walks & talks
SAVE MY HERITAGE INITIATIVE #SMHI by BADAN WARISAN MALAYSIA
Save My Heritage Initiative (#SMHI) is a platform created by Badan Warisan Malaysia to extend our message of heritage appreciation and conservation and to promote the significance and value the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Malaysia.
Working with cultural practitioners, heritage professionals and educators, #SMHI will introduce a varied programme with opportunities for people of all ages from school children, students, academics, professionals and the general public to participate in, and enhance their understanding and knowledge of our heritage. Activities will include talks and lectures, walks and visits to heritage places, training workshops, seminars and events for a wide audience to better understand and be involved in caring for their heritage.
Badan Warisan Malaysia has been championing our nation’s built and cultural heritage since 1982. Our role has been that of a civic trust, building preservation advocate, heritage consultancy and charitable institution with the mission to Educate, Engage and Empower our fellow Malaysians.
To complement and amplify our objectives we will soon launch a new website called SAVEMYHERITAGE.ORG which is an informative and interactive platform where the public can identify heritage assets under threat and generate support for them.
The series of talks and live presentations around the theme Save My Heritage will kick off on 30 July 2016 with Restoring Fort Alice by Ar. Mike Boon.
Talk By Dr Sandra Khor Manickam “Mr. Inquisitive”: Ivor H. N. Evans’ life in the Malay Peninsula and Borneo
“Mr. Inquisitive” was the title given by anthropologist Ivor H.N. Evans (1886-1957) to his autobiography before he changed it to the more straightforward title, “The Years Behind Me”. Housed in the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology archives, the manuscript has never been published.
Now, in conjunction with NIAS Press, an annotated version of the memoir relating to his travels in Malaya and Borneo is planned for future publication along with illustrations and maps where available. Evans has left an indelible mark on scholarship relating to Malaya and Borneo with his anthropological works on both areas and his involvement with the Federated Malay States Museums and journal. This talk will discuss selected chapters of his autobiography, what insights it brings to the workings of British Malaya and Borneo, and the complications of using biography to elucidate history.
About the Speaker:
Dr Sandra Khor Manickam is a historian of colonial Malaya, with an emphasis on the history of ideas of race and colonial anthropology of indigenous peoples, and the history of the Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia. She is currently Assistant Professor of Southeast Asian History at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and has held positions as Junior Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany and Visiting Fellow in the Department of History, National University of Singapore. Her book, Taming the Wild: Aborigines and Racial Knowledge in Colonial Malaya (NUS Press) was published in 2015. She may be contacted at skmanickam@hotmail.com
Talk by Dr. Stefan: 3D Modeling and Reconstruction of Heritages
Many architectural heritages look back at a long and complex history. For example, during the colonial history, the old town of Malacca had been changed in particular by the Portuguese and by the Dutch.
These spatio-temporal changes of buildings and other built in structures as well as man-made environmental modifications are documented in cartographic works (maps and map like illustrations), old paintings and drawings, as well as historical documents such as books, diaries, treaties, letters and charters.
They involve not only changes of building geometries, but also semantic alterations as property owner, building usage, etc. But how can we make this information adequately understandable by the general public? A visual 3D representation of such evolving information can be one of the most appropriate and effective methods to communicate this history.
This talk by Dr Stefan Peters will highlight 3D modeling 
and reconstruction approaches for spatial heritages, choosing roman cities (Noma, Neapel, Nemi) and the historical town of Malacca as study cases. A special focus will be on procedural modeling, 3D cartographic web rendering, reconstruction uncertainty, and geocoded images in 3D. The presentation demonstrates technical perspectives and limitations.
About the Speaker:
Holding a PhD in Cartography, a Diploma Engineering Degree in Geodesy and Geoinformation, and a professional ‘Surveying and Catastre’ training certificate, Stefan Peters has a strong educational background in geographic data acquisition, geodata modelling, database management, data analysis, information retrieval, and cartographic visualization including web mapping.
With over 15 years of working experience in the field of Geomatics and Geoinformatics, specialising in geospatial data analysis and visualization, he has actively participated in various projects related to geological, land cover, land use, atmospheric and climate applications.
