VIRTUAL ART: BEING AND BECOMING: OF FEMININITIES IN THE MALAY WORLD THROUGH 50 IMAGES

Date and Time: ends Aug 31

Take a retrospective photographic journey in this virtual exhibition, featuring people and places of the Malay world, encompassing the region of present-day Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. As the title indicates, this is a collection of 50 archival photographs, postcards and illustrations from the mid-1800s to the 1950s.

Through the intersection of social class, place, race, and empire in the Malay world, the exhibition’s three themes — Body, Space, and Activity — provide an insightful examination of received notions of femininity. This project is not your typical virtual exhibition. Audience participation is encouraged. Viewers can participate in entertaining polls, choose your favourite images, and curate your own mini-exhibition, as well as examine how others have curated their own mini-exhibitions. For those who wish to delve deeper, there are also research notes available.

Being And Becoming: Of Femininities In The Malay World Through 50 Images can be viewed for free via the exhibition’s website. ArtsEquator Ltd is the host of this online exhibition, which is part of a larger research project funded by the National Heritage Board in Singapore.

VIRTUAL DOCUMENTARY: KOK KONG RECORDS, MELAKA

Date: Unlimited

Melaka-raised jazz pianist Tay Cher Siang (of WVC Jazz Ensemble fame) takes music lovers on a journey to his home state to visit the legendary Kok Kong Records in Jalan Bunga Raya. The record shop, which has been a fixture in old downtown Melaka since the early 1960s, is still being operated today by Lim Cheng Hwa, the wife of the late Ho Kok Kong, a true blue music lover who started this “mom-and-pop” business.

This mini documentary is presented in Mandarin, with English subtitles. Yet nothing gets lost in translation if you are a music fan and someone who can relate to the joys of walking into a record shop. Through a candid and heartfelt conversation, Tay recalls how he used to visit Kok Kong Records during his younger days to discover music.

Lim also shares her memories from the past, where Kok Kong Records was a hub for 1960s youth culture, how her husband built up the store’s loyal following and how it evolved through the decades.

VIRTUAL THEATRE: MONOLOG: PECAH LIMA

Date and Time: July 16 and 17, 8.30pm

This Bahasa Malaysia showcase, presented by Revolution Stage, features five monologue-based playlets. These monologues, directed by five young theatre directors, are all centred on the overarching theme of the Pecah Lima showcase: action.

Viewers can expect performances filled with suspense, anxiety and heart-pounding action. The list of monologues are Aku Nak Jadi Bintang by Aris Ardianto, Situasi Paling Awkward by Azizi Nazril, Sewaktu Menunggu Bas Dalam Masa Empat Ratus Sekian Tahun Berikutnya by Yana Mat Dan, Bahaya by Firul Amry and Bulan Sakti by Sis Aini.

You can also catch the theatre show on site at Revolution Stage Studio in Petaling Jaya. Monolog: Pecah Lima, ticketed, can be streamed via Revolution Stage’s website.

VIRTUAL DOCUMENTARY: FRAGMEN: BAPAK KAUL

Date: Unlimited

This mini documentary, produced by Finas, takes viewers to Kampung Tellian Tengah in Mukah, Sarawak to discover Melanau culture and the role of Bapak Kaul, a community elder, who is the keeper of Melanau customs and traditions.

Edmund Salman Tuna, 62, who has held the Bapak Kaul role since 2001, is the subject of this insightful documentary feature, which also includes the “Kaul Kakan” traditional festival for the Melanau community.

In a series of interviews in Bahasa Malaysia, Edmund shares how the festival gathers the Melanau community together in April every year, its spiritual significance and the traditional preparations behind it. Rituals and ceremonies are also carried out to ward off evil and bad luck, and to also ensure the farmers’ harvest and fishermen community’s catch are bountiful.

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL: 18TH MINI FILM FESTIVAL X MINI ARTS FESTIVAL

Date and Time: July 16-17

The Cinematography Programme (Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts) at University Malaysia Sarawak has been running their annual Mini Film Festival for 18 years now. This year’s edition is being held as a hybrid event.

There will be special screenings of this year’s nominated films, talks, and an art exhibition showcasing artworks created by Sarawakian artists in line with the theme of “Revival”. The 18th Mini Film Festival x Mini Arts Festival can be streamed for free via the festival’s website. Registration is required.