Just my Cuppa CHAI

Instant Cafe Theatre has a beautiful new home in a converted bungalow in Section 6 Petaling Jaya called House of Art and Ideas, CHAI, for short. And and on Saturday they had their grand opening with lots of things going on and art in every corner. (Take the tour here, and just see how much you would like to live in this little house.) Of course there was the official obligatory opening with a local bigshot, and YB*, Minister of Culture and Space (above) tree planting ceremony with YB, Deputy Minister of Space & Tourism filled the role nicely (remember how he was in Bali) ... except as he noted, politicians don't like to be seen with dirty hands, so poor old Zalfian Fuzi had to do the actual spadework. The art on display reflected the theme of Home, and there were installations in all kinds of spaces (even inside cupbaords!). Reza Rosli approriated the bathroom with his underwater theme - he made hanging lamps of fishtanks and had a jellyfish floating in the bathtub. (It was a nice spot to hang out, feet dangling in the water, and everyone who had come to use the utilities now had to hop off and find an alternative.) The bedroom had a story called Bed scrolling across the walls which you had to lie on the bed to watch. I was so happy that my favourite local band Dewangga Sakti came along to play some songs. And there were an awful lot of nice people to chat to. Interesting things will be happening in this space including art, performance, readings, meetings, and I'll be happy to keep you posted. (For non-Malaysians : YB is Yang Berhormat which means The Honourable, and is a term of address for MP's.)