ANDREW STIFF
ANDREW STIFF studied painting at the Chelsea School or Art in London, and gained his masters at the University of Liverpool in England where he explored his interest digital media and architecture. Alongside Andrew’s creative practice he is also the Deputy Dean of the School of Media art and Design, at Linton University College in Malaysia. Andrew Stiff’s research and creative practice is concerned with developing a visual language that explores the intricacies implicit in our built environment. The surface of the city is the visible manifestation of our endeavor to formalise, expand and innovate within the spaces that we create. The physical structures for the city are defined by the events that take place in and around them. The surface of this structure acts as a medium between the inhabitants and the city. This relationship is in continuous evolution, as technology manipulates and redefines the everyday patterns that have defined the city throughout the ages. The experience of the city is a temporal one, and I use moving image to reflect this experience.
AZHARR RUDIN
AZHARR RUDIN has had stints as pizza maker, web designer, contributing photographer and writer for a Malaysian music magazine, before venturing into filmmaking. His MAJIDEE (2005), a film with “trust between strangers” as its central theme, won awards at film festivals in Hawaii, Tokyo and Singapore. His “sophisticated experimental sextet” THE AMBER SEXALOGY debuted at the 2006 Singapore International Film Festival. His films have also been featured in film festivals across the globe and aired by local and international broadcasters, including debut feature film PUNGGOK RINDUKAN BULAN (THIS LONGING) at Pusan 2008. The film was also listed as among the best films of World Cinema in 2008/09. In 2010, Azharr initiated and curated a special alternative film screening programmes and served as Creative Advisor for a creative agency/youth platform in his hometown, Johor Bahru. In 2011, Azharr directed a documentary film on the community behind an archaic local craft in Terengganu.
CHONG KEAT-AUN
Born In Malaysia, CHONG KEAT-AUN is a cross cultural performing artist, radio programmer, deejay, film critic, community art project founder, collaborated on series of art projects nationally and internationally since 2000s. On 9th February 2011, his cross art-cultural radio program won the “Seri Angkasa National Award”, Best Male Radio DJ and became the first Chinese broadcaster to obtain this honour in the Malaysian history. Chong was invited as a film jury for the 29th International Farj Film Festival in Iran 2011 and Hong Kong Documentary Festival 2012. The most fascinating cultural journey of Chong began in 2007 with his passion for Malaysian Chinese Accents. He initiated the project of collating Chinese Accent, focusing on the seven main spoken native tongue, Chinese opera and Folk music that are slowing being eroded in our land. By restoring and reviving the heritage of dialect, Chong was nominated for “Ten Outstanding Young Malaysia Awards 2011” in cultural achievement category.
KOK SIEW-WAI
KOK SIEW-WAI is a video artist, voice improviser and independent artist-organizer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She received her B.A. in Media Study at SUNY Buffalo and M.F.A. in Electronic Integrated Arts at Alfred University, USA. She lived in USA from 1998-2006. Siew-Wai has shown her videos and performed locally and international since 2001, and has participated in festivals such as Busan International Video Art Festival 2013 (Korea), Bangkok Experimental Film Festival 2012, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2007, Les Rencontres Internationales 2007 (France) and many more. Siew- Wai is the co-founder of SiCKL (Studio in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur), co-director of Sama-sama Guesthouse Mini Alternative Art Festival 2010, and co-coordinator of the Notthatbalai Art Festival 2007. As co-founder, director & curator of KLEX since 2010, Siew-Wai has curated special KLEX screening programmes to be shown internationally in Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Korea, Germany, Thailand and USA. She is currently teaching at the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University.