Source:https://mili.id/baca-17444-sentuhan-estetik-di-kota-lama-surabaya-dari-mahasiswa-uc-dan-malaysia

Aesthetic Touches in Surabaya’s Old Town from UC and Malaysian Students

February 22, 2025

Surabaya, mili.id – Students from Ciputra University (UC) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) added an aesthetic touch to Surabaya’s Old Town.

The “Uniting Colors in Creativity and Heritage” program was initiated by UC Surabaya in collaboration with UTM.

The program provides an aesthetic dimension by painting walls in Surabaya’s Old Town.

Gela Nanggala Wahyu Sagara, Vice Head of International Relations at Ciputra University, stated that the program ran from February 16 to 22, 2025.

In addition to UC students, the program also involved 20 UTM students from various departments, accompanied by four lecturers.

“We collaborated with the UC Visual Communication (VCD) Study Program, including lecturers, educational staff, and students, who were actively involved in creating this mural,” explained Gelar Nanggala on Saturday (February 22, 2025).

The mural explores the history of Surabaya. This theme was selected through coordination among UC, the Surabaya City Culture, Sports, and Tourism Office, and other relevant parties to support the revitalisation program for Surabaya’s Old Town.

“The mural was chosen for Jalan Mliwis, which is within walking distance of the Old Town area and has a high visitor count. This mural is expected to create a new tourist attraction that can be enjoyed by both Surabaya residents and other tourists,” he explained.

According to him, this program aims to strengthen international cooperation, particularly in non-academic fields, highlighting creativity, cultural exchange, and the involvement of students from across the country.

This program also demonstrates UC’s support for the Surabaya City Government’s efforts to revitalise the Old Town area as a new tourist destination.

“As part of the agenda, we also invited UTM students to visit the Tunjungan Department of National Development Planning (Deskranasda) to promote local MSME products,” he added.

VCD lecturer and mural conceptor, Pandu Rukmi Utomo, explained that the mural, featuring subjects such as horse-drawn carts, clover vendors, lontong balap (rice cake) vendors, and the typical Suroboyoan cangkrukan (traditional Javanese food) tradition, took varying amounts of time to complete.

“This clover icon will take about three days, with six hours of work per day. The mural will be created on a 7.5 x 3 meter surface, involving creative collaboration between UC and UTM students,” said Pandu.

Participants were also given the opportunity to explore Surabaya during a sightseeing session as part of the cultural experience. They also enjoyed Surabaya culinary delights such as lontong balap (rice cake), clover (cereal), and sinom (rice cake).

Shym Pei Xun, a UTM Mechanical Engineering student, expressed his pride at having the space to work in the City of Heroes.

“It feels amazing, because I’ve never done a mural or painted before. I’m happy to be taught by my friends and mentors from VCD. I’m proud to be able to create a work on this iconic Surabaya city,” he said.