Thomas Powell, George Town-based artist
KUALA LUMPUR, 9TH APRIL: Eastern & Oriental Berhad (E&O), the premier lifestyle property developer, has released “Human Living”, a digital documentary series that offers valuable insights and perspectives from some of the country’s brilliant thinkers, entrepreneurs and artists in rethinking where and how we live.
The 3-episode series, which will be released monthly on YouTube starting 5 April 2023, imagines the future of our cities through veritable topics such as ‘Social & Cultural Capital’, ‘15-Minute City’, and ‘Secondary City Boom’. It will feature E&O’s diverse developments from Conlay and The Peak in Kuala Lumpur, to Avira in Medini Iskandar, Johor, and The Meg and Arica on the much-anticipated prime reclaimed island, Andaman in Penang.
“With over 20 years of experience in creating notable addresses in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor, we are proud to see the evolution of our sophisticated clientele,” says Emily Teh, Director, Project and Property Investments, E&O Group. “Today’s homebuyer is urbane, they are thinking beyond themselves and their families, considering their role in a community–from cradle to care, to how their neighbourhood can enhance their quality of life from a safety, convenience, health and mental wellbeing standpoints. Most importantly, they are looking to navigate in and out of work and play seamlessly … to fully enjoy every second of life.”
In Episode 1, delve into what makes cities rich in culture, such as Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor, desirable destinations for ‘Social & Cultural Capital’ and what draws the creative class to live in these cities. “When we think about the emergence of a dynamic, new art scene, we see that it often follows on from a period of great change,” says Zena Khan, curator of The AFK Collection. “In Malaysia today, we are undergoing a period of great growth and change. We’ve gone from being a newly post-colonial society, mainly agrarian and a little bit quiet, to being this really dynamic independent nation.” The episode also features George Town-based artist, Thomas Powell, and his wife, Pei Shern, founder of batik wearables brand, betterthanblouses, and Koh Chin Hong, chef and owner of Initial 初 in Johor Bahru.
The pandemic has also inevitably shifted our priorities. Episode 2 explores the innovative and sustainable urban model ‘15-Minute City’ that re-imagines the future of cities. This episode beckons us to rethink a world where we are able to avoid long commutes to make time to reconnect with one another and nature.
“Rewilding the city is a growing trend; it’s about biophilia … it’s about trying to get urban folks like us to live a bit more harmoniously with nature,” says Ng Seksan, the veritable landscape architect and head gardener at Kebun-Kebun Bangsar. “A slow city is what we are really aiming for in the future in a lot of progressive cities.” The episode also features Jenn Low, founder and managing director of Wanderlust+Co and GDP Architect’s Naqib Shariff.
Episode 3 on ‘Secondary City Boom’ explores how the shift to work-from-home modalities has opened up new possibilities for homebuyers looking to live outside of the big city and into properties that are larger and closer to nature, yet still affordable for a better quality of life.
“Penang is really conducive for art because there's really a ‘Malaysia Boleh’ attitude here. Not to mention that Penang is a port city, you can get anything in Penang … it's really within arm's reach,” says George Town-based artist, Sheena Liam. “Cost of living also comes into play; I don't think I'll be able to maintain my studio practice at the level that I'm operating at, anywhere else in the world, except Penang.”
Episode 3 features Editor-in-chief, Tatler Homes Malaysia, Jennifer Choo, and her husband Marc Naidu, an entrepreneur–both based in Johor, as well as Loo Yi and Loo Ping, owner and operators of Fuku Eatery & Desserts in Penang.
Episode 1: E&O Presents ‘Human Living’ Series on Social & Cultural Capital is out now, click here to watch the full episode.
For more information visit www.easternandoriental.com.
