Petronas Twin Towers I

There is a heart in my body; there are twin towers in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. When being asked about the first building image that pops up in brain, a Malaysian student studying in overseas probably will answer this: Petronas Twin Towers. Why is this so? Because it is already an icon, for the country, and the nation.

However, when foreigners ask for the meanings and purposes of this giant edifice (look at the shadow stretched on the urbanscape), we can hardly answer it, if not spending a plenty of time. So, what the towers mean to you? How is it supposed to be perceived? To me, its existence is there of course, geographically hard be denied, notwithstanding its ‘empty form’ that occupying in every citizen. I said it ‘empty’ because it doesn’t really impose a concrete meaning in everyone’s heart, but everyone remains (or reserves) a particular space for it, whether with a hope that it will be enriched with meanings when time goes and the country transforms. Or, maybe the patina can tell the stories better in the future, with the climate of economy and cultural integration.


Anyway, its very first impression or result, is certainly indicating the sense of direction, both physically and mentally. In the midst of the chaotic KL city, just raise your head and find the city landmark when you are about to lose with confusing road signboards. A node tells better than those. From the viewpoint of mentality, the successfully built edifice somehow tells the nation by echoing the numbing slogan—“Malaysia Boleh”, and thus strengthen again the directionality that the nation has to catch up with the developed countries. The towers become a ‘solid’ node from a map; and a ‘void’ gateway to the modernized era. The void that framed by the towers and the sky pedestrian bridge that actually speaks better. All of these, the grandeurs, are about the view towards the towers. How about the views from the towers downwards to the cityscape?

The towers are ‘equipped’ to have some sort of magical power that stunts the visitors, especially the foreigners that are aimed to gain good impression about the country. Well, from the towers, looking outward to grasp the panorama view of real KL city, might be a fantastic cool job, However, it is rather an illusion. I have to admit that it is not 100% real, simply because you can’t perceive the real KL by doing so. The towers are actually making ‘the myth into nature’ (Barthes). When a false illusion seems to be a fact, mythology is basically established. In fact, be it beautiful or ugly, KL can only be perceived realistically, from the horizontal planes. One can only see the people, the bargain, the food, the trash… If the towers represent KL, the legibility of the city is definitely not transparent enough under the urban semiotics (Gottdiener) that the contents and the sign may contradict each other partly. So, experience it, despite the catalogues, the lime light, etc…

[note: this is not an acedemy research essay. mostly about personal thinking and experience by 'borrowing' the theories. picture source: wikipedia & google earth.]