2022 - the Malacca Prison Museum

OutsideR-IN

Delving into Century Prison Walls

Prison consist of complex and hierarchical environment, which has been shown to prompt existential reflection and act as a barrier to various emotional expression. The spaces within these century old prisons (Seremban, Penang, Taiping, and the Pudu prison of Kuala Lumpur) inhibited forms of crucial self-reflection. This explores in a self-reflective and poignant conditioning to be within an environment.

Using samples of retrieved artefacts; the items are examined, placing selected focus on subjectivity of experience of an outsider within with the intention in finding focus on the emotional, reflective and transportational qualities of these spaces.

THE MEMORY HOLE

Revelations behind incarceration.

Door 1

Door 2

Door 3

We explore the limitation of these spaces both ways as a mediating reflexive, emotional experiences, and mitigate counter-therapeutic aspects of secured environments in the creation of 'safe spaces' or atmospheres within prison. This will allow viewers the opportunity for emotional exploration of how narratives arrives from these old colonial prisons.

These condensed constituents presented within this space, reveal key elements of incarceration, life, reflection and heritage; a 'tangible construct' of a journey that we started some months ago in search of meaning. We found relevance in these artefacts and representations; both small and large. They are significant; and with it, the past now has presence.