CONCEPT AND THEME

Public space play a vital role in social life of communities. Public space is a place where people display their culture and identities and learn awareness of variety and difference.The success of a space is relied on how the people are adopting, using and managing the space. People make space , a particular space creates local attachments which connect one with another.

Malaysia’s multi-ethnic and multicultural make up has influenced its culture and business. Morning markets are one of the sites of interest to see the ‘real Malaysia’. Morning markets are more frequented by the older Malaysian, the young people tend to prefer the cleanness and convenience of advanced market. Malaysia’s traditional morning markets can be differentiated into two parts which are wet market and dry market. Basically, wet markets are the places that sell fresh meat while the dry markets are the places that sell dried goods and cooked meats. The fresh meat and fish sections are separate from the fruit and vegetable stalls. Besides that, indoor markets are more organized than outdoor markets. From the goods of every stall, the stage of colours can be stated. The cool colour at fish stall and the warm colour at fruit stall are the best example. Different races will have different ways to arrange their goods according the colours.You may not find this kind of colourful scene outside Malaysia.

PUDU MARKET

Pudu Market which located along Jalan Pasar Baharu is one of the largest wet markets in Kuala Lumpur. According to the history of Pudu Market, it started operation before Malaysia independent and started in year 1940. This a large paved area ringed by two and three-story apartment buildings and shop lots. It’s opened to the sky but almost seamlessly roofed by hundreds of red, yellow, blue, and green market tents. The variety of products is offered to satisfy the costumers from difference races. While walking around, you can look at the nature of colours which you can’t get in the supermarket. 

http://vimeo.com/36307297

Here is a great video that show the different cultures and people in Pudu Market.

From Jalan Pasar Baharu entrance, there are just a couple of stalls piled with leafy green vegetables. Continue on, you can find that the warm colour is slowly replaced by cold colour and then walk to the end, fruit stalls will wake you up with sharp colour again.

The interesting part is, there is a specific area for non-halal products where is away from the wet market. Attached is Pusat Makanan Peng Hwa, an old-fashioned 24-hour food court where you can find the local foods with cheaper prices.Most of the Chinese are running businesses in the dry market while Malays and Indians are selling fresh meats in wet market.

Vegetable Stalls

Fruit Stalls

Meat Stalls

Fish Stalls

Dry Market

Non-Halal Area

Food Court

Floor map of Pudu Market.

Green is the most common colour in market. But the way they arrange the goods can attract your eyes.

Normally, the Chinese run their businesses as dried fishes and herbs in the dry market. In the first sight, you can only see brown colour.

The fishes are definitely fresh. By walking around, you can hear the fish mongers are shouting out their bargains.

Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) Market

TTDI Market is over 25 years old with close to 268 stalls and situated at Jalan Wan Kadir. This 3-stories indoor market is open from 9am till 5pm daily. This probably is the cleanest wet market in the town. There are plenty of choices with reasonable prices. There are an abundance of fruit and vegetable stalls as well as a large variety of chicken, seafood and meat, including butchers selling pork in the car park. Walk up the staircases to the first floor, crowd gather in front of every stall. Ground floor is occupied by car park while food court and barber shops on the second floor.

Every section is organised according to the goods selling. Every trader is given a space which is a small shop lot to run the business. The traders are friendly and willing to let you take photos.

Vegetable Stalls

Meat Stalls

Dry Market

Fruit Stalls

Fish Stalls

Clothing Stalls

Pharmacy / Grocery Shops

Floor map of first floor.

The uniqueness of TTDI Market is there are boards with the name of every trader will place in the entrance.

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Every business is given a particular space and walkway.

They even place those empty baskets beside the walkway.

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JALAN UTHMAN MARKET

This Petaling Jaya's Old Town Market is known officially as Pasar Besar Jalan Othman . This about 30-year-old wet market with about 500 traders is visited by different races. Jalan Othman Market can be separated into two part. To left, wet and dry market. To right, food court and car park. You can consume all sorts of delicious foods in the food court after you shop. Traffic is building up outside the market in the early morning. This place can get rather crowded, hot and noisy as it is near to the residential area. Juicy vegetables, fresh fish, accessories and different types of foods add character to this already colourful scene.

You will kind of fall in love with this market because after shop with full bag of fresh meat and vegetables, you can have your breakfast with just walk a few steps to the next block. Mostly, there are more Chinese traders running business here. You can get everything with reasonable prices in the dry market. The first floor architecture is just like TTDI Market which comes with one by one small shop lots.

Ground Floor

First Floor

Vegetable Stalls

Meat Stalls

Fish Stalls

Dry Market

Grocery Shops / Tailor Services

Fruit Stalls

Clothing Stalls

You can find the 3 primary colours which are red, blue and yellow in the grocery shops.

There is a passageway between the two blocks.

The fish mongers process the fishes in the open space.

CHOW KIT MARKET

Chow Kit Market is located around Jalan Chow Kit, (Chow Kit Road) and is bordered by the streets of Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Chow Kit Market opened since year 1955, the market anchored one of the city’s prime shopping and entertainment districts. It is named after the tin miner and municipal councilor Loke Chow Kit. The narrow walkways lead through a maze of stalls with seafood of any variety and size, vegetables of numerous colour, meat, spices and loads and loads of fruits. 

Floor Map of Chow Kit Market

It’s a combination of permanent structures and makeshift stands, easily over 100 vendors in a delightfully jumbled bazaar-like atmosphere. The wet market’s walkways are covered by canvas while the dry market is shaded by funky ceiling. Most of the traders are recent immigrants and just a few of Chinese and Malays traders.

Clothing Stalls

Dry Market

Grocery Shops / Others

Vegetable Stalls

Meat Stalls

Fruit Stalls

Fish Stalls

The seafood will always reflect the colour of tents and also the shirt.

For the vegetable stalls, they will arrange the vegetables according to their colour.

The green pail which used for collect money is catching people’s attention.