Penang’s largest interactive light and digital art exhibition opens on 29 October at The Waterfront Shoppes in Gelugor, the same day the new retail block holds its soft opening. Named ELEMEN, the show sends visitors through five elemental zones where responsive 3D visuals, sound and light move around them.
Fifteen sensor-activated spaces fill 7,700 sq ft of the mall, built around water, earth, space, air and fire, Buletin Mutiara, the Penang state government’s publication, reported. Local motifs run through the rooms: a Bajau diver swimming in open water, a golden paddy field, a satay installation and a leaf canopy that answers a raised hand.
The walk itself is self-guided and takes between 45 and 60 minutes, The Rakyat Post reported. Visitors may photograph and film the exhibits, though flash photography and tripods are barred.
Early-bird tickets close on 28 October at RM28, a day before the doors open. After that, entry costs RM48 a person, or RM38 each for a pair. Children under 12 and senior citizens aged 60 and above pay RM28, while children aged seven and below enter free with every paying adult. The show runs until 14 February 2027 and opens daily from 10am to 10pm.
A short questionnaire at the entrance sorts each visitor into one of five elemental archetypes before the walk begins. In the satay room, a woven fan drives the digital fire and its soundtrack. Another space turns a camera portrait into a Bajau sea hunter, and a hollow stump carries a whisper into floating light.
The marketing director said the 15 zones draw on local symbols, including the sea-dwelling Bajau and the peninsula’s rice fields. The chief executive said the team spent six months on original work rather than adapting a touring show, and staffed the production with a local crew. She said the exhibition targets more than 20,000 visitors across its run.
Fitting the rooms took repeated trials, she added. The team bought radar, infrared and other sensors, tested them on site, and set aside the units that did not hold up.
Behind the visuals sits an environmental pitch. The exhibits were designed for long-term reuse, and the organisers hope the rooms build a sense of care for the planet alongside the spectacle. Each zone carries signage on the story and the science behind it.
Tickets are sold through the D Project website and the Klook platform.
