STORY 04
From Maidan to Padang

The British manipulated the functions and representations of this architecture to craft a space for surveillance of the commoners, to demonstrate its military might, and for other purposes of governance, recreation and exhibitions. All of this took place against the theatrical backdrop of British civilisation imposed on faraway lands.
Whethere it is known as a maidan or a padang (a malay word meaning “a playing field”), the insertion of such open spaces with a common and seemingly neutral purpose of hosting public activities has continued in contemporary Singapore and Malaysia, in more contemporary formats such as a stadium.