Newly revived Penang Arts Council puts on global festival for and about Penang with O:PEN - A Weekend In Penang despite pandemic
By Rachel Yeoh
Art and culture-rich Penang did not wait for the borders to open to promote and rebrand the state. O:PEN, a blend of the words “Open Penang” and “O Penang”, the inaugural hybrid art festival, was held last month on April 2 to 4. Organised by the newly-revived Penang Arts Council and spearheaded by its chairman, Joe Sidek, they worked alongside their sponsors, Penang state exco for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE) and ThinkCity, and many local artists to bring it to fruition. They prided themselves on being one step ahead, successfully untangling the art scene from the knots Covid-19 tied to restrain the industry.
14 programmes were held over the weekend, kicking off on Friday with the launch of Tanjung Penaga, a music video that pays homage to George Town’s original pre-1786 name. Nurlida Ab Rahman was on vocals, accompanied by the five amazingly-abled musicians of Kumpulan Muzik Asli Alunan Mutiara and a chorus by the Penang Chamber Singers. This was followed by an ART2ART discussion with visual artists about their work and practice and a virtual tour of the Penang State Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
View PAD’s highlights from the Penang State Art Gallery here: https://penangartdistrict.com/category/blog/artwork-of-the-month/
Dancing in the forest
Image from MENGhijau
Saturday’s lineup started in the lush, verdant Tropical Spice Garden, taking the audience on a shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) experience coupled with a dance choreography of fusion elements by Pexstret Liu. It was then followed by Aranya, a song presented by Buddha Beat, from the duo’s original song Little Wings. The transcendental musical experience was accompanied by a contemporary dance performed by Luvenia Kalia at The Habitat Penang Hill.
On the left is puppeteer, Leader of Ombak Potehi group Marcus Lim Yun Hao. On the right is Beng Geok Hing, Troupe Manager and puppeteer Ooi See Han
Image courtesy of Penang House of Music
Those who enjoy delving into the art and soul of Penang and its past particularly enjoyed online debuts of The Alleycats: A Research Documentary, Reviving PoTeHi in Penang: A Documentary, and Writers Reading Room.
Recorded shot of Solos for Spring
Programmes that were held on-location was the Saturday afternoon market at Hin Bus Depot, where curated creative brands, artists, and artisans displayed items for sale, and Solos for Spring, the sold-out musical performance by some of Penang’s youngest and best classical soloists.
The Ten x Ten series was perhaps the most enticing to those unable to be in Penang as the men behind Penang Walkabouts journeyed through George Town’s must-eats—from traditional kuihs to famous food haunts.
The power-packed weekend reminded locals of pre-COVID-19 days when there was always a show, exhibition, or festival happening somewhere in the state. It was an aide-memoire of what was and an unfurling of what will be for Penang.
According to Joe, the hybrid festival was put forward during PAC’s second meeting with the vision to tell tourists worldwide about the highlights of Penang. Within months, it materialised.
If you think putting on a hybrid festival is an easy feat, think again.
The glorious weekend of celebration would not have happened if it were not because of the countless individuals, organisations, and groups volunteering and contributing their talents, time, and effort to present and showcase the programmes.
The uncertainty of the regulations that came with the Movement Control Order (MCO) and Malaysia’s state of emergency required the team to be extremely versatile, thinking and rethinking, starting and stopping before starting again.
During O:PEN’s press conference at E&O Hotel
From left: Han Chiang University College Vice Chancellor Dr Beh Kok Hooi, E&O Hotel’s General Manager, Alison Fraser; Penang Exco For Arts and Creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin; Chairman of PAC, Joe Sidek; and Programme Manager of ThinkCity, Nicole Thum
Now, they are putting their heads together for its second chapter, scheduled to premiere in June.
Expect it to be bigger and better in June, as the team comes together again to ride on a higher budget, more creative ideas, and improving on what was staged in the first instalment.
Unlike many festivals that take many months and years to plan, Joe believes in executing it first and learning from it.
“We are wild, we just do it,” he said.
It’s gutsy, and we love it.
For updates, follow Penang Arts Council on Facebook.
A concoction of oxymoronic attributes, Rachel Yeoh is a lazy overachiever. She writes for a living and runs a homemade granola company. Always planning for something to do while procrastinating on her bed, she sometimes finds herself performing a little something-something in front of an audience.