONDIMENT STRINGS)
Wander around the backstreets of Chinatown and it’s very likely that you’ll stumble upon Kwai Chai Hong, which literally means Little Demon Lane in the Cantonese dialect. But there’s nothing for visitors to fear because this once-abandoned area is officially a new tourist attraction.
Its grubby and seedy past has been rejuvenated into a historical landmark where one can find old world charm. Restored shophouses and striking murals aside, Kwai Chai Hong at Lorong Panggung was the site of a temporary Urbanscapes art installation that helped to introduce a new aesthetic.
Design studio Condiment Strings transformed a pocket space, the end of an alley in fact, by showcasing the art of strings and cords through a colourful exploration of texture, dimension, and scale. The installation, titled B-Loom, incorporates various string art techniques such as macramé knotting and weaving, even cross-stitching and latch-hooking to create expressive and fluid forms.
Macramé artist Hanisah, who is one half of Condiment Strings (the other half is her husband Syahmi, an architectural designer) was thrilled when Urbanscapes invited them to be part of their installation event, sponsored by Nippon Paint. That sentiment still lights up her face as she shares her experience with me one morning in a café.
“I usually work with natural colours so working with vibrant colours is something very new to me. But I took it as a challenge. The materials I have are usually in natural colours so to get these colours for the installation, I incorporated strips of batik for some Malaysian identity and I explored different diameters of strings,” elaborates the mother of a toddler.
CUSTOMISED CREATION
The outdoor installation was made to be site-specific, meaning that it was customised for the corner space allocated while ensuring that the original character of the alley remained. The scaffolding structure was added by Condiment Strings after taking measurements and the whole art piece was arranged in a way that aligned with the building lines, such as back doors and old windows.
During a briefing by the Kwai Chai Hong Committee, Hanisah shares that the committee conveyed the importance of preserving the heritage and the architecture of the buildings. “They didn't want anything touching the walls and that's why we created an open “hut” where everything will be one magical space.”
It’s also the reason for adding a wire mesh on which floral string patterns could be weaved, giving the illusion from a distance that the art appears to be on the walls. All the string art took a month in the studio to craft, followed by two weeks on site to assemble all the pieces together on the scaffolding frame.
String art and macramé are still relatively new to Malaysians and this has spurred Hanisah to create more exposure about their versatility and creative applications. The former graphic designer enthuses: “Strings are very practical. Back then, sailors used strings to tie knots and started to create bracelets to create extra pocket money. Personally, I started by making bracelets too to give to friends.”
She discovered that her installation connected with visitors in different ways, motivating some to learn the techniques or giving some people a positive energy. For some, B-Loom triggered a sense of nostalgia. “When people came to my installation, they said it reminded them of their grandmother, of their childhood when they used to make this bracelet…” she says with a chuckle.
Her interest in macramé was ignited after searching for wedding decoration items online for her own wedding. Ever since establishing the studio, Hanisah has been busy conducting workshops, working on commissioned pieces, decorating wedding events and generally incorporating macramé into everyday products such as wall art, plant hangers or chairs.