Front Row

Julian Moreen is a jazz pianist and singer from Germany whose narrative style of music combines influences from folk, modern jazz and indie rock. Ahead of his performance in Malaysia, we speak with him about his beginnings, his inspirations, and his approach to jazz. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conservation is an essential part of preserving objects for museums, but it is also a field that often goes unnoticed. The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia is seeking to change this, with an exhibition called “Conservation: Craft or Science?”, which highlights modern conservation practices alongside the artifacts being shown. We speak with conservators Lalitha Thiagarajah, Mohd Azizi Mohd...

With Deepavali coming up later this month, the usual decorative motifs of oil lamps, kolams, and peacocks are starting to pop up around town. But an art exhibition called “Banana Leaf” seeks to present a different view into the Malaysian Indian community, by featuring a diverse array of artists with works that turn the stereotypical idea of “Indian art” on its head. We spea...

Navi Indran Pillai is a 28-year-old cancer survivor who is still undergoing cancer treatment, which she will require for the rest of her life. An Indian classical dancer, Navi has decided to put on her solo debut dance show to raise funds for her treatment, in order to ease her parents’ financial burden. We speak with Navi about living with cancer and her love for dance. See omnystudio.com/l...

Have you ever wondered, what are the practical realities of being a visual artist in Kuala Lumpur and wanting to buy your own home? Well, you might find the answer at an exhibition called “Whose Dream House?” by artists MeiKei Ho and Ong Cai Bin. In their joint show, MeiKei and Cai Bin ruminate on the pressures modern home ownership and question whether the idea of a “dream house...

In “Taksu - A Gamelan Theatre Performance”, the shigu, or Chinese lion drum, is performed with Malay and Balinese gamelan, using percussion to celebrate cross-cultural music-making. The show further incorporates traditional Kelantanese sounds and dance, and even choral music. We speak with HANDS Percussion Malaysia’s artistic director Bernard Goh and Balinese composer/musical dir...

What does “pink” - the word, the colour - mean to you? An art exhibition hopes to explore this question and the many connotations and meanings of the word through the works of different artists. The show, organised by the Pink Tank Collective, is called P!NK, and it centres the evolving notions of “pinkness” within a Malaysian context. We speak with the exhibition’s p...

The Art Includes 2019 festival aims to use arts and culture to highlight differently-abled people, as well as give them a platform to demonstrate their capabilities. We speak with the festival’s founder Stevens Chan, singer Rozella, artist Art Jamila and her mother Noorhashimah Noordin, about the role the arts can play in helping people overcome their personal challenges. See omnystudio.com/...

In Dr Sasi Victoire’s play titled Alice in the Antipathies, Lewis Carroll’s beloved book about Alice’s adventures in Wonderland is used as the starting-off point to examine issues of migration and identity - particularly within the Malayalee diaspora that moved from India to Malaysia and then to Australia. We speak with Sasi, director Chandrabhanu, and performer Sabera Shaik, abo...

The 2005 movie Sepet, directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad, has become a quintessential Malaysian film, with its story of young love between a Malay girl and a Chinese boy. Now, on Yasmin’s 10th death anniversary, the movie has been adapted for the stage by Liver & Lung Productions into a musical, called Sepet the Musical. We speak with the show’s writer, director, composer and co-pro...

To celebrate Merdeka and Malaysia Day, we look at some of Malaysia’s rapidly disappearing cultural practices and art forms, and the people who are working to preserve them. In the second of a two-parter, we look at: the oral storytelling forms of Kayan Parap and Takna from Sarawak with Adrian Jo Milang; and, the traditional Sabahan lute called sundatang, with Johann Adam Kitingan and Faridah...

In Nick Payne’s award-winning play Constellations, two people meet at a party, and then we see the multiple realities and versions of their relationship. The play is making its Malaysian debut thanks to Rabbithole Productions. We speak with the show’s producer/actor Amelia Chen and director Qahar Aqilah about the process of telling this complex, yet very human, story. See omnystudio.co...

