1948 is an arts and cultural space and resource centre, established in the new village of Seri Kembangan in Malaysia, that seeks to engage the creative energies and interests of current new village residents (who are of multicultural composition) in art and cultural activities that brings together people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.
1948 refers to the year that the Seri Kembangan new village (then known as Serdang new village) was officially established. By adopting the year of the new village’s birth as our name, we convey a fundamental thrust of this space to collect, document and engage with the experiences, history, cultural identities and social changes of the local and related communities.
1948 will work closely with local and international artists, writers, educators and organisations to create a platform for mutual learning in and across various arts and social disciplines. It acts as a meeting place for collective sharing, dialogue and exchange.
New Villages are residential settlements created by the British coloniser in Malaysia between 1948 to 1960 as a strategy to combat the spread of communism. For details please view here: Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia.
Objectives:
- To support and nurture the creative energies and interests of residents, especially the youth, to engage with arts and culture
- To explore and affirm the history and diverse contemporary experiences of local communities
- To provide opportunities for artists, cultural workers and academics to explore and investigate approaches of working with community and studies of communities
- To nurture artistic and cultural expressions and practices on the whole
- To act as a resource, interaction and networking space; for residents, local and international artists, critics, curators and cultural workers
