The 8th Annual BOH Cameronian Arts Awards — Results!
By Kakiseni dance BEST GROUP PERFORMANCE Prize of RM1,000 ASWARA Dancers for “Tapak 4” in Jamu 2009 – 2; choreographed
A growing archive of articles, essays, reviews and interviews covering a wide range of arts and culture. The majority of these were commissioned and published on the online arts magazine Kakiseni from 2002 – 2010.
By Kakiseni dance BEST GROUP PERFORMANCE Prize of RM1,000 ASWARA Dancers for “Tapak 4” in Jamu 2009 – 2; choreographed
By Kakiseni dance BEST FEATURED PERFORMER Prize of RM1,000 Suhaili Ahmad Kamil for “2=1” in Jamu 2008; choreographed by Suhaili
By Kakiseni dance BEST FEATURED PERFORMER Prize of RM1,000 Chew Zi Xin for The Nutcracker; choreographed by Steve Goh, presented
By Eva McGovern Stillness. Stasis. Movement. Action. Sitting in traffic on the way to Wei Ling Gallery to see Abdul
By Rachel Jenagaratnam Some confessions ought to start this piece off nicely: First, when asked to review Multhalib Musa’s recent
By Yasmin Zetti Martin What kind of school has toughening-up camps that they force their “effeminate” students to attend? The
By Yasmin Zetti Martin A few months ago, there was a call for submissions for anyone under the age of
By Grace Ng A daughter rapes and kills her father. This was how I first came to know Shirley Lim
By Yasmin Zetti Martin A school. A dead body. A scandal… “Biasalah asrama.” Award-winning singer-songwriter Shanon Shah’s first full-length play,
By Dr. Wong Oi Min My Calling My Act, My Stage is being marked as a return to the stage
By Kakiseni Some years ago, Time magazine ran a cover story asking, “Do the good die young?” It’s what comes
By Gabrielle Low Away from the broken sidewalk and wristwatch peddlers just a little further up Jalan Bukit Bintang, Pavilion
By Yasmin Zetti Martin Pang Khee Teik, writer, photographer, program director at The Annexe, and former editor of Kakiseni takes
By Gabrielle Low In Bernice Chauly’s small but substantial collection of poetry and prose, The Book of Sins, words indeed
By Ann Lee For any history of Malaysian literature, it is remiss not to consider the pioneering work of Lloyd
By Helen Musa Recent coverage in Kakiseni about the phenomenon of censorship in private sector Malaysian arts may seem like
By Kathy Rowland Persepolis is based on the best-selling graphic novel of the same name by Marjane Satrapi. Directed by
By Daniel Chong If you were told that a grandmaster of 20th century modern art from France is exhibiting in
By Benjamin McKay The directorial debut by leading actor Hans Isaac is more impressive than I had anticipated. For all
By Veronica Shunmugam The regular gallery visitor setting foot in Galeri Petronas today will be, first of all, roused into
By Benjamin McKay Monday evening’s screening of recent Malaysian short films largely confirmed the talent and richness to be found
By Veronica Shunmugam In last week’s part of what the arts meant to 2007, I looked at what the arts
By Benjamin McKay For a debut feature film, Mark Tan’s “Jarum Halus” proves to be both bold and audacious. With
By Bernice Chauly My first WOMAD experience in Toronto, Canada in 1988 was a seminal experience – having hitch-hiked from
By Andrew Hwang Two thousand and seven, for a businessman and arts collector like myself, was noteworthy arts-wise because of
By James Lochhead Two years ago, I wrote a gushing review of the 2nd Penang Island Jazz Festival (PIJF). Sitting
By Juliet Jacobs She’s done ‘Sepi’ and ‘Fawzia’ and even parodied some Broadway ditties in between. Now Doreen Tang takes
By Benjamin McKay It takes great skill to make a film about the emotional and material deprivation of young children
By Juliet Jacobs Besides guiding, training and inspiring young minds towards greater things, the lovely folks at ASWARA have also
By Zedeck Siew The shop-lot in Taman Tun Dr Ismail that the theatre companies Dramalab and Five Arts Centre share
By Zedeck Siew A red Chinese box-altar stands on one of The Annexe Gallery’s upper levels; its idol, a cross-legged
By Kakiseni When Filipina choreographer Donna Miranda of the Quezon City arts group Green Papaya Art projects first came to
By Kathy Rowland Malaysia has a long history of conflicts over arts and culture, pitting artists against the Japanese during
By Aloysious Augustine Mowe An image deemed insulting to a prophet is printed in a newspaper. Religious leaders express their
By Zedeck Siew Things began in 1975: the world’s first home computers were made available to the public; American Congress
By Juliet Jacobs Director/actor/writer Gavin Yap tells us about his initial meeting and subsequent relationship with playwright Sarah Kane’s works,
By Amir Hafizi Urgh. For some reason, when the arts community decides to embark on a production that have frogs
By Gina Fairley “Selamat Datang ke Malaysia” is a cultural expo of sorts … on one hand playing off the
By Benjamin McKay As part of the year-long My.Oz festivities (that celebrate 50 years of friendship between Malaysia and Australia),
By Zedeck Siew Fast becoming Singapore’s most important playwright, the strength of Alfian Sa’at oeuvre lies in the wit and
By Jenny Daneels In reply to critical comments in an article we published last year on the Kuala Lumpur Performing
By Zedeck Siew “I believe we never stop learning,” said actor Anne James, sitting down at a long table. She
By Adeline Ooi Held once every five years in Kassel, Germany, documenta – the Hundred Day Museum is a post-war
By Antares It gets harder and harder to review the Rainforest World Music Festival without sounding like someone who’s had
By Nuraini Juliastuti Jilbab versus Schools This article is about the dynamics of jilbab conflicting with the social, political, and
By Marilyn R. Canta In 2002 and 2003, I essayed “preliminary assessments” of writing on art from different Philippine regions.
By Antariksa Yogyakarta was Java’s principal art centre during the 1950s. According to Claire Holt’s “Art in Indonesia” (1968), there
By Chris Rollo When the Zamboanga del Norte Federation of Visual Artists (ZANFEVA), a confederation of four art groups in
By Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez The relatively cent ruckus over how the latest Social Weather Station (SWS) figures indicate that Filipinos still
By Estela Ocampo-Fernandez & Raymund L. Fernandez The cursory view of the raw data would seem a bit depressing. Outside
By Zedeck Siew At a crucial point in “Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari”, an informal-by-form check-up on Wayang Kulit, performer Wong
By Fahmi Fadzil Regional Survey Jogjakarta, Penang, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Dao: a diary of food, art, and lanterns
By Tengku Amalia Over a year ago, my classmates and I watched a Wayang Kulit performance as part of our
By Benjamin McKay Two very varied feature films opened recently, the first two parts of a planned trilogy on love
By Juliet Jacobs Taking time off their rehearsal schedule, Lim How Ngean, Loh Kok Man and Reza Zainal Abidin discuss
By Kakiseni Opera Pinocchio Sat 12, May 2007 Once upon a time there was an old carpenter, Geppetto, who wanted
By Antares The moment you start focusing your attention on them, metaphors wriggle right out of the woodwork, springing from
By Bernice Chauly One of the most intriguing guests at the 2nd Kuala Lumpur International Literary Festival, held between March
By Juliet Jacobs Kay Chin on knitting, remembering lines, and bizarre initiation rituals. ~ Tell us about yourself. I don’t
By Gabrielle Low A long, straight and well-paved road leads you into Pulau Carey. Along either side of the road
By Juliet Jacobs Tell us about yourself. I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, and I’ve loved the creative
By Jess C I don’t pretend to be an opera buff, but I have seen enough productions to know what
By Juliet Jacobs Shamelessly blow your trumpet, and tell us about yourself. I studied at the Trinity College of Music,
By Antares Since returning from England in the late 1980s, Kam Raslan has carved a niche for himself as a
By Juliet Jacobs Tell us a bit about yourself. In 1997, I went off to Harvard for four years, where
By Kakiseni Kg Berembang Mon 5, Mar 2007 Kg Berembang was a place I knew about only because its children
By Juliet Jacobs Tell the world about Fong Muntoh, AKA Monti. I am from the land of many virgins: Ipoh.
By Loo Jia Wen “I have a bit of a split personality,” says Shahnon Ahmad (January 13th, 1933; full name:
By J-Teoh Fancy costumes and hoity-toity language do not generally agree with me in the theatre, so it was with
By Zedeck Siew Tell us about yourself. Did you, like any other good middle-class child, have to pick up a
By Artis Pro Activ (APA) Artis Pro Activ (APA) unreservedly condemns the Malaysian Film Censorship Unit’s decision to ban director
By Tan Sooi Beng Cultural identity formation and national belonging in the contemporary age is complex. Most Chinese who are
By Gabrielle Low On January 28th, 2007, the art world’s luminaries and big-spenders converged on the Kuang estate of the
By Juliet Jacobs Tell us a bit about yourself. I was born 38 years ago in Baling, Kedah. I graduated
By Gabrielle Low Among the lesser-known temples at Angkor is a pyramidal mass of hewn stone blocks called Baphuon, completed
By Gabrielle Low ‘Stung Treng 216 km’ flashed on the blue signboard as our bus sped along the highway. I
By Juliet Jacobs Okiku is based on a story from Japanese folklore. Tell us more about the conceptualization and story.
