The photographer walks our producer through the exhibits detailing why he has decided to make a visually-challenged the subject of his black-and-white works. He tells about his process and the person who is the subject of his works: a visually impaired 70-year-old who was formerly a school teacher turned trainer at the Malaysian Association of the Blind, now a happy busker.

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Photographer Kenny Loh began the “Born in Malaysia” photography project in 2010 as a way to document the people, places, and stories that make up the country. In its latest iteration, he focuses specifically on Kuala Lumpur, and captures through his lens the spirit of this ever-changing capital, as well as the pockets of history that still lay hidden within. We speak to Kenny about capturing the heart of KL through his camera.

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Kevin Bathman is a Malaysian-born curator, storyteller, and social change advocate who has been based in Australia. He is perhaps best known as the founder of ‘The Chindian Diaries ‘, a project that combines visual and oral history to document cross-cultural stories between the Chinese and Indian communities. The project has since spun off into various forms, including exhibitions and performances. Kevin talks to us about this project, and how the arts and social change can intersect.

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The Tuyang Initiative works with the indigenous communities of Sarawak to promote culture and heritage, with the aim of both preserving these aspects and creating sustainable economic activities for these communities. The initiative is taking part in this year’s Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival, and one of the performers who will be featured is Mathew Ngau Jau, renowned sape master who was declared Malaysia’s Living National Heritage by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. We speak to Mathew and The Tuyang co-founder Juvita Tatan Wan about their work, and the necessity for professional and respectful representation when it comes to indigenous artists.

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What is it about Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet “Swan Lake” that continues to fascinate choreographers, performers, and audiences alike? With Ballet West UK staging the Asian premiere of the show here in Malaysia, we speak to lead dancers Jonathan Barton and Natasha Watson about their roles and the experience of bringing one of the most popular ballets of all time to the stage. The show will be staged from Aug 24 to 26, and Aug 31 to Sept 7.

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This musical first premiered in 2010 and ran for 35 performances. This tale about HIV/ AIDS is set in Malaysia and so captures the local responses to the disease and to those affected by it. The writer, Mark has updated the story on account of the medical progress made against this illness. And as the story is updated, so is the music to capture a more Broadway-show tune feel.

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This musical first premiered in 2010 and ran for 35 performances. This tale about HIV/ AIDS is set in Malaysia and so captures the local responses to the disease and to those affected by it. The writer, Mark has updated the story on account of the medical progress made against this illness. And as the story is updated, so is the music to capture a more Broadway-show tune feel.

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We kick off our brand-new review show, where we respond to, dissect, and generally get excited about various local arts creations. First up, “Teh Tarik with the Flag”, an art exhibition that brings together 14 Malaysian artists to explore the various symbolic meanings of the Malaysian flag, particularly within the context of the the country’s historic elections. Artist Ruby Subramaniam joins us to review and discuss the show (copious amounts of teh tarik may or may not have been consumed).

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Singaporean poet and spoken word artist Shivram Gopinath uses his works to talk about issues like culture and identity, while his most recent work explores multilingual poetry as a way of exploring the Indian experience in Singapore. He speaks to us about honesty and authenticity in poetry as a means of examining identity.

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The choir pays homage to Björk, the musician from Iceland, with musical arrangements by members of the choir themselves. The directors reveal the reasons for this concert and what the choir is hopes to achieve with its experimenting with percussion, acapella, music processing and even choreography. This production will deploy visual projection designs by students of Saito University College, marrying experimental visuals with live vocal experiments.

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