KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — Good things come in small packages, and the saying certainly rings true with MinNature Malaysia’s gallery at Sungei Wang Plaza.
The 12,000 square foot space, set to open on February 29, will take visitors on an exciting journey that showcases the country’s melting pot of cultures in shrunken form.
Drawing inspiration from the country’s multiracial heritage, MinNature founder Wan Cheng Huat led a team of 37 artists to construct models based on three themes: Malaysian cuisine, scenes of everyday life, and birds-eye-view models of distinct architectures from Malaysia’s 13 states.
Wan hopes the gallery can resonate with both tourists and locals alike while inspiring people to visit the country’s lesser-known destinations and discover its hidden gems.
Attention to detail
Some of the star displays include scenes of idyllic kampung life, the hustle and bustle of Petaling Street, a Johorean kelong (fishing resort), the majestic Gomantong Caves in Sabah, and the vibrant crowds at Batu Caves during Thaipusam.
Countless hours of painstaking labour have been invested into the miniatures and many of them were handcrafted by artists from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and China.
“One diorama will usually have 15 people involved in the crafting process but they work remotely and don’t know each other, so it’s my job to coordinate everything and assemble the final display,” Wan told Malay Mail, adding that the gallery has been 18 months in the making.
Over 30,000 pieces were carefully laid in place to make the exhibits come to life, with the smallest items being tiny cockroaches that form a creepy-crawly carpet on the ground of the Gomantong Caves scene.
The tiny insects were produced using 3D printers which help speed up the crafting process and ensure razor-sharp precision.
A perfectionist by nature, Wan couldn’t help but fuss over the displays and confessed to spending nearly two months making sure the Chinatown diorama was up to standard.
“I definitely got carried away,” he said with a smile. “I was supposed to spend a maximum of two weeks for each of the models, but this took me one-and-a-half months to finish up.”
“I had to build the structures and the furniture and paint them by hand.”
Wan said the heritage architecture exhibits are regularly vacuumed every fortnight as the lack of casings means it’s easy for dust to settle on the little roofs and roads.
To add a fun touch, the MinNature team has included an array of Easter eggs in the miniature wonderland for visitors to spot (keep your eyes peeled for the fearsome Pennywise the Clown from the horror film It in one of their exhibits).
An immersive experience
To curate the perfect experience, Wan put himself into the shoes of a tourist to understand what elements would make the displays truly stand out.
“When I sat down with my team, we came up with our ideas based on what we would want to see if we went to a museum and what we would want to learn about a different culture.
“Most tourists will visit urban areas and often, they will not stay longer than a month. They will miss out on these types of scenes,” he said, referring to the kampung and kelong set-ups as examples.
MinNature is focused on building upon its existing displays and adding additional touches in the months to come, with many more dioramas to be launched later this year.
Recalling MinNature’s previous gallery at Summit USJ, Subang Jaya, Wan said that visitors can spend up to 20 minutes observing a single miniature scene.
One guest even spent a whopping nine hours at the gallery to take in every single detail of their displays.
By captivating the attention of their visitors, Wan aims to highlight the diverse beauty of Malaysia and encourage people to plan more local holidays.
The miniature architect also has his heart set on preserving minority cultures, including his own Peranakan heritage, by depicting them in his small-scale models.
“If we don’t know where we come from, we won’t know where we’re going to go.
“We try to make this a place where we can remember our roots by using miniatures.”
It’s a big dream for Wan who first entered the world of miniature crafting 12 years ago without any prior knowledge of the art.
He hopes that MinNature’s achievements in building such impressive, detail-rich scenes can inspire others to be fearless in chasing their life goals.
“We want to encourage people to work towards their dreams, especially kids. Don’t give yourself the excuse of saying, ‘I can’t do it.’
“We used to say that making miniatures for us was an impossible dream because everyone involved in the project started out with zero technical knowledge.
“But we had the vision and willpower and we kept on learning while we were on the job.”
MinNature Malaysia officially opens its doors on February 29 at Lot MUF-1, Level 1 of Sungei Wang Plaza.
Opening hours are from 10am to 10pm (last entry at 8.30pm) and tickets are priced at RM25 for adults and RM20 for children aged four to 12 years old. Entry is free for children aged below four.
For more information, check out MinNature Malaysia’s website.
