Thum’s photo of a crowd picnicking at the depot a few years ago before a new roof was installed.
ONCE a derelict bus station, Hin Bus Depot today celebrates a decade as one of Penang’s most vibrant creative hubs.
The milestone is being marked with the inaugural “Hin Between Festival” featuring diverse performances, visual arts, installations and participatory activities.
Artists, creators and storytellers have come together to explore how time shapes experiences, memories and visions of the future in a 10-day event themed “Time”.
It kicked off on Sept 12 with a night market and several exhibitions, including “A Decade with Hin” by photographer Thum Chia Chieh.
He has been documenting the building in Jalan Gurdwara in George Town since it opened in January 2014, and his selected photos are on display at the locations depicted.
It enables visitors to see the present, acknowledge the past and consider the moments in between, said Hin Bus Depot programme director Ivan Gabriel.
“In some ways, a lot has changed. But in others, time has stood still. The festival embodies this spirit of evolution and continuity.
Penang’s Hin Bus Depot on Jalan Gurdwara is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a thriving arts and culture hub.
“It’s an opportunity to reflect on how time imprints itself on places, people and communities, while inspiring change and new narratives,” said Gabriel.
Besides this, there is the Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards 2025’s Portrait Photography Prize Finalists Exhibition at the main gallery.
Spread across different locations are other works, such as Jerome Kugan’s “Time Talismans”, a collection of broken wrist watches with dials inscribed with song verses.
Kimberly Boudville’s “Bread Tag Calendar” features clips passed down three generations of her family, while Neoh Shin Yen’s interactive “Question of Being” allows one to affix tiny acrylic panels to part of the depot’s exterior.
Meanwhile, video installation “Ordinary Normal” by Samantha Lee and Jing Jie Lim explores how contemporary life is often lived in anticipation of being seen, recorded and remembered.
Gabriel said the festival programme was designed through an open call, and was meant to celebrate the people and creatives who had supported the space over the years.
“Hin Bus Depot exists because of the community.
“It wouldn’t be what it is today without the people who helped shape it,” he said.
“The festival name refers to its positioning between two milestones, that is early 2024 when it turned 10 and late 2025 when Hin Market will be a decade old too.
“The market has been one of our defining attractions and allowed creatives at the grassroots level to flourish,” he added.
“A Decade with Hin” photo exhibition of Thum’s work featuring a performance inside Hin Bus Depot.
During the weekend following the launch, there were performances like the “Plastic City” shadow theatre which raised questions about the planet’s growing waste crisis and humanity’s role.
The Plasticity Theatre Troupe brought environmental narratives to life using only light and upcycled materials.
Also well received was “Here In__”, a poignant reflection of home, regrowth and journeys over time that brought a father and son to where they needed to be.
During the week, there was the “Threads of Time” workshop that took participants on a poetic journey through past, present and future.
There were also several movie screenings, including the five-part documentary Becoming A Malaysian Like Me on Sept 16.
“Art can be a platform for contemporary discourse.
“Shows are opportunities for informal education. They can spark questions, reflection and dialogue,” Gabriel said.
Hin Bus Depot manager Tan Shih Thoe said they could not have envisioned what the space has become today when they first refurbished it to host an Ernest Zacharevic exhibition in 2014.
An interactive mural installation by Marrz Capanang called ‘Amount of Time’.
The acclaim it generated showed that Penang lacked spaces to support emerging artists.
“We wanted to be that platform and it just took off.
“This is a space built by a community of artists and art lovers willing to put in the time and effort.
“Unlike formal galleries, which can feel intimidating, the casual vibes here make art more accessible to the public.
“Across many of the world’s top cities, there are hubs where you can find all its creative offerings.
“We want to be that destination for Penang,” said Tan.
The “Hin Between Festival” ends tomorrow.
To close, there will be another staging of ticketed show “Here In__” at 11am today and tomorrow.
There will also be an interdisciplinary performance titled “Legacy Alive: Celebrating KS Maniam, Nirmala Duff and Lewis Pragasam” at 8pm and the “Antara Detik” poetry night at 8pm on Sunday.
These, along with the aforementioned exhibitions, are all free.
