As a KLite by name – I was born in the city, but all too soon moved out to the greater Klang Valley region and raised within the suburbs of Petaling Jaya – I never really considered myself a child of the city. Despite being in KL daily, for work or play reasons, Kuala Lumpur always felt larger than life, and larger than I had the capacity to understand. Combined with the constant traffic jams (my greatest nemesis!) and the always changing landscape, I reckoned I knew enough about the city and became all too comfortable in my quiet(er) corner of suburbia.
But walking along the River of Life with Izan Satrina, Senior Director at Think City, while she points out art installations by local artists, or shares her thoughts about the potential of the spaces in downtown KL, and discussing the art installations and Think City’s never-ending mission in KL, I realised just how much I don’t know about the city.
So to meet Izan in KL, and to speak about her connection with art, the city, and the Kreatif KL Festival as part of her work was eye-opening in certain regards.
Where art finds its place
“Kreatif KL Festival is about promoting the city as a confluence of history and modernity, ideas and creativity, a place where people come to mingle, where people come to eat. So, we’re trying to reignite interest for KL, and getting people to come back to rediscover and explore it,” Izan explains.
Kreatif KL is the brand name given to Think City’s transformation plan, in partnership with DBKL, as Think City continues to revitalise and rejuvenate the heart of KL. The Kreatif KL Festival then, is an extension of that transformation, the activation arm to get the people and wider community around the city involved and take part in its evolution.
“I think everyone has a passion to promote KL and their art, but it’s very resource heavy. So the best way to do it is to take a whole society approach and promote it together,” Izan explains. “That’s why if you take a look at the Kreatif KL Festival website or brochure, there are more than 100 activities happening during this span of time.”
Kreatif KL Festival officially launched on 5 September 2024 and will run till 30 November. Throughout the nearly three months, the festival’s programmes span public art installations, music, dance, exhibitions, workshops, and more.
Rebuilding community through creativity
Urban rejuvenation might bring to mind the idea of physically fixing infrastructure, buildings and spaces, so how does the festival fit within Think City’s goal for Kuala Lumpur?
“Historically, there is a strategic master plan that was devised. So, for any cities we go into, we tend to do the five Ds first. We discover, then we do a diagnostic of the area before we design an intervention. And then, we deploy it. If it’s good, we duplicate it. So, that’s how we did it in Georgetown. And now, we have brought the methodology in Kuala Lumpur. The differences lies in the specific needs and challenges of Kuala Lumpur,” Izan starts.
She continues “Geographically, George Town and Downtown KL are quite similar in size, and we apply the same tools and localised strategies in both. However, there’s a noticeable difference: the people in George Town – and even Johor – demonstrate a distinct sense of hunger and pride for their city. In KL, I see an opportunity to further ignite that spirit strongly.”
Izan continues, “The idea behind the festival and the Kuala Lumpur Creative and Cultural District (KLCCD) project is that, through the rejuvenation efforts and seeing the city come alive again, people will be reminded of their roots and stories. Whilst we work on restoring the glory of the capital, it could also fuel a sense of belonging and pride. That’s what we’re aiming to build – slowly but surely. By fostering social capital, collaborating with the community, and sustaining the momentum of the Kreatif KL Festival as an annual event, we hope to draw people back to the heart of the city. That is the vision.”
The importance of art in building a city
“As you walk across the city, there needs to be content in these spaces, and in between spaces. So, in between crossing the roads, you discover the art in public spaces and that only enriches the visitor experience. So, it’s highly important [to have art within the city] and hence why whilst we look into shaping the city with DBKL and its partners, we also try to identify content and arts and try to incubate it,” Izan says.
“There’s something for everyone [in Kreatif KL Festival’s programmes]. Everyone has a role to reimagine the sort of city they want, because it’s a place to live, work and play for them. There is so much history and stories, and the way to ensure that your children and their children, and the future generation know about it is by investing in these stories and memories,” she continues.
When asked whether she thinks KL is an arts hub, Izan answers, “I feel the term ‘arts’ is quite limited. I would say it’s more of a creative destination, because that gives a broader context for arts, culture, tech boys, gaming, designers, chefs, architects. So, it’s a space for all of them.”
Art as escapism
As a practitioner of creative arts herself and with a career as both a performer and developer of artistic stages and creative spaces, Izan too finds an escape and respite in the arts. But today, the escape comes from observing others’ experiencing and reacting to creative event instead of partaking in it herself.
“I feel I’m in a phase where I try to see what’s different for me. I like how Pentas Seni Merdeka is able to pull people in, there’s about 7,000 to 11,000 people who come through. I like to observe that. So, my moment now is about observing how art impacts other people instead of impacting me. I derive satisfaction from seeing those moments. I have moved from finding art to observing how people interact – I feel those are my art moments now,” Izan explains.
With Kreatif KL Festival in its last stretch and with only two weekends remaining, I asked Izan to recommend a few shows for us to catch before the programmes wind down. “The first is Eko Supriyanto’s world-premiere performance of KASE SEKA at Panggung Bandaraya, happening on 23 and 24 November. Second is TERANG 2.0 Warisan by Filamen which is a projection mapping showcase happening every night until 24 November at the Old High Court Courtyard. Another one is Tan Chui Mui’s Love Letters to KL art exhibit at High Street Studio, which only just opened last weekend and will run for a month. Finally, it’s the Limar & Songket exhibition by John Ang at Semua House, running till 15 December, which showcases 250 textile pieces from his personal collection,” Izan recommends.
All the above programmes are free to enter with the exception of Limar & Songket, which is priced at a very affordable RM10 for adults and RM5 for children under 12 and students.
As a final word before we go, I set a challenge for Izan to invite more people to come and catch the final few days for the festival, and summarise what the experience could give to visitors in three words. Laughing, she succinctly summarises, “I would say ‘rediscover, reimagine, and reconnect’ but most importantly are these words: jumpa di KL.”
Find out more about Think City’s mission and projects here, then head to the Kreatif KL Festival’s website to discover all the creative programmes happening till 30 November.
Featured image: Izan Satrina seen through the mirrors of Bono Stellar’s Dreamweaver art installation.
Photography by Imran Sulaiman.