Screening & Performance : "EVERYDAY, ART"
- screening of video works & special experimental music performance
Artist : by Kok Siew Wai and musician Yong Yen Sin
Venue : Rumah Air Panas (RAP)
5 Lorong Air Leleh 1, Air Panas Setapak,
53200 Kuala Lumpur. Location Map
Date : 13th Jan 2006 (Friday)
Time : 8 pm
Contact : 016 684 3063 (Sau Bin)
Email : rumah_airpanas@hotmail.com


Talk : "Experimental Art in Upstate New York"
Artist : video and sound artist Kok Siew Wai
Venue : Rumah Air Panas (RAP)
5 Lorong Air Leleh 1, Air Panas Setapak,
53200 Kuala Lumpur. Location Map
Date : 21st Jan 2006 (Saturday)
Time : 11 am
Contact : 016 684 3063 (Sau Bin)
Email : rumah_airpanas@hotmail.com

Talk's Desription

Kok will give an introduction of the experimental art scene in upstate New York where she has studied, worked and lived for 7 years. Kok's talk will focus on the development of media arts and experimental music in that area, both the underground and "upper-ground" scenes. The main characteristic of the scene in this area is that there is a strong sense of community and different organizations tend to corporate and to help each other rather than to compete with each other in promoting non-mainstream arts. Individual artists too, tend to be close professionally as well as personally with each other. In fact, Kok sees that this is perhaps the main reason why the art is strong there. For instance, Buffalo (New York) is one of the poorest cities in the country but in terms of the arts, it is one of the top 10 cities. In this talk, Kok will show some documentary video footage of art events in upstate New York to let us take a look of what is going on in Buffalo, Rochester, Kingston and Alfred.


Artist's Statement:
Kok Siew Wai works with video, music and performance. She creates video within the tradition of performance, but utilizes the electronic recordings as an omnipotent source of visual and sonic documentation of emotions, thoughts, sensations, and a witness of history. Siew Wai is interested in the reflexive relationship between the author, the subject and the audience. Her work often presents these ideas: "Who is presenting?&nbs p; Who is capturing? Who is watching whom? " The human form, as a physical body and a social being, has also been her artistic explorations. Learning from spiritual literature and from Butoh dance, Siew Wai comes to understand that when the body (or the psyche) is challenged by extreme tension, it is activated and is in a state of crisis. It will experience a radical change and will express itself in the most direct and honest way. Siew Wai's music work (where she performs as an improvised vocalist) focuses on energy building and "finding the most honest sound" in the body "at the moment". Where there is tension, she tries to stay there and understand it. And by making artwork, Siew Wai is able to meditate and to express these sometimes rather difficult subjects.

Artis's Brief Bio
A video-sound artist and performer originally from Kuala Lumpur, Siew Wai has lived in USA between 1998-2005. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Media Studies from the University at Buffalo, and her Master of Fine Arts in Electronic Integrated Arts from Alfred University. Siew Wai has received several awards and grants including the Special Jury Commendation from Thayer Fellowship In The Arts (State University of New York), Western Region Special Opportunity Stipend (New York Foundation For The Arts) and First Prize in the Experimental Category of Rochester Institute of Technology Student Film/Video Festival 2001. Siew Wai has participated in numerous international festivals in including Bushwick Art Project 2005 (New York City), Video:series 2005 (NYC), Women On the Verge 2004 (Canada), Science & Art 2004 (China) and 25 Hours International Videoart Show 2003 (Spain). In 2005, Siew Wai was selected as one of the 58 featured artists in Beyond/In Western New York Biennial 2005, organized by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. She was presented by Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center and Squeaky Wheel Buffalo Media Resources where she produced her first solo multimedia event entitled "BREATHE" at Soundlab, encompassing video, film, music and performance. This event also featured her unique collaborations with several guest artists. Having been working as a teaching assistant, a media instructor, an independent media curator and a gallery administrator under musician/educator Pauline Oliveros in USA, Siew Wai is bringing the American experience back home now.



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