New Territories

For the last four months or so, gaggles of people from the artistic community have been given tours of Solaris Dutamas, off Jalan Duta - a mixed development that consists of 1,000 offices, 800 apartments and 400 retail outlets. The reason? labDNA's Nani Kahar and Peter Kiernan - the architectural masterminds behind The Annexe Gallery @ Central Market - are helming the conceptualisation, design, and programming of a number of galleries and theatres within the project. There are also plans to provide artists and collectives with space of their own, at affordable (considering the relative poverty of the arts in Malaysia) prices.

The twinning of retail space and cultural space in big developments isn't a new idea. We've seen places like the Avenue K, Star Hill, and Jaya One (with its PJ Live Arts component) get touted as the next big thing - only to have the art aspect get paid lip service, or fail to live up to its promise. What sets Solaris Dutamas's plans apart? With its theatre-oriented Black Box and visual art-y White Box launching in March, we got Nani to answer some questions about her team's vision for the space.

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What kinds of space are planned at Solaris Dutamas?

We will start with the White Box, a 6,000 square-foot contemporary art gallery, and the 200-seater Black Box, a theatre-cum-performance hall in March. These will be a microcosm of the fully-realised project, and an incubator for the community. We will build on the momentum the two create to include activities throughout the development - in the arcade, park and piazza areas - from 2011 onwards.

How will the Black Box and White be administered? Artists are poor; will these spaces be affordable?

Space will be booked with flexible arrangements for financing available, depending on the needs of the user. Individuals and groups will be welcome to arrange activities in these spaces, with the help of our in-house space management team. They will focus on maximising the diversity and numbers of participants.

What's your vision for the project, from now through to 2011?

We see our mission as one of creating an inclusive operating model, for the flourishing of cultural activity and artistic production. Instead of the control of a few individuals, who currently dominate the local scene, we seek the participation of the many, the new, and the diverse. Our goal is that people from all walks of life and social strata will be come active members of an ever-growing community. 

We also want to bring art and culture to the public. This is a project to merakyatkan seni - the only way we can do that is to organise events in an already familiar public setting: a retail centre or neighbourhood, instead of an art space tucked away somewhere in a corner. For example, while waiting for the traffic to ease, an officer worker at Solaris Dutamas could watch a theatre play, and pick up a painting for his parents' silver anniversary.

We would be glad if everyone could join in the cause. We are constantly meeting up, not only with the art community, but also with youth groups, corporations and government agencies. We want to see how we can serve everyone's needs and voices.

The Black Box and White Box at Solaris Dutamas are set to launch in late March 2010. 

Text Zedeck Siew