Me at Urbanscapes 2012

I had a full clinic in the morning. Returned to Gombak to get changed, before leaving the house again at around 3. Then, I was caught in traffic with the Himpunan Hijau folks making their was along DUKE Highway.

Parked my car at AmCorp Mall, planned to make the 10 minutes walk across Federal Highway to get to Padang Astaka. Arriving at the entrance, I was told that the entrance was at the other end of the field. And that was the only entrance. That meant I had to walk around Jalan Utara, a kilometer and a half away just to get into the field. Sigh! 20 minutes later, I paid my RM90 entrance fee and ambled my way into Urbanscapes 2012. Not much fun wasn't it. But at least it was in glorious sunshine.

We are talking oppa bendang style here!It was around 4.30 when I finally made it in. Did I feel the vibe? Hmm! To a certain extend I did. Then I realised how much Urbanscapes has changed. And the mud just spoiled my mood. Luckily I was sure that my maid wouldn't mind cleaning my shoes later.

I started by venturing into the stalls by the entrance. Mainly clothing and ornaments. Nice ones at that. Then to the food stalls, and the stages. A young DJ was plying his trade while the crowd just ignored him. I was looking around for performances, but none was to be found. More stalls then.

I approached one of the smaller stage where a band was playing. Nice live music. All their own songs. Quite nice. I left after they closed their set. Again I wanted to see improvisation and performances. Music was good, but I was looking for a bit more. Maybe my timing was off.

I said hi to a few of my friends. Some of them were involved with the event this year, but most of them, like me were just there to enjoy what was on offer. I went to look for some drinks. It was hot and sunny. Some nice chilled cola would be nice.

The main cafe was cordoned off for Moslem as they served alcohol unfortunately. But there were plenty of stalls to get food from. I just had some drinks, and were soon again looking around.

It struck me as odd that Volkswagen was there. Target audience - hipsters? But wrong cars. The were a few Polo, but there mainly sedan. No new Beatle. Next to it, Hong Leong Bank. Again, was I missing something here? Next to that was AirAsia. I could understand why they were here, but the other tenants just didn't add up.

Well. Let's move on shall we. Well away from the main stage, from the main attractions were the creative area. This was the heartbeat of Urbanscapes from the years gone past. They seemed to be at the background in this year's chapter.

I was glad that Urbanscapes was still going strong, but personally again i felt hat it had lost its soul. Urbanscapes were supposed to be for the underground rather than the mainstream. We don't want to escape the common daily chores for more of the same mainstream stuff. We have shopping malls for that. Maybe they were turning into Jom Heboh! I wouldn't bet against that. I hope that the organiser would rethink what Urbanscapes were all about. Because if they don't, I wouldn't be surprised if there were alternatives sprouting out. Perish that thought!

Urbanscapes 2012

I learned about it in 2008. Attended it the first time in 2009. Missed 2010 due to work. Heavily involved with the event in 2011. A spectator for 2012. Urbanscapes celebrated her 10th chapter last weekend. And it was bigger than ever. And with the sheer size, the soul had been diluted somehow. And part of me felt sad.

It used to be hip. It showcased local talent. We were talking about talents which had yet to become mainstream. The acts featured were underground and beloved. There was a sense of us then. Now, it was all money and commercial. Sponsors and profit. A shame really. Yuna started here. Zee Avi started here when she was still KokoKaina.

Urbanscapes now expanded to fill a whole weekend - a couple of days. Traditionally held in the middle of the year, it was shifted this year due to Ramadhan. Venue was the same as last year - Padang Astaka - which contribute somewhat to the loss its magic. I stated last year that I preferred KLPAC, and did not buy the excuse that it was too expensive a venue there - well, the charge was RM90 for a Saturday pass alone, and more than RM200 for the whole weekend. KLPAC offered better shelter from the elements, and also allowed for indoor showcases to be featured.

And talking about the elements, having a festival - an outdoor one at that - during the Monsoon was never going to be a good idea. They managed to be blessed with sunshine for most of the couple of days, but the muddy field explains much about the risk. But maybe, that was part of the charm. Having limited number of entrance and exit though - minus easy parking - was certainly not charming. That area of PJ was not overly blessed with public transport either.

Padang Astaka also appeared too big for the event. There were too many open space which the organiser struggled to fill. The saving grace was this allowed for space to dance and enjoy the music. Mind you, you would be on the muddy fields then. There were hardly any shelter though. Not even proper area to sit and chill.

Enough about the negatives. The eclectic mix of the hip and the trendy were there for all to see. The price of items and beverages were still on the steep side, but one would expect that in such circumstances. A few nice shops, some really nice things to browse and buy. Nothing unexpected. Almost the same as last year, but some things you would struggle to get in one place elsewhere. What I missed was some improv and comedy. There were none to see during my visit there. Maybe my timing was off then.

