WANTED: Someone to restore Arteri and give it 2nd life. Interested? Email: mail.sharonchin.com
The moment has arrived. At 10pm tonight, Pudu Jail wall comes down.
Last night, a group of artists organized a mass funeral for the historical site. A poignant, perhaps futile gesture. But truly, the time and opportunity for active resistance had passed. For me, the sense of loss comes from wishing that I had had more time to find out about what Pudu Jail really means. I wanted to be able to do it in my own time, but I now realize the complex forces that drive development are moving fast and they’re not going to wait for me.
Could we have done more to preserve this building? Maybe yes, maybe no. The funeral was an apt gesture to mark the fact that we still have a lot to lose before we figure out what we want to keep.
What are funerals if not rituals that allow the living to mourn the dead? We let go, and move on.
(SC)
Soon to be another Times Square?
Watched over by that sinister warning, we attempt to light a candle in the carpark next to the jail.
A small crowd had gathered at the front entrance. Many motorists who passed by tooted their horns – in support, I hope!
Wong Eng Leong An artist (**corrected twice 22.06.10 – SC) Chong Keat Aun doing a performance that involved breaking ceramic bowls.
Debris.
Artists getting the crowd involved to fold chinese prayer paper into gold ‘ingots’.
We saw a raggedy national flag hanging from one of the posts above the entrance.
That pile grew within less than 20 minutes! I’m a bit of a pyromaniac so I started getting excited.
Rahmat Haron performing ‘Connect Disconnect’ at the base of one of the watchtowers.
Cutting himself free.
Oh yes!
Burn! Burn! Burn! So cathartic.
As the fire dies down, the crowd helps themselves to candles and walks to the other side of the jail.
A graf artist (check out the hoodie and cap) does some poetic last minute tagging. ‘Wreck in Pieces 1895 – 2010’ it says.
We light candles all along the far side of the jail wall.
Gathering to hear Hishamuddin Rais speak some last words for Pudu Jail. Buddhist and Christian leaders are also present to offer their prayers.
On the way back, the fire has gone out. All is ashes.
Can’t resist lighting a few more candles.
Lastly, here is a short video of Hisham Rais asking us all to say a small prayer in our own language for Pudu Jail.
~
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I don’t see why the wall had to be desecrated if the intention was to get it to be preserved. Was that “Wreck in pieces” written on the side to be demolished??? NO, it was written on the side of Jln Hang Tuah. Leaving the prayer paper burning in front of the entrance was throwing caution to the wind, as an accident could have easily occurred.
What about the broken ceramics?? Was it cleared before the crowd left. That happens to be a well-used & busy pedestrianway during the day. IF someone stumbles and falls there, their injury could be made worse by the broken ceramic.
By all means, show your protest against the development, but such a shame, when good intentions leave irresponsible trails. I hope the mess was cleared with the crowd that made it.
你这么确定那个表演者是 Wong Eng Leong吗?
很抱歉，昨晚我迟到了……
喜欢在arteri讲鸟话的人真不少！
打破瓷碗的表演者并不是Wong Eng Leong.请查询清楚才报道。
搞错了，表演者并不是我，请纠正，谢谢。
Hi Chang Hwang, Li and Eng Leong,
Thanks for pointing out my mistake.
Have made temporary corrections.
If you know the artist’s name who performed, please leave a comment here.
Much appreciated.
Sharon
The artist is Chong Keat Aun.
Final corrections have been made.
Apologies for the mistake, the artist was wearing a mask that night.
Thanks Yeoh from Lost Gen for clarification.
Sharon
Seems like the Monday crowd during the actual demolition was much bigger, spontaneous and vibrant.
see “WE THE PEOPLE… The demolition of Pudu Jail” by Fatbidin.TV at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUosI6lkykw&feature=player_embedded
If only we could find out if the happening on Monday was somehow, or somewhat encouraged, provoked by the Sunday funeral, then we could go on to think about the possibility or receptibility of social mobilisation through art (form/festival).
There were some radio discussions (English and Mandarin stations)on Monday morning, as well as internet , blogs, twitts, FB notes and printed news report. Wonder if they were aware of the funeral?
Somehow watching these artists do their thing again and again at every opportunity that calls for art and activism, there’s a feeling that they are never really committed or sincere in their action. It all seems like a facile wayang in the name of art. How many of them were back there on Monday to witness the demolition. After this, they will move on to another issue, hopping from one to another without really reflecting on what are the causes they truly champion. It gets tiring after you see this a few times. If they truly want to affect change they should be thinking ahead, working with various heritage bodies to create works that can help salvage our memory of KL. This rash gesture is simply just rash. It is urgent but ineffectual in the long run.
