Malacca Historic City:
Christ Church & The red-radiant sky
Christ Church & The sunrise watchers
The popular image of the Red Square is that of the Christ Church 's bold red facade sparkles in sharp contrast against the bright blue Malacca sky. However, there is another look of the building that is more interesting and stunning. It can only be seen when the sun casts a reddish glow in the misty sky at dawn. At that moment, what will be revealed is a dramatic urban landscape of transcendental beauty - a scene evocative of the feeling of the sublime.
Metal cage & the revealing shadow:
Metal cage at St. Paul Cathedral
A ray of sunlight shines through the round arch opening into the inner chamber of St. Paul Cathedral. The shape of the shadow casted on the floor is indistinguishable in the beginning. However, the shadow gradually transforms itself into an intricate lattice pattern that finally encircled a metal cage at its center as the sun moves. The final shape of the shadow has accentuated the significant location that the metal cage has occupied. It is at this revealing moment that the logic of its position has thus been understood and become meaningful – as concealed beneath the cage and buried in the ground is the most sacred burial vault of St Paul Cathedral.
Riverfront Vistas & Panorama:
Vista towards St. Frances Xavier Church
Malacca riverfront panorama
The river promenade of the historic town is a nostalgic journey consisting of Malacca rich historical past and multi-cultural heritage. Lining up on both sides of the river banks are architectural forms and styles of different cultures that are built over many periods. The meandering river is like a floating mirror of reflections, which will add mirage of colors, lights and moods to enrich the experiences of the place. Whereas St. Frances Xavier Church is like the shining star at the end of an axis, terminating many vistas along the riverfront with its distinctive twin towers. Overall, the river promenade has a rustic and lay-back feel, while its mood is intimate and cozy.
A traditional street noodle café:
A noodle food store at Lorong Kota Laksamana
6-8 months into the Post-Covid19 reopening, the leisure business in Malacca has yet to be fully recovered. Exploring the renown historical street of Tun Tan Cheng Lock in the dawn hours, only one traditional noodle food store in a row of run-down shop-houses at the far end of the road can be spotted opening for business. Some locals have already queuing up for their breakfast on their way to work.
A local riding an antique bicycle:
Commuting on bicycle at Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock
Spoting locals commuting on bicycles in the historic town has become a rarity. It has indeed become a scene of nostalgia, a phenomenon of a bygone era, which will soon be totally vanished into history. The scene has brought out the fading memory of our fathers’ generation and the traditional daily routines that seems to exist not long ago.
Side view of a typical long and narrow shop-house:
The shop-houses of Malacca Historic City is typically long and narrow - an evidence that shows the high density of its ancient urban environment. Thus, a number of internal air-well spaces and courtyards will be needed to keep its interior bright and airy. The undulating rise and fall of the gable-end facades is rhythmic. The peeling plasters and the black stains on the facades arouses a sense of nostalgia.
Old and new conservation guest-houses:
Conservation Shophouses at Lorong Kota Laksamana
Shophouses along Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock
Baba & Niongya Shophouse at Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock
Unlike modern planning, the width of Malacca historic shop-houses comes in a wide range of dimensions. Some are wide and luxurious in the modern sense, but some are really narrow to the extent of impracticality. The love for color and the preference for certain hues can be traced back to Malacca’s Baba and Niongya culture. Its bold and extensive usage on buildings has produced a distinctive Malacca character and identity.
Plants facade:
A boundary can be hard and well defined, it can also be soft and grey. The five-foot way is the typical example of a permanent soft boundary in this part of the world, while the use of street furniture and plants are soft temporary examples. In the above cases, green creepers are used firstly, to define the soft, in-between space of the entrance of a revamped hotel beautifully - thus combining the conccpts of eco-green + conservation seamlessly. Noted how small an area is needed to grow the creepers, but the effect is enormous. Secondly, it is used to form the entire facade of building, creating a kind of forest buffer into which one is transported to a totally new world.
Oversea Chinese heritage along Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock:
Chinese Association of Moral Uplifting
Baba Chee Yam Chuan mansion
Malacca’s historical ties with the Chinese culture over a period of more than 500 years is far reaching and deep as can be clearly detected from the conservation shop-houses and mansions that frank the street of Tun Tan Cheng Lock. Many of the buildings are of hybrid style consisting of Chinese, European and Malay influences. The quality and the authenticity of the restoration work at this lane are impressive despite being done some time ago.
Kampong Spirit of Inclusiveness at Jln Tukang Besi:
Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple, with Kpg Kling Mosque at close proximity
Kpg Kling Mosque - a hybrid of Sumatran, Chinese, Hindu and local Malay.
Malacca constituted a unique architectural form and townscape design that celebrate the fusions of cultural diversity and multiplicity in close spatial proximity. These fusions have been on-going and are constantly at work – they are rooted in the local value of the “kampong spirit”, with its emphasis on understanding, tolerance and inclusiveness.
Encore & The Alienated Form
Encore & The strait of Malacca
Encore & The lost crow
Built in Ultra-Modernist style, the perfomance art center of Malacca (The Encore) with its clean and sleek architectural form signifies modern progression, but the design has little contextual response to Malacca's rich cultural heritage and unique site location. The strange-looking curvilinear articulation on the roof is supposed to make references to some kind of cultural prototypes, but the attempt is too contrived and incomprehensible to make any meaningful connection. Thus, the design has failed to acknowledge the significance of cultural forms and spaces, nor the presence of the Malacca sea. Like a crow lost in the emptiness of the vast open space, Encore Malacca stands deserted, alienated and “out of place” at the bank of the Strait of Malacca.
JS 。Photography
April 2023
canon 6D . 16-35mm/F4
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