24th GENERAL CONFERENCE OF ICOM - MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES 3-9 JULY MILAN ITALY

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1 - Penang State Museum Board, Malaysia / Director Short Bio: Graduated with a Diploma In Graphic Design and a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts from Mara University of Technology (UiTM) Shah Alam, Malaysia. Started off her career as a Graphic Designer in 1996, before joining Penang State Museum & Art Gallery in 2001 and was appointed as Senior Curator and Director in Haryany curated exhibitions like contemporary art and museum's collections. She has contributed articles in numbers of art publications and catalogues. She has conducted numbers of community based art and heritage project for schools and colleges with both local and international visual artists. She is one of the leading Public Art Panel Review appointed by State Government of Penang. Haryany presented her paper-works in curatorial and related topics not only in Penang but also internationally in Lucknow, India South Korea, and latest in Hanoi, Vietnam.

2 Abstract The competition was conceived not only as a way to solicit creative ideas to bring the heritage part of the city to meet with its UNESCO World Heritage status, but also to preserve and interpret it in tangle and intangible aspects. George Town has the largest collection of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia and an urban landscape that has been largely preserved since the 19th century and the city has the potentials that are associated with some of the admired old cities in Europe. George Town is known for its uniqueness, and peculiar mix of cultures that lived in such close proximity for so long. The outstandingly architectural designed buildings, houses a generations of inhabitants and their reserved ways of life that had continued since World War II. George Town has often been described as a living museum. The inevitable accent toward tourism and the effort to preserve an existing culture prompted the competition. The competition requires intimacy and empathy with the longings of the city and the reconciliation with expected new activities targeted toward consensual kind of regeneration. Attaining World Heritage Status is not the end of this narrative. Apart from having outstanding universal values (OUV), A Conservation Management Plan and Special Area Plan are currently being prepared to give awareness to the communities on how to sustain and preserve the landscape without endangering the authenticity. In addition, the networking and relationship between museum practitioners and the social role of museums in the heritage divisions are emerging. It is now a new role for the museum to disseminate knowledge of the historical and cultural heritage outside the museum s walls. Subsequently, there are 52 unique and comical illustrations in the form of iron rod sculptures is installed in the heritage zones since Core Text The purpose of this paper presentation is to highlight the role of street art in George Town as a creative innovation that introduces the rich history of the streets, and induce lively concept in the inner city of George Town. George Town is the Capital city of the State of Penang, Malaysia, located in the north-east of Penang Island and covers approximately km. It begins with first British Straits Settlement in the late 18 th Century and named after Britain's King George III. George Town was established in 1786 by Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British EIC, as a base for the company in the Malay States. The Site The historic centre of George Town is located in the north-east section of Penang Island and encompasses an area of roughly hectares. Promised as the lease from the Kedah 2

3 Sultanate to East India Company in the 18 th century, but forcibly taken by Captain Francis Light in 1786 before the agreement was formed, George Town consequently became the first administrative centre of the British Straits Settlements. Its role as an important port of call for ships plying the strategic Straits of Malacca has been instrumental in forming the diverse cultural fabric of the city. As merchants from all over the world came to trade, so did they bring with them their respective customs and ways of life which have taken root in the myriad expressions of the city. Today, these cultural footprints remain an indelible part of the cityscape, manifesting themselves in road names, places of worship, traditional trades, art-forms, architectural in styles and of course, the food. On 7 th July 2008, George Town and Melaka were listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Both cities are listed as Melaka and George Town: Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca under the cultural heritage category. The Vision The State Government of Penang aims to establish the historic city centre as the premier civic space that encourages innovation and creativity while respecting its historical significances as a vibrant and international trading town. The Objectives The idea of the competition is an invitation to think creatively on ways to mark the heritage zone as a distinct area within the larger city of George Town. The challenge is to explore innovative ideas in art and design for urban spaces and to foster relationships between people and art with long-term relevance. The Aims Its aim is to provide the heritage zone with a distinct and tangible identity, giving it a clear sense of place, as well as to articulate the multiple access points into the site. To provide points of engagement with local communities while encouraging the visitors to explore the heritage zone hence, influencing future design practices and policies in the heritage zone. The Context of the Competition The competition was organised by PAM Northern Chapter (Malaysian Institute of Architects). With timely for creative class becomes more than a bit-part player and offers the kind of change that would have an enormous bearing on the aesthetic future of the city. The competition was conceived as a way to solicit creative ideas to bring the heritage part of the city to meet with its UNESCO World Heritage stature. The competition 3