By Shanon Shah The semi-autobiographical domestic drama by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter, Betrayal (staged at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts
By Benjamin McKay A celebrated photographer, filmmaker, writer, and actor (for stage and screen), multi-talented Bernice Chauly is also an
By Sonia Randhawa In 2001, a group of young Malaysians set up a project to help their fellow citizens rediscover
By Benjamin McKay It has been an important year for independent Malaysian cinema. Triumph on the international festival circuit, success
By Lucy Friedland I don’t bother with film shorts in the States. I think of American shorts as a training
By Juliet Jacobs Tell us a bit about Five Alone — how was it conceptualised? What can the audience expect?
By Juliet Jacobs and Zalina Lee He’s practically done it all: the West End (Miss Saigon, Rent), Hollywood (Anna &
By Ann Lee When can you call yourself a playwright? After a three-act play? After one or two drinks? When
By Juliet Jacobs Little Mission Impossible: should we Expect the Impossible? Tell us more about the musical. Little Mission Impossible
By Benjamin McKay It would take a very hard-hearted person to not admire the gumption of Khairil M Bahar, who
By Benjamin McKay An emerging visual artist whose work has been exhibited both in Malaysia and abroad, Yap Sau Bin
By Juliet Jacobs and Kathy Rowland While most people spent Sunday evening huddled at home, awed by the almighty storm
By Juliet Jacobs Hibiki is described as a work of “unparalleled simplicity and poetic beauty”. What can you tell us
By Juliet Jacobs ‘Three girls in a play’ is your tagline for the event — sounds naughty. Tell us more!
By Amir Hafizi Watching the KLPac production of Frankenstein in Love, I was somehow reminded of a play I saw
By Farish A Noor A nation is as rich as its geography; and geography is enriched when it is over-determined.
By Zedeck Siew Tell us about yourself. What inspired you to pick up the baton? The sound of the large
By Toni Kasim Walking into a Ramadan evening bazaar with a rumbling tummy is almost masochistic. Here you are at
By Matt Armitage Finding out about international acts performing live in Malaysia can be a bit like playing with the
By Benjamin McKay Some filmmakers use film as a tool to tell narratives and build worlds. Other filmmakers, a rare
By Kee Thuan Chye Let’s start with a number of disclaimers: first, I’m writing as an individual and not as
By Lainie Yeoh Should I be afraid to point a camera at something if it’s wrong? A few nights ago,
By Jess C Those who are familiar with classical Chinese literature will have heard of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai,
By Zedeck Siew Why the ComeBackKings? The first time we performed we were just a bunch of seniors in Taylor’s
By Prof Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof I first met Saari when, in early February 1975, I started research work for a proposed
By CH Loh What do the films Lelaki Komunis Terakhir and Gubra have in common? Obvious answer: they were both
By Gabrielle Low An Indonesian artist once pointed out to me the pervasiveness of visual clichés. He said that Indonesian
By Zedeck Siew Recently we called on Thailand to ask about the coup. From a condo on the Gulf, by
By Benjamin McKay One should applaud the release of another Malaysian independent feature on local screens – on that count,
By Rafil Elyas Kumaresvara (Jack) Nathan, 360° Head Rotation co-founder, musical collaborator, and my very dear friend of almost 15
By Amir Hafizi The programme leaflet for Anak Bulan Di Kampong Wa’ Hassan, staged recently at KLPac, has a sort
By Pang Khee Teik and Zedeck Siew Who is this ‘Beard’ that gave you your last name? Did you have
By Benjamin McKay Coming of age stories, especially those that take us on a physical journey, can be problematic films
By Zedeck Siew At the door to Laut Lebih Indah Dari Bulan, which ran between September 7 – 10 at
By Benjamin McKay In an attempt to uncover the mysteries of creative practice in Malaysia, and discern what makes Malaysian
By Juliet Jacobs Shed some light on the play for us Well, it’s about art and how far a person
By Saifullizan Tahir Majlis pelancaran buku From Majapahit to Putrajaya –– yang mana saya terlewat dan bila sampai majlis sudahpun
By Zedeck Siew The entrance to Khoo Kongsi, perhaps one of Penang’s most iconic locations, is a porte cochère that
By Zedeck Siew I have been worried that my teeth are falling out. It has been six months since my
By Jac SM Kee We exercise our freedoms in modest amounts. Selecting carefully which brand we prefer, what newspapers to
By Nigel Skelchy There is always that moment of trepidation when a curtain rises on a musical for the first
By CH Loh Long long ago in a galaxy far far away there was a land whose people enjoyed a
By Amir Hafizi Break-ing (Ji Po) Ka Si Pe Cah, at first glance, looks like an ‘Osman, Mutusamy, Lai Kok
By Benjamin McKay In remembering the late Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin, former chairman of Petronas and well respected public
By Sonia Randhawa The Federal Constitution establishes and protects the Judiciary. In turn, the Judiciary’s main task is to protect
By Zalina Lee I was sent for the opening ceremony of the 27th International Society of Music Educators (ISME) World
By Concerned Citizens There is a street in Georgetown, Penang that has been affectionately dubbed “The Street of Harmony”. Once
By Sonia Randhawa Inter-ethnic understanding is a high priority for many groups, and National Service doesn’t really seem to be
By Nur Hanim Khairuddin Ahmad Azhari bin Mohd Nor atau lebih sinonim dengan panggilan Jeri telah berhijrah ke alam serba
By CH Loh Twenty years ago in a small basement room in a school in Singapore there was a piano,
By Hazri Haili One morning in July, giddy with expectations of travelling with a busload of tourists all geared up
By Philip Koh This double review first appeared in Sunday Star, Aug 1998. Damned To Fame: The Life of Samuel
By Yati Hj Kaprawi Melalui seni, U-Wei Haji Saari sentiasa meneroka alam pemikiran baru. Isu-isu dan sifat manusia yang kompleks
By Jo Kukathas The following was first presented at Utih… Celebrating Krishen, 28 Apr 2006, at Sek San’s Gallery. It
By Kakiseni So the Yang di Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, on the occasion of his 84th birthday, handed out
By Sharaad Kuttan It is near impossible to write about Lelaki Komunis Terakhir without dealing with the immediate politics of
By Zedeck Siew After watching Amir Muhammad’s Lelaki Komunis Terakhir l remembered I had a copy of In Search of
By Chuah Siew Eng Music as a tool of political consciousness doesn’t happen often enough — perhaps unsurprisingly for a
By Kathy Rowland Can I use the word “inscrutable” to describe an ethnic Chinese man without being accused of resorting to
By Lisa Ho Most people know that an opera “ain’t over till the fat lady sings”. Originating from a reference
By CH Loh The Wall: Breaking point Representing the concrete wall being built to fence off the West Bank from
By Ruhayat X “Apa erti semua tadi tu?” kata makcik yang telah mencegatkan dirinya bertentangan dengan aku tu. “Saya… tak
By Zalina Lee Theatre diva and award-winning set designer Edwin Sumun is the interior decorator for the recently opened Top
By CH Loh We learn something new everyday. I for example learnt that the new politically correct term for foreign
By J-Teoh Are double bills the fashion nowadays? Directed by up-and-coming 20-year old director Goh Fung Shuan, Noise Performance House’s
By Benjamin McKay There will be some among you who believe that talking about problems, about crises and about rights
By Benjamin McKay There will be some among you who believe that talking about problems, about crises and about rights
By Benjamin McKay These awards have in the past received criticism from some bitter and twisted quarters – allegations of
By J-Teoh Spending a Friday night out with two unmarried, middle-aged Englishmen who still live with their mothers is not
By Benjamin McKay The media here of late have been reporting and commenting upon a number of issues to do
By Kakiseni As we go crazy dealing with the DBKL, the VVIP, and the scariest of them all, the RSVPs,
By Remin Noir Apa sebenarnya berlaku pada petang panas terik hari sabtu 15 April yang lepas? Khabarnya terjadi satu peristiwa
By Hishamuddin Rais Saya menimbulkan perkara nilai dan moral ini kerana pada minggu ini saya terus membaca berita tentang agenda
By Sherry Siebel Maybe far too many evenings spent captive watching fusty, antediluvian and embarrassingly démodé British Airways Playhouse productions
By Lainie Yeoh ROJAK! ended with a shower of empty Marlboro boxes, several successfully aimed at my head — and
By Benjamin McKay “Sometimes I wonder if you guys realise how hard it is for the rest of us to
By Ruhayat X Masa sekolah rendah dulu aku ramai member Cina, sebab parents aku for whatever reason lebih suka bergaul
By Toni Kasim Gubra raises a whole pile of socio-religio issues — some may even consider it somewhat overburdened —
By Zhin Teng I am not a good window shopper. And I do not regard mall-ing as a very culturally
By J-Teoh The first question Janet Pillai asks me when she sees me is: “Have you finished your folio yet?”
