Penang

Penang Harbour

Penang is a separate state of Malaysia and home to 1.7 million people. The old city was founded as a trading post of the English East India Company in the eighteenth century, in the area still known as Georgetown.

Projects

Project - Transcript
Juno Ooi
Illustration of an initiation ceremony ground for admission into a secret society with the empty spaces on the page filled with recorded chants used during the ceremony.
Project - Essay
Lawrence Chua
Five members of the Penang research team posing with some street art.
Project - Field Report
Simon Soon
The sign on the property entrance to Woodville, with the house seen over the fence in the background.
Project - Field Report
Simon Soon
Three men singing on a small stage at a festival.
Project - Reflection
Simon Soon
A posed group of six children. They are holding instruments and decorative items.
Project - Reflection
Simon Soon
Watercolour of a large troupe of infantry at a Fort in Penang.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black-and-white artwork of Kuan Yin Temple.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A painting of the mosque.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Sepia photo of the shrine with flags erected. People are moving about the street outside.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Pen sketch of a streetscape.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A painting of the mosque
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A black-and-white photo of convicts at work on the road.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
The green mosque, taken from streetview.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white photo of the mausoleum.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Ashrakhan, appearing in a fairly ruined state.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Drawing showing celebrations on the shore.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
The Jail Road.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A decorated page of poetry.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Bookplate showing the title page and a portrait of Mohamed Ibrahim Munshi.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Red Flag (Bendera Merah) societies are against White Flag (Bendera Putih) societies. Red Flag societies include Hai San, Kean Teik, and Malay/Indians of Acheh Street. White Flag societies include Ghee Hin and Malay/Indians of Ropewalk.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Two seals for the Ghee Hin society in red ink.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Two printed seals.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Two inked seals.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A sketch of Leong San Tong, a large hall in the jungle.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Drawing of a rambutan plant.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Painting of Utan Mayet, captioned 'Penang Native Market'.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white photo of the grounds inside Fort Cornwallis.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A black and white photo of a building with a barricade built across the street next to it.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A painting of several ships on the ocean. The largest is the Men-of-war, Satellite.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Painting of a large ship, the Men-of-war, Wasp.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
The front page of a report on the enquiry into the 1867 riots.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Sheikh Omar, who has a moustache and wears a turban.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Photo of a building with a white facade and an awning.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white photo of the Hutton Lane Police Station.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Project - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
A painting of Ranee Dhoby's Monument.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
The Logan Memorial today.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Bangsawan performers
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Meng Eng Soo Temple today
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Boria performers
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white photo of members of the Pulau Tikus Borea Party in front of a mosque. They are holding British flags.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Performing troupe from Kimberly Street
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Troupe of performers with musical instruments and costume attire.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Large group sitting under a 25th Anniversary sign
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Project - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white picture of sacred cleansing location. Waterfall visited by Malay performers.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white picture of Arabic script
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white image of large group of men sitting or standing.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Makam Maulana Miskin Waliallah
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Portrayal of group performing on stage at Wembley Park.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white photo of Great World Amusement Park
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Group of children dancing and singing with female lead in a courtyard with greenery.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Brown book cover
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Black and white image of group in costume performing Boria
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Two seated men at the Boria Seminar
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Kumpulan Troupe Sharghi Boria troupe in front of flags.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Elephant in a Boria parade.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Sungei Pinang Borea Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Jelutong City Lights Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Sungei Glugor Party on a parade float decorated as a boat.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Bagan Jermal Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Group photo of the Kampong Makam party.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Tanjong Tokong Borea Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Malay article about Boria with a photo of Aini Omar.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Parade float decorated as a boat called the HMS Coronation
Project - Reflection
Simon Soon
Perak Road Majlis Party's 'Sakais'
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
The Ayer Itam Party decorated car.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Balik Pulau - photos from the procession.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Gladstone Road Boria Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
York Road Party and their decorated car.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
The Kampung Baharu White Elephant, which was awarded a silver cup.
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Pulau Tikus Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Telok Bahang Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Batu Uban Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Butterworth Malay Procession
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon
Relau Party
Material - Reflection
Simon Soon

Explore

Explore all the materials, projects, and conversations collected by the Site and Space Penang team, which shed light on the city's past and present.

