By: Natalie
Shobana Ambrose
theSun, Malaysia
(pg 16) December 5, 2013
The new "cool" is all about going retro. Wearing vintage
clothes from an op shop or preferring an old school Casio watch with the
calculator attached or the one that plays games instead of something from a
brand that is a firm fixture at London/Paris Fashion Week.
It doesn't just apply to fashion. Photo apps like
Hipstamatic and Instagram have recruited the masses to create faux-vintage
photos that make people swoon with nostalgia even if the photo was taken all
but 30 seconds ago.
Ten years ago admitting to loving The Golden Girls
would get you confused pity-sad looks, but today dear 91-year-old Rose aka
Betty White (pix) has CNN doing a piece on her titled Cool Betty White is red
hot and there's a Pintrest page titled "Betty White is da bomb".
Clearly this concept of everything old is new again,
has been recycled many times over.
Remember how a few years ago, the old kopitiam with
its wooden stools, tiled walls, ceramic chipped bowls of noodles was
trademarked and crafted into a popular chain – with standardised menus,
furniture, interiors and plastic utensils for an "authentic"
experience? A great business idea that has flourished but many still crave and
frequent the original kopitiams that are fast becoming a dying enterprise.
Development has taken the place of many of these
kopitiams, not just physical development but also skill – how many stall owners
have someone to pass on their trade secrets to? With age catching up, even
though business is good, it's really hard sweating work which is not kind to
the knees and gets crueller with age.
That aside though, many of the old kopitiams in Kuala
Lumpur are bowing down to fancier development, eateries and global-domination
coffee chains. But here's where we get the concept mixed up. Development does
not need to do away with the old, neither does it have to become part of a
soulless retail empire.
For a young country, we have lost many heritage
buildings to redevelopment. Prime land is no place for old buildings is the
mentality of the day and instead of maintaining the buildings we tear them down
to make way for new development.
Needless to say there are a few old buildings that
have been transformed into boutique hotels and eateries but a more vigorous
effort is needed change the mindset of town planners, city councils and higher
powers to protect old structures and historical sites from being destroyed.
The heart of Kuala Lumpur is clogged by shopping malls
built on land that once housed a race course and the oldest school in the city.
Do we really need more shopping malls on heritage land? We have to weigh out
whether the profits of trade and economics are worth more than our priceless
heritage, our history and our environment.
It's not just about nostalgia it's about long-term
benefits versus short-term gains. There needs to be a positive attitude shift
in thinking that maintenance and restoration of old buildings is important
because it reaps economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits while
creating niche technical skill.
We need stronger champions of the National Heritage
Act and National Land Code who will advocate without fear.
There are parts of the historic environment of our
country that are important culturally and need to be protected.
Sustainability needs to be at the core of our planning
system. New buildings cannot just be something that is announced in a budget
speech but something debated and proved a best option with the backing of
environmental impact assessments, taking into consideration historic,
traditional, artistic, archaeological and architectural views.
The idea that conservation is part of sustainability
and sustainable development is not just for us but for future generations needs
to be better recognised and inculcated in our minds and in the minds of our
leaders.
Ever wonder what the commentary of our heritage walks
will sound like in years to come when everything is new? It might sound
something like this. "And this used to be our National Independence Park
but now stands a shiny 100-storey building sticking out like a sore thumb metres
away from Merdeka Stadium and the National Stadium and built on People's
Reserved Land. Make sure you use a retro filter before uploading your photos –
so that the tower looks like it blends in with the surroundings."
Natalie believes that
you can't put a price tag on heritage, old kopitiams and Betty White even if
you pay in liquid gold and fancy banded handbags.
Comments:
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On Pointe, theSun http://www.thesundaily.my/node/233101
