Malacca - The glorious past comes to life vividly in the latest book in a series that seeks to preserve the nation‘s heritage for posterity.
After successfully collaborating on artistic coffee table books about Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak and Selangor, the Chin and Chen team – artist Chin Kon Yit and architect Chen Voon Fee – have done it again with their latest Malacca Sketchbook (ISBN 978-9814155694).
Chin‘s watercolour renditions capture the unique charm of Malacca‘s heritage while Chen has furnished brief but lucid explanations.
A standout feature is that the book goes beyond the usual tourists‘ sights – Stadthuys, Kampung Kling Mosque and Jonker Street – to buildings such as St Francis Institution, the small Sri Kailasanathar temple (in Kampung Gajah Berang) and a humble Portuguese Settlement home.
It also covers fantastic little gems outside Malacca town, such as the old penghulu‘s house at Merlimau, the former post office at Masjid Tanah and ramshackle Chinese wooden shops in Cincin.
All this serves to highlight that Malacca‘s heritage is, to borrow ecological terms, far richer in diversity than the mono-cultured cliche usually found in tourists‘ brochures.
Just as forests need the whole inter-supporting network of different plants and animals to thrive, Malacca too needs all these little bits and pieces to be a true cultural treasure.
After all, its bid to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site is not by virtue of having great monuments such as Borobudur or Angkor Wat, but by having that whole inter-locking fabric of “living history”
Malacca Sketchbook captures part of that with its depictions of traditional blacksmiths, craftsmen making bamboo and paper funeral offerings and trishamen.
A few more depictions of street life, say, the famous or chien (oyster omellete) hawker, the Indian news vendors (both along Jalan Bunga Raya) would have made the book a little more “alive”, as was done in the Penang Sketchbook (published in 2001).
This book focuses much more on architectural heritage rather than people and we get a romanticised, perhaps somewhat detached, look at the various buildings as they might appear on a very sleepy weekday in Malacca.
Nevertheless, this sketchbook is a valuable resource book for anyone who, after covering the usual places, wants to take a deeper look into Malacca.
For instance, it‘s fascinating to learn (in print and painting) how the priest‘s bungalow of St Peter‘s Church has elements from the Chinese and Malay worlds. And how a Malay house in Kampung Morten can have a Dutch-inspired roof. In short, in architectural terms, Malacca is truly a muhibbah melange.
Chin‘s interest in heritage stems from his childhood in the old town of Klang.
“I have fond memories of how we all used to play along the kaki lima (five-foot way),” he recalls.
Ten years ago, he began his paintings of historical buildings for the first Kuala Lumpur Sketchbook (published in 1998). And thus began a 10-year collaboration with heritage architect Chen (who was not available for an interview ) on artistic coffee table books of historical architecture under the Editions Didier Millet publishing label.
Since then, Chin and Chen have also worked on the Penang Sketchbook (2001), Landmarks of Selangor (2003) and Landmarks of Perak (2006).
Ten years ago, he was an artist. Now, Chin says he is also something of a architecture buff.
“I‘ve learnt so much about architectural heritage working with Chen. Talking to him is better than reading a book! When we go out on our field trips, Chen will really interview the people in the vicinity. Sometimes, he finds out that what‘s published in the tourist brochures is wrong!”
The experience of working on all the books has been pleasant, except for Kuala Lumpur.
“When we visited some kampung houses in Malacca, the owners were so nice and accomodating,” remembers Chin.
“Once they knew we were doing an art book they would say, ‘Oh sila, sila jemput masuk‘ (Oh please, please come in). But when I was painting in Petaling Street (KL), some people would rudely say, ‘Our hing dai kum datt hann (brother is so free) to do painting while we are ngai (toiling) to sell our fruits.‘”
Chin paints in the diluted “watercolour wash” style and has a meticulous eye for minute and filigreed designs, a patience honed from his training in the pointillist technique, which project the buildings in that sentimental “years gone by” mood.
“I use a 0.3mm technical pencil for the sketches as it can do very fine details. The lead is very slender and easily breakable. I have to apply just the right pressure ? it‘s like kungfu,” he smiles.
Chin celebrates what he calls “authentic” heritage, rather than “artificial” products created for tourism.
“The river should primarily be for the Malacca people. There used to be fishing boats going along the river but now they have been moved elsewhere,” he notes.
He also questions why Malacca now wants to mould itself into the “Venice of the East”
“Malacca is Malacca. It‘s like apples and oranges. You can‘t move Venice to Malacca. They are two different cultures,” he says.
“And why do we need a watchtower in downtown Malacca? You just need to walk up St Paul‘s Hill to see the view.”
n KL Sketchbook, there is a quote from Konrad Snigleski which goes: “A city with no old buildings is like a man with no memory.”
Chin believes that the government can further support heritage through education. This is not just through schools – the Malacca State Government and the National Heritage Department (as well as Hongkong Bank) sponsored Malacca Sketchbook.
“There is so much more scope for art books, whether by me or other artists. Terengganu and Kelantan are so rich with heritage and culture too.”
Chin laments that he has seen so many people, especially in the rural areas, who are more proud of having modern concrete homes rather than their traditional dwellings.
“I see this both in the Malay kampungs and the Chinese fishing villages. For them it‘s a sign of wealth.
“But for me, as an artist, it‘s so strange to see modern bungalows right smack in the middle of padi fields. I feel sad that people are not proud of their own (architectural) culture.”
“It‘s about respecting history. I hope we can do that.”
Source: thestar.com.my (14 Januari 2008)
