Comic take on local history a tourism boost to heritage site
FIFTY-two witty steel rod caricatures now welcome visitors who are strolling around the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.
Among the new funny works that have compelled people to stare at the wall is the ‘Too Salty’ sculpture at Green Hall.
Spotted giggling while she was snapping a picture of herself on her smartphone, Lim Lee Ying, 16, said the sculpture with the witty ‘Dei... cut down on salt! Hair thinning... dah?’ chat bubble, caught her attention.
The sculpture explains the salt trading activities there in the old days as the Tamils refer to Green Hall as “Uppukaran Teru” or Salt Traders’ Street.
“I was walking to the bus stop nearby when I saw the sculpture. I snapped a photo to show my dad who is paranoid about losing his hair yet he loves salty food,” she said yesterday.
Another interesting piece is ‘Spy’ in Lebuh Cintra, depicting the area’s risque reputation.
Just can't resist: Tourists are attracted to the sculpture 'Double Role' in Chulia Street Ghaut.
The speech bubble explains how up until 1909, the police doubled as George Town's firefighters.
The presence of Japanese camera shops there led many to suspect that it was a hub for covert spying activities in the early 20th century.
Holidaymaker K. Rajoo, 42, from Johor, said the sculptures were an interesting way to educate the public about local history.
“It is better than reading about the past from a booklet and the language is colloquial, which makes it funny,” he said, adding that the sculptures lacked publicity.
“Its’ a pity because when I asked the hotel receptionist what are the must-see attractions, she never told me about these sculptures,” he said.
While the ‘Chingay’ sculpture in Pengkalan Weld pays tribute to the gravity-defying art form first performed here in 1919 during deity processions, the ‘Temple Day’ installation in Muda Lane depicts how the more-than-two-century-old Goddess of Mercy Temple is always packed with devotees during the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month.
Educational: A student having a closer look at the humorous 'Too Salty' in Green Hall, Penang. The sculpture explains the history of the place and its significance to the community.
The birthplace of Ahmad Rashid Talu in Lumut Lane, the first person to write an original Malay novel with a local setting and local characters, is marked with the “Born Novelist” sculpture.
The five are among 27 new ones that were put up recently.
The other new ones are Cannon Hole (Cannon Street), Main Street (Chulia Street), Kandar (Lebuh Ah Quee), Double Role (Chulia Street Ghaut), Yeoh Only (Chulia Street Ghaut), Rotan (Lebuh Chulia), Beca (Chulia Lane), Mahjong (Stewart Lane), Gold Teeth (Queen Street), Quiet Please (Church Street), High Counter (Carnarvon Street), Then & Now (Armenian Street), Shorn Hair (Sungai Ujong Road), Budget Hotels (Chulia Street), Gedung Rumput (Queen Street), No More Red Tape (Transfer Road), Retail Paradise (Campbell Street), Ironsmith (Tok Aka Lane), Pilgrims (Acheen Street Ghaut), Roti Benggali (Lebuh King), Ah Quee? (Lebuh Ah Quee) and Duck (Lorong Che Em).
‘Sculpture At Work’ spokesman Vincent Leong said the company finished installing a total of 52 sculptures two months ago.
Made using steel rods coated with special paint to prevent rust, the concept of the sculptures was inspired by the voices of the people.
The sculptures were erected at various heritage spots in the city under the ‘Marking George Town’ project to create awareness about the historical and cultural identity of the local sites in the city.
Among the creative cartoonists involved were Baba Chuah, Lefty Julian Kam, Reggie Lee and Tan Mun Kian. The total cost of the project was RM1mil.
A Kuala Lumpur-based company ‘Sculpture At Work’ won the ‘Marking George Town – An Idea Competition’ for a Unesco World Heritage Site’ contest in April, 2010.
This is for designing the sculptures.
The other sculptures, Narrowest Five Foot Way, Win-Win Situation, Kopi ‘O’, No Plastic Bag, Property, Untrained Parakeet, Mr Five Foot Way, Wrong Tree, Where’s My Husband?, Limousine, Waterway, Escape, Bullock Cart Wheel, Cow and Fish, Labourer to Trader, One Leg Kicks All, Too Hot, Jimmy Choo, Same Taste Same Look, 3 Generations, Ting Ting Thong, Rope Style, Procession, Tok Tok Mee and Too Narrow have been drawing attention since they were put up in stages three years ago.
