People Ideas Culture 人思文

13/06/2026

Invitation to Urban Sketchers. Those interested, please message Kenneth 018-384 8101 Please respond by Sunday
14 June 2026

Call for Participation
Echoes in Between: Penang as Living Archive

ChinaHouse, George Town, Penang

29 July – 11 August 2026

Opening: 29 July 2026 (Wednesday), 5:00 PM

Guest of Honour (invited): YB Syerleena Abdul Rashid

Dear Urban Sketchers members,
You are warmly invited to participate in Echoes in Between: Penang as Living Archive, a community-based exhibition exploring Penang through memory, place, and everyday cultural heritage.

As Penang continues to evolve, many buildings, neighbourhood landmarks, trades, foodways, and cultural practices have quietly disappeared or undergone significant transformation. Yet within sketchbooks, journals, and personal archives, traces of these places and stories remain.

This exhibition seeks to bring together sketches that document:

Buildings, streets, shop houses, markets, or public spaces that have been demolished, altered, or lost.

Traditional trades, crafts, occupations, and everyday cultural practices that are disappearing.

Community gatherings, food traditions, festivals, and neighbourhood life.

Places of memory that reveal how Penang has changed over the past decades.
Architectural details, streetscapes, and vernacular heritage that deserve renewed attention.

Rather than focusing solely on monuments, Echoes in Between highlights the living and everyday dimensions of heritage—the memories, encounters, and observations that shape our understanding of Penang as a living archive.

We welcome both recent and older sketches. Works may be framed originals, mounted prints, sketchbook reproductions, or digital reproductions suitable for exhibition display.

Participation Information
Exhibition period: 29 July – 11 August 2026
Venue: ChinaHouse, George Town, Penang
Opening: 29 July 2026, 5:00 PM

Participation is voluntary.
No artist fees are provided.
Artists retain full copyright of their works.
Works may be offered for sale during the exhibition.

Sales arrangement: 70% to artist, 30% to organiser (to support exhibition production and operational costs).
Artists will be fully credited in all exhibition materials.

We hope this exhibition can serve as a collective platform to celebrate and reflect upon Penang's changing cultural landscape through the eyes of those who have carefully observed and recorded it over the years.

If you are interested in participating, please send a brief expression of interest together with images of proposed works and basic artwork information.

Thank you for helping preserve and share Penang's living heritage through sketching.

Warm regards,
Kenneth Wong See Huat
Curator, founder of
People Ideas Culture

(Image accreditation: Jordan)

12/06/2026

With a few hours before my meeting at Bendahara Art Space, I was looking for a quiet corner along the Melaka River—somewhere to sit, read, and perhaps indulge in a short siesta. Easier imagined than found. The cafés facing the canal were either packed with visitors or offered surprisingly little of the river itself.

After wandering through a hotel lobby and its lush backyard courtyard, I stumbled upon a narrow lane I would otherwise have missed. Tucked away from the main thoroughfare was a petite café, almost hidden from view. No grand signage, no strategic waterfront frontage, just a modest space filled with plants, old brick walls, weathered timber floors, and sunlight filtering through the windows.

The canal remained elusive, but perhaps that was beside the point.

The café felt less like a commercial venue and more like an accidental living room. Young people lingered over books and board games. Ferns spilled over window ledges. A small bakery counter displayed loaves and pastries that looked as though they had been made with care rather than efficiency.

The hot chocolate—rich, balanced, and comforting—was unexpectedly excellent, easily among the better cups I have had in recent memory.

Sometimes heritage cities reveal themselves not through monuments, museums, or carefully curated attractions, but through these small discoveries hidden in back lanes. Places that neither announce themselves loudly nor seek to become destinations. They simply offer shelter, atmosphere, and a moment of pause.

12/06/2026

A few days in Melaka always remind me why heritage cities are best understood on foot.

From the weathered gold-lettered signboard hanging above a shuttered shop to the playful cut-out photo props outside a costume studio, Melaka reveals itself through layers of the ordinary. Not every heritage encounter happens inside a museum. Sometimes it is a fading shop sign, a café sign swinging from a tree, or a riverfront view framed by old walls and new businesses.