4 was set in a context: The heritage city has the largest collection of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia and an urban landscape that has been largely preserved since the 19th century. Since the removal of its free port status in 1969, the city had been in gradual decline, and with the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2000, there had been a gradual hollowing out of the city, although now, once dilapidated buildings are gradually finding new life. Those who are familiar with George Town could recognise gems within the urban decay that still plagues the city Hence George Town has often been described as a living museum. It is very likely that many of the old buildings would be converted to support an enhanced tourist industry and the State Government would be veered towards encouraging the success of this industry, bringing in new inhabitants who are connected to the hospitality industry. The city would self-organise around a new kind of economy that would have a global outlook about it. The inevitable accent toward tourism and making that work in a creative way in tandem with preserving an existing culture prompted the competition. It was a way of testing the waters and interrogating what the creative class could offer. The entries came from various parts of the country as well as internationally. The Entries It was a way of testing the waters and interrogating what the creative class could offer. The entries came from various parts of the country as well as internationally. The competition required an intimacy and empathy with the longings of the city and the reconciliation with expected new activities targeted toward a consensual kind of regeneration. Most of the shortlisted entries were careful about knitting minor interventions into the prevailing fabric without disrupting existing milieu. There was a historical understanding of George Town among the shortlisted entries and several of them included interactive light-hearted installations that are immanently removable. The shortlisted entry by Chord Studio of Australia which eventually obtained Honourable Mention proposed a comprehensive design based on three layers of interventions; from small to medium to large interventions. The small intervention was regarded as least intrusive, using wit to provide a historical narrative. Francis Light purportedly blasted gold coins inland from Fort Cornwallis for natives to speed up the clearing of land while searching for the gold coins. Chord Studio adopted the narrative to scatter metaphors of gold coins throughout the site, used as markers for landmarks. Coins would also be embedded in the main streets leading tourists from one landmark to another. Also included in the small interventions were regulated trishaws that would run at regular intervals along old tram tracks. Information kiosks set up at various locations were also regarded as small interventions. The winning scheme, entitled Voices from the People by Sculpture At Work, was one of the least intrusive among the entries, but one that provided a series of comic narratives throughout the site. The proposal included bands of blue markers to mark entrances to prominent streets made up of mosaic tiles, engaging wall-hanging installations that interact with the public, humorous wall sculptures made of iron rods that provide caricatures of memories of the streets, and floor plaques at the entrances of business premises made of cast cement. All of these would be replaceable and temporal, enabling the change of installations periodically as and 4

