KUALA LUMPUR, 14 February 2023 – Think City, an impact organisation to create more sustainable and equitable places, in collaboration with MRT Corporation and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), supported by Yayasan Sime Darby and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), brings you the return of Arts On The Move, beginning 14 February at the Pasar Seni MRT Station in Downtown Kuala Lumpur. Launched today by YB Anthony Loke, Minister of Transport, the 6-month public arts initiative will showcase a curated range of quality public arts and cultural activities such as live performances, art installations and workshops.

The launch event held today at the Pasar Seni MRT station featured weaving workshops, performances by the Mah Meri Cultural Village and Sunnyside Up, an art installation by Pamela Tan of Poh Sin Studio.

YB Anthony Loke, Minister of Transport said, “Pasar Seni is a jewel in our rail network system - renowned for being a focal point to explore the history, heritage, culture and food that Downtown Kuala Lumpur has to offer. With Arts On The Move, the rail network can be more than a place where you wait for the next train to arrive. It can be a place where we can help break the monotonous lives most people associate with city-life or working in cities. It is an opportunity to create space for people to envision an urban lifestyle that is vibrant with culture and creative activities whilst still ensuring that it is socially equitable and accessible.”

Arts On The Move (AOTM) was set up in 2016 with the aim of connecting culture via curated arts and cultural activities such as live performances and exhibitions, and the city’s historic core, which is rich in tangible and intangible cultural assets to the rail network system. It was implemented in collaboration with Prasarana at Masjid Jamek LRT Station and supported by Yayasan Hasanah for a duration of two years. This resulted in a diverse arts and culture programming that appealed to the Malaysian audiences and visitors that transited the space.

AOTM returns in 2023, featuring a diverse range of Malaysian artists to reflect on how we move through and have a collective experience of public space. It hopes to contribute to reenergising Downtown Kuala Lumpur with a curated presentation of 12 live shows, three workshops and two art installations at Pasar Seni MRT Station, which transports an average 15,000 commuters daily.

Hamdan Abdul Majeed, Managing Director of Think City said, “Drawing on Think City’s expertise in culture-based regeneration and the growing potential of creative economy worldwide, we hope to create a focus on the collective cultural experience of the Pasar Seni MRT Station environment, exploring the spaces we travel through every day, in addition to rejuvenating the areas around it. It is one of the key stations in Downtown Kuala Lumpur, and hopefully, we will be able to implement AOTM across the other relevant transit stations too. The celebration of arts in transit stations as alternate public spaces has been successfully done in cities like Singapore, London and New York.”

AOTM is amongst one of the programmes taking place in the city as part of the recommendation from the Kuala Lumpur Creative and Culture Strategic Master Plan, a plan for the development and revitalisation of the cultural and creative industries in Kuala Lumpur that has been incorporated in the DBKL 2040 structure plan. The goal of the plan is to create a vibrant and sustainable district in the city that will attract both local and international visitors, and to foster the growth of the creative and cultural industries in the region.

“The continued work in rejuvenating Downtown Kuala Lumpur into a creative and cultural district includes tying together heritage assets, cultural attractions, transit stations, parks and creative enterprises, creating destinations and attractions while improving public realm to provide Malaysians and visitors a more comfortable environment to explore, work, and commute within the city. We want to make Downtown Kuala Lumpur the most accessible public place, the most connected part where anyone can come by public transport,” Hamdan added.

"Aside from improving the commuters’ experience via the integration of Malaysia’s local arts and culture into the station, it is through such initiatives that arts and cultural practitioners can unleash their creativity and talent, while actively playing a role in rehabilitating the city in its heritage. MRT Corporation is honoured to be part of Arts on the Move in providing a platform to benefit local art enthusiasts as well as the community,” said Datuk Zarif Hashim, CEO of MRT Corporation.

AOTM is also part of the Building Back Better effort as an approach to rehabilitate creative and cultural businesses as well as to reenergise the city, injecting new life and interest back into the city centre.

Dr. Hjh. Yatela Zainal Abidin, Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Sime Darby said, “The aim of Yayasan Sime Darby’s support for Arts On The Move is to make the arts more accessible for the public whilst contributing to building opportunities for talented local artists to thrive in the arts industry. In collaboration with various likeminded stakeholders, we are proud to be able to contribute to the building blocks of a thriving creative and cultural district in Kuala Lumpur. We hope that with this free-for-all collaborative arts initiative, people will stop and take a breather from their hectic schedules to experience and gain a new appreciation for the arts.”

AOTM will be happening every fortnight from February to June 2023 between 5:00PM to 6:00PM. The programme will feature curated quality performances, art installations and workshops for commuters to enjoy and participate in. The art installation Sunnyside Up will be on display for the next three months. Sunnyside Up hopes to reimagine everyday pedestrian routes and transform them into a unique and enjoyable experience for all.

For more information about AOTM, visit www.thinkcity.com.my or follow us @mythinkcity on all major social media platforms.