PROJECTS WITHIN THE PROGRAMME 1. WALKS Religious Walk (Mar-Apr 2006) Heritage Hunts (2007-2008) Interactive Heritage Walk (Apr-Dec 2009 & Mac-Dec 2010) Migration Settlements Trail (2011) Heritage Discovery Trails (Training: 31 July-17 Nov 2011; Walks: Oct-Nov 2011 & Mac-Nov 2012) This project trained volunteer guides in programming, guiding, and facilitation skills. Volunteer guides learnt how to design thematic heritage trails which promoted George Town’s history and culture. The trails which were customised for different age groups were interactive and were designed to encourage participants to explore the site and engage with the community. Guides facilitated exploration, provided historical information, and conducted reflection sessions with participants using a game-like format. These guided walks were an integral part of an education program supported by the management of the heritage site of George Town, GTWHI (George Town World Heritage Incorporated). 2. CREATIVE ARTS WORKSHOPS Arts Camp (18-21 Nov 2007) Students explored and conducted observation and interviews onsite in the inner-city of George Town, then used the sounds, movement, visuals, and smells as inspiration for creative works. The outcomes were in the form of mini showcases scattered across the site such as performances, photo exhibitions, and installations. Examples of the workshops included responses to issues in the community using public graffiti art, and a toy-making workshop based on scientific concepts. Arts in the City: Holiday Creative Arts Workshops (26 May-8 June 2008) Young Designer’s Arts Camp (17-20 Nov 2008) Creative Arts Workshop: Illustration of Living and Built Heritage Project (17 Aug-22 Nov 2008) Heritage Heboh Challenge (June-Aug 2009) 3. CREATIVE ARTS PROJECTS Heritage Heboh Street Festival (22 Feb – 15 July 2006) Opera Pasar Campbell Street (2 Aug – 7 Dec 2008) Heritage Heboh Creative Program & Street Festival (14 Mac-20 Dec 2009) 4. RESEARCH E-Culture X-Change- Living Heritage Idol (4 Nov – 23 Dec 2004 & Jan-May 2005) Penang Heritage Idols is a website project devised in collaboration with Penang Heritage Trust. It promotes living craftsmen and artistes in Penang. 32 students researched the history and creative works of three living heritage treasures; and 15 of the students produced a webpage, as well as a short video on the personages and their contribution to ‘intangible cultural heritage’. The website was launched in 4 Aug 2005. Penang Heritage Idol (Sept-Nov 2007) This was a sequel to the Penang heritage Idols which began in 2005, and was devised in collaboration with Penang Heritage Trust. It involved young people in a web-design project to promote living craftsmen or artistes in Penang. Students conducted secondary source research interviews and documented the life and creative works of Mohd. Baharoodin, an Impresario in Malay traditional performing arts; and Kok Ah Wah, an artisan who crafts wooden signboards. 5. FESTIVALS Heritage Heboh Children’s Festival 2012 (Training: Mar-June 2012 & Festival: 7 July 2012) Heritage Heboh Children’s Festival 2013 (7 July 2013) Heritage Heboh Creative Programme & Street Festival (14 Mar – 20 Dec 2009)
Devised in for students as part of a larger project entitled The Penang Global Ethic Project which promoted world religions, this walk focused on understanding various religious philosophies and practices. A total of 400 students from primary and secondary schools from Penang participated in the walk. This project included a simple pre and post questionnaire which measured participants’ perception of other religions.
Between 2007 and 2008 the AAK Programme conducted several heritage treasure hunts for primary children, in and around the heritage site of Georgetown. These treasure hunts aimed to build participants’ awareness and interest in built and living heritage in their surroundings. Children were given clues and expected to explore a site and locate heritage artefacts, motifs, buildings, trades, street names, etc. They were expected to document their findings in a notebook, within a restricted time, then report to a facilitator upon completion of the tasks.
A specialist training program targeted at upgrading the knowledge and skills of local guides, while preparing them to conduct heritage tours for young people. Seven trained guides carried out 74 heritage tours in 2009, and 77 tours in 2010. These tours which included students from primary and secondary schools, colleges, and youth organisations. In 2010, the guides underwent a second training program, then carried out 77 walks for 1600 students. The walks covered the historical site of inner-city George Town, and also included some reflexive quiz questions for students.
This trail traced the historical settlement patterns of various migrant groups to inner-city George Town. Two versions of the trail were available, targeted at primary, and secondary school students. The trails were led by a guide and included a video introduction to the site, and self-exploratory activities for students, with accompanying maps and worksheets.
