Coming to Ipoh, The Other Festival brought by KakiSeni will take place over three weekends from October 22 till November 8. The festival focuses on a series of trails by popular Ipoh-born and Ipoh-lover personalities. Themed ‘Mapping the City’, the festival is focusing on celebrating art, food and the historical sites of Ipoh.
During the media launch on October 5 at Kong Heng square, the president of Kakiseni, Low Ngai Yuen hoped Ipoh will be the next must-visit pit stop for art enthusiasts.
“Malaysia has the successful Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching, Sarawak and George Town Festival in Penang. We figured it’s time to spread the love and appreciation for such creative pursuits to Ipoh through The Other Festival. The idea is to open more doors to artists, and develop Ipoh for better consumption of the arts,” said Yuen to the media.
State executive councillor for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Communications and Multimedia, Dato’ Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi officiated the affair and she too, is looking forward to attend the festival.
“We really want to develop a culture where the arts are not only used to define the identity of our people but also as one of the main economic drivers. Mapping Ipoh is something I really look forward to because as Perakeans, we have such pride in our heritage and the fact that the rest of the world is able to experience and get to know us is really amazing,” said Nolee.
Among the amazing line up and curators attending the event is Malaysia’s evergreen actor and personality, Patrick Teoh, Malaysian writer, Bernice Chauly and one of the highlight of the festival the Company Man, a circus-style performance by Japanese troupe, The Cheeky Park; a combination of mime, pantomime, juggling, acrobatics and aerials. Book lovers be ready to catch the launching of Buku Fixi: Hungry in Ipoh, an anthology of 15 short stories, and Hard Core by Megat Ishak and guided workshop on short story writing by authors, Julya Oui (Bedtime Stories for the Dead of Night) and Marc de Faoite (Tropical Madness).
Projek Rabak will be the curator of music performances and be ready to catch outdoor movie screenings that will pop-up at random spots around Old Town. Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) will also be taking part in The Other Festival by sponsoring a Tote Art Competition for school children, the corporate foundation which is deeply rooted in Ipoh, hopes that this will encourage children to discover the Ipoh today while finding inspirations to share their dreams for the Ipoh of tomorrow.
For more information and venue of The Other Festival, visit KakiSeni’s website at www.kakiseni.com or catch the latest update at their Instagram and twitter at @kakiseni.
Ili Aqilah
