TERANG | Heritage in Motion - George Town Festival

Pasar (the Malay word for market) is more than a marketplace—it is a space of exchange where cultures, stories, knowledge, and communities converge. Across Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the pasar has long been a place where traditions evolve through everyday interactions, reflecting the region’s rich diversity and vibrancy.

Inspired by this spirit of exchange, “TERANG | Heritage in Motion” invites artists participating in the TERANG Projection Mapping Competition 2026 to reinterpret the pasar through the medium of projection mapping. Heritage architecture becomes a living canvas for storytelling, where light and motion transform familiar façades into immersive, site-responsive narratives. Rather than treating buildings as mere surfaces, artists are encouraged to engage with each structure’s form, history, and character, revealing new perspectives on the places we thought we knew.

Warung TERANG

Dates: 3 – 7 August 2026
Time: 8pm – 10.30pm
Venue: Around Armenian Street

“Warung TERANG” extends the TERANG experience beyond the competition, bringing the magic of projection mapping into the everyday rhythm of the city. Presented in conjunction with George Town Festival, this vibrant complementary street-style projection mapping activation transforms public spaces into unexpected stages where light, art, and heritage come together.

Inspired by the spirit of the warung as an informal gathering place, “Warung TERANG” fosters encounters between artists, communities, and visitors through accessible and immersive projection experiences. Together with the TERANG Projection Mapping Competition, it celebrates Malaysia and Southeast Asia as living marketplaces of ideas, creativity, and cultural exchange.

Photos

Videos

PROJECT DETAILS

Date & Time

TICKETS

OTHER FASCINATING PROGRAMMES

Converge 匯聚

Emerging from the earth like a living organism, “Converge” by Taiwanese artist Kuei-Chih Lee transforms Taman Kejiranan Macallum into a space where nature, people, and the city come together. Inspired by George Town’s history as a port city shaped by migration and cultural exchange, the large-scale installation reflects on coexistence through five sculptural forms that rise organically from the ground. Intertwining like a growing settlement, the structures merge into a single collective form, echoing the many communities, languages, and traditions that have long flourished in Penang.

Collodion, Silver, Glass: Contemporary Wet Plate Photography

Step into the captivating world of “Collodion, Silver, Glass: Contemporary Wet Plate Photography”, where nineteenth-century photographic techniques meet contemporary artistic vision. Featuring the work of Steve Tan (陈兴国), Malaysia’s only professional wet plate photographer, this exhibition showcases hauntingly beautiful portraits and still lifes created through a painstaking process that transforms glass, silver, and light into timeless images. Alongside the exhibition, audiences can discover the craftsmanship behind this rare medium through demonstrations and workshops, offering a glimpse into one of photography’s earliest—and most enchanting—forms.

Lament of the Wandering Head

“My body is a headless train. My body is a legless boat.” Premiered in 2025 to critical acclaim, the award-nominated “Lament of the Wandering Head” by Sun Son Theatre is a haunting, female-led performance that blends live music, physical theatre, and storytelling. Inspired by the flying head spirit of Southeast Asian folklore, the work reimagines myth as a powerful reflection on migration, displacement, and the fractured histories of the Chinese diaspora. Performed in Mandarin and Penang Hokkien, the production creates a rare bilingual soundscape where language, movement, and music intertwine. Combining traditional Taiwanese percussion with Southeast Asian gongs, chanting, and ritual rhythms, “Lament of the Wandering Head” invites audiences into a visceral theatrical journey where the body speaks as powerfully as words.

TERANG | Heritage in Motion