By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, March 17: HAUS KCH, an independent creative hub in Jalan Pending here is organising ‘Seni Kita’ on March 18 and 19, in conjunction with International Women’s Day.
According to HAUS KCH co-founder and director Syed Rusydie, the two-day event would have various activities which include ‘Earthly Delights’ – a culinary art exhibition, ‘Pasar Seni Kita’ – an art market showcasing artisanal goods and crafts, musical performances as well as ‘Hear Me Out! Open Mic’ session which would see 15 local talents performing music, poetry, dance and so on.
The event will also feature a townhall session on ‘Meaningful Internet Access’, Save Our Strays-Kuching’s (S.O.S Kuching) pet adoption drive, Sarawak Metro’s showcase as well as talks and panel discussions on the creative industry from prominent organisations such as Lean in Sarawak, Catama Borneo and Hin Bus Depot (Penang).
“There will be over 20 vendors selling their creative products and services, and mini workshops, for the art market,” Rusydie said at a press conference held at HAUS KCH here yesterday.
On the ‘Earthly Delights’ culinary art showcase, it would feature the works of three women chefs from Kuching: Chubby Sausage co-founder Denise Lim, Sous chef Roazane Isabell and Cloud-99 founder Ooi See Bee. They would be supported by renowned Sarawakian chef Achang Libat.
The trio would introduce unique dishes namely, Chubby Sausage Nigiri, Linut Crème Brûlée, Vegetarian Curry Bruschetta, 3 Sour Salad, Beef Cake and Potato and Pumpkin Garden.
In addition to the menu of six canapes fusing local ingredients with global techniques, Sylvia Lim of Ngirupp will complement the meals with beverage and homemade ice cream befitting the theme which are at additional rates.
Meanwhile, Prodigy Music founder and chief executive officer Sharnaz Saberi said she and her team would present her original composition of ‘Nostalgia Tak Tak Utai’, classic repertoires and experimental music.
On the other hand, RnB Live Session 2.0 is the brainchild of JayC Ho who is a singer, dancer and event planner with the aim to create a platform for local RnB scene. The session would feature rising singers Damia Elysa, Florianne Juseng and Roxy Ixzy as well as Sarawakian RnB legend Ila Damiaa.
At the same time, Sunday evening will witness the Band Lab’s 18-piece big band making an appearance for a jazzy interlude during the RnB Live Session 2.0.
Band Lab founder and president Jesmond Siew said the organisation serves as a platform for musicians of different instruments to thrive as a community, making it a perfect avenue for school leavers to continue their music journey.
The big band is going to perform three pieces namely, Saving All My Love For You by Whitney Houston, You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin, and At Last by Etta James, alongside local singer Steff Fleur on vocals and Farouk Kamil on guitar.
For the ‘Hear Me Out! Open Mic’ session, its host Reening Lau said it would highlight 15 local talents performing music, poetry, dance and so on.
The performers are Hazirah, Lofrine, DNA, Reemy Saleh, Malcolm, Philip & Gena, Christy, Beth, Nutella Funk, Tiffy, Alex Munan, Sydney Atin, Vinn, Macha Kaca Mata and 11th Minute.
Also present during the press conference were Hero AVL Management co-founder and director Emily Voong and Project Amnesia representative Ray Houston.
Seni Kita is in its sixth iteration after it was launched in 2021.
This time, the event is part of four-themed arts festivals planned by HAUS KCH for this year. The remaining three festivals are expected to be held in May, September and December.
For more information about “Seni Kita Weekend”, the public can head over to HAUS KCH’s social media at https://instagram.com/hauskch and https://instagram.com/senikitakch or email enquiries to senikitakch@gmail.com. — DayakDaily
