Think City, an impact organisation to create more sustainable and equitable places, has collaborated with MRT Corp. and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to create the “Arts On The Move” (AOTM) campaign comprising of arts and cultural activities for commuters and visitors to experience at Pasar Seni MRT station, Kuala Lumpur.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke launched the Arts On The Move 2023 edition, which makes a return after several years break, at the Pasar Seni MRT station on Feb 14.
In his speech, Loke said: “With Arts On The Move, the rail network can be more than a place where you wait for the next train to arrive. It can be a place where we can help break the monotonous lives most people associate with city-life or working in cities.
“It is an opportunity to create space for people to envision an urban lifestyle that is vibrant with culture and creative activities whilst still ensuring that it is socially equitable and accessible.”
Also present during the event were Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah, Think City managing director Hamdan Abdul Majeed, MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim, Yayasan Sime Darby chief executive officer Dr Yatela Zainal Abidin, Think City board director Suryani Senja Alias and Ministry of Tourism Arts & Culture (MOTAC) policy (culture) senior assistant secretary Datin Salida Ibrahim.
The launch event featured a traditional cultural performance of the Mah Meri tribe of Orang Asli, weaving workshops and an art installation named “Sunnyside Up” by artist Pamela Tan, which will be on display for the next three months.
From Feb to June this year, Arts On The Move 2023 will be happening every fortnight between 5-6pm. Admission is free.
The transit arts programme, supported by Yayasan Sime Darby and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), hopes to contribute to reenergising downtown Kuala Lumpur with a curated presentation of 12 live shows, three workshops and two art installations at Pasar Seni MRT Station, which transports an average 15,000 commuters daily.
Hamdan said: “We hope to create a focus on the collective cultural experience of the Pasar Seni MRT Station environment, exploring the spaces we travel through every day, in addition to rejuvenating the areas around it.
“It is one of the key stations in downtown Kuala Lumpur, and hopefully, we will be able to implement AOTM across the other relevant transit stations too. The celebration of arts in transit stations as alternate public spaces has been successfully done in cities like Singapore, London and New York.”
He added: “The continued work in rejuvenating downtown Kuala Lumpur into a creative and cultural district includes tying together heritage assets, cultural attractions, transit stations, parks and creative enterprises, creating destinations and attractions while improving public realm to provide Malaysians and visitors a more comfortable environment to explore, work and commute within the city.”
Dr. Yatela said the aim of Yayasan Sime Darby’s support for Arts On The Move is to make the arts more accessible for the public whilst contributing to building opportunities for talented local artists to thrive in the arts industry.
‘In collaboration with various likeminded stakeholders, we are proud to be able to contribute to the building blocks of a thriving creative and cultural district in Kuala Lumpur. We hope that with this free-for-all collaborative arts initiative, people will stop and take a breather from their hectic schedules to experience and gain a new appreciation for the arts,” she said.
Datuk Mohd Zarif said MRT Corp is honoured to be part of Arts On The Move in providing a platform to benefit local art enthusiasts as well as the community.
“Aside from improving the commuters’ experience via the integration of Malaysia’s local arts and culture into the station, it is through such initiatives that arts and cultural practitioners can unleash their creativity and talent, while actively playing a role in rehabilitating the city in its heritage,” he said.
Arts On The Move was set up in 2016 with the aim of connecting culture via curated arts and cultural activities such as live performances and exhibitions, and the city’s historic core, which is rich in tangible and intangible cultural assets to the rail network system.
It was implemented in collaboration with Prasarana at Masjid Jamek LRT station and supported by Yayasan Hasanah for a duration of two years. This resulted in a diverse arts and culture programming that appealed to the Malaysian audiences and visitors that transited the space.
For more information about AOTM, visit www.thinkcity.com.my or follow @mythinkcity on all their major social media platforms.
