THE prize-winning entries of ‘Batu Ferringhi Mural Design’ competition will be reproduced on a stretch of plain hoarding board along the main road of Jalan Batu Ferringhi.
A brainchild of the state Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari, the art design competition was held based on two themes – Coastal Lifestyle Batu Ferringhi and Batu Ferringhi History.
Zairil said 47 submissions were received under the theme ‘Coastal Lifestyle Batu Ferringhi’ and eight submissions for the theme, ‘Batu Ferringhi History’.
“We actually had 120 people registering for the competition, in which only 61 submitted their artwork and out of that six were rejected.
“Now, we have selected two winners for each theme, which means we have a total of four winners for the entire competition.
“We will be now hiring a local artist, Louis Gan, who painted the mural of ‘Brother and Sister on a Swing,’ at the Chulia Street Ghaut, to paint those designs on the hoarding.
“Gan, who has hearing impairment, has also painted a couple of other mural arts such as the ‘Children Playing Basketball’ and ‘Nostalgic Meal Order’,'” said Zairil during the prize-giving ceremony at Komtar today.
Zairil also said that next year the competition would be back with other themes as the hoarding board still can be filled with more designs.
“The winners were selected via two ways: one by public voting and the other by a panel of judges.
“So, I would like to thank our voters and the panellists for helping us to choose the winners,” added Zairil, who is also the Tanjung Bungah assemblyman.
Meanwhile, two youngsters, who were among the winners, shared their thoughts on their successful entries when the Buletin Mutiara team approached them.
Sixteen-year-old Dickson Lai, who took part in the ‘Coastal Lifestyle Batu Ferringhi’ category, said he wanted to showcase the ambience of Batu Ferringhi in his design.
“This is my first time participating in such a competition, and I am extremely excited to have won the prize.
“Basically, I have passion for digital art and that is why I decided to take part in this competition.
“I created the design after making a research on the environment of Batu Ferringhi, and my design portrays a fisherman casting his net for a good catch.
“I have used sunset as the backdrop of the image to create a feeling of warmth and to portray the vibrance of the atmosphere,’’ said Lai, who is studying in Jit Sin High School.
Full-time mural artist, Mohd Firdaus Nordin, who won a prize for the theme, ‘The History of Batu Ferringhi’, took a metaphoric approach with his art.
“My idea was to show the images of both the settlements on the land as well as the shore while integrating the image of envelope.
“The envelope is the metaphor that symbolises the means of communication in the earlier days when people sent letters to each other to convey something.
“Likewise, I would like to convey the historical elements of Batu Ferringhi through my artwork, thus my design now will act as the ‘letter’ for people to read its history,’’ said Firdaus, 26.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Alissala Thian