Artist Statement

Ada ingatan yang perlu dicetus secara sukarela. Dalam esei video ini perkataan ‘Hankyu Jaya’ digunakan kerana ia ungkapan yang mengingatkan saya kepada arwah atuk tiri saya ketika kecil dahulu. Bukan gedung beli-belah fizikal Hankyu, sebaliknya ungkapan ‘Hankyu’ membuka ruang memori yang tersembunyi di dalam diri saya. Dalam proses mencari dan menggali kembali memori lama ini, saya meneliti majalah-majalah dan surat khabar yang terbit tahun 1987-1992. Dilatari Perang Teluk, Wawasan 2020 baru dilaksanakan, resipi ayam goreng hot & spicy KFC baru diperkenalkan. Individu-individu yang hidup di Kuala Lumpur era itu ditemubual. Selain itu, foto album keluarga juga diselak mempertemukan saya dengan hal-hal yang tak saya sedari sebelum ini. Foto membolehkan kita menjejak masa lalu umpama mesin masa.

There are memories that need to be triggered voluntarily. In this video essay, the word ‘Hankyu Jaya’ is used because it is an expression that reminds me of my late step grandfather when I was a child. Not Hankyu’s physical department store, instead the phrase ‘Hankyu’ opens up a memory space hidden inside me. In the process of finding and digging back into these old memories, I perused magazines and newspapers published between 1987 to 1992. Set against the backdrop of the Gulf War, with the recently implemented Vision 2020, and the introduction of KFC hot & spicy fried chicken recipe. Individuals living in Kuala Lumpur of that era were interviewed. In addition, family album photos were also reviewed, introducing me to things I hadn’t been aware of before. Photographs allow us to track the past like a time machine.