By Ruhayat X The Homecoming, typical of Harold Pinter’s plays, starts out innocently enough, with a normal domestic scene between
By Antares M! The Opera, staged at Istana Budaya from Thu 23 Mar to Sun 2 Apr 2006, is arguably
By Kakiseni dance nominees BEST GROUP PERFORMANCE Prize of RM1,000 and Tumasek Pewter Trophy En-Body-Men, choreographed by Wei Jun, presented
By Benjamin McKay In a lovely article for the British press, Annie Proulx, the author of the short story that
By Jenny Daneels “Next time I say I want to do something like that , please bang me
By Gina Fairley Censorship is a contemporary issue. It is mitigated by a new set of protocols that we are
By Joseph Gonzales The 2nd National Chinese Cultural Dance Competition organised by the Chinese Language Society of Malacca and Multi-Media
By Fahmi Fadzil Royat hilang berita nak timbul Timbul nak royat Seorang Raja sebuah negeri Seorang Raja sebuah menteri… A
By Hishamuddin Rais It is easier to dominate someone if they are unaware of being dominated. Colonised and colonisers both
By Goenawan Mohamad Puffy face. Heavy eyebrows. Bushy moustache. Black turban inscribed with sacred words in Arabic calligraphy. More interesting
By Sharaad Kuttan I must admit that I am rather partial to academic conference even when held on home grounds
By Nuraini Juliastuti “Sebenarnya aku tidak yakin, yang kita butuhkan itu sebenarnya
By Shanon Shah Judging from the last two big budget Malaysian musicals I caught at Istana Budaya – Hang Li
By Gina Fairley On the 14th January, a crowd gathered at Sek San’s Lucky Garden, mustered by the alliterative mantra,
By Matt Armitage When we heard that Lewis Pragasam was lining up a couple of Asiabeat shows (Fri 27 –
By Ruhayat X Don’t say I never do anything for you, ducklings. Sebagai khidmat sosial dari aku, here’s a quick
By Zedeck Siew Stella Maris, a mission school in Pudu that shares its premises with a chapel under restoration, found
By Sherry Siebel Tiara Jacquelina has always wanted to play the immortal enchantress-princess of Mount Ophir, that most mystical creature
By Hishamuddin Rais Kehidupan dunia moden semakin mengasak kita. Mata kita akan terus dikelilingi oleh imej, gambar, ikon, logo atau
By Rebecca Duckett Penang playwright Mark Beau de Silva must have found his latest women characters from the Sunday market
By Andrew Hwang Very few things romance the egalitarian Malaysian public as seductively as free gifts from public-listed companies. When
By Jerome Kugan I have nothing against the Chinese. After all, I myself am half chink. But every now and
By Revathi Murugappan “My mother told me I was very good at art, singing and dancing so she wanted me
By Azmyl Yunor It was interesting to see if the Street Roar Independent Music Festival 2006 could be translated effectively
By Rafil Elyas About two weeks before the cops hunted down satanic elements at Paul’s Place, I accepted this assignment
By Hishamuddin Rais Tahun 2005 berakhir dengan nota yang kurang menyenangkan. Apa yang saya maksudkan ini bukan kerana kegagalan bursa
By Pang Khee Teik Rafil Elyas, 39, engineer, builder of mathematical models and rock musician, wasn’t playing at the ill-fated
By Zulkifli Mohamad Saya menjadi Lipas Kudung selama 5 hari kerana nak menonton Teater Melayu. Apa tidaknya, ada tiga festival
By Jerome Kugan Recently, I attended the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) as an invited writer. Objectivity is very much suspect
By Fahmi Fadzil The latest edition of our federal government’s proposed annual budget was disclosed 30 Sep 2005. This time
By Pang Khee Teik When we received the SMS that morning in April informing us that Krishen Jit was expected
By Beverly Yong As children we are told the names of things – naming is one of the earliest tools
By Zalina Lee I spent the first two years of my marriage as a professional mall rat. And I’m here
By Nur Hanim Khairuddin Meski menyorot sekelumit dari sejarah sosio-hiburan silam yang berkecamuk dan tercerai-cerai, Rock membawa kita kembali menjengah
By Jenny Daneels We thought that the Christmas season would be a good moment to review some children’s books made
By Revathi Murugappan We’ve heard it before (and will continue to hear it). Man fed up with world full of
By Lydia Chai Chapter 1: Ikat Batu at Gudang – a warehouse tucked away in suburban Damansara Jaya – was
By Meng Yew Choong This is another whodunit for the big stage. Though it was presented to Singaporeans for the
By Antares I don’t even like jazz, as a genre, but jazz virtuosos do generate a peculiar fascination. You have
By Dr Zakaria Ali [This paper was first presented at “Batik Paintings – Public Talk by Dr. Zakaria Ali” organised
By Chuah Siew Eng “If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.” The significance of history, succinctly
By James Lochhead Lying on the grass, staring up at the crescent moon, the sea breeze gently rustling, and then
By Christina Orow We’ve all heard about the unusual delicacy that is the Shakespeare speech. Breaking through the initial layer
By Yeah Jin Leng In the last 20 years, this country has seen the rise in the number of art
By Zedeck Siew I am sitting in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s main auditorium watching a band of Akademi Seni
By Carmen Nge Art for art’s sake died along Jalan Raja Laut the first Friday of Ramadhan this year. It
By Kakiseni Two years ago, French human resource consultant Cyril Rayer took a sabbatical – to “leave the analytical approach
By Ray Langenbach (Ir)reversible Déjà vu I used to spend weekend mornings in Singapore with a friend, Lee Weng Choy,
By Jit Murad & Afdlin Shauki Jit Murad: There’s a knife in my back Here’s another important Message to the
By Azmyl Yunor Penang-born Goh Lee Kwang deserves his due credit in the “Malaysia Boleh” rhetoric; he has toured Europe
By Shanon Shah Music and sports. You gotta love the possible permutations of controversy that emerge when the two meet.
By Cheryl Tan “A Chinese Make Love Story.” What does that mean, exactly? The programme synopsis says the play “explores
By Faridah Merican & Joe Hasham What can be written about Kak Endon that hasn’t already been read, digested and
By Jeremy Mahadevan German playwright Falk Richter’s Electronic City is meant to be chaotic or, as the programme would have
By Erick Chiew Bravery in Broga I stay in Puchong. Some time back, I was asked to sign a petition
By Zulkifli Mohamad Nama Mawi kian menjadi satu nama yang tidak asing lagi di dalam arena seni suara tanahair. Wajahnya
By Lisa Ho Franz Liszt was classical piano’s first idol. He took the European musical world by storm in the
By Ruhayat X Di taman permainan kau boleh kutip lebih banyak honesty daripada di mimbar dan pulpit. Selalunya orang paling
By Cheryl Tan On first impression, Pygmalion the musical seems larger than life. Just look at it, for goodness sake.
By John McCarry It was a lovely evening (17 Sep 2005) in Kuala Lumpur – a bit steamy, but it
By Leah Ray Belly Tribe – don’t you love the name? – was staged at Velvet Underground, Zouk, one sweaty
By Maya Tan Abdullah What makes a Malaysian musical Malaysian? It’s written by a Malaysian even though it could be
By Revathi Murugappan Ever play a round of table tennis with your eyes? Yeah, that’s right, with your eyes. Audiences
By Lee Jia Ping At the “Party With 12 Local Theatre Directors” which closed the PingStage Theatre Carnival (3 Sep
By Zedeck Siew Zedeck Siew the Kakiseni Scatterbot trawls the internet to find interesting art and culture beyond our shores,
By Benjamin McKay The head of jury for the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival, Datuk Johan Jaaffar of Malaysia, in
By Fahmi Fadzil The first time I met arwah Pak Dollah Baju Merah was in February this year. It was
By Isham Rais Menonton filem ini seperti membaca buku. Kita perlu mengetahui nahu dan hukum-hukum filem untuk menikmati bentuk seni
By Shankar Kandasamy Swami Shanthanand Saraswathi came to Malaysia in 1970, and like all visiting Hindu monks, gave a series
By Dr. Zakaria Ali Artifacts are old things, often kept in the museums, cataloged, analyzed, debated, regularly served to illustrate
By Zulkifli Mohamad Muzium Islam mempunyai persepsi yang agak baik di kalangan pencinta seni tanahair. Kehadirannya di suatu tempat yang
By Cyril Wong On a stage with only four scaffolding structures and two foldable screens, four actors come on to
By Benjamin McKay The Fifth Asian Film Symposium and Inaugural Forum on Asian Cinema took place at Singapore’s Substation from
By Lee Jia Ping Until last weekend, classical Indian Dance was boring to my uneducated eyes and the music, too
By Lisa Ho The new season of concerts by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) opened with a gala performance –
By Kakiseni Paparazzi Despite the intense stage presence that he has, I must admit, it is a relief to watch
By Sharon Chin & Lydia Chai There is no denying the esprit de corps that arose during the five-day-long notthatbalai
By Goenawan Mohamad “…a girdle of emeralds on the equator” – Multatuli (1820-1887) A metaphor may beguile, even as it
By Jerome Kugan Written in 1952, at a time when Europe was intellectually paralysed by World War Two, Les Chaises
By Zedeck Siew Zedeck Siew the Kakiseni Scatterbot trawls the internet to find interesting art and culture beyond our shores,
By Gabrielle Low The first part in a series documenting young Malaysian artists and their work. Gan Siong King was
By Lisa Ho Statistics prove that there are more pianos in Malaysian households than there are OSIM massage-chairs. More people
By Jeremy Mahadevan If you go to the Kakiseni.com event listing for Romi and Joolee dan lain-lain and read the
By Caroline Marshall “Is it a hen?? Or is it a rooster??” What would YOU do if you find a
By Sonia Randhawa Borrowing is an important part of the creative process. Shakespeare’s genius was often shown in his interpretations
By Gina Fairley Arahmaiani is a master at creating herself. She is a performance artist and her work is intended
By Pia Zain & Simon Hegarty Pia: Athol Fugard is one of the great playwrights of our time. He has
By Chuah Siew Eng Gol & Gincu is like an extended 3R episode. The girl-power slant is to be expected,
By Pia Zain & Simon Hegarty It was an experience and an education for us (Simon and Pia) who don’t
By Lim How Ngean Adaptation mania has hit Chinese-language theatre recently. Starting with the concurrent showings of Lee Swee Keong’s
By Chris Fui Dive bars, Alley Girls, brothels, and the soldiers that frequent them. China has had its dragon’s share
By Zedeck Siew “Ai, careful,” Mdm Surianty Liu says as I topple over. It is 11 on Sunday morning. She
By Zulkifli Mohamad Sewaktu melangkah masuk ke Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, lampu panggung masih terang dan kita seperti dilindungi lelangit kayu
By Chan Siew Lian There is a certain coolness in being a female guitarist. It doesn’t matter if you’re any
By Sonia Randhawa The first day of the Rainforest World Music Festival began with three choices for me. Attending the
By Lisa Ho Listening to Gustav Mahler’s 6th symphony (a.k.a. “Tragic”) performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton
By Gina Fairley When setting out to review the inaugural Kuala Lumpur International Photography Biennale (KLip, 4 June – 9
By Kakiseni Paparazzi Talk about efficiency. For the entire first half of the 18th Malaysian Film Festival 2005 (FFM18) awards
By Antares Titiwangsa is a nice lyrical sort of name. The Titiwangsa Range itself conjures a sense of adventure and
By Kakiseni Rey Buono chides me: “If you had told me you were going to do an interview about my
By Shanon Shah Everyone knows this folklore, so there is no ending to be given away. On the day of
By Lydia Chai It was a very wet afternoon. Not the ideal time for a visit to the National Art
By KS Maniam All I had wanted to do after my retirement was sit in the patio – I had,
By Kam Raslan As the elderly leader of the now defunct Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) points out in his
By Benjamin McKay Getting Lost You may recall that two weeks ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Professor Madya
By Gina Fairley The idea of exchange is an interesting one in today’s world where technology, the internet, cheap air
By Rogayah Shahariman Not being a dancer or choreographer herself, Rogayah Shahariman doesn’t want to be known as a “dance
By Bernice Chauly It is with profound sadness that I write this. I received a phone call last Friday morning
By Lor Yew Mien Demonstration at Putrajaya Sometime in October last year Noon. Putrajaya Position: Volunteer for KOMAS Job Task:
By Dr Mohd Anis Md Nor Passionately academic and handy with anecdotes about every dance practitioner in this country, Dr.