How do we capture the sense of passing time in art? An exhibition called “Transience and Transformation” tries to, with the work of three different artists, Imhathai Suwatthanasilp and Jiratchaya Pripwai of Thailand, and Yim Yen Sum of Malaysia. They each approach this theme with their own unique approaches and styles: with lines, with thread, and even with human hair. We speak with th...

How do we capture the sense of passing time in art? An exhibition called “Transience and Transformation” tries to, with the work of three different artists, Imhathai Suwatthanasilp and Jiratchaya Pripwai of Thailand, and Yim Yen Sum of Malaysia. They each approach this theme with their own unique approaches and styles: with lines, with thread, and even with human hair. We speak with th...

Comedian Prakash Daniel tries to find beauty in everything around him, and talks about it in his comedy special. We speak with Prakash about why, in this age of cynicism, he chooses to focus on the positive in his comedy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an edited version of a live recording of BFM's Speak Easy at The Joke Factory as part of MAP Fest 2019. In part one, host, Sheena Baharudin is joined by a lineup of polyglot poets as they explore the creative art of multilingualism. This is an edited version of a live recording of BFM's Speak Easy at The Joke Factory as part of MAP Fest 2019. In part one, host, Sheena Baharudin is joined b...

Inspired by the critical essay “The Laugh of the Medusa” by Hélène Cixous, To Which My Brother Laughed is a devised work in response to the caning of the two women in Terengganu on Sept 3 2018. Sheena Baharudin welcomes two members from the production for a chat about their motivation, and how poetry found its way into the play. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

On this festive episode of Speak Easy, we'll be looking into the concept of poetry exchange. Equally challenging and fun, the practice of exchanging words in a poetic form can be seen not only in our beloved tradition of berbalas pantun but the lively halls of poetry slams as well. Joining Sheena Baharudin are three poets to talk about poetry exchange and a new event entitled BALOH, which is curre...

Speak Easy producer Tina Carmillia joins host Elaine Foster in London for an on-site conversation about poetry and science. Are art and science more alike than different? The duo summarises their recent activities in academic research, public talks and personal readings to discover the natural world in poetry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an edited version of a live recording of BFM's Speak Easy at The Joke Factory as part of MAP Fest 2019. Host, Sheena Baharudin is joined by a lineup of polyglot poets as they explore the creative art of multilingualism. This is an edited version of a live recording of BFM's Speak Easy at The Joke Factory as part of MAP Fest 2019. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the turn of the new year, spoken word poetry would have been in this country for more than a decade. From poetry slam and open mics to poetry collectives and print publications, join the past and present hosts of Speak Easy – who are themselves the pioneers of the scene in Klang Valley – as they reflect on the local spoken word poetry movement over the past ten years. See omnystud...

In conjunction with International Women's Day, Sheena Baharudin explores how poetry is used as a vehicle for activism, empowerment and social change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Speak Easy, we hear about the coming-of-age story for the poetry open mic event we all know as If Walls Could Talk. After 55 shows, Walls will be closing its doors and to celebrate more than 3 years of providing a platform for poets and poetry lovers alike, they recently announced the publication of a love letter to the scene in the form of an anthology of KL spoken word poetry...

With the turn of the new year, spoken word poetry would have been in this country for more than a decade. From poetry slam and open mics to poetry collectives and print publications, join the past and present hosts of Speak Easy – who are themselves the pioneers of the scene in Klang Valley – as they reflect on the local spoken word poetry movement over the past ten years. See omnystud...

Over the past decade or so, local spoken word artists have gone from having to search and share spaces at open mic gigs, to making ones at public areas and now, as seen in the variety of monthly poetry events happening in KL and other cities in Malaysia, establishing their own spaces both online and offline. This month, Sheena Baharudin speaks with Umar Azizi about the creative space to reflect, c...