Hmm Chance, maybe we can see the artists actions being akin to mercenary troops/guerrilla soldiers/terrorist who are mobile, quick, and adaptable in their strikes. Very courageous and expressive bunch but pretty much ineffective in the long run. Without strong leadership or any compromise with mainstream forces, Al Qaida /outsiders/Avant-Garde cannot offer any viable alternatives in this complex globalized planet of 9 billion.
On the other hand, a standing army/ professional soldier is slow to deploy but has more impact on an enemy because of their quantity, coordinated and planned actions, and use of technology.
People in the ad industry, graphic designers, media, or commercial film production typically work like the standing army. Superior in many ways but often lacking true passion/humanity as their work often conforms to orders from above.
Creative people can be the warriors of peace and real progress. Malaysia is lacking geniuses who can fight successfully in both style and lead both sides. This is just a metaphor. Things are actually more complex and fractured certainly. I do sense that even without great leadership, there are more bridges between two sides compared to the artist/designer schism of previous generations thanks to the connectivity of new media.
“This rash gesture is simply just rash. It is urgent but ineffectual in the long run.”
这家伙的口气，三分像法官，七分像先知，放起屁来果真十分臭！一笑。
Hey is there a reason why the Chinese community is especially interested in Pudu Jail?
Is there special meaning to it that we PJ/damansara kids arent aware of?
Hey AC,
So naughty and divisive-lah. Are you suggesting that only Chinese community cares more about Pudu Jail, old buildings, or such purported heritage/historical places? Whereas PJ/Damansara kids don’t?
BTW, do you mean PJ/Damansara kids and chinese community are two mutually excluding groups of people?
no arh, i dont mean it in bad way, but this thread has more words i cant read than the usual threads.
of course there are subtle differences between PJ and Damansara groups, like maybe an analogy using local art terms, they are like VW and Wei Ling, both atas but quite different.
Or in banana terms, a Montel and a Cavendish.
…which is actually the same thing!
Such is the complexity of Klang Valley sub cultural/regional groups.
Perhaps it’s because the Chinese community live closer to the Pudu vicinity and has thus developed a nostalgia for the jail? Many of the PJ damansara kids I spoke to describe the jail as an eyesore… which riled me up little but ultimately i thought this cannot be dismissed as uncaring… they are just unsentimental about it. The jail wasn’t made to be looked beautiful anyway.
So you have two groups of Chinese that want very different things for Malaysia, perhaps one to hold on to a past to reclaim their sense of place, a history and identity within this land and the other who wants to hurtle forward into a future where race doesn’t matter that much anymore as long as you’ve enough Starbucks (money is leveling to a certain extent, look at how muhibbah Bangsar is!) to do away with racial differences.
On another note, while watching Fat Bidin’s video, I was a bit disgusted by those protesters who were there acting all self righteous and mocking at the contractors for tearing the building down. This disgust is equally matched by Rais Yatim’s statement that the jail does not qualify as heritage because one of the criteria is that heritage buildings have to be ‘tasteful’.
– 放起屁来果真十分臭！一笑。
Tell me then, Cai. What sort of change will they affect? Are they going to continue championing this issue? Will they initiate research and art projects that will memorialise the jail for future generations? Or perhaps, create something abiding? What impact does this event has on the wider public other than a few news report that people probably just glance through? What happens next? Are the artists going to move on to another issue? Show me how useful it is to break ceramic bowls and burn paper gold ingots for Pudu Jail and I’ll laugh about my own fart.
Art is useless and pointless.
That we make useless and pointless things sets us apart from functional machines :P
不止会挑，还真能讲，佩服佩服！
如果老百姓个个都如此了得如此深明大义，你说那些喜欢搞东搞西的艺术工作者活着还有什么意义？真的，有能力领导群众践履社会改革运动者非你莫属——该流点汗了！
呵呵～
老马说马来人（政治）如今已分裂成三派，所以不幸成了“弱势群体”。
马莱西亚华人从来都是一盘散沙，岂可能仅仅是划为两派而已？
深入一点认识华人，你就知道华人老早就东西南北走遍整个地球了，并非什么左派右派，抑或受中文教育者跟受英文教育者那样单调啦！
讲个笑话，媒体上常报导说，经过三〇八以后，华人已分成支持国阵者和不支持国阵者两大块，你相信吗？
听你的语气，觉得你才是真正的领导者。请好好的重骂这些人,別让他们在这里为非作歹.
太过分了!!!!!
ARGH!
尊贵的您啊！请抱着您的猫咪乘着潜水艇到全国各地把艺术家那鸡手鸭脚搞东搞西无所贡献的社会人渣全部捉起来关进监牢里然后偷偷炸掉吧！
[…] mass funeral was organized by artists on the eve of the demolition. Arteri blogs about it. But pagarmerah is not quite supportive while i am against the state and corporations […]
[…] mass funeral was organized by artists on the eve of the demolition. Arteri blogs about it. But pagarmerah is not quite supportive while i am against the state and corporations […]