Taking Shelter

I arrived at Lebuh Ampang quite early. There was a stage already set up but nobody's playing. The comedy show I was waiting to see was some time away. And it threatened to rain.

Time to make a timely escape. Rather than going into the Urbanscapes House, I decided to walk on to Central Market. I parked myself at one of the cage and had some drinks.

Might as well order something for the afternoonI was still there an hour later with the sound of thunder ringing outside. Not the time to go yet. But the owner - a fierce-looking Chinese lady - was giving me the look. She sent her waiter a couple of times to clear my table. Luckily there were a few European visitors occupying the table next to me, and they were still there. I guess I would be pretty safe.

The weather didn't seem to let up. I was practically stuck here as I parked my car at Nu Sentral. I'll give it another 30 minutes before making my move...

The Basement Vault

After missing the basement in my first visit, I returned to see what was going on down there.

The Urbanscape House used to be a bank. And the basement was where the vault and safes were located. The vault being huge, meant that when the previous owner evacuated, they did not bother taking the vault down. Too much hard work I would've thought.

Bathed in neon lightBadass!The morning ritual ...Like this also can ....The Urbanscapes organiser decided to utilise this space into an underground alternative art scene. Coupled with dimmed and neon hues, it certainly worked the charm.

But I found the work featured in the vault itself tonne fascinating. And they could've easily been confiscated as they did not mince words. Some direct reference onto the current political scene were on offer. Subtle again, but once you got it, they certainly put their point across succinctly.

Attack of the Ah LongHey! I got that T-shirt!Many gems in there!Melayu, Cina, India dan lain-lainStop stealing Rosmah's bag!!I would've dare suggest that those posters were put in public places. You'd expect some UMNO members in red shirts to come matching in yelling at us on how much we should respect our leaders. A funny spectacle though should that happen. Especially when I saw the emblem of the Youth and Sports Ministry at the brochure. Subversive!

So, should you be visiting the Urbanscape House in the next week, please be sure to check out the basement.

The Urbanscapes House

It was finally back. And the new format had been a reassuring departure. Urbanscapes was coming back into town. And this time around it was snack into the heart of KL.

Rather than making it exclusive - and damn expensive - the organiser got the clue that the festival should be about the urbanites. By having a core in the middle of town - a converted old office building in Jalan Kasturi - as the heart of the festival, the party would be accessible to everybody. And you can get a sample of the festivities for free. If you wanted more, you can always pay for the gigs going on around town.

Want to try your luck?The main lobby with the stage on the backgroundLet's check the other floorsAt the Urbanscapes House when I visited yesterday, there were an art exhibit - at the basement and the first floor - cafés and shops on the other floor. There was a stage on the ground floor which I understood would be hosting some short film screening as well.

It was lively and happening on the ground floor while at the same time quiet and reflective at the art rooms. The layout of the house was just perfect for this kind of event personally and I find the whole set up refreshing. Like an oasis in the middle of the city - ironic that it was raining when I arrived.

Those were the themes I supposed ...The skateboard exhibition .... more on that laterYou can also choose to chill ....The location was ideal of you were taking the LRT - either you stop at Pasar Budaya or Masjid Jamek. For outdoor event, Medan Pasar was just right across the street from the House.

I was impressed with the skateboard exhibition on the first floor. I was surprised that some of the local exhibitor had been showcasing their work abroad all this while. The curating was also quite neat.

Some word game ....A peek outside from the verandah on the top floorTime to head back ....The final thing to mention was the verandah on the top floor. It would take you out to the open with a view of both the flag at Dataran Merdeka on one side and Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower on the other. A nice touch.

The House would be opened until the 7th of May.

UNESCO Day Malaysia 2015

As usual, I love to be nosy. I like to know what was going on in KL all the time and if it was a form of festival, with food involved, I always tried to be there. That was how I discovered Urbanscape - in the old more chilled-out form - back in 2009. Since it had gone commercial, I felt that there is a devoid in independent, urban event organised by the locals, for the locals.

After visiting the UNESCO Day, I was still searching.

There was a couple of events going on around KL last weekend. The first - probably the bigger was the Pesta Belia Putrajaya - Putrajaya Youth Festival - held of course in Putrajaya, organised by the Ministry of Youth. Not exactly well advertised, and I only learned about it through Twitter. The sad thing was finding more information about it proved a pain, and I felt that it wouldn't be worth making the trip across to Putrajaya when I couldn't really plan the day.

That was shelved.

Next up, it was Hari UNESCO Malaysia - Malaysia UNESCO Day. It was under the umbrage of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and as expected the two ministries don't really plan things together, hence the clash!

In terms of venue, the UNESCO Day won hands down since transport to and from Dataran Merdeka was easy and admission was free and all. A quick walk from Central Market and you were already there. Easy decision in the end.

Originally I wanted to take Anita along but she felt a bit under the weather, although I suspect that she was worried that it would be raining. I set off alone after parking my car at KL Sentral, taking the LRT to Masjid Jamek. And the weather was gorgeous.

The venue was split into a couple of areas. The main exhibition area - a rather formal affair complete with stage and VIP seating area. The other area was mainly to chill out - foodtrucks and tables. In between, there was the Dataran Undrgrnd - shaded area which used to be a carpark, fully airconditioned if you need shelter from the sun and rain, and also where the toilets and surau were located. Really convenient.

I spent the afternoon mainly at the foodtruck area as well as the far side of Jalan Raja where the street arts were located. As a place to chill out in the middle of the city on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the UNESCO Day was a winner. The sun, and some really nice coconut jelly was just heavenly ..... Would definitely come again for the sun and food. But for the exhibits? It was way too formal, something you'd expect to see in an expo hall. And I have attended far too many conferences before ....

More photos from this event at my Flickr page here.