Recovering the Arts and Culture Sector in Ipoh Via Pride #3
Dato’ Tahwil Azhar Food Court in Ipoh, also known as Children’s Playground, is now given a new life since the emergence of the Light Project which is an extension of the Art In The City programme.
Executive Councillor for Housing, Local Government and Tourism, Dato’ Nolee Ashilin binti Dato’ Mohammed Radzi said the Light Project is an initiative to enliven the Ipoh town based on the concepts of arts, heritage and culture.
“Dato’ Tahwil Azhar Food Court was selected as the site for the project due to its reputation as a nostalgic location for Ipohites since its establishment in the 70s.
“The cooperation between Think City and Ipoh City Council (MBI) in developing the Light Project provides inspiration to recover the arts and culture sector post COVID-19 and revive the national creative economy,” she said during a media conference after officiating the project at Dato’ Tahwil Azhar Food Court yesterday.
Present were Mayor, Dato’ Rumaizi Baharin@Md Daud; MBI Council Member, Abu Bakar Haji Hussian; City Secretary, Ahmad Munir Ishak; Chairperson of My Creative Ventures Sdn Bhd, Noor Azmi Mat Said and Director of Program Think City Sdn Bhd, Daniel Lim.
The Light Project is an art installation of Perakean Liu Cheng Hua who was selected for the Pride #3 Project following the Art In The City programme by the Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA), as well as the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia (KKMM) in collaboration with Think City.
Meanwhile, Mayor, Dato’ Rumaizi Baharin @ Md Daud said the Pride #3 resulted from Liu’s series of creations titled “Pride of the Portrait” which began in 2010 and were inspired by clock towers in Perak.
“Ipoh is among the five cities selected as partners under the Art In The City 2021 programme last November. This programme is under planning to be extended till this year. We want to make Ipoh a city of arts to empower arts enthusiasts and improve this sector of tourism.
“A total of nine towers are selected for the installation using glass blocks and LED lights powered fully by solar energy to display the digital paintings of the towers.
“This concept is Liu’s interpretation as an artist when experiencing the world during the pandemic as though time stopped and everyone felt trapped. However, the rays of light symbolise elements providing guidance and hope for all lives,” he said.
Art In The City was held from October 14 till December 28. Various interesting programmes of the arts were held including forums, classes, dialogues, product launches, festivals and exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur and several other states. It was among the efforts of the 2021 Budget under the National People’s Well-Being and Economic Recovery Package (PEMULIH).
Rosli Mansor
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