What struck me during this stroll was the coexistence of multiple timelines. Along the river, trendy bingsu cafés, themed eateries, and Instagram-friendly interiors occupy buildings that still carry traces of an older townscape.

Across the street, traditional clan houses and temples continue their quiet presence, seemingly indifferent to changing fashions. This layering of old and new is precisely what gives Melaka its character as a historic trading city shaped by centuries of cultural exchange.

11/06/2026

托青雲亭及鄭和博物館館長的福，本來只是想看看疫情前修復完成的古畫人像，沒想到竟有機會率先走進尚未正式對外開放的博物館空間。

老實說，以目前完成度而言，我認為第一翼展區已相當成熟，無論展示設計、文物陳列，還是整體敘事架構，都已具備獨立開館的條件。若第二翼仍需時間完善，其實也不妨考慮先行局部開放，以優惠票價或試營運方式累積觀眾回饋，同時測試市場反應。待整體工程與內容全部到位後，再正式全面啟用，也未嘗不是一種策略。
當然，館方自有其考量。除了展覽內容仍在最後調整，行政人力配置、導覽機制、紀念商品開發等環節，都牽涉到開館後的長期營運。與其倉促推出，不如慢工出細貨，把每個細節都打磨妥當。

而這趟最大的遺憾，也是最大的期待。

館內其實有不少精彩的展示與解說內容，從青雲亭的歷史脈絡，到鄭和信仰在馬六甲華人社群中的傳承，再到地方社會與廟宇治理的故事，都令人眼前一亮。只是因館方尚未正式開放，我也無法將這些內容公開於社群媒體，只能在館前留下一張合照，「公諸於世」。

離開博物館後，館長盛情請客，帶我們到一家隱身老城區的小館用餐。若不是在地人引路，大概很難想像，這條尋常街巷之中，竟藏著這樣一處充滿個性的空間。

餐廳主打巴基斯坦風味料理，但真正令人印象深刻的，除了食物，還有整個空間所散發的文化氣息。主理人是一位本地女藝術家，她將自己的創作與生活哲學融入餐廳之中。牆面掛滿手寫字板與藝術作品，有些是詩句，有些是格言，有些則帶著幾分揶揄與幽默，讓人在等待上菜之際，也忍不住停下來細讀。

馬來文、英文、中文、阿拉伯文、日文等文字交錯並置，像是一面來自世界各地旅人的共同留言牆。普拉姆迪亞（Pramoedya Ananta Toer）、魯米（Rumi）等作家的語錄穿插其間，既有對生命的感悟，也有對現實的調侃。這些文字並非高高在上的智慧箴言，而更像是日常生活中的提醒，在咖哩香與茶香之間讀來，格外耐人尋味。

至於食物本身，也值得推薦。當天的巴基斯坦香飯配上濃郁的咖哩燉肉，再搭配數款醬料與小菜，香料層次豐富卻不過於張揚。沒有刻意營造的異國獵奇感，而是一種樸實而溫暖的家常風味。

回想起來，這頓飯其實與剛參觀的博物館形成了有趣的呼應。無論是青雲亭數百年來累積的信仰記憶，還是這家小店牆上的文字與藝術創作，它們都在提醒我們：文化從來不只是展示櫃裡的文物，也存在於一頓飯、一面牆、一句幽默的自嘲，以及人與人之間偶然展開的對話之中。

一年後，待青雲亭鄭和博物館正式揭幕時，再來好好重訪一次。

10/06/2026

✨ CCSCA 10th Anniversary Alumni Feature 💫

Kenneth Wong See Huat (Class of 2019) is an independent curator, writer, and heritage consultant based in Malaysia, and the founder of “People Ideas Culture”, an interdisciplinary platform focusing on contemporary art, cultural heritage, community engagement, and public programming.

His work often bridges curatorial practice, urban memory, food culture, and social histories through exhibitions, talks, walking projects, and research-based initiatives across Southeast Asia.

In recent years, his projects have explored themes of living heritage, diasporic memory, q***r narratives, and community-based cultural mapping. Kenneth has collaborated with galleries, universities, heritage organizations, and grassroots communities in Malaysia and internationally. His recent engagements include research presentations at Pratt Institute (New York), MuseumNext (London), and Interpret Europe, as well as curatorial and writing projects connected to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bali, and New York.

