Celebrating the joy of doodling
Contenglah!
Doodle instigator, fringe activity coordinator and mural designer
in collaboration with Doodle Malaysia
Conteng is the malay word for doodling, or scribbling. In this project with Doodle Malaysia we celebrate the joy of conteng-conteng, or doodling / scribbling in Malay, and how this joyful common interest brings all kinds of people together. Even as I write this, seven years on, I'm filled with joy seeing the photos again.
Our task was to populate a 200 feet long wall in a train station with doodles, but first, a party was needed. A doodling party. of course.
The beautiful sketch above was contributed by Stan Lee, affectionately known by all at DM as Uncle Stan, a veteran master illustrator who never tires of sharing his art with everyone.
Partylah!
In June 2016 we got together over food, drinks and music to produce a five-meter long artwork that expressed 'This is the Malaysia I know'. There were little children, college students, housewives, grandparents, academics, creative industry folks, artists, introverts, extroverts, hipsters and the decidedly unhipstered... all united by their interest in drawing! The end result was a beautiful and unique work of art, made with love and joy. This piece would then become a part of the 200 feet mural at Masjid Jamek LRT station.
Tengoklah!
When the call went out on Doodle Malaysia’s Facebook page for contributors, my inbox was inundated with drawings! I then set to work creating a giant montage that brought everyone’s doodles together as one big showcase for artistic diversity.
Ceritalah!
I also posted a simple question on DM’s Facebook page: Why do you doodle? The wonderful, honest and thought provoking responses I received were displayed on the wall too. I hope that these ‘cerita-cerita’ from the members resonated with someone and encouraged them to try doodling too.
Contenglah!
Live drawing sessions featuring artists Arif Rafhan Othman and Sanuri Zulkefli brought an immersive and captivating dimension to the mural, delighting passers-by with their creativity. Each artist dedicated several days to complete their pieces, which not only sparked a sense of anticipation among onlookers but also prompted many to revisit the site daily to check on the mesmerising progress. Some even paused to watch or document with their phones.
LIVE DRAWING BY ARIF RAFHAN OTHMAN
Photos by Kenny Loh, used with permission
MEDIA COVERAGE
A photo essay of Arif’s experience is documented here in Born in Malaysia
Video shown with permission of Arif Rafhan Othman, Penghulu of Superdoofus.
LIVE DRAWING BY SANURI ZULKEFLI
Photos by Kenny Loh, used with permission
MEDIA COVERAGE
Read about Sanuri’s personal experience here in eksentrika.com
A photo essay of Sanuri’s experience is documented here in Born in Malaysia
Selfielah!
Photo ops added an element of interactive fun to the mural, and the crowd’s favourite was a pair of beautiful angel wings by Dayang Deno!
KEY COLLABORATORS
Client
ThinkCity
Project managers
Susie Kukathas
Lee Jia Ping
Live drawing artists
Sanuri Zulkefli
Arif Rafhan Othman
Writer + Designer
Allie Hill
Doodles contributed by
Members of Doodle Malaysia