Pictorial essay of the energetic Angin OMbulan performance

21 July 2022 • 8:30 pm • Fort Cornwallis, Penang

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Aida Redza and Kamal Sabran teamed up once again under the George Town Festival 2022 in Angin OMbulan, an on-site experimental performance. It was an expanded version of “Ssegar Angin” that was presented at the Venice Arts Biennale in April 2022 under the invitation of Port Perak, supported by George Town Festival 2022.

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Based on Kamal’s “The Healing Art Project” research and Aida’s journey into "Semangat", they explored the traditional healing performance through an immersive sound and dance experience.

Fuelled by the kinaesthetic energy of the live soundscapes with electronic and traditional musical instruments, Aida's energetic performance was truly captivating. 

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

The talented musicians included Tan Han How (on singing bowls) and Amin Arawi (on sitar) as well as Buddha Beat's Yew Kok Cheong (on flute and guitar) and Krishna Armum (on tabla and guitar).

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

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I have known Aida for over two decades, first when we worked on projects with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). In 2017, we even met Prince Charles when he visited Penang at a reception held at Pinang Peranakan Mansion.Through the years, I have seen many of Aida's brilliant performances. She wears her emotions on her sleeves and with nothing to hide, bears her soul to the poetic movements often from quiet graceful movements to high-energy drama and at times, even danger and mystery. She exudes emotions that can strike a cord with your heart strings. Fearless, she is always in her element when performing. I am glad I was there to photograph Aida, preserving the moment for posterity.

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

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George Town Festival 2022

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

George Town Festival 2022 returns after two years of absence, themed "A Festival for Everyone". Its 13th edition from 9 to 24 July offers a plethora of programmes encompassing dance, music, theatre, film, photography and more.

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Aida Redza

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Aida Redza is one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary dancers and choreographers, noted for creating multimedia performances. Based in Penang, she is the founder of Wind River Productions, the artistic principal of Studio Pentas and a member of Ombak-Ombak ARTStudio.

Her major recent productions as a performance-maker include “Semangat Restu Padi” (2021), “Wandering Padi” (Ansan Street Arts Festival, South Korea, 2019), “Reclaim” (George Town Festival, 2019), “Entranced: A Mystical Gathering” (Hamamatsu, Japan, 2018), “Call and Response: The Spaces Between” (Penang, 2018), “Entranced: An Evening with a Ghost” (DiverseCity KL International Arts Festival, 2017), “The Italian Restaurant” (George Town Festival, 2017) and “Moved By Padi” (George Town Festival, 2016).

Aida has a strong commitment to international creative collaborations. She was the director of a workshop for international collaboration presented at the Tokyo Festival Asia Performing Arts Forum in 2016, and this led her to establish TradeWinds Arts Exchange to foster cultural relations between Penang and Japan, featuring her work with the celebrated Noh master Naohiko Umewaka. In 2018 Aida was named as Kakiseni’s Gamechanger at the 15th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.

Kamal Sabran

Angin OMbulan © Adrian Cheah

Kamal Sabran is a Malaysian artist-researcher who lives and works in Ipoh, Malaysia. He received his Ph.D. in Art and Design (New Media) from Universiti Teknologi MARA. His work is interdisciplinary and exists at the intersections of art, science, technology, and spirituality. His art-based research work focuses on art interventions for human mental health and well-being. His artistic endeavours are experimental music, performance art, video art, and electronic installations.

Kamal’s work is collaborative, and he frequently seeks collaborations with other artists, musicians, choreographers, researchers, and scientists. He received the Malaysian National Art Gallery Best New Media Artist award for young and contemporary in 2004 and won Best NOKIA Music Video Director award in 2005. Also in 2005, he was the artist-in-residence at the Malaysian National Space Agency, and in 2015, he was the artist-in-residence at the 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica, California.

He is also the founder of Space Gambus Experiment, an experimental music/sound art collective, and the Ipoh Experimental Art School, a creative space focusing on producing experimental art projects. He has produced numerous film scores for award-winning films with directors such as Mamat Khalid, Shanjhey Kumar, Tan Chui Mui, Ho Yuhang, Pete Teo, among many others. He is currently a lecturer-researcher at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang.

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Written by Adrian Cheah, part text adopted from georgetownfestival.com
Photographed by Adrian Cheah
© All rights reserved
21 July 2022