By Ooi Kok Chuen.

Attempts to position Penang in the world have often been about food and festivals, shopping and beaches. While valid, these have their limits. Something new that promises to draw art enthusiasts is the Penang Sculpture Trail. Inspired by the 1992–94 Tachikawa Art Map, a series of sculptures by world famous sculptors exhibited all over Tachikawa Prefecture in Japan, Japanese artist Hitori Nakayama thought something similar should be done in his adopted home, Penang. With help from Datuk Tang Hon Yin, his project is now moving. World-class sculptures will be dotting Penang’s public spaces soon.

A SQUAT oval marble sculpture on a circular pedestal sits forlornly at the edge of the paved estuary dominated by The Garage entertainment centre. Many people pass it by without batting an eyelid, or stopping for a breather or to take pictures beside it.
 
Is it because Penang people are becoming blasé or are they too busy? But then again, it may point to the success of the scuplture: of having blended inconspicuously and naturally into the changing topography and profile of an ever bustling Upper Penang Road.

The work, Under a Penang Sky, by Japanese Kikuchi Mitsuo, is officially the first of 50 proposed public sculptures included in the Penang Sculpture Trail project. The idea is to have five works a year done by selected “world-class Asian sculptors” over the next 10 years.

The project actually started on an ad hoc basis in 2005 and is the brainchild of Japanese Conceptual artist Hitori Nakayama, who made Penang his home 22 years ago.

But it has since been formalised and become more structured under the tripartite collaboration between the Penang Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang or MPPP), the Penang Museum & Art Gallery (PMAG) and Nakayama’s own non-governmental organisation, Friends of Penang Earth Group.

“Penang has been declared a heritage city (by Unesco) but many areas are aesthetically ugly where haphazard development and buildings and the wild use of signage actually make it less attractive than it should be,” says Datuk Tang Hon Yin, the head of the Penang State Art Gallery board of trustees, at his Green Lane home. With him were Hitori and his writer-wife Machiko.

“The order seems to be to do it as quickly and cheaply as possible with little regard for aesthetics. We have to try to initiate some moves to counter-balance this.

“We have beautiful cities all over the world, and there are sculpture parks in Melbourne (Australia), Vancouver (Canada) and Japan. We are trying to replicate that kind of spirit here.”

Sculpture precincts already exist in the country. They include the Kuching Waterfront where the “White Rajah” first landed; the Laman Asean at Kuala Lumpur’s Lake Gardens, the former Taman Wawasan.

Outside Malaysia, there are the Songkhla coast sculptures in Thailand; Singapore, which boasts some 100 public sculptures, has its Fort Canning showcase. Others that come to mind include the Fairmount Park in Pennsylvania, the 4.5-acre Ironstone sculpture garden in New Jersey and the Millesgården in Lidingö, Stockholm.

In Adelaide, Australia, two per cent of building development projects must be set aside for public art.

The Penang Sculpture Trail was inspired by the Tachikawa Art Map, a series of work by world famous sculptors, exhibited all over the Tachikawa prefecture in Japan from 1992-94. They included those by Donald Judd, Claus Oldenburg and Niki de St Phalle.

“The Tachikawa Art Map was a big boost to the economy in terms of hotel stay, food and beverages sales, and all other supporting economic activities. Records from ticket receipts from the Tachikawa train station for the following year (1995) revealed an increase of one million arrivals! In terms of KPI (key performance indicators), this is a simple benchmark. We don’t have to re-invent anything. This has been done,” says Tang.

Tang adds that the project could make Penang internationally well known and a must-visit destination for those who wish to see the works of the best sculptors in Asia.

“This is one way of positioning Penang. We always talk about Penang being a cultural hub but the focus is on food and festivals, shopping and beautiful beaches.”

Even as the finishing touches were being put on Kikuchi’s sculpture, several other potential sculptors were being identified. They have agreed and are willing to do their bit, once the basic funding is ready. The proposed sculptors are Abdul Multhalib Musa (Malaysia), Jiradai Meemalai (Thailand), Teguh Ostenrik (Indonesia), Hagino Koichi and Tanaka Hitoshi (both Japan).

“Won’t it enrich our lives when we have wonderful sculptures like these?” Tang, himself an artist who etched his name with his Water Margin Series in the 1980s, enthuses as he shows a portfolio of the proposed sculptors and their signature works.