By Lisa Ho Decked with flowers and fruits in their hair to personify temperate seasons, the nymphs standing outside The
By Adlin Rosli Azmyl Yunor – Tenets (Rapid Ear) Is there some strange community run by Neil Young, Johnny Cash
By Aris A Ya’acob A grey cold April evening had descended on Exeter, England, along with the news of Krishen
By Dr. Zakaria Ali The newly established Alpha Utara Gallery, 83 China Street, Penang has just opened its Inaugural Exhibition,
By Lisa Ho There used to be a time when any intelligent discussion on choral singing would result in covert
By Benjamin McKay Subtitles not required A friend here in KL recently suggested to me that my view of Malaysia
By Isham Rais Tidak berapa lama dahulu saya telah diundang oleh geng Kakiseni untuk merewang ke Kampung Pinang di Taman
By Kakiseni Saidah Rastam is not one of Malaysia’s best kept secrets. Her cutting-edge music has a reputation beyond our
By Kakiseni Paparazzi This is what KLPac looks like as you approach it: An angular contemporary structure with two 103-year-old
By Lim How Ngean One might expect celebration galore to usher in the very first audience members to the Kuala
By Farish A. Noor ‘Power’ is not, and should not, be understood in a purely abstract sense. For ‘Power’ to
By Lee Jia Ping My mom and I were watching We Are Family, the third and most recent instalment of
By Al-Mustaqeem Sir Ridley Scott! Dan kita membayangkan sebuah filem epik yang cemerlang seninya, dengan gerak kamera yang memukau; semburat
By Toni Kasim Talk about a cruel coincidence. While the cast of Tartuffe was preparing for opening night at The
By Kakiseni THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL, KUALA LUMPUR MOST PROMISING ARTIST AWARD Prize of RM1,000, sponsored by Mandarin Oriental, and Tumasek
By Lisa Ho A famous English conductor once said to a lady cellist: “Madam, you have, between your legs, an
By Pang Khee Teik Controversy No.1: How could you hold the awards on the night of Cleo’s Bachelor Bash? The
By Selvi Gopal During intermission, as people walk out for a toilet break or a hit of coffee, it is
By Vanessa Surian The title didn’t inspire much confidence. A flaccid attempt at humour which I imagined would be replicated
By Sharon Bakar Life Sdn Bhd 3 began with each member of the cast of thirteen bounding forward to introduce
By Kathy Rowland I came late to Krishen Jit. Having grown up with Talking Drama with Utih, his review column
By Kakiseni Congratulations to the following! music BEST GROUP PERFORMANCE – INSTRUMENTAL Prize of RM1,000 sponsored by Genting City of
By Tan Sei Hon Someone asked me how the latest works by Noor Azizan Rahman Paiman @ Paiman and Roslisham
By Pete Teo James Lee is working on my music video. So I might not be the best person to
By Chuah Siew Eng At the first instalment of Shorts for 2005 (it is presented at Help Institute three times
By Zedeck Siew On July 12, 2004, a conspicuous but largely unnoticed full-page advertisement ran in the New Straits Times.
By Jeremy Mahadevan When wandering through the labyrinthine extents of ancient monuments, wonders of the world and so on, one
By Shanon Shah + Jerome Kugan This article is a continuation of a series of emails exchanged between singer-songwriters Shanon
By Antares On opening night of Monkey Business, director Krishen Jit wasn’t sitting like a stone deity in the foyer
By Sharon Chin Shopping malls are the truly remarkable spaces of this nation. In one multi-storey complex you can get
By Shanon Shah + Jerome Kugan We invited Shanon Shah, winner of the Kakiseni Most Promising Young Artist Award 2003,
By Chan Siew Lian Fingers, minus the Soul Avanti Friday Nite Jazz featuring Soul Fingerz, 11 Feb 2005, at Avanti
By Nizam Zakaria I try to stop myself from giggling when I see, for the first time in my life,
By Amirul Fakir Di sebalik tembok pejal dan kaku yang menyimpan jutaan memori kelam dan duka warganya, kemunculan tokoh yang
By Remin Noir Dewa – Laskar Cinta Aquarius Musikindo Album studio terbaru Dewa, kumpulan rock termashyur dari Indonesia, benar-benar adalah
By Anne James At the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards 2003 last year, sitting next to Ghafir Akbar, a fellow nominee
By The Special Bunch This monthly column brings you news of arts happenings around the world. We called it ‘Cool
By Kakiseni Paparazzi Congratulations to the following nominees! music nominees BEST GROUP PERFORMANCE- INSTRUMENTAL Prize
By Chacko Vadaketh The temples of Orissa have come to Istana Budaya. On a huge gauze screen that stretches the
By Alfian Sa’at Sepet: to possess single eyelids, or used pejoratively, slit-eyed. The condition of being slit-eyed sometimes goes beyond
By Phang Kuan Hoang A couple of cute infant Chinese Lions were brought inside the concert hall at the end
By Amir Muhammad Tahun 2005, tibalah masanya untuk episod ketiga daripada rentetan layar lebar Gerak Khas, yang dimulakan pada tahun
By Jit Murad In the current spirit of fulsome, if not full, disclosure I should admit to a couple of
By Jit Murad First of all I’ll assume that the reader isn’t a seni kaki and wouldn’t mind a refresher
By Chacko Vadaketh “My daughter will only wear local Malaysian clothes, calls me ‘Bapa’ and wants to move here!” With
By The Special Bunch This is a monthly column bringing you news of arts happenings around the world. Hardcore Soft
By Fahmi Fadzil “Selamat datang tuan-tuan dan puan-puan! Selamat datang ke Pertandingan Permainan Tradisional, anjuran Kementerian Kesenian, Kebudayaan dan Warisan!”
By Pete Teo I played at the Esplanade (Jan 14 – 16, 2005). For those who are clueless, the Esplanade
By Khoo Gaik Cheng Ho Yuhang’s Sanctuary, which had garnered a Special Mention at last year’s Pusan International Film Festival,
By Sharaad Kuttan Nicely shot, simply told, Chemman Chaalai, is a must see for all those interested in the many
By Amir Muhammad Filem Independen lstilah ‘Filem independen’ diwujudkan di Amerika pada tahun 1980an untuk merujuk kepada filem yang tidak
By Mislina Mustaffa Hannah & Hanna. Kedua-duanya remaja 16 tahun. Usia yang ingin keluar dari kepompong rutin keluarga. Usia di
By Remin Noir Suasana pada petang 8 januari yang lalu di depan kelab Hard Rock Cafe terasa berbeza dari petang
By Pang Khee Teik Film: 157 (last year: 196) Why do spineless cowards and sycophants keep saying that giving freedom
By Pang Khee Teik Theatre: 138 productions (Last year: 148) In 2004, theatre began with three-and-a-half hours in hell, in
By Lucy Friedland Last month I was hanging out at Kafe Lidiana, one of my favorite nasi melayu stalls in
By Goenawan Mohamad At the calendar’s last page lies our primary question: is hope ever possible? Each December we surmise
By Jo Kukathas & Haresh Sharma Half a year ago, I brunched with director Jo Kukathas and Singaporean playwright Haresh
By Khoo Gaik Cheng Foreword by Editor: Gosh, how does one explain Performance Studies? It sounds harmless enough, doesn’t it?
