Grace in Transit

Ann Marie Chandy | 21 July 2025

HAVE you seen the sleeves dancing at Pasar Seni? If you’ve been rushing through the MRT station lately – eyes down, mind on your next meeting – you might have missed them. But pause for a moment, and you’ll notice something quite extraordinary.

Billowing fabric forms, caught mid-motion, hang across the bridge at MRT Pasar Seni Station. They appear to hover between past and present, hinting at a heritage that’s stood the test of time – yet brought to life in a fresh, modern way.

This is Dancing Sleeves, the latest installation from Think City’s Arts On The Move (AOTM) initiative, created by Malaysian artist and creative technologist Tan Sher Lynn, and on display until the end of October. Inspired by the graceful water sleeves of traditional Chinese opera costumes, the work reimagines their flowing movements through contemporary digital technology. Viewed through your phone, the augmented reality (AR) feature brings the sleeves to life, letting them ripple and twirl as if borne on a secret breeze.

“Even if just for a moment, we hope commuters slow down, take a breath and find a small moment of connection with the art amidst their daily rhythm.”

Tan Sher Lynn

“Each sleeve represents one of the five main opera roles – Sheng (male), Dan (female), Jing (painted face), Mo (older men), and Chou (clown),” Tan explains. “It captures the elegance and heritage of this timeless tradition while inviting people to interact and play.”

Originally created for Kwai Chai Hong’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations last year, Dancing Sleeves has been thoughtfully adapted for its new home in a transit space.

“Like a dancer in a new space, it moves differently – but tells the same story,” she reflects. “At Pasar Seni MRT, spatial and structural limitations shaped how the piece could live and move – but its soul remains intact. The flowing energy, the rhythm, the invitation to play – all still present.”

In some ways, it’s even more poignant here. Kwai Chai Hong, after all, is a destination: visitors go there expecting to discover art. At the MRT station, commuters are usually in a rush. And yet, that is where the quiet beauty lies.

“The response has been quieter compared to Kwai Chai Hong,” Tan admits. “But perhaps that’s where the beauty lies. Instead of expecting an audience, we’re offering a gentle surprise – an unexpected pause. Even if just for a moment, we hope commuters slow down, take a breath and find a small moment of connection with the art amidst their daily rhythm.”

Tan, who graduated in Fine Art Experimental Media from Prague City University and now works with creative studio FABU, is known for exploring identity and space through interactive and immersive media. Dancing Sleeves embodies her signature style: poetic yet playful, rooted in heritage yet daringly contemporary.

Bringing Culture to Transit Spaces

First launched in 2016 as a creative placemaking initiative, AOTM is all about infusing Malaysia’s transit spaces with culture and creativity. It is an ongoing collaboration between Think City and MRT Corp with support from the Ministry of Finance.

The idea is simple but profound: to turn our city’s underutilised spaces into vibrant, engaging public places – and to remind commuters that their daily journey can still hold moments of joy and reflection.

AOTM has featured an array of Malaysian artists over the years, from Pamela Tan to Bono Stellar, Wendy Teo, Jun Ong and more. Performances, workshops, art installations and even a public piano at Masjid Jamek Station have been part of the programme’s charm.

Sunnyside Up by Pamela Tan of Poh Sin Studio

The Forest by Wendy Teo Atelier

Fusion Wayang Kulit

ASK Dance Company

Akademi Dikir Barat Arjunasukma

Call To Prayer by Najib Ahmad Bamadhaj & Toko Art

After a pandemic pause, AOTM returned in 2023 with refreshed energy – and was even recognised with a Special Mention Award at the Malaysian Institute of Planners Planning Excellence Awards 2024, cited as a standout example of placemaking and public space activation.

Dato’ Hamdan Majeed, Managing Director of Think City, sees AOTM as a key part of revitalising Downtown Kuala Lumpur as a creative and cultural district.

“We want to make Downtown Kuala Lumpur the most accessible public place – the most connected part where anyone can come by public transport,” he said. “The celebration of arts in transit stations has been done successfully in cities like Singapore, London and New York – and we hope to continue that here.”

Heritage in Motion

There’s something particularly apt about Dancing Sleeves being part of this narrative. The water sleeves of Chinese opera are a centuries-old art form, used to convey emotion and tell stories on stage. Here, they continue to tell those stories – but in a way that speaks to a new generation, in a new kind of public theatre.

As Tan puts it: “It’s about offering a gentle surprise. A moment of wonder in the middle of your commute. A quiet reminder of heritage, translated into the language of today.”

So, the next time you pass through Pasar Seni MRT, put down your phone for a moment – or better yet, pick it up, scan the AR and watch the sleeves swirl. Take a breath. Pause. Let the heritage of the past and the innovation of the present meet you in that fleeting moment.

After all, isn’t that what a city’s soul is made of?

Dancing Sleeves is on display at MRT Pasar Seni Station until the end of October. For more on the Arts on the Move series, visit thinkcity.com.my.

Discover more stories

See full list