Through My Cat Eyes

The Kenyalang Park mixed development is one of the oldest modern residential and commercial area in Kuching. The development consist of single storey and double storey low-cost houses with a centralized commercial hub, which comprise of shophouses, a market, a cinema/theatre and an office block. A new wet market was added to the area while a new block of shophouses was tucked in the back of the old shophouses.  The name Kenyalang is taken from the local name for the Hornbill bird, which is also the official bird of the state of Sarawak. Sarawak is also known as "Bumi Kenyalang" or "Land of the Hornbills". Just like the bird, which has deep roots in the local Dayak culture, this area has also a deep relationship with Kuchingites and the history of the city. This area is becoming a jewel to artists and photographers as this is the few places where traditional businesses still thrive. The juxtaposition of 60s modern architecture with a mix of traditional and...

I believe, one of the first reasons why I took up photography was because of these gates.  I'm a huge fan of urban exploration and I've always wanted to explore the forgotten, trace the memories of the people who inhabited that place, and perhaps, find a hidden sanctuary that I can make my own. I was taken in by the beautiful and haunting photographs of abandoned places posted online and realized that there are many interesting buildings and places around the city that has been abandoned and not fully explored and photographed. With the rapid speed of development of the city and the disregard to historical architecture, these buildings will be forgotten forever. To me, it feels as if that every time a historical building is destroyed, the unique identity of the city is destroyed and it ignorantly transform into another typical modern city.  The identity of the city is the reflection of the history and future of the people. If we fail to understand that the city ...