The photo above gives us the impression of Old Kuala Lumpur back in the days, when Kuala Lumpur was slowly developing from the birth of the tin mining town.
Photo Source : http://rage.com.my/content/stories/jalan-sultan-photowalk/
Many of us may not know or take a close
notice of the streets that make and surround Petaling Street. If you're
frequent traveler to Central Market and Petaling Street, you may have come
across numerous construction sites nearby Jalan Sultan as well Jalan Tun Tan
Cheng Lock, Jalan Petaling and also Jalan Tun H.S Lee. For instance
the old UDA building has been torn down recently.
The reason behind this new construction is the development of the new
MRT stations that are suppose to benefit the people of Kuala Lumpur. However,
despite many protests of building the MRT station on the main road in front of
Petaling Street, the government still feels fit to tear down historical
buildings in the old kuala lumpur area in the name of progress.
In response to this outcry, the UCSI
University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment held an exhibition
highlighting the architecture, culture and routine of old Kuala Lumpur that
will be severely affected or destroyed in the wake of this new MRT project. The
exhibition, entitled Portraits of Old Kuala Lumpur was held from first to third
December 2012, at the Kwong Siew Association 168, Jalan Tun H.S Lee. The exhibition was
the
brain child of UCSI University’s architecture lecturer Ar. Chia Lin
Lin and was assisted by lecturers Ms. Sukhjit Kaur Sidhu and Ms.
Angelyn Tan 'G' Ling, and the students of the School of Architecture and the Built
Environment.
“Jalan Sultan is not only the history of Chinese community and business, but the history of Malaysia,"
quoted by heritage and history researcher Teoh Chee Keong.
Ar. Chia Lin Lin on behalf of UCSI
University gave the opening ceremony speech and thanked the Kwong Siew
Association for the venue and full assistance in bringing the exhibition to
life. She talked about the small and precious moments and activities that make
Old Kuala Lumpur unique and how each and every corner that still lives on from
the past is truly important to the future of the country.
She also stressed on the importance of
an architect creating new development that responds to the needs of local
communities rather than completely disregarding them.
"Designers are to design what is
important to the people," Ar. Chia Lin Lin.
Ms. Sukhjit Kaur Sidhu who was the master of ceremony that ensured the smooth flow of the opening ceremony without flaws.
Later the event was officiated by Y.B
Fong Kui Lun who also expressed his concerns on the
destruction of Old Kuala Lumpur and the disintegration of the local
communities.
Y.B Fong Kui Lun mentioned
that Kuala Lumpur has over 155 years of history that reflects back the time of
our forefather Kapitan Yap Ah Loy developing
the early stages of Kuala Lumpur.
It was also the place for conference of leaders from around the nation and the
driving force that gave us Kuala Lumpur as it is today.
Y.B also expressed his
concerns that the MRT project may affect the schools around the area such as the SJKC Jalan Davidson,
Methodist Boys' School and Victoria Institution as the students of the schools may have difficulties accessing the
buildings and noise from the construction projects may affect their attention
in classes.
On behalf of UCSI University, tokens of appreciation were given to
both the honorary guest Y.B Fong Kui Lun and the
Khong Siew Association.
Support from the local communities and students.
The exhibition showcased numerous drawings,sketches and photos of old Kuala Lumpur communities done by students from UCSI University School of Architecture and the Built Environment.
Portraits and Sketches
Yellow sticky notes were given to visitors and local communities to "post on wall" of their experience in old Kuala Lumpur areas from Shin Kee Beef Noodles Specialist to the Fried Potato Uncle.
The Petaling Street Neighbourhood Map
Light hearted moment when visitors reminiscence their past and shared funny incidents that occurred with the younger generations.
Student's Work and Relief Model
The design studio 4 works
done by Eric Poh, Saw Yi Yin, Lim Jia Pey and Tan Kwon Chong that required them to design a budget hotel for tourist
accommodation around old Kuala Lumpur that takes local culture and heritage
into consideration.
100 Images of Old Kuala Lumpur
Photographs on the wall were collected by Ar. Chia Lin Lin and her team, Lim Wen Jian, Tan Kwon Chong and Choo Hui Yee for over a year ! Thousands of photographs were snapped and the best 100 images were selected for the exhibition.
Talk about dedication and commitment.
The exhibition was enlightening and has instilled an important message onto our mind that we should always remember our roots and treasure our heritage.
Remember old Kuala Lumpur.
Photographs of the exhibition courtesy of Ayrton Brandon from UCSI University.