By Chan Siew Lian David Gomes & Junji Delfino – It’s Christmas Time Again Every December, a condition known as
By Yasmin Ahmad We the rakyat, as represented by the Censorship Board, are being spared of Yasmin Ahmad’s new film
By Pia Zain & Simon Hegarty Bizet’s music is transcendent. Once you have seen and heard Carmen, you can never
By Zedeck Siew Last weekend my chamber choir performed an enactment of The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a
By Pang Khee Teik Again, many are shaking their heads at the dismal state of theatre this year. Nevermind the
By Phang Kuan Hoong It was early 2003; the world news was taking an uneasy shift as President Dubya and
By Elaine Tan My co-reviewer, a sandy haired postulant, has been to a dozen or more live performances but only
By Mislina Mustaffa Sinopsis persembahan ini memang epik. Inilah cubaan saya untuk meringkasnya: Ptuih! (nama protagonis) yang rebel bertengkar dengan
By Dr Valerie Ross Congratulations Chong Kee Yong – here’s to even greater compositional heights and more Starry Nights! One
By Toni Kasim In Dramalab’s restaging of Huzir Sulaiman’s The Smell of Language and Notes on Life and Love and
By Zedeck Siew The cello’s left rib edge can scar one’s inner left thigh, as I found out while playing
By Carmen Nge If Wong Hoy Cheong’s exhibition at the National Art Gallery had kept to its original opening date
By Pang Khee Teik The World is a Comedy for Those who Think… Instant Café Theatre Road Show Presented by
By Pete Teo Some midget in dark-rimmed glasses trotted up to me one day. “Hey Pete,” she growled. “You’re so
By Lucy Friedland The program for the first Ubud Writers and Readers Festival from October 11-17 seemed overly ambitious. The
By Jerome Kugan Dear Mumsy, You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve seen here in the big city. KL-ites
By Pia Zain My late father was a strong supporter of the arts, and my family heritage has always included
By Alfian Sa’at In the 80’s and early 90’s, both Malay as well as English programmes were screened on what
By Lim How Ngean The week-long national Malay Language theatre festival that filled the auditorium at Malaysian Tourism Centre last
By Hasmi Hashim Katakanlah, pameran Bakat Muda Sezaman, macam nyanyian merdu dewi laut itu. Kerana tidak mahu tergoda, demi cinta
By Kam Raslan Questionnaires were handed out at the door. Then the lights went down, a broken air-con rattled like
By MR Al-Mustaqeem Dan berkatalah salah seorang (intelektual?) negara kita, bahawa siapa sahaja yang mempertikaikan Dasar Kebudayaan Kebangsaan (DKK) 1971,
By Pang Khee Teik When asked his age, Petaling Jaya boy Richard Chang, now a business news editor at New
By Zedeck Siew On the 17th of September I was at Budaba for the Malaysian Video Awards. Having finally found
By Jerome Kugan As many local arts practitioners know extremely well, funding for the arts is a big problem. It’s
By Yelena Gluzman Galeri Petronas Many people I have spoken to say that the Malaysian art scene is in some
By Amirul Fakir Ketika diundang dengan penuh takzim bagi menyempurnakan pelancaran kumpulan puisi dwi bahasa Raja Ahmad Aminullah berjudul Menyarung
By Prof Dr Mohd Anis Md Nor Joseph Gonzales’s Choreography: A Malaysian Perspective is the first local publication on Choreographic
By Vanessa Surian I am tempted to meander on in a pretentious manner about things we already know about the
By Shanon Shah Given the level of what passes for popular discussion on literature in this country, I am all
By Pang Khee Teik Toh Hai Leong, a Singaporean film critic, is highly annoying, and not just because he is
By Kelvin K. Wong Having been disappointed by two out of three plays from The Actors Studio’s Malaysian Playwright Series,
By Fiona Lee It was with mixed feelings of pride and nostalgia that I attended three Malaysian film screenings at
By Khalid Jaafar Sebelum diterbitkan di Beijing, penerbit Mo Yan, penulis novel Red Sorghum yang difilemkan dengan arahan Zhang Yimou
By Alfian Sa’at Heard of the pink dollar? It’s the latest trans-national currency. It’s not actually pink in colour, and
By Woo Ming Jin After months of hype and anticipation that reached the levels of a Paris Hilton video, I
By Kathy Rowland “Bukan budaya kita.” It’s a phrase that crops up in the oddest of places. A municipal newsletter
By Zedeck Siew I find Childhood Reminiscence a generally enjoyable pastime, being someone who was sniggering about sex not too
By Hasmi Hashim Katakanlah, kita akan membubuhkan nama untuk lapangan seni lukis nasional hari ini, sudah tentu ia bukan medan
By Goenawan Mohamad Goenawan Mohamad’s opening speech at the World Poetry Festival, Kuala Lumpur, 17 August 2004 **** I would
By MR Al-Mustaqeem Bukan untuk siapa saja, rasa meluat dan menyampah tengok Akademi Fantasia. Banyak hal yang menjengkel dan meloyakan
By Ghafir Akbar Sometimes I feel that my life is a missing episode on Drama Minggu Ini. The episode where
By Toni Kasim In case you were wondering … demi Zaitun… is neither about olives nor a woman called Zaitun.
By Jerome Kugan Five Arts’ humble beginning in 1984 was a dismal time. According to co-founder and veteran theatre director
By Zedeck Siew “Lorna Tee is handling my fee,” I told the good people at Silverfish Books. Lorna was one
By Goenawan Mohamad “Upon the earth, beneath the sky, among mortals, before the divinities…” She tells herself she is in
By Jerome Kugan It was meant to be a holiday. When local theatre/film producer Lorna Tee, Options journalist Danny Lim
By Pang Khee Teik Primal Jam Everybody was rushing to the Iban longhouse. It’s not the real thing, but a
By Sonia Randhawa Fed up with pesky reviewers? Think critics have just too much power? For that shiny positive feel
By Amirul Fakir Ketika dihubungi oleh Eddin Khoo, seorang penulis dan pengkaji budaya, tentang hasratnya untuk melakukan ziarah seni ke
By Chan Siew Lian If only for one night, life’s problems could disappear: creaky knees, credit card bills, demented, PMS-ing
By Kathy Rowland Of late Kuala Lumpur, bearing the battle scars of an economic downturn, and the promise of a
By Meilu Ho “School does not let us scream, run whenever we like,” says agitated sixth-former Johann Dzulkifil. “We have
By Lee Jia Ping Riding high on the commercial success of their last production Siddharta, the producers of Above Full
By Pete Teo & Rafil Elyas Jairus Anthony. 17 November 1963 – 12 July 2004 Jairus Anthony, beloved pub singer,
By Aaron Raj I was pleasantly surprised with the choice of repertoire for the MPO’s concert on Friday June 25.
By Tan Sei Hon “Man is categorically not the crown of all creation: every creature stands at his side, at
By Shanon Shah There’s a lot to love about OPs OPHELIA: A FaShioN opeRa. First of all, it is a
By Pang Khee Teik Like prisoners of war, starved, feverish, I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness, beholding
By Jenny Daneels He was fed Mozart as a child. At 46 now, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh makes no hesitation
By Kam Raslan “My dynamite will sooner lead to peace than a thousand world conventions. As soon as men will
By Khalid Jaafar Nah, akhirnya kita menyaksikan Troy dengan Brad Pitt sebagai Achilles. Puas hati? Saya mendengar ada yang mengatakan
By Zedeck Siew My time at National Service began on 24th March and ended 4th of June. I was part
By Elaine Tan First you repress all such bohemian desires. Then you get into show business and establish yourself as
By Lorien Holland Diminutive Anne James is a heavyweight in the Kuala Lumpur arts scene. The 49-year-old has been acting
By Adeline Ooi Take a journey into the primeval Malay heartland of myths, supernatural beliefs and superstitions with artist Jalaini
By Dr Alvin Ng “They are just jealous because we are special” – Emily Spikerman The term “otak tak centre”
By Kathy Rowland If you were in search of some rest and relaxation in 1930s Malaya, chances are you would
By Antares Uncle Ant’s Agony and Ecstacy is a monthly column. Uncle Ant, or Agony Ant if you prefer, will
By Antares Two years ago an email was circulated on the APA list and around the arts community requesting inputs
By Adeline Ooi Walking into the side entrance of the new Westin Hotel down at Jalan Bukit Bintang, you will
By Toni Kasim For over a decade, Pusat KOMAS (Komuniti Masyarakat), a non-governmental organisation producing social documentaries, has been training
By Sunetra Fernando Petronas Performing Arts Group’s latest offering, Satu Rentak, was performed on April 28 and 29, 2004, at
By Zan Azlee U-Wei has always made daring films that force spoon-fed Malaysian audience to think. Which is always a
By Sonia Randhawa Pete Teo’s Songwriters Round has entered a new phase, coming back from the despair of no-No Black
By Shanon Shah To turn a historical figure or moment into a musical, one needs a cult of personality, a
By Yap Sui Lin It is raining torrentially. We – my eagerly-awaiting-Irish-dancing-of-any-kind aunt, my game-for-everything mom and I – are
By Kam Raslan It could be said that Sir Frank Swettenham invented Kuala Lumpur. It was he who turned the
By Pang Khee Teik Last week, I put up a poll asking people to vote for the Malaysian woman whose
By Kathy Rowland With The Passion of the Christ raking in millions, religion is clearly in again, and there are
By Elaine Tan In between writing articles for Astro Magazine and posing with the Dutch Lady fibreglass Friesian cows at
By Tan Sei Hon “This should be listed in the Malaysian book of records!” exclaimed the headwaiter of a fancy
By Nizam Zakaria Jeritan hati seorang wanita yang mencari kebahagiaan dalam segala kesulitan hidup boleh diperhatikan dalam Monolog Seorang Perempuan,
By Pang Khee Teik On a makeshift tent by the Singapore River, Stella Kon took her place behind the microphone.
