Celebrating Humanity Through Arts!

Yesterday was KL Performing Arts Center (KLPac) first open day!!! Weee!

KLPac in Sentul Park

What a magnificent sight to behold! The perfect exemplification of Malaysian triumph and epitomisation of mankind's intellectual progress and potential!

Built on the sturdy foundation of a disused KTM sawmill factory, the KLPac building is a brilliant and vivid fusion of the Malaysian colonial past and the current modernisation and expansion of local lifestyle. Parts of the old building still remain, most notably is the arched wall on the left where it contains the stage of Pentas 1 and the brick wall on the right. Apart from that, the wide roof tiles of the old sawmill are laced as interior decoration for Pentas 1 too. Three storeys tall, two Pentas and 8 studios: truly this building is what Malaysia needs for her people and a supportive platform for local arts scene to expand.

Since early primary days, I can't help but ponder endlessly the unwillingness of our Ministry of Education to view arts as a worthwhile investment for young Malaysians. Oh no - definitely not perdagangan, prinisip ekonomi, prinsip akauns and other dull subjects that are not even artistic in the first place. I'm talking about real arts: performing arts, music, dance, creative writing, literature, photography, paintwork, filmography etc - arts that allows one to be aggresively expressive and defy boundaries of any means. And hell no, I am certainly not referring to the muzik class installed in primary school syllabus that all students ever learnt are nursery ryhmes, partriotic songs and playing the recorder. Or the pendidikan seni that is clearly a no-no for Picasso wannabes where the order of nature is the supreme rule of the poster colours and drawing block.

Anyway, those are the closest things that students in national schools could get to arts. For children from poor families, being enrolled in national schools is of no difference than being sentenced to be artistically-doomed for the rest of their childhood. Tut tut.

Although it might be very much liberal in universities, somehow arts still find itself very hard to just POP up in one's head. And the most absurd thing that ever surfaced is that these varsities are so artistically-dilapidated that they are not even equipped with a language club, particularly ELS, or at least a functional one. It is arguable that clubs like music and dance certainly do not need any language to run smoothly. However, where does one who shall make the remark above expect the varsity he is in going to stand, or the direction of all the operations conducted in the uni are heading when the language is not placed any importance while English is the de facto and most basic message delivery? After all, language is the foundation of arts in many ways.

Without that, what value does other clubs or societies hold or are signifcant with? If it is so, there is no such needs to comtemplate farther to establish any science societies before a drama club or reading and literature club where rapid growth of knowlegde is in crucial need of language - especially when science is believed to be the salvation of the today's damaged Earth and longevity of humanity that most people are desperately seeking for to avoid extinction lest to be placed equal to other potentially-endangered species that are not so bright like us. Universities are always wrong to assume that science faculty does not need arts societies/clubs and vice versa - but they are too blind to see that both the elements complement each other to create the perfect and beneficial society. Meanwhile, it is also very unjust and unfair that such utter assumption does not present the proper opportunities to the students to develop holistically. Tut tut tut.

Remember, diversification has always been the key to stability.

When science does not make sense anymore, there comes arts. Arts has always been linked to artistic freedom. But in fact, it is freedom. The word 'artistic' there holds very little worth and in fact, a redundancy for art is everything - but only used by those who insists that arts is a disorder of nature. It allows us to explore everything from the unimaginable to the unquestionable, it does not conceal truths, but it does not hinder the possibilities of the unthinkable either. It prompts us to question the very foundation of being 'us' and what makes us 'us'. Arts even causes one to ripe with wisdom and mature with shine. It always present you a different sight no other else could have seen it - and most of the time they renew your perspective on life. Although they flow along, but arts never recognised any rules and frontier. And most importantly - it has the ability to change the world.

That is called 'arts', for a word of three letters are not enough to sum the whole paragraph, nor a paragraph can ever do it as well. A society that embraces arts will never decline. That's why even the ancient Greek realised and placed heavy emphasis on it. There's no barrier that stands even stronger before arts that can halt the progress of human civilisation.

As old as of primitive man himself; think of 'infinity', think of 'arts' - celebrating humanity has never been this good and fun.