5 The Winner Out of the 40 submission within the country and from abroad Sculpture at Work triumphed with its design concept of Voices from the People. Subsequently, 52 unique and humorous illustrations in the form of iron rod sculptures were installed against the city s building walls. Significantly, the winning scheme by Sculpture At Work included pictures of common working class people like trishaw drivers at rest and their pursuit of recreational activities that included playing chess games at public areas; and among the intended new urban sculptures, the people become a part of them, bringing them to life. The fact that the winning entry showed how the inhabitants interact with the designers interventions inferred a genuine intention to retain the reason for the city being conferred its heritage in the first place its living heritage with genuine people participating in a genuine local economy. It encourages conservation in a holistic sense, which permeates through the physical structures to include the perpetuation of a living culture which focusing on the history, function and categories of street art based on literature synthesis. The Impact A situational analysis based on the last two years of the market overview (2014 & 2015), the main purposes of visit to Penang are mainly for leisure purposes or visiting friends or for its culture & heritage sites with a percentage of 10.0 % in 2014, whereas in 2015 it has increased to 16.1%. Meanwhile, the average length of stay for international tourist is 12 days, whereas domestic tourist is 6 days. Majority of visitors spend less than a week in Penang. Tourist activities includes visitors to engage in a wide range of tourism activities for example experiencing local food, shopping, visiting historical sites, museum/art gallery and sightseeing in the city where the percentage is 29.6 % in 2014 and has increased to 32.2 % in Penang is best known for its world heritage site where the percentage has gone up to 43.2 % in 2015 compared to 41.2% in Not forgetting local cuisine, safe destination, multicultural society and its shopping paradise. Tourism attracts people into an area of exceptional history, beauty and grandeur. Hence, it means an inflow of people that includes tourists, investors/entrepreneurs, artisans and job opportunity. Besides increasing quantity and quality of tourists, it s a positive Social-Culture. The focus on George Town is not just its UNESCO World Heritage site but on its intended consequence of celebrating the city s living heritage. Heritage awareness helps local people to understand the past so they can connect with the present and share identity that permits them to face the challenges of the future together. 5

6 The Community a. The Income Jobs range from tour guiding and providing local transport services, hospitality, catering, cafes and selling souvenirs, independent galleries, are among the primary (direct) jobs created by the industry. There are now more than 300 licensed Tour Guides in the George Town area, but their job is seasonal. Community Participation includes Community based tourism activities Development of Tourism Infrastructure that Benefits Residents Preserving the Living Cultural Landscape Developing a Sustainable Tourism Framework Sustaining Tourism Growth b. The Economic Impacts The tourism industry brings both positive economic benefits as well as negative impacts to host communities. On the positive side, the industry creates jobs for the local communities, provides additional income for local stakeholders and attracts investment for tourism-oriented enterprises. However, the jobs created are usually seasonal in nature, which highlights the issue of job security and sustainability. The Future of George Town Attaining World Heritage Status is not the end of our narrative. Apart from having Outstanding Universal Values (OUV), world heritage cities should also meet the test of authenticity, i.e. the sense and form of a historical district that can remain with acceptable complementary changes. A Conservation Management Plan and Special Area Plan are currently being prepared as part of the requirement of the World Heritage Committee. If we fail to meet World Heritage standards, the status of George Town as a World Heritage City can be revoked. Summary Street art was raised up from the ashes of World War II for political issue. But after the decades, the application of street art has changed, that has been used for adorning the urban as furniture of the city. George Town is a good example of using the street art. George Town has tried to present its culture and history to tourists by using the street art, moreover, has induced a sense of wit to this old heritage. Street arts in George Town make the walking enjoyable and fun. Moreover, it creates cultural awareness and aesthetic appreciation to the local community. Like other elements of the city, use of street art needs more research and attention to be effective. 6

7 REFERENCES: [1] Young, A., Crime and the Urban Imagination: Law, Crime and the Urban Imagination. [2] Marajh, T., Stealing a look on your way to life: public art and the relationship to landscape architecture, [22] Ngiom, L.T., Penang Transitions and Rifle Range Renewal Competitions, pp: [23] Tye, T., George Town Steel Rod Sculptures, [Online]. Available: [Accessed: 11-Jan-2014]. [24] Government, P.S., Street Art in George Town [brochure]. Georgetown, Penang, State Tourism Bureau [30] Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang, Penang street art, Seyedehelham Sadatiseyedmahalleh, Suraiyati Rahman and Aldrin Abdullah, Critical Review on the Role of Street Art of George Town, Pulau Pinang. Adv. Environ. Biol., 9(4), ,