Dr Peters was Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geoinformation at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) until May 2016. Prior to that, he was a Research Associate at the Department of Cartography at the Technische Universität München (TUM) for more than six years where he was involved in several diverse GIS and Mapping projects as well as research activities. In addition to his teaching responsibilitieshe hwas coordinated and supervised a project related to an excavation in Italy including geodata acquisition, GIS-modelling, visualization of archaeological findings, and the 3D visual reconstruction of antique assemblies.
DOCUMENTATION & RECORDING OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS
This presentation aims to share the experiences and know-how of deploying new technological tools and techniques in measuring 3D geometrical properties or metric information of heritage buildings in a more complete, accurate and speedy way.
Emerging technologies like terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and digital photogrammetry will be discussed in the aspect of equipment, measurement accuracy, software solutions and implementation techniques. The session will also highlight how these technologies have revolutionised the visualization and accurate cum enduring documentation of heritage buildings.
The presentation will be demonstrated with real-life project execution methodologies and deliverables encompassing as-built drawings (façade, floor layout & section), point-cloud dataset, 3D mesh model, photo-realistic fly-thru and real-time 3D measurements in the virtual environment.
Lai Jiun Shyong
Graduated with a bachelor degree in land surveying from University of Technology Malaysia (UTM), Lai Jiun Shyong devoted most of his career life to the field of GIS and software development. He is a registered land surveyor with the Land Surveyors Board Malaysia and currently working as the Senior Technology Officer with Jurukur Perunding Services Sdn. Bhd.
NEW DATE- THIS KUL CITY: DISCOVER KWALA LUMPUR
We’re BACK ON AGAIN!
This time the walk is scheduled for SATURDAY, 5 DECEMBER 2015
Starting Point: Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad
Time: 8.00am – 12.00noon
Come dressed comfortably, wear your hats, umbrellas and comfortable shoes. It’s going to be a wonderful morning exploring the city!
21 YEARS ON: REMEMBERING MUBIN SHEPPARD with DR. SR. ZURAINI MD ALI
Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Haji Mubin Sheppard is a name synonymous with the conservation and preservation of historical buildings in Malaysia. Born in Ireland in 1905, he arrived in Malaya in 1928 to serve for the Malayan Civil Service (MCS) until 1963. Tan Sri Mubin’s love for history and Malayan heritage is evident from his numerous publications, his involvement as Editor and President of MBRAS, Museum Director as well as the founding of the Malayan Historical Society in 1953. He was instrumental in the founding of Badan Warisan Malaysia in 1982 and championed the conservation and preservation of Malaysia’s built heritage.
The Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize was established by Badan Warisan Malaysia to raise awareness among younger members of society, about the built heritage of Malaysia. 21 yers after his passing, Dr. Sr. Zuraini Ali celebrates his life and work and will share her insights on the tireless efforts and significant contributions of Tan Sri Mubin from the 1950s until his death on 11 Sept 1994.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Sr. Zuraini Md Ali is a professional in architecture and heritage conservation in Malaysia. Her PhD entitled ‘British Colonial and Post-Colonial attitudes to Architecture and Heritage Conservation in Malaysia’ references many works of Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Haji Mubin Sheppard. She begin her professional career in Built Environment as an Assistant Architect and in the 1990s taught at Federal Institute of Technology, Kuala Lumpur and MARA Institute of Technology. Dr. Sr. Zuraini was among the pioneering staff who established the Department of Building Surveying, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying in UiTM and currently lectures at Universiti Malaya’s Department of Building Surveying, Faculty of Built Environment. As conservationist, Dr. Zuraini has worked on projects including the restoration of Dewan Tunku Canselor, University Malaya (2002-2004) and restoration of Taman Sejarah Kusta Negara (Phase 1) Sg Buloh (2012-2014). She has received several recognition and awards in her research and consultancy works including Honorable Mention in National Heritage Awards 2004: Conservation with Adaptive Re-Use of Bargas Zakariah, Badan Warisan Malaysia in 2005.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PATRIOTIC SONG?