“Some are outdoor, some indoor, some are people-friendly – children can climb and play on them. It doesn’t mean sculptures are only there for us to stand in awe of,” Tang says. “The work must also complement, harmonise with and enhance the surroundings. Teguh’s work of corroded metal, for instance, may not be suitable for Penang Road.”

Hitori expresses regret that a monumental work he did in 2007 will not come under the ambit of the project, though it was born of the same spirit. Indeed, three such works have been rendered somewhat illegitimate by a turn of circumstances (they are not officially part of the Sculpture Trail project). Besides Hitori’s Celebration of the Blue Sky which already stands side by side with Heng Eow Lin’s Rhythm of Life on reclaimed land on the Jelutong Expressway (Jalan Sungai Pinang 5), there is Katsumi Mukai’s controversial The Winds of Penang at Komtar’s pedestrian mall.

Standing 26 metres tall and erected in 2007 with the help of seven engineers, Celebration of the Blue Sky is arguably the tallest non-religious sculpture in South-East Asia. It is a Conceptual work with an imaginary cube “truncated” from the inside of the four hollow poles at a top section.

Incidentally, the world’s tallest sculpture is the Dublin Spire (by architect Ian Ritchie, 2003), which stands 120 metres high.

“Earlier, Hitori was driving the project all by himself. It was at an embryonic stage and not so well structured. I was not involved then. Hitori found it difficult to get sponsors and get the project approved (because there was no official support),” says Tang, stressing that the official sculpture trail starts with Kikuchi’s work.

“We can’t post-date them (the three earlier works). But they have triggered this project. Nothing has been in vain. Everything has been important.”

Tang concedes that the initial stages of any project are often tough because of cynicism about artist credentials and ability and the absence of a track record. But a major breakthrough was made with the coming together of the three groups, all with specific roles to play.

The MPPP, Tang emphasises, should have ownership of the programme for it not only owns the sites for the sculptures but will also be responsible for their maintenance.

“The MPPP will provide the site for the sculpture identified, do the landscaping, the base and the road furniture meaning public benches or railings or steps, besides the long-term maintenance,” he says.

He adds that the MPPP has only voiced concerns about works being too controversial.

“That’s why the PMAG is there, to vet every project and see whether it is publicly suitable in the Malaysian context. If there is any controversy, the PMAG will defend it.”
 He cautions: “We may make the mistake of putting up plastic coconut trees, which is fine if coconut trees are a rarity, but not here (in Penang).”

“The MPPP’s job description has nothing to do with the approval of the project, its aesthetics or how suitable they are for public taste.”

This is a valid point indeed. City/town godfathers are notorious for putting up tacky, kitsch public sculptures that reflect poorly on the sophistication, cultural mores and intellectual underpinnings of the society. Take Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur’s ghastly periuk kera (pitcher plant) and MPPP’s own frivolous contraptions at the Bukit Dumbar (hibiscus) and Gurney Drive (fake birds) roundabouts, which cost at least RM300,000 each. Then there is also the contentious order for Heng to change his Jelutong Expressway sculpture from an innocuously figurative one to an abstract one, which stands five metres high and does not bear his hallmark sculpture characteristics.

Tang clarifies: “It is the PMAG that will vet and approve all designs before execution, to defend the works in case of controversy, to legitimise the integrity of the work, to support the artists with basic equipment and to help get sponsors.”

 What could be deemed “controversial”? Does the PMAG have any guidelines?

“There are no guidelines or pedigree. The artist’s imagination is beyond anyone’s imagination and prediction. Our collective wisdom will be enough to guide us. We are Malaysians sensitive to certain taboos in our culture.”

On Hitori, Tang says: “His job is to identify and network with outstanding Asian sculptors, look after them and their requirements and needs, provide tools or materials, food and lodgings and arrange their travel itinerary. He will also produce relevant promotional materials and brochures.”

He adds that a sculpture site must be a public space that is easily accessible, and should not be a private compound closed to the public.

Hitori chips in: “But it can be on a private place, if the owners allow the public to access it.”

Tang mentions that he and Hitori had to meet the full MPPP council twice because of the change of government – the March 2008 general election saw the Pakatan Rakyat dislodging the Barisan Nasional.

The project was hardly plain sailing. There were red tape, formalities, technicalities and the weather (rain) to contend with; and worst of all, the funding. Even Kikuchi, who had to make 10 trips to Penang in three years, from conception to execution, nearly gave up.

