New sculpture as tourism landmark

The abstract sculpture of Sabah¿s iconic Orang Utan created by art lecturer Michael Kwa Wei Choon is set to become this Sabah east coast town¿s tourism landmark as it was unveiled at Sandakan Harbour Square on Monday (July 1)

SANDAKAN: An abstract sculpture of Sabah’s iconic orang utan is set to become Sabah’s east coast town tourism landmark.

Designed by Michael Kwa Wei Choon, an art lecturer with an international school from Kuala Lumpur, the icon was unveiled at the Sandakan Harbour Square on Monday after it was picked at The Sandakan Sculpture Competition 2012 as the best design.

“My sculpture symbolises the nation’s pride towards Sandakan as a famous eco-tourism destination in South-East Asia.

“The abstract geometric form personifies an ‘orang utan’ on all fours, with the recessed curve representing the primate’s face,” Kwa said during the unveiling ceremony held in conjunction with the two-month long Sabah’s 50th independence day celebration in conjunction with Merdeka celebrations.

The competition was jointly organised by Ireka Development Management Sdn Bhd and Sandakan Harbour Square developers – ICSD Ventures Sdn Bhd and Sandakan Municipal Council. All 61 competition entries received are being exhibited at the Harbour Mall Sandakan from now until July 7.

Apart from Hwa’s winning contribution entitled “Utan” that earned him RM18,000 cash prize, Daniel Tiong Wei Wen took second prize with his “Mountain in Coils” that earned him RM5,000 while Husna Adlyna Sidek pocketed RM3,000 for his design titled “The Tree”.

Hwa and Husna joined Sandakan Municipal Council president Datuk James Wong and ICSD Ventures Sdn Bhd Lai Voon Hon as they unveiled the “Utan” sculpture.

Lai, who is president and chief executive officer of Ireka, said the judges liked the cutting edge design as it denotes Sandakan’s fast progression to be a vibrant Nature’s City.

“The contemporary interpretation of an ‘orang utan’ is also very unique and most importantly, it takes into consideration factors such as relevance and practicality,” he added.