~News courtesy of The Star~
FIFTY-two witty steel rod caricatures now welcome visitors who are strolling around the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.
Among the new funny works that have compelled people to stare at the wall is the ‘Too Salty’ sculpture at Green Hall.
Spotted giggling while she was snapping a picture of herself on her smartphone, Lim Lee Ying, 16, said the sculpture with the witty ‘Dei... cut down on salt! Hair thinning... dah?’ chat bubble, caught her attention.
The sculpture explains the salt trading activities there in the old days as the Tamils refer to Green Hall as “Uppukaran Teru” or Salt Traders’ Street.
“I was walking to the bus stop nearby when I saw the sculpture. I snapped a photo to show my dad who is paranoid about losing his hair yet he loves salty food,” she said yesterday.
Another interesting piece is ‘Spy’ in Lebuh Cintra, depicting the area’s risque reputation.
Just can't resist: Tourists are attracted to the sculpture 'Double Role' in Chulia Street Ghaut.
The speech bubble explains how up until 1909, the police doubled as George Town's firefighters.
The presence of Japanese camera shops there led many to suspect that it was a hub for covert spying activities in the early 20th century.
Holidaymaker K. Rajoo, 42, from Johor, said the sculptures were an interesting way to educate the public about local history.
“It is better than reading about the past from a booklet and the language is colloquial, which makes it funny,” he said, adding that the sculptures lacked publicity.
“Its’ a pity because when I asked the hotel receptionist what are the must-see attractions, she never told me about these sculptures,” he said.
While the ‘Chingay’ sculpture in Pengkalan Weld pays tribute to the gravity-defying art form first performed here in 1919 during deity processions, the ‘Temple Day’ installation in Muda Lane depicts how the more-than-two-century-old Goddess of Mercy Temple is always packed with devotees during the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month.
Educational: A student having a closer look at the humorous 'Too Salty' in Green Hall, Penang. The sculpture explains the history of the place and its significance to the community.
The birthplace of Ahmad Rashid Talu in Lumut Lane, the first person to write an original Malay novel with a local setting and local characters, is marked with the “Born Novelist” sculpture.
The five are among 27 new ones that were put up recently.
The other new ones are Cannon Hole (Cannon Street), Main Street (Chulia Street), Kandar (Lebuh Ah Quee), Double Role (Chulia Street Ghaut), Yeoh Only (Chulia Street Ghaut), Rotan (Lebuh Chulia), Beca (Chulia Lane), Mahjong (Stewart Lane), Gold Teeth (Queen Street), Quiet Please (Church Street), High Counter (Carnarvon Street), Then & Now (Armenian Street), Shorn Hair (Sungai Ujong Road), Budget Hotels (Chulia Street), Gedung Rumput (Queen Street), No More Red Tape (Transfer Road), Retail Paradise (Campbell Street), Ironsmith (Tok Aka Lane), Pilgrims (Acheen Street Ghaut), Roti Benggali (Lebuh King), Ah Quee? (Lebuh Ah Quee) and Duck (Lorong Che Em).
‘Sculpture At Work’ spokesman Vincent Leong said the company finished installing a total of 52 sculptures two months ago.
Made using steel rods coated with special paint to prevent rust, the concept of the sculptures was inspired by the voices of the people.
The sculptures were erected at various heritage spots in the city under the ‘Marking George Town’ project to create awareness about the historical and cultural identity of the local sites in the city.
Among the creative cartoonists involved were Baba Chuah, Lefty Julian Kam, Reggie Lee and Tan Mun Kian. The total cost of the project was RM1mil.
A Kuala Lumpur-based company ‘Sculpture At Work’ won the ‘Marking George Town – An Idea Competition’ for a Unesco World Heritage Site’ contest in April, 2010.
This is for designing the sculptures.
The other sculptures, Narrowest Five Foot Way, Win-Win Situation, Kopi ‘O’, No Plastic Bag, Property, Untrained Parakeet, Mr Five Foot Way, Wrong Tree, Where’s My Husband?, Limousine, Waterway, Escape, Bullock Cart Wheel, Cow and Fish, Labourer to Trader, One Leg Kicks All, Too Hot, Jimmy Choo, Same Taste Same Look, 3 Generations, Ting Ting Thong, Rope Style, Procession, Tok Tok Mee and Too Narrow have been drawing attention since they were put up in stages three years ago.
~News courtesy of The Star~
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