In 2023, we organized a two-weeks upcycling workshop program at Kampung Buku Langkawi, as part of the Waste to Art initiative. The objective of this initiative was to revive the once vibrant “village of books”, a space originally established by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, and reimagine it as a thriving community hub under the stewardship of Dream Forest Langkawi Park.
The program encouraged community participation through material collection and creative reuse. Discarded items were gathered from residents, shop owners, and materials found along Langkawi’s beaches. These materials were then repurposed — some for hands-on upcycling workshops with the community, while others were transformed into large-scale sculptures installed around the site by participating artists such as Raja Malek (Chelek), Chin Yu, and Maroon Art Design.
Through this collaborative effort, the Waste to Art program not only reactivated Kampung Buku as a creative and communal space but also highlighted the potential of waste as a resource for art-making, environmental awareness, and community connection.
