KUCHING, Nov 3: Borneo Bengkel is set to present its ‘sem/bunyi’ event as a physical interactive exhibition for the first time on Nov 23-27 in Penang.
Borneo Bengkel in a statement today said the event will bring together musicians, poets and artists from across Borneo and the United Kingdom to the audiovisual exhibition which will be held at the Hin Bus Depot Gallery in Penang, as part of this year’s George Town Literary Festival (GTLF).
The five-day interactive exhibition features selected works from Borneo Bengkel’s previous international projects, namely the Soundbank and Lingua Franca projects that were organised virtually during the pandemic.
Co-curated by Borneo Bengkel team members Sonia Luhong Wan and Catriona Maddocks, sem/bunyi brings to the forefront hidden narratives in an immersive and experimental approach.
This exhibition features poetry and audiovisual installations produced by collaborators from across Borneo (Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan) and the United Kingdom (Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England) which tells of stories ‘hidden in plain sight’; stories that are often neglected from national narratives, or only discovered by curious observers.
Visitors are also invited to explore and reflect on these audiovisual documentations of identity, indigenous languages, folk music and found sound, and to create their own sonic journey by utilising screens and QR codes hidden within the space.
‘sem/bunyi’ will also feature an exhibition tour, and on the final night of the GTLF, four cultural practitioners and poets such as Sarawakians Adrian Jo Milang, practitioner of traditional Kayan oral art forms parap and takna’, as well as visual artist/poet Bethany Balan, together with Sabahan creatives and social activists Nadira Ilana and Adi HJ, will perform for a live audience, alongside invited guests from GTLF’s 2022 programme.
For more information, visit www.BorneoBengkel.com or check out @borneobengkel social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). — DayakDaily
