FEUILLETON DIE PFRSCHER25 MÄRZ 2012

REISE

A Deer in a Gilded Court

Another jewel in Bank Negara’s crown.Writer and PhotographerAina Liyana

After some years of delayed openings, numerous drive-bys and being reprimanded by the police for photographing the building while still under construction, Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) latest development is now officially and legally open to all.

Sasana Kijang, which literally translates to Deer’s Court (it has Sanskrit roots), consists of an art

gallery (one of BNM’s methods of investment is through collecting art), currency museum, offices, resource centre, conference halls, gift shop, and a café, among others.

It is expected for a public (government) building to have traditional Malay references in its architecture (bamboo shoot for Menara TM). Sasana Kijang named the songket fabric as its architecture

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According to a comment on my Flickr, the adjustable trapezium plates are made of 3mm-thin sheets of titanium

This view brings ‘Frankfurt Stock Exchange’ sentiments, somehow

Details of walls in different materials

View from Jalan Dato Onn

Customised drain cover

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inspiration, which turned out quite handsome and elegant for local standards.

I have selected these images that sum up the sights from my first visit. On this trip I could only cover the art gallery, currency museum and café as it was nearly closing time.

Sasana Kijang

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FEUILLETON DIE PFRSCHER25 MÄRZ 2012

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A display of coins and ancient currency with an interactive slideshow

Israel’s Sheqel is nicely-designed, sharing similar art direction with the Swiss Franc banknote

Some pre-Independence banknote designs

Looking towards a corner of the Then and Now: 50th Anniversary of Bank Negara Malaysia exhibition, with a dedicated smoker’s terrace

How embarrassing! A leaking air-conditioning duct drips right by a sculpture

A little meal for two. I think those two sandwich boxes are more suited to model-building than food packaging

The rhombus pattern can also be seen on the parking lot’s flooring

Going up several storeys above by a helical staircase made of pewter will bring you to several galleries. There was a completely abandoned floor, where the yet-unopened BNM gallery sits, along with a vast exhibition space with empty walls.

A level above is the currency museum. There was an uninspiring barter trade game feature, glass displays of old coins from the days of colonisation, drawers of ration cards, short-lived local currency, and a wall of banknotes from around the world.

The upper level holds most of BNM’s art collection. So far, there wasn’t a single security guard in sight. It was until some schoolboy-looking policeman approached to announce that it’s closing time.

The café is a paradox in some sense – after looking at a collection rare currency and priceless artwork, a visitor can have a meal under RM 10 (a latte is RM 1, a mocktail is RM 3, a prawn pesto sandwich is RM 5). I can

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only guess that BNM has too much money that it’s almost pointless to earn profit from a measly eatery.

There are some odd things about the way things work in this café. Everything is presented to you as a take-away. There were ample seating, but the food court furniture was a complete mismatch.

I was particularly annoyed at the way the bartender prepared my Earl

Grey tea. He dunked the tea bag in the hot water 3 times, then tossed the bag away. What a waste!

On another note, I have noticed a new skyscraper under construction when driving away from Sasana Kijang. It’s JKR’s (Public Works Department) new headquarters, and its twisty design reminded me of the Turning Torso in Malmö, Sweden. If it turns out good, I’ll feature it in an upcoming layout.

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Address: Sasana Kijang 2, Jalan Dato Onn 50480 Kuala Lumpur

Telephone:+603 9179 2784

Website:www.sasanakijang.bnm.gov.my