THE PENANG House of Music (PHOM) hosted its last visitor at about 4pm yesterday. True to its word, the community museum and archive centre, which protects a trove of heritage artefacts and records, has shuttered its doors due to lack of financial and institutional support.
However, its founder Paul Augustin has left the scene with a hint that all is not completely over "PHOM will rise again like the sun after a dark night. With this, we thank you and bid you all selamat malam (good night) and not selamat tinggal (goodbye)," he said in his parting words.
PHOM is now engaged in negotiations with MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd, a federal agency under the Communications Ministry, on either relocating to Kuala Lumpur or setting up base at a separate spot in Penang.
It is widely felt that too much effort has been undertaken and the archival collection is too impressive for the establishment to simply be discarded despite the financial shortfall.
But negotiations will take time owing to the need to come up with a sustainable business model.
Augustin, who is a musician himself, achieved something unique altogether. He went to great lengths to ensure that PHOM features music, culture and some performing arts from various segments of Malaysian society over the decades since independence and before.
Despite the apparent polarisation in parts of society, Augustin wanted PHOM to showcase the rich diversity which has come to impact the musical and cultural scenes.
Despite the initial outlay of RM3 million by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) and an annual state grant of RM500,000 since 2021, it was simply not adequate to sustain the operations at the Komtar complex, which also houses the state administration.
Tapestry of Malaysian heritage
Augustin said that the move was a hugely difficult decision, but it was somewhat inevitable given the challenging financial circumstances.
"We look back in gratitude to the very many people who have both inspired and supported the interest in Penang’s music and its place in our country’s heritage over the years.
"PHOM was born because of their encouragement; their spirit, their enthusiasm and their love will not diminish,” he said.
He acknowledged the role of the PBAPP and the Penang government for enabling the opening of PHoM in September 2016 and for the subsequent funding.
"For the last seven years, PHOM has been home to a wonderful exhibition which has captured the diverse beauty of not only Penang’s but also Malaysia’s culture, arts and musical landscape.
"It has also housed a major resource centre, and a vibrant performance space. It has welcomed more than 50,000 visitors from over 50 countries and organized more than 300 events.
"We have also provided internship opportunities to university and college students, venue performance assistance to cultural and art practitioners and engaged with schools for a number of educational events.
"It has been a truly remarkable and unique venue,” he said on reflection in a statement.
But all that came with a financial cost. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was severely felt since they were not able to open consistently for nearly 16 months.
Growth in public support
It was during that period that PHOM diverted its focus to become an important content provider and network connector for academic research locally and internationally.
Like many places, the financial losses of the lockdown were hard to recover.
"And so the day has come when we have had to consider and decide to close our doors,” said Augustin.
"It is heartbreaking. But though the outlook may seem bleak at the moment, we still have the hope that the spirit of PHOM will continue to live in the hearts and inspire all those touched by this place over its time.
"We would like to thank our families, friends (old and new) who’ve walked through the doors and all those that have supported us in any and every way, from near and far through good times and bad all these years," he wrote.
Meanwhile, an e-hailing driver, Khor Phaik Hoon, 51, who was at the gallery with his mother and two children yesterday, said he did not want to miss the chance to see the history exhibited there.
Bernama reported Khor as saying that he learnt about the gallery from a passenger from Kuala Lumpur.
"I was told that today is the last day… My children were the most excited because they got to see many unusual musical instruments and my mother, who is a fan of P. Ramlee (who was raised in Penang) was happy to reminisce about her younger days," said Khor. – The Vibes, March 17, 2024.