Who would’ve thought that a simple evening listening to a talk on patriotic songs would evoke strong emotions of love, respect and pride for my country? I personally never thought I’d feel this way.
I was part of the audience of about 50 guests who attended Datin Saidah Rastam’s talk entitled Jangan Putih Mata at Badan Warisan Malaysia’s Heritage Center on Sunday, 16 August 2015.
In all honesty, I probably would not have attended this talk if I was not working for Badan Warisan Malaysia. I guess I can consider this the ‘perks’ of the job.
The evening began with a short introduction of Datin Saidah Rastam by Elizabeth Cardosa, the Executive Director.
Datin Saidah Rastam is a composer who has written music for theatre, film dance and TV, for gamelan, martial artists, choral groups, Chinese opera singers, orchestras and electronica. A show she created last year, Malam Terang Bulan, for singers and orchestra and featuring Dato’ Zahim Albakri and Chacko Vadaketh, will be restaged at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in November 2015. Her book Rosalie and Other Love Songs was published by Khazanah Nasional Berhad as part of a preservation project on Malayan music, recordings, manuscripts and oral history.
Datin Saidah spoke about various topics concerning patriotic music from the iconic Malaysian composers and producers, the history of our national anthem, the Negaraku and her research for the book Rosalie.
One particular point that I related to was when Datin Saidah mentioned works done by artists of my generation, citing examples like Namewee and Najwa Mahiaddin.While they may not sound like your average patriotic songs, the lyrics showcase a love for the nation, hope for a better tomorrow and calls for unity- which got me thinking about Ella’s song-‘Standing in the Eyes of the World’ for the 98′ Commonwealth Games.
To me, the most magnetic part of the talk was when Datin Saidah led the audience into a sing-along of nostalgic patriotic songs such as Putera-Puteri, Malaysia Berjaya and Malaysia Tanahairku. 
I was in awe- firstly because the audience remembered these songs and secondly, for the energy that radiated from them. It was inspiring, moving, energetic and full of pride for this country and its people.
I can’t say I’m looking forward to celebrating the independence of our country with a renewed sense of patriotism, but I do have to admit that this talk has certainly given me a new perspective on the different kinds of personalities that were part of building our nation- stuff that you probably would not find in your Buku Sejarah sekolah.
This guest post is written by Melanie Anthony, Communications Manager for Badan Warisan Malaysia.
The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.
YOU’RE INVITED- BWM OPEN HOUSE & AN EVENING WITH DATIN SAIDAH RASTAM
Join Badan Warisan Malaysia for our RAYA OPEN HOUSE on SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST 2015. Bring a friend and explore more about the exciting programmes we have lined up for this year. There will be food and music; you can visit the Rumah Penghulu, network with other members and renew your membership!
The evening will begin with a talk at 5.00 pm by DATIN SAIDAH RASTAM on JANGAN PUTIH MATA which is about HEROES and ANTI-HEROES in patriotic music during MALAYSIA’S nation building years. It explores stories, accounts and conspiracies and examines the continuing potency of songs written in that idealistic era.
Datin Saidah Rastam is a well-known composer for theatre, film dance and TV and most recently, she composed and directed Malam Terang Bulan which was staged last September. She is the author of Rosalie and Other Love Songs, a preservation project on Malayan music, recordings, manuscripts and oral history.
BWM MEMBERS: FREE NON MEMBERS: RM25
ABOUT DATIN SAIDAH RASTAM
Saidah Rastam is a composer who has written music for theatre, film dance and TV, for gamelan, martial artists, choral groups, Chinese opera singers, orchestras and electronica. She was the musical director for the launch of the Petronas Twin Towers. A show she created last year, Malam Terang Bulan, for singers and orchestra and featuring Dato’ Zahim Albakri and Chacko Vadaketh, will be restaged at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in November 2015.
Her book Rosalie and Other Love Songs was published by Khazanah Nasional Berhad as part of a preservation project on Malayan music, recordings, manuscripts and oral history. She is now working on a documentary on the early years of Sultan Idris Training College and the Malay College Kuala Kangsar: institutions which produced young men with radically different ideals. Saidah trained as a barrister and was in practice for seven years.
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