P2A ICE CREAM 2025: ‘Exploring the Culture and History of Alor Setar from a Photographic Perspective’

Starting on August 19, 2025, the International Program Communication (IPC) UII collaborated with SCIMPA UUM to visit the Alor Setar region in Malaysia. In the P2A ICE CREAM project themed CHOCO or “Creative Home of One ASEAN Community”, the participants explored the culture and history of the region through the perspective of photography.

Accompanied by Kelab Kamera Kedah, a professional photography community based in Kedah, the delegates were invited to explore cultural objects in Alor Setar. Some of the locations visited included the Zahir Alor Setar Mosque, the State Art Gallery, and Pekan Rabu with its legendary local culinary specialty, Emanis Bahulu.

Divided into three teams, the UII and UUM delegates collaborated on projects covering three areas: photography, videography, and creative writing. The first team explored historic mosques and captured their architectural aesthetics, delving into the stories and historical values of Islamic culture. The second team focused on unique abstract art, works that utilised recycled materials as a medium for creative exploration. The third team focused on traditional Malaysian culinary culture by analysing diversity as part of local identity.

One of the UII delegates, Ananda Siti Ana, together with the Kelab Kamera Kedah, gained insight into finding uniqueness through abstract art. “What I got from the Kelab Kamera Kedah was learning about the uniqueness of abstract paintings using recycled waste, as well as distinctive Malay buildings, learning about unique and creative cultures,” she said.

Meanwhile, Amira Farisah binti Ismail from UUM shared her meaningful experience during this activity. “I learned a lot of art from that museum. We learned about types of arts, the abstract, also learned that every art has different meaning, story, and what the artist wants to represent to the audiences. We also learned how to use a camera by taking pictures in that museum and also taking pictures of models from UII who wore traditional clothes. This activity is so good for students to learn a lot about art and also provides an opportunity for students to see different cultures,” explained Amira. This statement underlines the educational value and cross-cultural experience gained by the delegates.

From this project, in addition to strengthening international collaboration between students and artists, the community will also produce a comprehensive work in the form of an online magazine that combines photos, videos, and creative narratives. It is hoped that this online magazine will be a reflection of the cultural understanding gained through observation and direct interviews.

Alor Setar was chosen because the city has a rich cultural heritage, with various innovations in its artworks. The P2A ICE CREAM CHOCO 2025 project utilises this potential as a basis for the exploration and development of multidisciplinary artworks that describe or interpret the richness of local culture through a modern lens.