Says Tang: “Under the project, the sculptor is virtually working for free; he does not sell you the sculpture and does not charge for services.

“Kikuchi was not paid when he was here. He stayed in a small room in the St Nicholas Home for the Blind and Visually-impaired. There was only a bed and a small desk. There was no air-conditioning. It was next to the house of the principal who also allowed Kikuchi use of the compound to prepare his sculpture. The principal, who is a friend of Hitori’s, charged only a nominal sum.”

Says Hitori: “Kikuchi was so dedicated to the project that he put off a commission work in the United States.”

It was the same with Mukai, who boasts public sculptures in Japan (Tanaka Miyazaki Airport), Germany, France, South Korea and the United States. It was a labour of love, and a dedication to his art. He was not paid for the two months he was in Penang. His sculpture was a brilliant resolution to a bad situation – the MPPP had ordered the felling of raintrees (Samania Saman) to make way for government health quarters. Mukai, known as a wood sculptor, salvaged an eight-tonne jati trunk and turned it into a sculpture with minimal intervention by “emphasising the natural forms and enhancing its attributes”. The work was ensconced on three cylindrical bases at the Komtar end of the Magazine Road-Penang Road junction in 2005. Mukai returned to Penang at the end of 2006 as artist-in-residence at the Malihom retreat in Balik Pulau.

Kikuchi’s Penang masterpiece follows his “break-and-reassemble” concept while keeping steadfast to his strong affinity with Nature. It is made up of “four pieces” of marble from Ipoh which are locked in an awkward embrace, and held together by special glue and “pins” (heavy-duty rod stubs). An oval opening in the centre reveals a peek of a slice of the façade of the majestic E&O Hotel, a refurbished landmark dating back to 1885.

With one edge serrated, the cut marble pieces embody the geometric as well as the organic – a fount of Minimalism with clean-cut and simple forms. The marble slabs tilt precariously on a right-to-left slide, striking an uneasy balance between strength and tension, achieving a fitting metaphor for the ups and downs which preceded its completion on Sept 18, 2009.

More than anything else, this sculpture is a triumph of the community spirit involving the desire of a cross-section of society to enhance and transform the built aesthetics of the island.

Tang says that they first got philanthropist and art collector Dr Tan Chong Guan to underwrite basic expenses such as subsidising part of Kikuchi’s airfares and mainly paying for the marble materials.

“We don’t touch any of the money. All payments were made directly to the supplier of materials or service provider,” says Hitori.

Tang smiles, casting scorn on any notion of large sums of money to be made from the project.

“Many people including some sculptors who want to be involved are probably thinking, ‘Why didn’t I get a piece of the cake?’ Truth is, there is no cake. Everyone chips in, from the electrician, the movers, the crane operator down to the marble factory. Everything is transparent.”

He says these people have offered their materials or services either for free or at cost.

Adds Hitori: “This is voluntary work. An artwork of this size (referring to Kikuchi’s sculpture) is worth at least RM600,000, but he (Kikuchi) is doing it for free.”

Tang reiterates that the beautification of roundabouts alone could cost as much as RM600,000 each.

He adds that once the project takes off and gains speed, more recognised international sculptors would be more willing to join in, if only for the prestige.

“People like to be associated with success, not failure or worse, fraud.”

Success will also depend on smooth implementation besides stringent selection encompassing a broad spectrum of the best willing talents and quality from as many individual countries as possible, for a truly Asia-wide character.

That way, Penang can lay claim to being a truly cultured global city of beauty, hosting contemporary sculptures with distinct shapes and manifestations, whose intrinsic voices and timbre vie for attention with her Victorian facades, quaint religious landmarks and pre-war Straits Eclectic architecture.

It will be a sculpture island carved from a genuine wish to remake Penang for the new millennium.

* Ooi Kok Chuen has been writing on the art scene at home and abroad for 28 years.

** Reproduced with permission. This article first appeared in the March 2010 issue of the Penang Economic Monthly. This 11-year old magazine published by the Socio-economic and Environmental Research Institute (SERI) is being overhauled and commercialised. This endeavour is in response to the growing insight among Penangites and Penang lovers that the downward trend in the state's fortunes cannot be succesfully reversed unless they themselves get seriously involved. The goal is to inspire positive action among readers towards attaining a "Penang Renaissance".

For more information, please visit the Penang Economic Monthly site or contact the Socio-economic and Environmental Research Institute (SERI) at 604-2283306.

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