echo In Between Landscapes
Travellers and jungle trekkers seeking adventure in the trails deep within the forests of Cameron Highlands might have been shocked to look up and in the midst of dense greenery, a row of pylons; transmission towers, tall, unmoving, and impassive, almost like sentinels observing the jungle canopy.
The glowing lights are the undeniable highlight of the cityscape, grand and dazzling. Equally grandiose are the mountains and the green treetops that grow from them, seemingly endless. In between two well-appreciated landscapes—of nature and man—stand the pylons.
Progress and Intrusion: Duality of the Pylon
Pylons, towering steel structures that slice through landscapes, have long been symbols of both progress and intrusion. Their presence bridges the natural and industrial, sparking debates about aesthetics, necessity, and cultural significance. In 1927, the United Kingdom Central Electricity Board held a competition for a design that would replace the early brutalist transmission towers that were erected in Europe. The lattice A-frame that is ingrained into the landscape of our memories today was a submission by the American firm Milliken Brothers, under the guidance of the classical anti-modernist architect Sir Reginald Blomfield. Since the original towers were set out to revolutionise the landscape, little change has been made to the nearly century-old design.
While initially representing the progress of technology, pylons have gone on to garner a rather divided impression. In 2015, The British Broadcasting Corporation reported that four stretches of pylons were to be removed for the sake of returning the landscape to nature. The interviewee, Mr Baines, who chaired several of the conservation organisations, said that “Reducing the visual impact of pylons and power lines in our most precious landscapes is highly desirable, but it is also very expensive and technically complex.” Writers have also come out to complain about the number and amount of pylons built. Rudyard Kipling, the author known for “The Jungle Book” wrote to The Times complaining, claiming “permanent disfigurement” of the scenery. On the other hand, a group of poets led by Stephen Spender went on to become so inspired by the constructs that they began to call themselves “The Pylon Poets”.
Pylons Shaping Society
In Kerinchi, by Menara Telekom, stands the Kerinchi Anchor Pylon, the tallest strainer pylon in the world. Before the widespread construction of pylons, electricity was a luxury confined to cities and industrial centers, as early power stations could only transmit electricity over short distances. The introduction of high-voltage transmission lines supported by pylons transformed this, enabling electricity to travel vast distances and reach rural areas. By elevating power lines above obstacles and minimizing energy loss over transmission, pylons played a crucial role in electrification projects worldwide, bridging the gap between urban and remote communities. This shift not only improved living standards but also fueled economic growth, allowing industries, transportation, and households to access a reliable power supply. Without pylons, modern electrical grids could not be as seamless as currently possible.
The Pylon in the Jungle
And so, the trekkers in Cameron Highlands might pause underneath the shadow of a pylon, considering what it means to be here, deep in the jungle, yet still within reach of the world they thought they had left behind. Against the backdrop of tangled vines and towering trees, the steel lattice rises, the dark cables–foreign, yet familiar. It is a break in the scenery, an interruption of nature’s rhythm.
Perhaps the jungle itself does not resent the pylon. Birds perch on its beams, vines creep along its base, and the forest continues to grow around it, as if indifferent to its presence. The pylon, too, does not interfere with the trees–it does not cut them down, nor command the land, but simply stands, fulfilling its silent duty. In this, the traveller might see a kind of poetry—the poetry that Spender and his peers glimpsed, the strange beauty of a structure built not for itself, but for others. A bridge of energy, spanning the vastness of the land, unnoticed by most yet essential to all.
Whether seen as scars on the landscape or symbols of modernity, pylons endure, unmoving in their role—both functional and poetic—against the ever-changing backdrop of city and nature.
Pylon behind Taylor’s campus, taken by Fel
Written by: Mario
Edited by: Tisyha
