Started in 2008 by Ezrena Marwan as an online resource, Malaysia Design Archive (MDA) was a voluntary effort to chart Malaysia’s graphic design history in the present day and from the period before Independence. It’s “a place for design heritage” according to Ezrena, and the archive has been a useful resource to many researchers, students and enthusiasts looking to delve into the visual culture of Malaysia’s design history. The MDA team has since expanded to include activist and writer Jac sm Kee, as well as Simon Soon, a researcher and senior lecturer at University of Malaya.

Like many of the other tenants, this will be MDA’s first physical space. While they will retain their digital repository, this new space could potentially become a meeting spot for critical discussion among like-minded individuals. “This is a possibility to rethink what this archive could do, how it can engage people in a much more physical face-to-face way,” says Jac.

The physical archive will also place focus on the designers, especially those active during the 1980s Mahathir era. Materials collected will not only cover graphic design work but will also include a range of spectrums such as architecture, photography, film and fine art.

Membership to the archive is currently open with different tiers available to those interested, which allows access to various restricted collections and participation in MDA-organised workshops. The funds collected will be channelled towards rental and maintaining the space, equipment and archive storage.