Yeap, I am late (as usual) but then, better late than never! Especially when it is about sharing the arts. As the title/picture/rest-of-the-content, I am writing about my experience during the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival 2014 (YSDAF). I only attended 14th Sept, which is Day 2.
First off, when I arrived at the KLPAC, I headed towards the indicine, waiting for doors to open because at 11am, a short session to understand Shakespeare is available. I cannot exactly say I am a fan of Shakespeare since I do not fully understand his works. Perhaps the more suitable word would be... deeply intrigued. Anyway, this session allows me to further my understanding in Shakespeare's language and acting methods(in some ways). Presented by Shakespeare Demystified, I realised that in Shakespeare's works, the best way to understand are to link the words to feelings or imagery.The funny thing is, to read Shakespeare is definitely NOT the same as performing Shakespeare and to understand Shakespeare, the latter is much more useful.
Alas, when I came out from indicine, the weather was storming indeed. I kind of pity the outdoor activities like Panggung Pusaka, Lorong Makan and the flea market(for lack of better word). But blessing in disguise indeed as I managed to experience what Urumee Melum(spelling differs but you get the pronunciation) is. It is like a rock concert made with traditional instruments of Tamil origin. Luckily enough, there would be performing again at Panggung Pusaka later in the evening.
Anyhow, the thundering rain was no match for my grumbling stomach and I did buy some food but the wet tables and chairs were..... difficult to adapt to, so I discover little pavilions around the lake, supported by stilts and it was much easier eating in these pavilions, than trying to eat while holding an umbrella. The seats, in the pavilion that I stumbled into, was like work of art to me. Made with wire frames, those seats was pretty sturdy. It felt a little serene, sitting inside the pavilion, looking into the lake, with droplets of water falling(as the rain reduced to a slight drizzle).
So, after lunch, what's next? I went to pentas 2 and see what local bands and artiste had to offer. But I only stayed for two acts, which are An Honest Mistake band and Bihzhu. I have long heard of An Honest Mistake but I have yet to seen them. Finally seeing them perform, I can see that they are really committed and I really wish them all the best in the future. Bihzhu's performance came as a really present surprise because I have not heard of her before but her genre is jazz and gosh, her voice was so clear over the music. And she interacts with the crowd really nicely too.
Next on, I enjoyed sometime which is closer to my heart, poetry. The forgetful me has forgotten the name of the poets but what I remembered was as such :
1. Corrective Couture, where it gave me the impression of challenging traditional views of what a woman should be, in some ways. Hugely amused by this one.
2. A poem accompanied by guitar strumming which suddenly seems more like a song than a poem. Nonetheless, entertaining indeed.
3. A poem which tells a tale of .. sis-mance between to housemates, and reminded that it just takes one thing for everything to explode and to finally iron things out. In this case, it was the colour of a cup. Lol.
4. A romantic poem of long love, where the protagonist is a soldier(sounded like one in the poem) and the love of his life was waiting for him.
5. A poem about being YOLO and involved audiences' participation by requiring the audience to yell 'JUMP!" when the hand signal was made
6. Two poems in Bahasa Melayu which left me in awe, partially due to the fact they were accompanied by violin and guitar and in BM. It felt very... jiwang (am I using this word correctly?)
A word of caution, as with all poems, the above are just my own understanding. Possibly it differs from the poets own meaning and intention but that is what make poems so wonderful and beautiful, right?
So, that is as much as my muddled goldfish brain can remember. But I do have to say, there were times that they are so many things going on that I was at a lost of what to do and where to go, and it is then I understand the meaning of sacrifice, lol. A mismatch lesson learnt but it was all good. It is the arts anyway!
