Still Standing: Prologue (Bibi Chun)
Prologue
Built in the mid ’60s, the Pekeliling Flats were the second high-rise apartment in KL. Previously a mid-tier housing area, it quickly became a low-income apartment in a matter of a few decades. With a history of violence plaguing the flats, from suicide to domestic abuse, Pekeliling wasn’t exactly a place where saccharine nostalgia was made of. Yet former tenants found it hard to let go of the building. There’s an ineffable generational value to the flats. News of its demolition has been around for more than a decade yet some blocks just refuse to be forgotten, they’re still standing till today.
Using WordsManifest’s photos as a basis, JUICE contacted 7 local designers and artists to craft artistic paeans to the last remaining blocks before they are eventually torn down.
Original Image WordsManifest
Pekeliling by Bibichun
Bibichun’s piece captures the bittersweet moment of the transitory period when tenants let their former home go.
Bibichun is a grafitti artist with art gallery-cred. Check out his works at www.bibichun.com.