Almost forgotten: Low’s ‘Trishaw Making’ depicts fourth-generation trishaw maker Choo at work at his family’s Hup Huat Tricycle and Bicycle Repair Company on Jalan Pintal Tali in George Town.
GEORGE TOWN: The city was once home to hundreds of traditional craftsmen, but time has whittled the number down to a few dozen.
Dwindling customer bases, soaring property rentals and lack of interest among heirs saw many calling it a day.
Surviving ones find it challenging to continue.
Refusing to let their legacies fade away, Penang sculptor Low Chee Peng decided to craft a series of works – titled “Artisans” – to highlight what George Town stands to lose.
Each sculpture is roughly 0.8m tall and 0.5m wide, and depicts an artisan diligently working on his craft in the shophouse he used to or still work and live in.
The 10 he has done so far feature lantern, joss stick, effigy, trishaw, shoe and songkok makers, wooden signboard and tombstone engravers, as well as a rattan weavers and blacksmiths.
“These traditional trades were typically family affairs passed down for generations.
“It’s sad to think that they might now disappear.
“Many of the craftsmen are now in their 70s or 80s.
“Some are weary while others face health issues,” the 49-year-old artist said.
He made his sculptures primarily from wood, metal and resin.
A distant memory: Low looking at his recreation of the late lantern maker Ah Hock and his now-demolished Tai Keat Seong shophouse along Magazine Road. — Photos: KT GOH/The Star
Everything is recreated realistically, from the items the artisans produced to the tools they used, the accordion-style gates and even the rusted zinc awnings of their premises.
“These shophouses were where these craftsmen spent a huge part or even their entire lives toiling away.
“It was both a workplace and a home.
“Without them to give it a soul, the buildings would be nothing but empty shells,” Low said, lamenting that some had already passed on.
One was Penang’s last traditional lantern maker Lee Ah Hock, the owner of Tai Keat Seong which stood along Magazine Road for over a century but is now a distant memory.
Sometime after his passing in 2014, his shophouse was demolished.
Today, it is an open air carpark, awaiting development.
Another was joss stick maker Lee Beng Chuan, who started his business on Lorong Muda in 1948 and was a constant sight almost every day until his passing in 2020.
His son Lee Chin Poh then took over, but passed away suddenly from an illness in 2023.
Chin Poh’s wife Piwan, who is of Thai heritage, now does her best to maintain the business.
The outlook is no more rosy for trishaw maker Choo Yew Choon, 67, who took over his father’s Hup Huat Tricycle and Bicycle Repair Company on Jalan Pintal Tali, in 1994.
But with nobody to pass the baton to, he intends to call it a day when he turns 70.
“My aim for the ‘Artisans’ series is to let people reminisce about the life and atmosphere that these traditional craftsmen once brought to George Town.“They were the soul of the city and their handiwork was integral to people’s daily lives,” continued Low, who produced the pieces with assistance from a team of 10 under his O Sculpture studio.
The pieces were showcased in a 12-day exhibition at the studio located within Hin Bus Depot in Jalan Gurdwara in late July.
But due to positive response, he is turning it into a permanent exhibition open for viewing by appointment on Fridays to Sundays between 10am and 6pm.
Call Low at 012-472 5443 before you visit.
Earlier, he had made five smaller pieces for the “Declining Artisans” sculpture trail that was part of George Town Festival 2024.
Besides Choo’s trishaw works and the late Lees’ joss stick and lantern businesses, some pieces are also placed at Sim Buck Teik’s Seang Hin Leong rattan shop at Beach Street and Kok Ah Wah’s former Kok Ying Chow wooden signboard shop in Queen Street.
“Many people walked the trail to try and spot the sculptures. I’m glad my works has allowed more people to take notice of parts of George Town they might otherwise overlook,” Low added.