The walk and activities encouraged children to look beyond tangible buildings into the history, communities, and lifestyles within.
A series of short artist-led creative arts workshops for youths, which took place parallel to one another. Small groups of students participated in site-specific workshops on music, movement, and visual arts; drawing inspiration from the sounds, movements, visuals, and smells on-site, which was located within the inner-city of George Town.
Two parallel hands-on traditional craft projects offered to students living in and near the inner-city of George Town, Penang. One group studied the techniques of signboard design and painted a shop signboard for a traditional craftsman in the city. The second group studied with a furniture restoration artisan, then applied their skills to restore the furniture in the office of an NGO in the city.
Four parallel workshops conducted by four artiste facilitators for four groups of children, which introduced the participants to heritage artefacts in the inner-city of George Town. The first group studied the history of clothing worn by different migrant settlers and produced door plaques with costumed figures, collaged in textile. The second group studied architectural forms and decorative elements on buildings, which were then reproduced using screen printing. The third group studied common domestic artefacts and their design, and reproduced the images using rubber stamps. The final group created a board game highlighting correct and incorrect methods in heritage conservation.
A month-long project which opened with a guided walk on tangible and intangible heritage in inner-city George Town, followed by classes where participants were taught drawing and painting techniques. Participants then proceeded to sketch on their topic of choice, producing illustrations and/or watercolours on built/living heritage. Selected drawings were published in the form of a calendar in 2009.
A one-off project focused on photography and the use of information technology to promote learning about the George Town World Heritage Site amongst secondary school students. Students used text, photos, and interviews to make a slideshow on why George Town was designated as a World Heritage Site. Winners – selected through on-line voting and by informal judges – then showcased their slideshow to peers in their respective schools.
Three parallel sub-projects run simultaneously for three groups of participants in Music (Muzik Bunyi-Bunyian), Dance (Gerak-gerak Borak-borak), and Shadow Puppetry (Wayang Bayang-bayang). The five-month project involved learning the respective art forms, mapping and researching the heritage of the community, and working with artiste-facilitators to compose performances based on the data collected. Performances were played on the streets to community audiences.
A music and dance project in collaboration with Ombak Ombak Art Studio. Participants were facilitated by composer Tan Sooi Beng and choreographer Aida Redza in a music and movement project which traced the history and the atmosphere of a local wet market through sounds, lyrics, and movement. The project culminated in a performance entitled Opera Pasar, a 30-minute music and movement piece using traditional instruments and found objects, which depicted the sounds of chickens and chopping boards, as well as snatches of dialogue and haggling emanating from a morning market. Participants were alumni from an earlier Arts-ED Creative Arts project on music.
Four parallel workshops conducted by four artiste School holiday projects centred on research into some elements of tangible and intangible heritage in the site surrounding Arts-ED’s office. One project documented the history of the Khoo Kongsi clan house, the second used drama to replay the conflicts of triad groups in the area, and the third used hands-on learning and documentation of cultural foods common to the community. The project culminated in a mini-festival on-site, consisting of two dramas depicting clan history, an exhibition, and a culinary session on community recipes.
A street festival held in inner-city George Town in conjunction with the 4th George Town World Heritage Site Celebration. It consisted of nine interactive educational programmes in arts & culture organised by a pool of volunteer artists and programmers. The programme included half-day workshops and street-based activities such as crafts, heritage hunts, cooking traditional foods, toy-making, traditional games, T-shirt printing, exhibitions, and cultural performances (with invited youth or adults). The festival incorporated a platform for program design and execution training for Friends of George Town Heritage (a group of volunteer facilitators and guides).
A small-scale festival open to children and families, organised in conjunction with the 5th George Town World Heritage Celebrations. The festival was held in the compound of Khoo Kongsi. The programme consisted of six interactive cultural activities organised by a pool of volunteers; including crafts, toy-making, traditional games, T-shirt printing, etc.
A series of school holiday projects centred on research and documentation of elements of tangible and intangible heritage of the Khoo Kongsi heritage site. One project documented the history of the Khoo Kongsi clan and their clan house. The second project collected oral stories and used drama to replay the conflicts between triad groups in the area. In the third project, students learned to cook traditional home recipes. The project culminated in a mini-festival on-site consisting of an exhibition on the community history, drama performances on historic events, and a culinary session on community recipes.