CRAFTING CRITICAL INTELLECTUALS: The Great Discourse That Never Happened?
Archifest Singapore 2019 Exhibition
Exhibition Proposal
Abstract
Craft
The project proposes to reconsider the act of craft-ing not only to be applied to the physical but to
the non-physical as well. The word craft comes from the Germanic word kraft, or kracht in Dutch,
which means strength or power. Referring to the original meaning of the word, the project
suggests the use of the word as to ‘empower’ something.
Critical Intellectuals
Criticality can be crafted. It is just a matter of whether society would want it to be crafted or not.
It is a skill that could be learned and nurtured by the society themselves. With criticality, we hope
to aspire to the production of goodness - in this context good architecture. Architects are meant to
be intellectuals and for intellectuals, being critical and creative is a must. As emphasized by Syed
Hussein Alatas (1977) in his famous book Intellectuals in Developing Societies,
“For one thing, the educational institutions of the country, at least for the last three generations,
had not been geared to produce creative individuals, but rather to provide the certificates and
qualifications needed to fill government posts.”
The Project
The project attempts to discuss the idea of crafting criticality as the foundational tool for
developing the minds of Architects in Malaysia. It is fair to say that the ubiquitous Architectural
Discourses in Malaysia for the past 20 years have been focusing too much on the production of
buildings compared to crafting criticality in Architecture.
These writings and documentations on Malaysian Architecture come in the form of either
historical documentation or attempts to theorize Malaysian Architecture in general. However, we
could argue that these series of writings and publications lack critical discourse and critical
theory which are crucial for a young nation like Malaysia.
Towards a Construct of Critical Discourse
For the reasons mentioned earlier, a construct of critical discourse on Malaysian Architecture is
crucial. Although the term Malaysian Architecture is quite vague and general, we feel that the
term is more appropriate for this project than for instance the term ‘Malaysian Modern
Architecture’. The project will discuss critical theory in general and how the relevance of
criticality in analyzing Malaysian Architecture is important to distinguish good architecture from
mediocre architecture.
Architectural Projects
For the purpose of this project, it is important for us to identify significant Architectural projects
for the past 20 years. Architectural projects in these projects shall be redefined not just as
buildings but also as any form of architectural works such as books, exhibitions, symposiums,
architectural competitions, etc. This redefinition is important to establish a new and more mature
understanding of Malaysian Architecture.
References
1. 80 years of Architecture in Malaysian - Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia
2. Recent Malaysian Architecture - Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia
3. Architectural Heritage: Kuala Lumpur: Pre-Merdeka
4. Identiti Senibina Malaysia: Pendekatan Terhadap Pendekatan Reka Bentuk - Prof M. Tajuddin Rasdi
5. The Shapers of Modern Malaysia: The Lives and Works of The PAM Gold Medallists.
6. Post-Merdeka Architecture Malaysia 1957-1987 - Chan Chee Yoong
7. The Architecture of Malaysia - Ken Yeang
Exhibition Proposal
Abstract
Craft
The project proposes to reconsider the act of craft-ing not only to be applied to the physical but to
the non-physical as well. The word craft comes from the Germanic word kraft, or kracht in Dutch,
which means strength or power. Referring to the original meaning of the word, the project
suggests the use of the word as to ‘empower’ something.
Critical Intellectuals
Criticality can be crafted. It is just a matter of whether society would want it to be crafted or not.
It is a skill that could be learned and nurtured by the society themselves. With criticality, we hope
to aspire to the production of goodness - in this context good architecture. Architects are meant to
be intellectuals and for intellectuals, being critical and creative is a must. As emphasized by Syed
Hussein Alatas (1977) in his famous book Intellectuals in Developing Societies,
“For one thing, the educational institutions of the country, at least for the last three generations,
had not been geared to produce creative individuals, but rather to provide the certificates and
qualifications needed to fill government posts.”
The Project
The project attempts to discuss the idea of crafting criticality as the foundational tool for
developing the minds of Architects in Malaysia. It is fair to say that the ubiquitous Architectural
Discourses in Malaysia for the past 20 years have been focusing too much on the production of
buildings compared to crafting criticality in Architecture.
These writings and documentations on Malaysian Architecture come in the form of either
historical documentation or attempts to theorize Malaysian Architecture in general. However, we
could argue that these series of writings and publications lack critical discourse and critical
theory which are crucial for a young nation like Malaysia.
Towards a Construct of Critical Discourse
For the reasons mentioned earlier, a construct of critical discourse on Malaysian Architecture is
crucial. Although the term Malaysian Architecture is quite vague and general, we feel that the
term is more appropriate for this project than for instance the term ‘Malaysian Modern
Architecture’. The project will discuss critical theory in general and how the relevance of
criticality in analyzing Malaysian Architecture is important to distinguish good architecture from
mediocre architecture.