Looking back at M’sia through our grandparents’ eyes

When Sonia Latha’s maternal grandfather passed away, her family made a remarkable discovery: he had spent years quietly preserving an archive of their family’s history.

The collection contained old photographs, newspaper clippings, diaries and other memorabilia dating from 1930s’ Malaya to 1990s’ Malaysia. Among its treasures were tickets to the historic 1957 Merdeka celebrations at Stadium Merdeka.

“And that got me thinking: if my own maternal grandfather could create an archive like this, I wondered what other Malaysian grandparents might have been keeping all these years,” Sonia, 24, told FMT Lifestyle.

Inspired by the discovery, she called people she knew, encouraging them to share photographs of their own grandparents. The response took her completely by surprise.

This month, the results of that call will come together in “Grandparents: A Living Archive 1.0”, a community-driven exhibition featuring photographs of Sonia’s grandparents alongside those contributed by members of the public.

The exhibition will feature about 70 to 80 photographs preserved by families, none of which have been publicly displayed before. They range from images dating back to the 1930s to photographs taken as recently as last year.

Sonia is a qualified Malaysian historian and independent curator whose work focuses on South and Southeast Asian history, with a particular interest in cross-cultural encounters, historical exchanges, and material and visual culture.

She recently presented research on relations between Siam and Pahang at Oxford University in collaboration with Muzium Pahang.

Sonia said her late grandfather, a lithographer with the Survey Department, had collected these objects simply out of a love for history, rather than any conscious desire to preserve them for posterity.

She hopes, however, that the exhibition will encourage visitors to look at their grandparents’ lives not merely as family memories, but as pieces of a much larger social history.

“When we think of history, we often first think of politicians and leaders. But these regular people also lived through and viewed historical events in their own way. Many of them also contributed to the foundations of the country,” Sonia said.

Among the people to be featured in the living archive are mine workers, barbers, seamstresses, and housewives, with photographs contributed by families all over Malaysia.

According to Sonia, the exhibition is intentionally modest in size, reflecting the intimate nature of its materials. She believes the smaller setting will encourage visitors to linger over the photographs and stories, creating an experience akin to leafing through someone’s family album.

The exhibition will also be presented in a unique way: to discover exactly how, visitors will have to come and see it for themselves, Sonia said with a laugh.

She revealed that plans were already underway for “A Living Archive 2.0”, which would expand beyond photographs to include physical exhibits and other personal artefacts.

Ultimately, Sonia hopes the first exhibition will offer visitors a fascinating glimpse into the everyday lives of earlier generations, from family portraits and celebrations to scenes of work, migration, education and family businesses, as well as quieter moments of domestic and social life.

“Individually, they are personal photographs. However, collectively, they offer a way of looking at the people, places and experiences that shaped Malaysian life,” she said.

“All their personal stories, when brought together, help tell the story of Malaysia itself.”

‘Grandparents: A Living Archive 1.0’ (free admission)

When: Oct 8-10, 9.30am-6.30pm

Where:
Badan Warisan Malaysia,
2 Jalan Stonor,
50450 Kuala Lumpur

For more information, visit Sonia Latha’s website.

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