BY HANA MAHER
Malaysia celebrated WWF-Malaysia’s annual Earth Hour event this past 30th March, and a Sabah-based collective street art project decided to go with a different route in hopes of delivering the united advocacies of both Earth Hour and Pillars of Sabah 2.0 to a wider audience. Under the leadership of local artist, Red Hong Yi, and local film producer, Jared Abdul Rahman, 30 Sabahan artists underwent a 10-day painting process which began on 20th March. The long process soon unveiled 30 artworks that depicted Sabah’s unique animal species that are, unfortunately, facing extinction.
According to the Head of Conservation Sabah at WWF Malaysia, Dr Robecca Jumin, the 30 pillars are aimed to, “raise awareness and instil a sense of pride among the public”. She went on to elaborate that the non-governmental organisation (NGO) also hopes that it’ll encourage the community to learn of the significance of each of the threatened species – as she emphasised that, “wildlife is an integral part of our ecosystem that needs to be protected”.
Meanwhile, Red Hong Yi applauded the talented artists for collectively transforming a neglected site into “a safer and more welcoming public space.” As she continued to express her admiration for the artworks and talents projected by the participated artists, the local artist also encouraged Malaysians and tourists alike to visit the pillars when they are in Kota Kinabalu. The pillars truly captured the project’s aim in raising environmental awareness as the artists managed to highlight 30 threatened species that are unique to Sabah, including the Sunda Pangolin; the Sumatran Rhinoceros; the Bornean Sun Bear; as well as the Borneo Pygmy Elephant.
The Pillars of Sabah was first launched in September 2018, which showcased the talents of both professional and new artists such as Abu Bakar Ellah. Their commitment in transforming the long-neglected site located within central Kota Kinabalu was so well-received that it managed to inspire the community to cultivate a sense of appreciation for art and its messages. In fact, the project also managed to bag new partners for the Pillars of Sabah 2.0, such as the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Environment Sabah, the Sabah Tourism Board, Kota Kinabalu City Hall, Sabah Art Gallery and Nippon Paint Malaysia. For more information of Pillars of Sabah, check out there official Facebook page here.
First Published on: PRIMAL™