By Sonia Randhawa My heart sank when I walked into Paul’s Place and I heard the not-too-delicate strains of the
By Elaine Tan The elections are over: BN is still the ruling party, the oppositions are still yelping, Anwar is
By Antares Uncle Ant’s Agony and Ecstacy is a monthly column. Uncle Ant, or Agony Ant as we like to
By Pang Khee Teik I was wondering where our Malaysian volunteers were. There were supposed to be 50 of them.
By Kathy Rowland There aren’t many creative works which explore the riot that broke out on May 13, 1969 in
By Nizam Zakaria Seorang sutradara yang saya kenali, Yasmin Ahmad (alah, Yasmin yang buat iklan Petronas dan filem Rabun yang
By Fahmi Fadzil The Taman Medan community arts project by Five Arts Centre recently won the IMG Most Outstanding Educational
By Artisproactiv On page 42 of the Tuesday March 16, 2004, edition of The Star, you will find a small
By Antares With another general election around the corner, it was inevitable that the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism
By Zedeck Siew The following is a listless meander through the awards in search of meaning. You already know how
By Saidah Rastam It’s tough being a composer of orchestral works. You only acquire skill by hearing how your music
By Sonia Randhawa While the role of tragedy could be seen as investing the sublime with a human face, the
By Saidah Rastam This is a fairy tale. This is, for me, the ultimate success story. Chong Kee-Yong, 33, grew
By Saidah Rastam ‘Serious’ Malaysian orchestral music composition has been limited. Until now. Maybe there has been an increase in
By Cassandra Chong Cassandra Chong is a very enthusiastic student at the International College of Music (ICOM). Last week she
By Rey Buono Rey Buono has taught theatre for over 30 years in USA and Singapore, and presently in Malaysia.
By Antares Uncle Ant’s Agony and Ecstasy is a monthly column. Uncle Ant will answer questions about anything to do
By Jerome Kugan You know what? I’m sick of reviewing. So, instead of a review, I’ve decided to write eight
By Shanon Shah There was a moment during Rhythm in Bronze: Wujud Antara that struck lightning through history. It was
By Pang Khee Teik Marriage of Inconvenience: Playing Doctor It is always amusing when a country decides that its special
By Amir Muhammad We’ve all heard the joke about the Polish starlet who went to Hollywood and tried to get
By Toni Kasim If you haven’t kept up with the brouhaha over Five Arts Centre’s permit to stage Election Day,
By Antares What happens when you pick 12 actors with varying degrees of experience and skill, put them on stage,
By Uthaya Sankar SB “Iruvar akan mengajak kita berfikir.” Kata-kata itu sudah cukup untuk membuatkan saya berminat menonton drama pentas (teater?)
By Fahmi Fadzil Note: According to Five Arts Centre producer Marion D’Cruz, Election Day has been given a “verbal approval”
By Sonia Randhawa Where to begin with Urbanscapes? Even before reaching the venue, a vibe could be felt from within
By Nizam Zakaria Malaysia Theatre Awards: Waterworks Tatkala saya pergi untuk mendapatkan tiket untuk menonton pementasan Dejavu, saya dapati tiket
By Pang Khee Teik Malaysia Theatre Awards: Waterworks If you think the Chinese-language theatre in Malaysia is a tad melodramatic,
By Tan Sei Hon In 1997, a few Malaysian artists took over a spacious single-storey house in Setapak and turned
By Sonia Randhawa Paul’s Place is a dive. As you go in, a multi-coloured sign announces the place. It sits
By Shanon Shah The first time I played at No Black Tie, it was during open mike at Songwriters Round
By Zedeck Siew The restaging of Bidin Subari’s Anak Kerbau Mati Emak is quite aesthetically pleasing. Even unlit, the kampong
By B.C. Ng It was a Monday afternoon that I received a call from Kakiseni, notifying me that I was
By Nizam Zakaria Bisik merupakan sebuah antologi drama Melayu Singapura oleh tiga penulis mudanya yang berbakat: Aidli ‘Alin’ Mosbit, Alfian
By Charlene Rajendran In its sixth year of festive celebration, last year’s programme at The Park’s The Other Festival in
By Anne James I consider the Second MyDance Festival as one of the highlights for dance in the year 2003.
By Antares In recent years, young filmmakers like Osman Ali, James Lee, Amir Muhammad, and a host of graduates from
By Mark Augustine A familiar story in the genre of gay fiction: wholesome, studious, clean-cut good-boy (sigh, gush, swoon) meets
By Pang Khee Teik After the Cameronian Arts Awards, I thought there might be an outpouring of original scripts. But
By Elaine Tan Let’s face it, how many of us really know opera? If you’re honest, not that many, but
By Fahmi Fadzil I once read somewhere that a writer, over the course of his lifetime, is really writing just
By Jerome Kugan The late jazz trumpeter Miles Davis said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Indeed,
By Alfian Sa’at It would be parochial to insist that Singaporean theatre companies only produce plays by indigenous playwrights, but
By Nizam Zakaria The riskiest gimmick in the Malay theater scene for 2003? There’s really no contest. Especially when the
By Zedeck Siew Like half of KL, I have the flu. At seven o’clock on Projek Suitcase 2003’s opening night,
By Nizam Zakaria Minggu lepas adalah minggu yang agak sibuk dengan adanya persembahan empat buah monolog di Stor Teater, Dewan
By Elaine Tan Puccini’s epic opera about the beautiful but cold-hearted Chinese princess Turandot who plays violent head games (literally)
By Elaine Tan After the setback of losing many precious scores and instruments in the flooding of the Dataran Merdeka,
By Antares As a cross-cultural project for “ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year 2003” it was decided that a young Singaporean playwright-director named
By Jeannie Cotter It is the sea which unites different continents of the world. Inside, that sea, lived a mermaid.