Map Index

Team

Simon Soon

Field Director (Penang), Site and Space Senior Lecturer, University of Malaya

Simon Soon is Senior Lecturer at the Visual Art Program, Cultural Centre, University of Malaya, where he teaches the art histories of Southeast Asia. His broader areas of interest include comparative modernities in the art, the built environment, and art historiography. He also has a keen interest in the visual dimensions of arcane knowledge and its social histories. He has written on various topics related to 20th-century art across Asia and occasionally curates exhibitions, including Love Me in My Batik: Modern Batik Art from Malaysia and Beyond. He is also an editorial member of Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia, and a team member of the Malaysia Design Archive, a repository, education and research platform on visual cultures of the 20th century.

Juno Ooi

PhD Candidate, English, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur

Juno Hoay-Fern Ooi is a PhD candidate in the English Department of the University of Malaya. Her doctoral thesis titled ‘L’informe in Literature: The Aesthetic Philosophy of Georges Bataille’ studies the position of l’informe as a concept embedded in Bataille’s system to understand the place of art and literature in Bataille’s philosophy, and subsequently argues how Bataillean formlessness as a process may operate in literature. Her other research interests include the manifestation of l’informe in architecture, whether through the negation of form and function, materials used, or subversion of power and original significance imbued to the structure. Her current position as a graduate research assistant for Little India(s) In Malaysia: Contested Identities And Heritage Tourism involves looking at cultural mapping efforts in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, specifically those by ArtsEd and ChowKitKita. Her hopes for Site and Space are to study the spatial and material aspects of Derridean hauntology by researching structures and art that were never completed, rebuilt, abandoned, or merely in planning but ultimately never constructed. She was awarded a B.A. in Philosophy with First Class honours from the University of London.

Lawrence Chua

Assistant Professor, Architectural History, Syracuse University, New York

Lawrence Chua is a historian of modern architecture and the urban built environment. He is an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at Syracuse University and is currently a Marie S. Curie FCFP Junior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute of Advanced Studies. His writing has appeared in the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Fabrications: the journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Australia and New Zealand, the Journal of Urban History, TDSR, and Senses and Society. His current project examines Buddhist felicities and urban utopias in 20th-century Bangkok.

Raisa Kamila

Independent Researcher, Aceh, Indonesia

Raisa Kamila is an independent researcher currently based in her hometown of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. She recently graduated from the MA program in Colonial and Global History at Leiden University and obtained her bachelor degree from the Faculty of Philosophy at Gadjah Mada University. Her research interests lie in the social history of areas along the Straits of Malacca, particularly Aceh, from the late colonial until the Cold War period. Before returning to Aceh, Raisa had various internships and research commissions investigating a range of issues including indigenous land rights, wars of decolonisation and popular culture in Islamic society.

Napong Tao Rugkhapan

Lecturer, Urban Planning, Thammasat University, Thailand

Tao Rugkhapan received his AB in History of Art & Architecture and International Relations from Brown University. He went on to complete his MA at University College London and his PhD in Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. Prior to his doctorate, he practiced as an urban planner for the Department of Town & Country Planning in Thailand. His interest in historic city centres in Southeast Asia led to a comparative doctoral dissertation on the Chinatowns of Penang, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. His current research interests fall into two areas: the technopolitics of urban planning and cross-national circulation of urban development models. The first line of inquiry investigates the knowledge politics of planning techniques, e.g. mapmaking, zoning, architectural guidelines, building codes. His second research area explores how imaginaries of successful urbanisms, e.g. best practices, case studies, exemplars, success stories, are mobilised from one place to another. Particular attention is paid to social conflicts and contentions that necessarily accompany such urban policy imaginaries.