Fondly known as Magnus Azami in the photographers’ circle in Malaysia, Azami A Rahman considers himself as a “quarter professional phototaker”. With his beloved Nikon D700 and Nikkor 17-35mm and 50mm, he takes photographs of abandoned or “soon to be demolished” structures, which are his favourite photo subjects. His philosophy in photography is that there are no rules in taking photographs; those who create them do so for the benefit of those interested in profit, not art.
2009: The Fall of Pudu Jail
Located along Jalan Shaw, Pudu Jail was built by the British colonial government between 1891 and 1895. Surrounded by walls 394 metres long, it functioned as the only prison in Selangor to house male and female offenders with short sentences, and was used as a day-holding facility for prisons attending court hearings up to 2008. The prison was also self-sufficient as it had a vegetable garden that produced enough food to feed its inmates annually. Pudu Jail was also famously known for having the world’s longest mural. In 1984, a talented inmate named Khong Yen Chong painted a mural of tropical scenes measuring 840 feet by 14 feet, using some 2,000 litres of paint. It was later featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. Khong was not able to complete the mural during his time as an inmate, but returned later as a free man to complete his masterpiece. In June 2009, the government finally decided to redevelop the complex into a retail space.
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