By Antares Call me an old stick-in-the-mud, but I’m one of those diehard conservatives who generally hopes to gain some
By Antares “In the world of Animal Farm, most speechifying and public palaver is bullshit and instigated lying, and though
By Cheryl Lim With less than two weeks to go before the arrival of the acclaimed Riverdance show in Kuala
By Nizam Zakaria Saya merasa agak beruntung kerana telah dijemput untuk menyaksikan pratonton “Projek Suitcase”, anjuran Pustaka Cipta yang mempersembahkan
By Cheryl Lim After having scared his audience with the sheer magnitude of the competition between shows and the logistical
By Antares Fancy Poultry is what they call themselves – four very yummy chicks and a couple of not-too-macho guys
By Pang Khee Teik Singaporean director Ong Keng Sen is often accused of being wanky. As the founder of Theatreworks,
By Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad Cerita dari Blora mungkin tak sehebat atau sepopular siri Bumi Manusia atau otobiografinya, Nyanyian Seorang
By Antares John Bell is arguably one of the world’s most accomplished Shakespearean actors without a knighthood – a likely
By Cheryl Lim Last week, Part 1 of the notes on the workshop conducted by Toby Gough and John Lee
By Cheryl Lim A group of local arts practitioners gathered at the Actors Studio Bangsar on October 9, 2003 for
By Adam Tuan Mukriz Stor Teater DBP malam itu agak padat dengan personaliti-personaliti tanahair yang mungkin tidak mahu melepaskan peluang
By Matt Daniels Every once in a while an artist comes in from the fringes to shake things up and
By Pang Khee Teik Four sunny Saturdays ago, I was invited to an open house at the Universiti Putra Malaysia’s
By Kakiseni You may have seen them in interior design shops around Kuala Lumpur. Slick, unusual, primitive and very contemporary
By Tan Sei Hon Last September, twenty five arts students met in the woods of Taman Alam in Kuala Selangor
By Lizzie Yeoh Recently in Galeri Petronas, an exhibition of selected photographs of Malaysia was curated by renowned Malaysian photographer,
By Kathy Rowland John Bell AM OBE, Artistic Director of The Bell Shakespeare Company took some time off his busy
By Adam Tuan Mukriz Adakah anda berpuas hati dengan sambutan orang awam terhadap MyDance Festival 2003? Jika berbicara dari segi
By Nizam Zakaria Terlebih dahulu, sebelum meneruskan ulasan drama tari Siddhartha ini, saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih yang tidak terhingga
By Nizam Zakaria I’d got myself free tickets to Linkin Park’s concert and had the choice between that or attending
By Jit Murad Dear Kakisenians, It has made me want to simply give up. After all these years of working
By MR Al-Mustaqeem Ex-Siasah Editor, MR Al-Mustaqeem joins Kakiseni’s stable of roving writers with an article which has the scoop
By Nizam Zakaria Kali terakhir saya menonton sebuah persembahan teater dwi-bahasa di The Actors Studio, Bangsar adalah persembahan teater Causeway
By Pang Khee Teik Dina Zaman, writer for Marie Claire and former script editor and veteran of the rough and
By Antares “Pappa TARAHUMARA productions try to liberate themselves from ‘meaning,’ leaving members of the audience free to control their
By Antares How much does a minister get paid? RM9,000 a month? RM15,000? Okay, let’s say RM12,000. How much in
By Faisal Tehrani Senarai panjang Dato Jins Shamsudin di dalam buku cenderamata tidak dapat menolong pementasan Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! (selepas
by Antares “Once upon a time, Kingdom Earth was a beautiful and joyful place with a noble emperor on the throne. Until Evil descended…” So begins
by Antares Chaotic Harmony Theatre is certainly not short on energy and enthusiasm, going by the number of productions this
By Faisal Tehrani Sasterawan negara Arena Wati kurang dikenali berbanding Usman Awang, A. Samad Said dan Shahnon Ahmad. Kurang sangat
By Pang Khee Teik The Restroom Association of Singapore organised the inaugural World Toilet Summit last year. One of their
By Jess C. You can always expect an element of innovation and surprise from Dama Orchestra. Whether it is ethnic
By Amir Muhammad In the discussion after the screening of his film “The Poet and the Con” at the Actors
By Pang Khee Teik After reading Antares’ gushy review of Chaotic Harmony’s production of Blithe Spirit late last year, I
By Cheryl Lim The Dewan Filharmonik Petronas’ (DFP) 01/02 Concert Season ended on a colourful note in late July with a
By Nur Hanim Khairuddin Lagi kisah Akal di Ulu. Kali ini mengenai sebuah acara seni yang punya potensi besar untuk
By Pang Khee Teik Mahsuri dies. No surprises there. What led to her death, however, remains a debate. The origin
By Faisal Tehrani Maafkan saya, kali ini saya tidak akan menulis kritikan teater, pratonton atau membincangkan isu seni dan budaya
By Antares Good home cooking imparts a marvellous sense of well-being. Who was it who defined patriotism as a fond
By Dhojee Dinihari, pukul dua pagi, kami menikmati teh tarik di Lotus Restaurant, Petaling Jaya. Entah macam mana saya dan
by Cheryl Lim Man of many hats – actor, writer, stand-up comedian – Jit Murad returns to playwright mode with
by Antares Gavin Yap may well be the best thing that’s happened to Malaysian theatre since The Actors Studio set
By Antares I caught the 177th performance of Mahesh Dattani’s highly acclaimed living room drama, Dance Like A Man, at
By Cheryl Lim Last seen as the demure Cecily Cardew in The Actors Studio’s all-male production of Oscar Wilde’s The
By Antares The cavernous dance club, Atmosphere at 12SI, was SRO for ICT’s latest outing 23-24 July. It would appear
By Antares Some things you never forget. Like learning to French-kiss and finding yourself on Cloud Nine with a sore
By Faisal Tehrani Merdeka dan UMNO… begitulah dua tema teater Melayu kebelakangan ini. Anugerah telah dipentaskan sekali lagi pertengahan Julai
By Antares Three days have elapsed since RWMF 2002 ended at the Sarawak Cultural Village, under the benign gaze of
By Dhojee Ada suatu macam propaganda jahat yang sedang disebarkan tentang angkatan pejuang bahasa dan pendidikan seluruh negara. la semakin
By Jess C. There are few musicians in Malaysia who are professionally trained in Chinese instruments and Don Tew Tiong
By Prof. Madya Dr. Siti Zainon Ismail Meng’Ukir’ Budi Melayu by Prof. Madya Dr. Siti Zainon Ismail Kertas kerja yang disediakan
By Prof. Madya Dr. Siti Zainon Ismail “Tiap-tiap sesuatu akan binasa melainkan ZatNya. BagiNyalah kuasa memutuskan segala hukum. KepadaNyalah kamu
By Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin Profesor Madya Dr. Siti Zainon Ismail: satu nama yang tidak asing lagi di dalam dunia
By Faisal Tehrani Di Lembah Kelang, barisan pelajar yang cemerlang mementaskan pementasan saban bulan saban tahun tentulah pelajar-pelajar dari Akademi
By Antares Fay Theatre is a new generation of Malaysian-born Chinese, educated in Taiwan, and exposed to European cultural influences.
By Kathy Rowland Kathy Rowland takes a look at language and the arts A year after Independence from the British,
By Jenny Daneels / Zoe Au A new Chinese company was created this year – Fay Theatre. It is presenting a
By Antares “Ars longa, vita brevis,” some say (art lasts, life is brief) and having said so, summarily disappear up
By Cheryl Lim Thomas Wesley Douglas and his troupe of five silky-voiced performers really got the joint jumpin’ last Thursday night,
By Faisal Tehrani Tulisan ini tidak bertujuan untuk mengkritik membabi buta melainkan untuk membincangkan lebih lanjut isu perlaksanaan bahasa lnggeris di
By Pang Khee Teik Huzir Sulaiman can wither lesser intellects with a mere glance. Though he seems to be smiling a
By Jenny Daneels Two years ago, something happened in Malaysian theatre: students from the Taylor’s College, presented to full houses a
By Antares I was introduced to Nell Ng’s family outside The Actors Studio Box. Her brother Joey is reportedly a
By Jenny Daneels NEED Entertainment is presenting this week Fall of the City, a play in Mandarin but with a translation
By Clarissa Lee The enchanting soiree begins with a serene, light and breezy tune by Donizetti. This allows a warm-up session
By June Mong It may seem strange to discover a Bengali film director whose style has been compared to Vittorio
By Amir Muhammad The subject for today: Drinks consumed in local movies. A small subject, to be sure, but one worthy
By Jenny Daneels You might have seen her as the bubbly voluptuous Chinese girl in The Instant Cafe Theatre’s sketches. Nell
By Pang Khee Teik Ten years is long. The P’nang Dance Station have begun life on a culturally lethargic island but
By Clarissa Lee Walking into an adjoining Yamaha showroom has me observing a bespectacled man engrossed in perfecting a section of
By Michelle Woo Rahel Joseph, Manager of Cultural Affairs at the Australian High Commission (AHC), takes Michelle Woo through the 80s
By Faisal Tehrani Di tengah-tengah penghinaan demi penghinaan yang dipantakkan kepada bahasa kebangsaan sedang hebat dilaksanakan secara rapi, Dewan Bahasa dan
By Nur Hanim Khairuddin Berjiran dengan monyet, biawak , ular dan babi hutan? ltulah yang dialami Juhari Said, perupa senicetak Malaysia
By Pang Khee Teik On the 27th May, we were given the world premiere of Journeys, a local composition for the
By Jenny Daneels Published on kulture.com.my on April 20, 2000 Chong Siew Ying leads her life in the same way
By Antares An Instant Cafe Theatre performance is not usually something one reviews so much as raves about. No doubt the
By Michelle Woo Soh Boon Kiong, a Kuantan-born 36-year-old abstract artist, is fondly visited by his collectors and fans whenever he
By Jenny Daneels The music was bewitching. Painful, it was so beautiful. It was coming from the rehearsing room at the
By Pang Khee Teik Two girls from Kuching posted in Kakiseni’s guestbook in March: “Really a good site u have here
By Antares Photos by Pang Khee Teik The foyer of the Actors Studio Theatre in Bangsar saw a festive crowd
By Michelle Woo “Identities: Who we are”, at the National Art Gallery, is an exhibition that hones the tough-to-pin-down Malaysian identity
By Faisal Tehrani Apabila pelajar-pelajar Tingkatan Empat dan Lima Sekolah Menengah Teknik Selangor bersama-sama Purnama Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka mementaskan Jangan
By Pang Khee Teik Doing some business within Central Market sometime in April this year, I found myself stalled by photographs
By Amir Muhammad It has been a dispiriting month so far for Malaysian theatre. Several high-profile productions were confronted with half-full,
