Environment-inspired art to raise awareness
Published on: Sunday, September 18, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Some 14 teams involving 61 creative individuals took their talent to the streets for an environment-inspired art installation using mostly discarded items. Their masterpieces, all 14 of them, are part of the third edition of the "Installation Art by the Bay" held at the Segama Waterfront from Sept 15 to 19. The installation was held in conjunction with the Cleanup the World Campaign held on the third week of September each year, as well as the Malaysia Day celebration on a local note.
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Tourism and Culture Ministry (Motac) Sabah Office Director Ag Ahmad Zaki Abd Bakar said the ministry's move to be part of the organising was to intensify tourism programmes and woo more visitors to the city. "For the first time, a team from Penang is involved in the programme, as well as a team from Pitas," he said. Organising committee member Christiane Goonting said the teams were asked to come up with their own designs and look into ways to stimulate the community's thinking and concern on rubbish. "Each of the teams had come with a good concept," she said.
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To raise awareness on the rundown rhinoceros population in Sabah, Penang team Choy Meng Foong and Jason Min had installed a Gulliver's Travel inspired 'Lilliputian' scene of matchstick men holding down a dying rhino made out of polystyrene with its horn being cut out. "We wanted to show to the public the beast had come to extinction due to poaching activities with the hunters eyeing for its horn.
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"It took us about a week to finish the work including coming up with the concept after our teacher had encouraged us to take part in this event," said Min, adding that they had to fork out their own money to get to Sabah. Since the event started on Sept 15, a dedicated Facebook page set up for the installation had garnered over 10,000 views. On another note, Ahmad Zaki said the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by the Government and tour operators has been enhanced to ensure better safety measures are in place for tourist activities on the Mantanani Island in Kota Belud. He said the island now handles an average of 1,000 visitors daily and thus the existing SOP had to be revised. "The revision covers Emergency Response Team, which had been operation since Sept 7, being given the authority to cease the operations of operators during bad weather conditions," he said. He added Motac would not only forward such negligence cases to the Occupational Safety and Health Department but tour operators risked losing their licences. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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