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) have added aesthetic touches to Surabaya’s Old Town.

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

The program involved painting walls in the Old Town area.

Ciputra University’s Vice Head of International Relations, Gelar Nanggala Wahyu Sagara, 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, to actively participate in the creation of this mural,” explained Gelar Nanggala, Saturday (2/22/2025).

The mural carries the theme of the history of Surabaya’s past. This theme was chosen through coordination between UC, the Surabaya City Culture, Sports, and Tourism Office, and other relevant parties to support the revitalisation program for the Old Town area of ​​Surabaya.

“The mural was chosen for Jalan Mliwis, which is within walking distance of the Old Town area and has a high visitor rate. With this mural, we hope to create a new tourist attraction that can be enjoyed by 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 National Furniture Department to promote local MSME products,” he added.

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

“The clover icon, for example, 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,” Pandu explained.

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

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

“It felt amazing, because I’d never done a mural or painting before. I was happy to be taught by my friends and mentors from VCD. I’m proud to be able to create a work of art at this iconic Surabaya landmark,” he said.

Editor: Narendra Bakrie