Young people, families and couples are flitting through the small hallways, giggling and having lively conversations about the colourful acrylic scenes they are viewing. Floral-printed curtains blow in the breeze from the upstairs windows, as music from an old jukebox blares out into the streets.
Downstairs, people are having a simple meal of nasi ayam berempah and “soda gembira” at the quaint little cafe, while others are rifling through books at the general store or simply posing for snapshots to upload onto their social media feeds.
Welcome to the Tun Perak Co-op, old shophouses at 62 & 64, Jalan Tun Perak, Kuala Lumpur. A hop, step and jump away from the bustling Masjid Jamek LRT station, the old rattan shop and Chinese herbal medicine store have been refreshed into a cultural hub of sorts, with new life slowly being breathed into the walls, nooks and crannies.
Kide Baharudin’s Pe’el debut exhibition, featuring scenes of life in Malaysia in the 1960s, ran from mid July to Aug 9, and was a fine way to kick things off to a start.
The streets outside bustle with activity, and every so often train barrels down the tracks nearby, but this doesn’t faze founding members, Beatrice Leong and Teoh Ming Jin, as they wax lyrical about their new venture.
That accessible vibe
“The distraction and noise may even remove barriers of what people perceive an art gallery or a space to be, ” offers Leong.
“It’s so nice to hear people laughing, kids running around, mums yelling at the kids... it’s very normal, very real. And exactly what we’re going for, something that’s a little less uppity!”
As its name suggests, the cultural centre will be run like a co-operative business model, something the thirtysomething Sarawakian says she’s always wanted to do, “A lot of people think that the word co-op means it’s a collaboration or cooperation, but that’s not so. ‘Koperasi’ (the Bahasa Malaysia word) is a very unique business model built on what the people need, ” she explains, adding that when this place was first shown to her “by fate” (she says with a grin) it was perfect for what she already had in mind.
“I’ve been talking about doing something for the people, a community project, and because of our location – we’re not on the touristy side of the city, but rather in the centre of a work district, where all the locals are – I grabbed the opportunity.
“A koperasi or co-operative is built to cater to a community. Think back to your school days and how the money from ‘Canteen day’ went into the koperasi fund and would be funnelled back into buying what the school needed, ” she explained.
“That is the sort of thing we want to do there.”
Community at heart
She reminisces about growing up in Kuching and how the local “Chinese Uncle’s” grocery store was a hub of activity.
“Tun Perak Co-op is kind of a modern interpretation of that kedai runcit which would sell everything from books, newspapers, groceries and artisanal goods, and it was also probably the meeting point for taxis... you know, the question is how do we update something like that to make it relevant today and at the same time, keep that old community spirit alive, ” shares Leong, underlining the idea of providing for the community.
In line with this, there will be a retail space within Tun Perak Co-Op that furnishes smaller independent local artisans with opportunities to showcase and sell their ware. For example, this reporter was able to get her caffeine fix there with a bottle of cool Hainanese coffee.
“Yeah, that was from an uncle just across the street, whose business suffered because of the pandemic. We were able to help him out by committing to buy a certain amount from him, and then we were able to help sustain his operation by continuing to work with him. That is a big example of how the co-operative model will work.”
Coming from a content creation background, Leong hopes to piece together all the ideas she picked up during the last decade into a tangible form. Part of the plan at Tun Perak is also to provide content, in small, bite-size pieces, through which a bit of culture can seep back into the community.
“The idea is to make culture something accessible as well as digestible for the masses. And our biggest target is not tourists, but locals. We’re always building things for the others... but why not build things for ourselves instead? It’s about time that we start looking inwards.”
Leong admits that people who work around here don’t have a lot of time to spend either.
“So you are looking at a small window of time, say 15 minutes to spare, either when they are coming in to work, or at lunch or when they are on their way home... when they may want a different head space.”
‘Kaki lima’ performances
Because they haven’t got a sprawling space to work with, they’ve had to be creative. That’s where Teoh, armed with experience in technology and theatre, comes into the picture bringing innovation and creativity into the mix.
According to Teoh, the space will be divided into three sections at least, including the upstairs gallery, the downstairs cafe and the Tun Perak General Store, which will feature curated retail and a bookshop.
“We will be using a ‘Pop Up’ concept, so every two weeks or so things are going to change. And that could even apply to the F&B layout downstairs, ” he said.
During this interview the cafe is set up with old timber tables, to tie in with the Kide exhibition, and you could actually feel the old Malaysia vibe the moment you walk in.
“We’re fast, we’re nimble, ” says Teoh. “We will be able to lay out things almost instantly. So people are not going to be bored by the same layout and the same setting each time they come in for a show.”
What Teoh is most excited about, however, is the event space, just next to the cafe.
“I’ll be setting up some new theatrical systems which are lightweight and low on power consumption, but powerful enough to set up a performance.
“Because the space is so small (4m x 6m x 4m), we are not going to be able to have audiences inside most of the time, ” Teoh explains, elaborating on the insulated glass box he has envisioned for the space.
“We tested out a concept recently, with musicians Azmyl (Yunor) and Bihzhu who performed here, where people on the street were able to view them from the outside. Many just stood out there watching and listening to the music. So I came up with the concept of a ‘kaki lima’ theatre, aka KL Theatre, on the five foot way, where people will be able to stand and watch.”
Audio archive project
Another very cool component of the Tun Perak Co-op is that it will catalogue oral histories and build up its own audio archive. Recognising that this component is sadly lacking in our country, Teoh and Leong are keen to get things going and have already approached organisations such as Pusaka to partner with.
“There are many communities, but not enough written records. And we’d like to change that with our programming, as well as archiving various oral histories.”
The duo share that soon they hope to have audio booths behind every window. “Then you can just bring your own headphones, come in and listen, ” enthuses Teoh.
“Artworks can have a more sensorial approach. And that way stories become a lot more impactful.”
They also hope to record shows and exhibitions and stream them so they will reach a wider audience.
Teoh says: “Most event spaces are heavily reliant on ticket sales. When we looked at this area, we knew it was going to be very difficult to have that sort of model. Especially on weekdays, and with limited parking space around us. So we then decided that the business model should be focused on the web and social media.”
There’s still more up their sleeves, with the possibility of setting up Kuala Lumpur Community Radio (KLCR) and having podcast events.
“All of these ideas are linked in some form to each other, and they will support each other, ” Teoh says, while Leong chimes in with more plans in the long run.
“We will work with ThinkCity (who together with the building owners are financing Tun Perak Co-op) and the KL City Hall to clean up the back lanes. It will be an 18-month rejuvenation programme which should be done by 2021 and there’ll be lots of exciting things after that such as a back-lane music festival, weekend markets and cinema night!”
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