Record-making achievement: Sections of the 181m mural on display at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.
KUCHING: A Sarawak-themed mural maze has not only set a new size record, but raised funds for a charitable cause.
Measuring 1,387sq m, the art piece depicting Sarawak’s rich culture, nature, food and festivals made it into the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) as the largest of its kind.
Painted on a 181m maze-shaped structure, it was created as a community fundraising initiative in aid of the Sarawak Society for the Deaf.
It also aimed to raise awareness about the society’s work and the role of art in a socially-inclusive society.
Sarawak Deputy Minister of Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan said the initiative collected donations totalling RM6,515 for the society.
“It is clear that our community is very supportive of each other regardless of our differences.
“Thank you to the visitors who came to support our deaf community and this event as a whole,” he said, adding that 6,000 visitors came to see the mural maze at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching since the exhibition started on May 26.
The MBOR certificate was handed over to organising chairman Michael Yii at the exhibition’s closing ceremony on Tuesday.
Snowdan said mural arts were known to create space that sparked dialogue around a subject or community issue.
“It captures the local community spirit by enhancing the community’s social consciousness.
“In this context, it expresses Sarawak’s cultural identity,” he said.
Yii said 285 students from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Swinburne University Sarawak, UCSI University Sarawak and University of Technology Sarawak participated in the mural painting.
He said members of the Sarawak Society for the Deaf also contributed to the maze setup and mural painting.
“We launched this project in an attempt to make history for Sarawak.
“We wanted to communicate our culture, arts and heritage through mural art,” he said.
