ARTS AND CULTURE FESTIVAL SET TO LIVEN UP PANGKOR ISLAND
Pangkor Island Festival (PIF) 2017 – the community based festival that celebrates diversity in art, culture, music and food under one roof – will be held from November 25 – December 2. Organised by the Oriental Art and Cultural Center (OACC), the theme for this Art & Seek Carnival is Kinship: Creating Bonds and Embracing Nature.
This fourth edition is a collaboration with the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts (CIOFF®). CIOFF® is an Official Partner of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and its duty is to safeguard, promote and diffuse traditional culture and folklore. Elken Foundation is the main sponsor and the Pangkor Island Festival is officially endorsed by Majlis Perbandaran Manjung (MPM) and Visit Perak Year 2017.
The partnership with CIOFF has enabled OACC to invite international folklore artists from Indonesia and Philippines to perform alongside veterans from the Malaysian scene. World-class visual artists from Japan, Taiwan and France will also be displaying their unique installations at the Festival. The main venue sponsor SJK (C) Hwa Lian at Jalan Pasir Bogak will be transformed into a carnival-like atmosphere with various performances, art & food bazaars, workshops, talks, music, film screening, visual & art installations, exhibitions, heritage & environmental conservation activities and more.
“The Elken Foundation aims to improve the wellbeing of the community and help the underprivileged through corporate social responsibility programmes like this by the OACC. With Pangkor Island Festival we can create greater awareness on preserving our rich Asian culture while providing opportunities to the locals to present their talents and wares to those attending the festival and beyond. As someone who grew up on the island, I am honoured to be able to give back to society and help to enrich the lives of the islanders by building a foundation through arts and culture,” shared AK Tan, Group Executive Chairman of Elken Global & Chairman of Elken Foundation.
The Oriental Art and Cultural Center (OACC) was established to preserve the country’s rich Asian cultural heritage, provide educational platforms and nurture upcoming talents. By organising the PIF, it can enrich the lives of the Pangkor Island communities by making arts & culture accessible, bridge art with education, provide opportunities for locals to unite for a greater cause and instil the importance of cultural preservation to the younger generation, especially those who leave the island to work on the mainland.
The collaboration this year with CIOFF has given the Festival an added dimension. “CIOFF Malaysia is dedicated to support Pangkor Island Festival and with the participation of international groups, it will bridge cultural knowledge and provide a wider repertoire of arts and culture exposure that the audience can learn to appreciate. We are committed to ensure that the international participants will also have a memorable time here while enjoying Malaysian hospitality. We hope this will be a positive start and look forward to partner in such events for the future,” shared Datuk Hj Hassim bin Salim, President, CIOFF Malaysia.
Pangkor Island Festival 2017 also created history as it marks the first time an island in Malaysia has its very own typeface. The fonts are inspired by various elements that make up Pangkor Island and uses illustration as a gateway to showcase its unique identity. The designer, Lai Sin Yee, transforms the weather and landscape of Pangkor into a colourful octagon-shaped typeface. The hornbill, ikan bilis (anchovies), traditional house, lighthouse, ships, snorkelling gear and palm trees are the landmarks that make up the word ‘Pangkor’ and other significant landmarks like the floating mosque, Dutch fort, ancient well, temple and nature elements like crabs and corals make up the rest of the alphabet typeface.
In line with OACC’s efforts to promote art education and foster young artists, ALFA International College was invited to send students and lecturers from different faculties to team up with one of Malaysia’s installation artists – Baiduren – to transform the main event venue into a one-of-a-kind experience. This team will also decorate major locations around the island with flags depicting two island elements – the fish and hornbill.
Visitors to the 2017 edition of the Pangkor Island Festival can look forward to a variety of performances from folklore groups under CIOFF, exhibit installations from international visual artists and a myriad of workshops, screenings, bazaars and many hands-on activities in the Art and Seek section of the venue. As part of its environmentally-friendly initiative, PIF has also worked with O Bike to sponsor 50 bicycles for the festival to encourage cycling rather than driving around the island.
Full details on the performances, exhibits and workshops can be found in the attached 8-day programme schedule.
For more information please follow Pangkor Island Festival on Facebook.
