China Week in Penang this June 2013

Just a few days ago, I received an email from an Old Free schoolmate who asked me whether I could lend some publicity on my blog for his event. Together with another person - who, by the way, is an Old Xavierian - they had set up a company called Malworks Sdn Bhd which linked up with several other like-minded organisations elsewhere.

But more importantly, Malworks is bringing in some artists from China to showcase their talents this June when the George Town Festival is in full swing.

Unfortunately as my friend told me, their efforts to apply for funding with MyCreative Ventures (a government-linked company) and Pemandu were unsuccessful, no doubt being a new company with no track record and, if I may venture to add my own opinion, without the correct cables to pull.

Anyway, their company is looking to raise some funds and publicity for this worthwhile cultural project to chug along towards a successful conclusion at the George Town Festival.

If you are reading this, can you help in whatever way you can? More details below from Ong Peng Seng (my friend's business partner at Malworks) which I have included here:

Hi Xaverians and Friends - Old and New Ones

Exciting and potential changing times - I am sure many of you are busy with the impending election just round the corner.

Some of you may know that recently I have been coming back to Malaysia from the UK to set up Malworks Sdn. Bhd. Malworks was set up in October 2012 as a Malaysian Primary Creative Hub to link into our network of Creative Hubs globally - in the UK we have Ping Works and in China, China Works, etc.  They are all at different stages of development.

The most advance Creative Hub set up to date is Ping Works in the UK - see our website to give you a better idea of our vision.  The website is work-in-progress and the development costs are heavily subsidised by our members, so do excuse us if it is not 100% ready.  Ping Works is a not-for-profit organisation set up to support up-and-coming and established creative people in the UK.

One of the main purposes of the Hub is to enable creative people a platform and opportunity to trade with each other and host events locally and across each other's country.

In Malaysia, the first such event is to bring Chinese artists from China to exhibit their work during China Week over the George Town Festival (GTF) period, 7 June 2013 - 7 July 2013. Joe Sidek, the director of GTF formally invited Malworks to participate. Besides artists, we had looked at bringing over performers - musicians, dancers, martial artists, magicians, singers, acrobats and also Royal chefs (chefs in ancient times who would cook for the emperor) - to show off Chinese cuisine at the event.

But GTF and their sponsors were unable to match the costs for bringing over the performers and chefs for 2013.  In any event, Malworks, plus our partners in the UK and China, will now bring over a group of five Chinese artists to exhibit their work and teach master classes during GTF.  The artists will be in Penang from 15 June 2013 to 22 June 2013 and exhibiting and running their master classes at Alyssa Galeri (opposite the former Loke Thye Kee Restaurant) in Penang Road. 

Please feel free to pass on this detail of the exhibition to all your friends, work colleagues and people who you feel would like to attend and/or support us. Thank you.

Sponsorship appeal. The artists, Malworks and our partners in the UK (Pingworks) and PRC (China Works) have contributed financially to enable the exhibition to proceed at GTF BUT we are also constantly looking for Financial and/or In-kind Support to enable us to put on more events and also to assist more creative people and members of our network of Creative Hubs globally.

So if you can support in any way do let me know. Details below and my mobile number when I am in Malaysia is 017 394 1327. All contributions, big or small for this event, greatly appreciated. You can also contact Jim Lim from Malworks who is also the owner of Clove Hall Boutique Hotel mobile: 012 545 0957.

We would like to show the best of our Malaysian, Penang hospitality to our artist guests from China.  THANK YOU and hope to see you all soon, either socially and/or at the exhibition. Feel free to contact me if you need to know more information and/or if you want to reconnect with me.

Best regards
Peng Seng Ong          
Executive Director, MBS Limited                       
M 07944 517524                 
E  p.ong@mbs-ltd.com        
W www.mbs-ltd.com          
&
Founder & Director, Ping Works Limited/1 Creative Hub
E  peng@pingworks.org
W  www.pingworks.org
&
Founder & Director, Malworks Sdn Bhd
M 017 394 1327