Alongside his curatorial practice, he also serves as a board member of ICOMOS Malaysia and continues to develop projects that connect art, heritage, sustainability, and public participation. His current project, “Echoes in Between: Penang as Living Archive”, is an exhibition and research initiative exploring memory, migration, and everyday heritage in Penang.

CCSCA is proud to celebrate the diverse practices and ongoing journeys of our alumni! 👏🎊

10/06/2026

Dear colleagues and friends,
I am honoured to share that I am standing as a candidate for Coordinator of the Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Working Group of ICOM-CC for the 2026–2029 triennium. My candidate statement can be viewed here:

icom-cc.org⁠

As an independent curator, heritage practitioner, ACC Research Fellow, and Vice Chairman of NSC-CIIC (Cultural Routes) under ICOMOS Malaysia, I have spent much of my career exploring the intersections between contemporary art, living heritage, cultural memory, and community engagement across Southeast Asia.

If elected, I hope to:
• Strengthen dialogue between conservators, curators, artists, and community practitioners.
• Increase participation from underrepresented regions, particularly Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Global South.
• Support younger professionals through accessible online programmes and knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Expand conversations around contemporary artistic practices, climate-related challenges, and participatory approaches to conservation.
• Foster more hybrid and cross-regional exchanges throughout the triennium.

If you are an eligible ICOM-CC voting member, I would be deeply grateful for your support and vote.

I would also appreciate it if you could kindly share this announcement with colleagues working in conservation, museums, heritage, and contemporary art networks.

Thank you for your encouragement and support.

Kenneth Wong See Huat
Malaysia

https://www.icom-cc.org/en/icom-cc-working-group-coordinator-candidates-2026-2029

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09/06/2026

霧散之後，尚有人在？

《大濛》最讓我喜歡的地方，是它其實沒有急著把所有事情交代清楚。歷史本來就像霧，很多人消失了，很多故事沒有答案，很多家屬終其一生都在等待一句話。

不過，我對趙公道這個角色倒有些保留。角色本身很立體，既市井又重情義，也承擔了不少幽默與人情味，但電影安排他多番爆粗，對我而言有點過量。或許是為了強化底層勞動者的形象，又或是要與阿月的純真形成對比，但幾次關鍵場面裡，那些粗口反而稍微削弱了角色原有的厚度。很多時候，他的眼神與行動其實已經足夠有力量。

反而我一直在想，電影其實有好幾種可能的結尾。
其中一個我最喜歡的版本，是停留在姐姐輕聲說出「大濛起霧了」那一刻。鏡頭拉遠，霧氣瀰漫，一切留白。觀眾不知道未來如何，也不知道失散的人是否還能重逢。那樣的收束既符合片名，也更貼近白色恐怖留給無數家庭的現實——很多故事根本沒有下文。

當然，我也理解導演最後選擇了多年後醫院相認的版本。那場戲某程度上給了觀眾一個遲來的安慰。不是大團圓，而是一種歷經數十年等待後的輕輕放下。看著年老的他們終於認出彼此，眼淚其實不是為重逢而流，而是為那些失去的歲月而流。

而這場戲也讓我不禁聯想到六張犁的亂葬崗。那個地方離我當年在台北念書的大學不遠，只是捷運幾站的距離。雖不經常經過，卻未曾真正理解腳下土地埋藏著什麼故事。後來知道那裡曾是許多白色恐怖受難者被秘密埋葬的地方，再回頭看《大濛》，醫院裡的相認便不只是電影情節，而像是歷史給倖存者的一次遲到告白。

或許正因如此，《大濛》最動人的從來不是死亡，而是等待。有人等了十年，有人等了半世紀，有人直到離世前都等不到答案。霧終究會散，但有些人一輩子都走不出那場霧。

電影最後給了角色一次重逢，也讓觀眾有機會想像，那些長眠於六張犁、馬場町，以及更多無名角落的人，是否也曾期待過這樣一句話：
「原來你還活著。」

09/06/2026

龍哥帶我走天下。
天下，不是誇張，而是真的走到哪裡都有人認識他。尤其在馬六甲老城區，從雞場街到河畔後巷，總有人停下腳步和他寒暄兩句。他也不怕生，見到陌生人便能聊上幾句，彷彿整座城市都是他的客廳。

