An ongoing project to photograph housing in the suburbs of Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Malaysia became independent in 1957, yet Klang continued to be known by its British name, Port Swettenham, until 1972. Much of the housing that I have photographed comes from an expansion of the suburbs that followed, which are now established residential areas. Observations include the clearly defined private boundaries with gates to the street and metal grills to the windows. Before the current and extensive use of ‘air-con’, passive air circulation in older properties comes through gaps, often beautifully integrated with the design. Suburban Malaysia is car-centric and the space given over to parking the car is often disproportionate to the house. Bungalows with large gardens used to be a feature of these suburbs although many detached single-storey buildings have been extended with some unoccupied for long periods, awaiting renovation or demolition.
In continuing this project, I’m interested in finding and photographing those homes from the years where the country was emerging from it colonial past and transforming into the Malaysia of today.
