From June 15 to 16, the Borak Arts Series conference, catering to art specialists and business leaders, was held at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC). The word borak means "conversation" in Malay, and accordingly, the conference was organized to provide a space for the public and private sector and people in the creative industries to gather and discuss issues.

The winds of change sweeping over Malaysia

At present, Malaysia’s arts and culture sector is facing big changes. In May, Malaysia’s Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture and Ministry of Tourism were combined to form the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.The last time that this ministry used this name was in 1987. The local arts and culture sector is welcoming this change―the reuniting of culture and tourism, which are inseparable―with open arms. Also, the Malaysian government is rolling up its sleeves to support the country’s performing arts. Early this year, the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN), under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, announced it will give around USD1.25million as part of the National Creative Industry Policy to reinvigorate the country’s performing arts. This fund will be divided into five parts and will include funding to cover production costs and partially pay for performance venues or equipment, creative support, audience development, and strengthening competency. The fund will be Malaysia’s first ever open call, and artists and those in the performing arts will be invited to directly apply for funding.

For Malaysia’s private performing arts sector,which hadnot receivedany government support, these recent changes are something to welcome with open arms. Because it was taking place amidst these changes, the Borak Arts Series felt like a more meaningful attempt.

Tearing down boundaries and attempting to have a conversation

The two-day conference included sessions encompassing various topics and networking programs catering to those working in the public, private, and business sectors. The number of specialists invited to give talks or moderate totaled around 50, and the excitement inside the conference venue, for two days from morning to night, was intense.

The first day of the event started with an opening address by Norliza Rofli, director-general of Malaysia’s National Department for Culture and Arts, and a keynote address by Ong Hong Peng, secretary general of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. The speeches were followed by discussion sessions on various topics, including how art changes countries, how art can revitalize acity, and a corporate perspective on supporting the arts.The session addressing how the arts change countriesfeatured speakers from the Korea Art Management Service, Australia Council for the Arts and Malaysia’s National Department for Culture and Arts who explained the situation in their respective country and their organizations’ roles. Faridah Merican, executive producer of PenangPAC, Bilqus Hijjas, head of MyDance Alliance, and Nani Kahar, joint partner of labDNA, participated in the session on the revitalization of cities and talked about the need to establish a representative performance art festival in Malaysia, the revitalization of performance art in Kuala Lumpur through means such as innovative promotion and marketing, as well as the case of Publika, which is playing the role of a type of creative hub in everyday life by combining shopping and art.

Besides this, there was a video presentation from Akram Khan Company producer Farooq Chaudhry and a small-scale, roundtable-format Tea Networking Session that featured seven topics, including international collaboration, youth engagement, and arts support.

Malaysia focuses on Hallyu (Korean Wave)

The second day began with The Korean Wave: Beyond Boundaries, a special session featuring Jung Jae-wal, president of the Korea Art Management Service. The session introduced the changes Hallyu (the Korean Wave) has undergone from its beginnings in the mid-1990srystival in Malaysia, the revitalization of performance art dramas and K-pop―to today, when it is expanding into the general realm of arts and culture and Korean culture.

Following this, there were discussion sessions on the topics of cultural exchange, content monetization, the sustainability of art, and the new world of arts. The cultural exchange segment featured the artistic director and founder of Aswara Dance Company, the artistic director of Strange Fruit in Australia, and head of culture at the Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur, as speakers. They discussed the headway Malaysian dancers have been making overseas; “In the Shadow of Dragon,” a joint project between Strange Fruit and Korea’s Noreum Machi; and cases of arts exchanges between Japan and Malaysia.

Also, the discussion session Can the Arts Be Sustainable? featured panelists that included the director of NKEA communication and infrastructure at the Performance Management & Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), a unit under the Prime Minister’s Department; the artistic director and founder of Aswara Dance Company; executive producer at PAN Productions; and the artistic director of The Instant Cafe Theatre Company Malaysia. The discussion included a pro-and-con debate about government support of performance art.

After the official sessions ended, a Performing Arts Town Hall event for conference participants titled Talk Less, Act More! took place; participants freely discussed the issues that would be necessary for developing Malaysia’s performance art sector, looking at it from a short-term, mid-term, and long-term perspective.

To make a better environment for Malaysia’s art sector

Izan Satrina, founder of MyPAA, the Malaysian performance art agency that organized the Borak Arts Series, stressed that there needs to be more fluid communication and understanding among the private and public sectors as well as the creative industry. She said that the conference was held in order to create a better environment for Malaysian art through healthy conversations that allow participants to tear down the invisible barriers between these sectors.

As I watched the panels and audience freely speaking their minds during the two-day conference, I began to anticipate the “next” stage of Malaysia’s performing art industry. Until now, there has been a tendency for the private, public, and business areas to work independently of each other, but now, these sectors are all coming together in one place and talking face-to-face. It seems that constructive conversation is the first step to change.

Jo Kukathas, artistic director of The Instant Cafe Theatre Company, said, “It is encouraging that an opportunity like this, in which we can listen to each other and share our stories, arose.” He added that more interest in and effort from each other is needed for this kind of conversation to continue in the future.

First held in 2013, the Borak Arts Series will from here forward be held as an annual conference. Like this year’s conference, in which performance art from Korea and Australia was introduced, each year the series plans to expand their networking function to include more local and overseas participants by identifying two “focus countries” each year. The Borak Arts Series was organized by MyPAA and sponsored by the National Department for Culture and Arts and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Borak Arts Series Website : http://mypaa.com.my/borak-arts/index.html