傍晚時分，他帶我鑽進後巷。牆上還留著歲月斑駁的字跡：「人間富貴花間露，紙上功名水上漚。」旁邊的腳車壁畫和老屋斑駁的牆身，提醒著人們這裡曾經歷多少繁華與衰敗。

晚餐很簡單，也很馬六甲。
先是後巷裡現燙的海鮮。白蜆和血蚶一盤接一盤上桌，沒有過多調味，只配蒜蓉辣椒醬。鮮甜的海味混著夜市的喧鬧聲，倒也吃得痛快。再來一杯酸柑冰和仙草飲消暑解膩。

吃到一半，龍哥又帶我轉場。這回換成印度煎餅店，一份巨大的 thosai 橫跨整個餐盤，配上三色醬料與咖哩。看著他笑得像個孩子似的拿著刀叉準備開動，我才明白，認識一座城市最好的方法，往往是透過一個熟悉它的人。

夜色漸濃，我們沿著馬六甲河散步。河岸燈火倒映水面，遊客們忙著拍照打卡，而龍哥卻總能指著某個不起眼的角落，說起一段老故事，或某位已經搬離老城區的老朋友。

最後一站，是他店鋪對面的常美。
一塊簡單的 carrot cake，成了這晚的句點。也是在這時候，我才知道，原來他已經擁有了第二間店。那是他十年前便想擁有的空間。當年看中了，卻因積蓄不足而錯過。多年後兜兜轉轉，終於還是把它租了下來。

新店裡放著他的珍藏。老縫紉機、舊家具、剪紙作品，以及來自各地的手工藝收藏。樓上還留出了一塊空間，準備舉辦剪紙工作坊和文化活動。比起一般商店，它更像是一個可以讓人停下腳步聊天、喝茶、分享故事的地方。

有趣的是，為了減低電費，他至今仍堅持不安裝冷氣。在這個人人追求舒適的年代，這種堅持多少有些固執。但他明白，在遊客愈來愈多、租金和營運成本愈來愈高的老城區裡，每省下一筆開支，都是讓小店繼續生存的方法。

馬六甲的夜晚其實很熱鬧。
可是比起燈光、夜市和遊船，我更記得的，是一個願意為夢想等待十年的人；一個依然相信手藝、相信人情味的人。

跟著龍哥走天下，走的其實不是天下，而是一座城市最真實的人情風景。

08/06/2026

這棟宅邸，與其說是精品酒店，不如說更像一座私人收藏家的南洋大宅。

從踏入門廳開始，映入眼簾的是成對的青瓷瑞獸、雕工細膩的老酸枝供桌，以及高聳的瓷瓶。水晶吊燈垂落在娘惹風格的木雕屏風前，既有中國大宅的氣派，也帶著馬六甲峇峇娘惹文化特有的華麗。

最令我印象深刻的，反而不是那些古董，而是整體空間的尺度感。四間寬敞的套房圍繞著公共空間展開，客廳裡擺放著大型明清風格家具、彩色靠墊與藝術收藏，樓梯間懸掛著巨型燈籠，牆上甚至掛著木雕金魚，處處可見主人對中式美學的偏愛。

據管家介紹，整棟宅邸以包棟形式出租，每晚約 RM5,000，特別適合三代同堂大家族聚會、好友旅行、婚禮前後住宿，或企業高端接待。由於公共空間寬敞且極具氛圍，過去也曾舉辦爵士樂演出、文化沙龍及來自吉隆坡藝術團隊的小型表演活動。

站在餐廳望向雕花屏風與水晶燈時，我幾乎有種置身私人博物館的錯覺。這裡沒有大型度假村的喧鬧，也不是一般旅館的標準化設計，而是一種介於「家」與「收藏館」之間的存在。

感謝熱情的管家帶我逐層參觀，分享這棟房子的故事。若有大家庭計劃到馬六甲度假，或希望尋找一個適合聚會、慶祝、舉辦小型文化活動的場地，不妨向他們查詢包棟住宿的可能性。這類空間在馬六甲其實並不多見，能同時兼具歷史感、藝術感與居住舒適度，更是難得。