Borak Art Youth Series (BAYS), a platform specifically created for youths to discuss and expound their ideas and passion for arts and entrepreneurship, held a get-together at Sepaloh Art Centre, Ipoh recently.
The 100-odd participants were entertained with an opening act from Space Gambus Experiments. The band used gambus, a classical Malay instrument with Middle-Eastern origin, to play high-tune rock music. It was something new for the listeners who eagerly recorded the performance on their mobiles.
Incidentally, BAYS is an initiative by My Performing Arts Agency (MYPAA) in partnership with Projek Rabak and presented by Bursa Malaysia. The objective of BAYS is to imbue the spirit of entrepreneurism in Malaysian youths.
Co-founder and director of MYPAA, Brian Johnson Lowe hoped Ipoh’s art industry would grow bigger and stronger following this initiative.
“I’ve a soft spot for Ipoh because I was born here. I love the charm and the atmosphere the city exudes. We hope everyone will have a great time and learn a thing or two from our experienced panellists,” said Brian in his opening speech.
After the opening ceremony, Tintoy Chuo from Action Tintoy shared his experiences with the audience. He believed in promoting traditional arts by applying modern-day trends and objects so they can relate to current and future generations.
One of the many projects he had done was ‘Peperangan Bintang Wayang Kulit’ which had generated a buzz around the world. He highlighted some of his previous and current projects and stressed on the importance of passion in achieving one’s dreams.
Executive Councillor for Tourism and Culture, Dato’ Nolee Ashilin was in attendance. She had a lively discussion with the participants on “exposing Ipoh-based arts through entrepreneurship” along with Eric Lai, Mohd Jayzuan, Nur Hanim Khairuddin and Fazli Abd Latif.
Participants were broken into groups for the first workshop on the topic, ‘The Business of Arts – Put Your Skills to Work’. They learned basic entrepreneurship skills and how to mix and match them and create unique desirable products.
The second workshop, conducted by singer-poet writer, Fynn Jamal, was on ‘Young Writer’s Block’. Fynn spoke on the basis of storytelling, how to publish books and how to make it a lucrative venture.
The event ended with Fynn Jamal singing her hit songs.
Readers interested to find out the next venue of BAYS can visit MYPAA’s website for details.
Ili Aqilah
