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Malls turn social with more public spaces
Life is more and more centered around shopping malls for Jakarta citizens now that libraries have turned to malls, following art galleries, playgrounds and even cultural centers that have existed there
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ife is more and more centered around shopping malls for Jakarta citizens now that libraries have turned to malls, following art galleries, playgrounds and even cultural centers that have existed there.
Jakartans now visit malls to also engage in their favorite activities: reading, watching gigs, attending discussions, or enjoying artwork.
Many malls have started to use the “social mall” concept, where public facilities are inserted into the shopping centers.
This one is the example.
At the corner of the third floor of Plaza Semanggi in South Jakarta, the colorful Learning Lounge is ready to welcome visitors to make the most of the space.
Irfan Dadi, the attendant of the reading lounge said that students of nearby Atma Jaya Catholic University regularly made use of the space to spend their free time. “Some come here to do their work, while others pull out books from the shelves and read them here for hours,” he said.
During weekends, many children come with their nannies to enjoy reading children’s books while waiting for their parents to finish shopping. In addition, Irfan said an English club organized by college students often used the lounge as a place to study and play.
The lounge was established last year before recently being revamped and re-opened.
“The lounge is now more attractive, with the colorful sofas and shelves. We have also provided computers with Internet connection for visitors. We hope more people will come here,” Irfan said.
The lounge at Plaza Semanggi, which was developed in in partnership with Dewi Hughes International Foundation, is the first to to be developed in Indonesia. The lounge shares the same vision in promoting learning and the reading habit among the Indonesian youth.
The Dewi Hughes International Foundation runs a total of 13 reading lounges located in several cities in Indonesia, including Medan and Surabaya. People can read, but not borrow, one or two of 2,000 books provided at each lounge. The project was a National Education Ministry initiative to build public libraries. The Ministry then collaborated with the foundation, mall developers and private companies.
“We set up reading and learning lounges at malls because malls are the center of modernization, they have become the place where the youth come and gather these days,” Dewi said, adding that she expected it can also serve as a medium to increase people’s reading habits. Dewi refused to elaborate on financial issues.
Another example of a public place set up in a mall is @america cultural center in Pacific Place shopping mall, South Jakarta, where citizens can explore, experience and express their interests related to the United States.
The cultural center, which presents the state-of-the-art technology, also functions as a digital library and a venue where musical performances and discussions take place.
Some malls have also become the choice venue for photography and art exhibitions.
Due to its strategic location and the fact that more people going to mall than galleries, the Indonesian Photojournalist Association (PFI) also chose to hold their recent photo exhibition at Blitz Megaplex Grand Indonesia shopping mall in Central Jakarta last month.
