PETALING JAYA, Oct 9 — At least seven art installations by final-year Multimedia University (MMU) students will set the mood for next month’s Urbanscapes festival.

Titled Live Wire, the works that will be displayed will embody the festival’s theme of Reimagine KL that aims to change the narrative about how Kuala Lumpur is perceived.

The installation is curated by interdisciplinary new media and video artist Fairuz Sulaiman, who presented festival-goers with a well-received crowd-sourced VR project called Berkhayal Di Kuala Lumpur last year.

The 36-year-old was asked to create an installation this year but the MMU film and animation alumnus wanted to get aspiring artists involved.

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“It’s difficult for me to come up with new work every year so I thought instead about changing the way of working by collaborating with MMU students and facilitate the showcase,” Fairuz told Malay Mail.

He said Urbanscapes was the perfect platform for known artists to showcase their works but he wanted the students to have the same chance.

“This form of art is not a very big industry and not a lot of people are doing it… How do you extend that platform to those who don’t have the opportunity to do it?”

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MMU student Aisyah Harul’s project looks at the impact of the 14th general election.
MMU student Aisyah Harul’s project looks at the impact of the 14th general election.

The art installations were part of the Faculty of Creative Multimedia students’ final-year project which was exhibited at the university’s E-Gallery last week.

But unlike previous years where the works are discarded or kept in cold storage, these students will continue to finetune their creations for the public.

“If I didn’t bring this to Urbanscapes, these works will just be stuck at the campus and MMU students and lecturers are the only ones who get to see it which is such a shame,” Fairuz said.

The artist added that this year’s interactive art installations will be more inclusive, compared to Berkhayal Di Kuala Lumpur.

“They are friendlier to audiences in the sense that more people can participate in the works. Urbanscapes is continuing the tradition of bringing in different types of art to a different type of audience,” he explained.

When it comes to challenges faced by media artists, Fairuz said there is a tendency among artists who skew their works to gain popularity on social media platforms such as Instagram.

“There is this thing about Instagrammable works, works that get the most likes or views are considered good works because eyeballs translate into money.

“The problem now is a lot of ideas are working backwards, which is ‘How do I make my work Instagrammable?’ as oppose to ‘What I want to say about the world’,” he said.

Fairuz believes a populist approach will devalue an artist’s work, but he also spoke about the need to find a balance.

“If you want to say something important to the world but it looks too serious, it will turn people off and then you lose an audience who would have otherwise known about your message or what you’re advocating,” he cautioned.

Syazwi Syahmi’s installation Coffin, explores the claustrophobia in a bustling city.
Syazwi Syahmi’s installation Coffin, explores the claustrophobia in a bustling city.

Asked what makes an art installation a success, Fairuz said the work must create conversation.

“An artwork that can create a conversation not just for me but the audience — if they’re looking at the artwork and are not quite sure what it is, but they’re interacting with it and talking about it, “ he said.

For Fairuz, it has to spark more questions for its maker.

“When you’re creating art, does it interrogate your understanding of the world to the point you are not comfortable with yourself? If that happens, that’s success,” he said.

Live Wire will be exhibited from November 3 to November 18, 10am to 10pm (closed on Mondays) at Urbanscapes House, 2, Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur.

Nora by Hada Amira represents the gap between the fortunate and less fortunate. — Picture by Ham Abu Bakar
Nora by Hada Amira represents the gap between the fortunate and less fortunate. — Picture by Ham Abu Bakar