By Pang Khee Teik The Chow Kit Fest, originally scheduled for December, then March, then April, finally hauled itself off on
B Jess C. He wanted to return to his roots. After all his years of training and exposure to Western
By Antares As I was turning into the lavishly lit lstana Budaya (congratulating myself for arriving in good time for
By Cheryl Lim There is probably no better way to introduce you to the world of classical music, and the Malaysian
By Cheryl Lim The renowned BBC Proms turns 107 this year and yet, this venerable musical tradition shows no signs
By Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin Artis Visual dan Kurator Yayasan Kesenian Perak Pengalaman lima tahun berturut-turut (1996-2000) melaksanakan Festival Pekan Seni
By Antares Having been greatly entertained by Rani Moorthy’s one-woman play, Pooja, I was looking forward to the staging of her
Faisal Tehrani Enam kali Di Mana Bulan Selalu Retak karya Sasterawan Negara A. Samad Said dipentaskan. Persembahan paling memuaskan menurut
By Pang Khee Teik In January, Rani Moorthy came upon us like desert rain and showered on us a deeply Malaysian
By Jerome Kugan In the April issue of Klue magazine hype surrounding the Chow Kit Arts Fest earned cover status. It
By Greg Lyons Pianist William “Count” Basie took the helm of this band in the early thirties after the demise of
By Antares Oh, it’s good to spend a Sunday afternoon guffawing non-stop (though 150 minutes did seem a bit excessive towards
By Amir Muhammad I always look forward to the few Filipino films I get to see. Unfortunately, I only get
By Pang Khee Teik The most brilliant coup pulled off by Singaporean theatre icon Ivan Heng in his direction of George
By Antares Having to cancel a RM200,000 production on the day it’s scheduled to open is not such a funny
By Jenny Daneels The postponement of the launch for the musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”
By Clarissa Lee The theatre of the absurd mingles with episodic formulation, sometimes coherently threaded by a known theme but other
By Faisal Tehrani Jangan-jangan begitulah sebenarnya semangat pementasan teater yang dikemukakan William Shakespeare sekitar 400 ratus tahun lampau. A Mid Summer
By Amir Muhammad Should we laugh or cry? In the month where the most-publicised film event here was a Bollywood awards
By Pang Khee Teik The waiter kept coming back for more. If it isn’t to pour the wine every half a
By Antares Q: What’s a good remedy for road fatigue, neck strain, and (instru)mental clutter? A: An evening with The
Cheryl Lim Stephen Sondheim’s multiple award-winning musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opened at
By Cheryl Lim The mystical wayang kulit takes on a more three dimensional form this weekend at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
By Pang Khee Teik The Hong Kong Arts Festival, a spectacular international showcase since 1973, was on in March. And
By Faisal Tehrani Chef Wan, siapa yang tidak kenal beliau? Lurah Dendam atau Soal Hati, rancangan Famili Ceria, buku-buku masakannya, kisah
By Jeroma Kugan While it was no surprise that Hands Percussion would attract a full house on the opening night of
By Amir Muhammad Last Friday something happened in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. There wasn’t much fanfare, but Garin Nuqroho was
By Cheryl Lim With a majestic drum roll and a succession of grand fanfares, Kevin Field, Associate Conductor of the Malaysian
By Michelle Woo In his third solo – Panorama – at Valentine Willie’s, abstract artist Yusof Majid talks to Kakiseni
By Jerome Kugan For most Malaysians, including myself, Chinese drums are inextricably linked to Chinese New Year celebrations. According to customs,
By Cheryl Lim On his third appearance at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas from March 8 to 10, 2002, conductor/composer Carl Davis
By Cheryl Lim A cappella. Singing without instrumental accompaniment. A style that allows the full magic of the human voice
By Amir Muhammad The most exhilarating Iran film I have ever seen was A Moment of Innocence during a screening
By Faisal Tehrani Pementasan teater Anugerah berakhir pada 21 Mac 2002 yang lalu di DBKL setelah tujuh hari dipentaskan. Teater anjuran
By Cheryl Lim At first glance, this looks like Malaysia’s answer to Melissa Bank’s wickedly funny Girls Guide to Hunting
By Cheryl Lim The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Mariss Jansons’ reputations precede them, as seen from the large crowd that
By Antares I seriously considered keeping mum about my strange reaction to this gaudy and raucous musical comedy put up
By Amir Muhammad There were two big controversies during the recently concluded Festival du Film Asiatique de Deauville. Both provided interesting
By Antares This was supposed to be a straightforward review of a not-so-straightforward play, The Baltimore Waltz by the award-winning
By Kathy Rowland Confrontations between the State and artists are a fact of arts practice. Whether it is the Church and
By Jenny Daneels In 1997 Yee I-Lann sent 12 faxes and in nine days organised an illegal event at the Pudu
By Cheryl Lim Mention jazz and images of great musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong immediately spring to
By Jerome Kugan For much of the past decade, the Terengganu-born 37-year-old Joe Kidd has dedicated himself to the KL music
By Jess C. There were heart-breaking moments of tears, as well as heart-warming splatters of laughter. A great script with
By Antares “What You Get Is What You See” is what Sue Ingleton calls her latest one-woman show, which features
By Amir Muhammad The most-viewed Thai film among Malaysians in the past few years has got to be Nang Nak. Elderly
By Zue Nell I’d like to comment on the Editor’s statement that the license for Vagina Monologue was probably refused on
By Faisal Tehrani Apakah saya menyukai produksi Opera Uda dan Dara yang dipentaskan di The Actors Studio Bangsar pada 20 Februari
By Antares She was called “Barbie Doll” as a kid. But Barbara grew up and became the archetypal all-American golden
By Cheryl Lim Last March, we were introduced to the very first Malaysian Comedy Festival 2001, courtesy of Hans Issac and
By Cheryl Lim The Dewan Filharmonik Petronas reverberated with the exotic sounds of the sitar recently when Anoushka Shankar, daughter and
By Faisal Tehrani Allahyarham Usman Awang menulis 22 buah drama. Salah satu yang paling diingati tentunya Uda dan Dara, naskah
By Antares KAKISENI: Sue, can you tell us a little about your life and work? SUE: My life and my work
By Amir Muhammad There are many short stories that I love greatly. Here are my two favourites: Vladimir Nabokov’s Signs and
By Antares There she stood: Vera Verbiage, vivacious, voluptuous, and very vulgar Venusian, portrayed by a peroxide blonde American woman
By Cheryl Lim It is indeed heartening to know that some efforts are being made to preserve the traditional Malaysian art
By Dr Tripat Narayanan You enter a darkened theatre, grope your way towards your seat, speak in hushed tones, and
By Cheryl Lim Organist Simon Preston delighted the audience with his expressive playing at a series of performances with the Malaysian
By Faisal Tehrani Setelah begitu lama, entah apa masalahnya sebelum ini, pemenang-pemenang Hadiah Sako anjuran Kumpulan Utusan pun diumumkan. Pemenang kali
By Jan Thornton The demands of his professional life would defeat most, but Ramli manages his kaleidoscopic commitments with apparent ease
By Amir Muhammad One of the highlights of the recently concluded Sarawak Millennium Film Festival was the screening of Kuldesak. This
By JK It’s January 4, 2002, 11pm at No Black Tie. Pete Teo approaches the mic and plugs in his
By Farish A. Noor (edited by kakiseni.com) Read part 1 here. Read part 2 here From Weapon to Stigmata –
By Antares “Evolution began with Eve when she took the first bite of the forbidden fruit.”-A.N. Onymus (actually I just
By Antares There is no greater pleasure than seeing someone buck the trend and successfully transcend all cultural and racial boundaries.
By Cheryl Lim The late evening shower did not dampen the spirits of those who turned up for the MPO’s first
By Faisal Tehrani Penulis-penulis muda sastera Melayu yang memiliki pelbagai idealisme, mazhab dan fahaman serta sukar pula untuk duduk semeja
By Farish A Noor (edited by kakiseni.corn) Read part 1 here. From Luxury to Weapon: The gradual de-mystification of the Kris
By Antares How does one review a tin of assorted biscuits? That’s essentially what anthologies of Asian short stories are:
By Dr. Farish A. Noor (edited by kakiseni.com) “Tak ada orang Belanda yang bisa bikin kris, Gus. Tak mampu dan takkan
By Amir Muhammad I recently gave an interview on the subject of the upcoming Sarawak Millennium Film Festival in my capacity
By Faisal Tehrani Masih dalam Syawal kita, sebulan berhari raya, membawa ke kediaman Wardina Saffiyah Fadhullah. Antara bintang yang menghiasi filem
By Jenny Daneels Charley’s Auntie! is being restaged after last year’s raging success. Have Gardner & Wife found a new
By Faisal Tehrani Terlalu banyak yang baik-baik untuk dikatakan mengenai produksi Death of a Salesman arahan Roselina Johari Mohd Khir
By Pang Khee Teik It is supposed to be a scene of bittersweet romance. Two female Chinese Opera performers, Mei
By Michelle Woo Professionally: an editor, and formerly a literary one. Creatively: a writer of socially-provocative plays and stirring prose.
By Amir Muhammad Klik di sini untuk versi Bahasa Malaysia yang diterjemahkan oleh Abd. Latiff Bidin. A is for ARIFF.
By Dina Zaman I dug the groovy hanging beads that greeted the audience as they entered the Box. I wasn’t too
By Faisal Tehrani NAM RON akan muncul semula dengan sebuah drama arahannya hujung bulan ini. Setelah MISI dan Gedebe, pengarah muda
By Antares There’s a website where you can answer a few questions and determine precisely what your belief system is.
By Antares Five hours after leaving the Citra Istana Budaya auditorium – a grandly named island of culture amidst the
By Jess C. Shi dai qu, which describes the type of Mandarin songs that initially rose into prominence in pre-war
By Jess C. Names like Zhou Xuan, Li XiangIan and Bai Guang were not only famous years back, their songs
By Antares Allan Perera and Indi Nadarajah discovered each other through the legendary Instant Café Theatre, of which both were
By Antares “Many people confuse information and meaning, which leads to a rather disturbing paradox: Our society has come to