Gotong Royong

Experience Design / Placemaking / Event

Overview

Gotong Royong is an initiative led by a diverse group of passionate youth dedicated to revitalizing the Malay culture and promoting the spirit of volunteerism.

The term "Gotong Royong" represents the essence of volunteerism, where individuals unite and collaborate for the betterment of their community.

Our objective is to curate meaningful experiences that reintroduce the Malay Culture to the younger generation, emphasizing its ongoing relevance. Through collaborative efforts and co-creation, we strive to encourage people of different races to actively engage in the practice of "gotong-royong," fostering unity and togetherness.

Approach

In view of the available area at Somerset Youth Park, our intention was to establish a tranquil retreat where visitors could disconnect from the fast-paced city life and adopt a more relaxed approach while enjoying various mini activities that were designed around collaboration & co-creation.

The Malay culture places great emphasis on hospitality and creating a welcoming environment. With this in mind, we made the decision to incorporate elements inspired by these values into the decor, music, and traditional practices. For instance, we incorporated traditional seating arrangements where people can comfortably sit on the floor, and we encourage the practice of removing shoes before entering the space, promoting a sense of respect and comfort.

The Gotong Royong Experience

DIY Gasing

We revitalized the old traditional gasing by introducing wooden spinning tops with a modern touch. We designed a template of simple shapes inspired by traditional prints and cultural references, which were laser-cut onto plywood. To overcome the potential challenge of participants not knowing what to draw on the spinning top, we included these shapes.

This way, participants could easily color them in or explore their creativity further, creating a seamless and enjoyable experience that merged tradition with contemporary expression.

The Gotong Royong Experience

DIY Villager

In addition to the DIY Gasing activity, participants had the opportunity to design their own villager. We developed a character template that enabled participants to dress up their character by pasting sticker clothing onto them. The sticker templates were left blank, giving participants the freedom to color them in according to their preferences. Through the clothing designs, we aimed to introduce and modernize the traditional batik patterns from Malay culture.

Once the characters were designed, participants could proudly display them on the kampung wall, where they could read and learn more about the individuals who had taken part in this booth.