As for the music, the ones I managed to sample was well groovy. Sound system was great, but shame about the mud. A bit of a put off really. It was nice to come back to Urbanscapes and see how it grew, but I still feel that it had grown too big for its boots. It ain't so cute anymore!

You know something was not right when you had booth by AirAsia and Hong Leong Bank, and a showroom - complete with cars - by Volkswagen. At Urbanscapes? Certainly not my cup of tea ........ Personally, I think it had lost its soul ..... What a shame. More negatives than positives I was afraid .....

Final Thoughts

Echoing what I mentioned in the previous posts, Urbanscapes 2011 was fun, but I personally felt that 2009 was better. This unfortunately had a lot to do with the venue. Why? An arts festivals should be outdoor isn’t it? But not if your niche is audiovisual. You would need a combination of the two. At KLPAC, there were indoor audiotorium, indoor concert arena, indoor exhibition area and studios, to supplement the outdoor party, complete with an outdoor concert stage as well as a more organised DJ area and grassland for party, as well as a separate area for food and stalls. It was just a perfect venue for this kind of festival.

KLPAC was also right in the middle of town, in an oasis so to speak, with Sentul Park at one end, and a lake, with a koi pond for good measure. Parking was also much more organised, and should you be late and had to park outside, the walk into KLPAC was also a pleasant one. There were better toilet facilities, the area for the various events were near each other. Should it be raining, one just need to scamper into ether the main building or the annex. Imagine if there was a thunderstorm at Astaka. We had to evacuate the field I was sure. There was also plenty of area at KLPAC for you to wind down indoors, not to mention a comfortable area for solat.

If I was allowed to vote, definitely I would go for KLPAC.

What were the positives? Plenty of toilets for a start, and not to mentioned the excellent sign postings and cleaning attendants - plenty of them around. The organisers were also very helpful. We had crew form KLue checking up on us to see if there was anything missing that we needed fixing for the day. The soggy field did not dampen the enthusiasm of the punters. The vast size of Astaka field however gave the illusion of not many people attending. I was sure there were just as much. Everybody who did turn up were in good spirit however.

Astaka was also more accessible by public transport compared to KLPAC, but from what I observed, the majority still took their own car and parked nearby. As for my KLickr friends, we had a blast although it was tiring. Given better circumstances, things could have gone a lot better. Time and budget constraint limit us somewhat, and as I mentioned previously, we made the most out of it in the end. Work commitments did get on my way unfortunately, and I wished that I can spend more effort to make it better. Unfortunately, at the rate I am going,I don’t think I could be contributing mush next year, where ever it would be held.

KLPAC vs Astaka

This pics summed up Urbanscapes 2009, simple, cosy and funI went on quite a bit about how much I felt that transferring the Urbanscapes venue from KLPAC to Astaka in the previous entry. I personally felt that more or less, the event had lost its charm. The main difference was the fact that KLPAC offered an indoor facility. Having the event in a big was restrictive, especially if you depended on visual and audio projection for your presentation. At KLPAC, we would have been able to present using a proper soundstage and projector, away from the hustle and bustle of the loud PA system. Our presenter had to practically shout at the top of their voice to make their ideas to be heard, and it really spoilt their presentation. Not to mention also that the surrounding was too bright for their slides to project as intended. We had to move the projector forward nearer the screen and we ended with a tiny slideshows in the end. Not ideal.

At the KLickrVille, during the 5 Minute Photo Express

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harisrahman/5944721541/in/set-72157627198960682

There was also the humidity and the heat. Indoor facilities at KLPAC offered air-conditioning, as well as proper toilets and most importantly, decent facility for solat. It was too loud at Astaka to do any of that. This certainly put a lot of people off. The Padang Astaka also felt too big and scarce, not the cosy green surrounding if KLPAC. There were plenty of trees there, and there were separate outdoor and indoor concert venue. We were lucky that there was no rain on the day. Rain is something one can cope with but imagine a heavy downpour, with lightning and thunder? Being in an open field was never a great idea. Some might argue that Astaka would be cheaper and hence the cost would not be transferred to the punters. Well, RM 40 for the entrance fee, plus RM 10 for a plain hotdog with a can of Coke was not exactly exactly cheap was it? I found the argument about cost a rather lame one. I believe that if the event was great, people would flock in. I remembered Urbanscapes being really a tight squeeze in 2009. There a charm in that.

Will I return for a similar event in 2012? Of course I would, but that would be to support local outdoor arts activities, something that I felt the great city of KL should embrace. It was clearly a better advertisement of 1Malaysia than any Government vehicles could offer. There were scattered murmuring of another event which happened the previous weekend - *cough* Bersih *cough* - but nobody, except for a guy in a Pikachu suit was wearing yellow. There was even a voter registration booth on site for good measure. Everything was peaceful, and it was a grand day out still. However, I might just hang around for a bit if the venue is Astaka. Should the venue return to KLPAC however, I would snatch for a ticket even today ........

Urbanscapes 2011

It's Monday. And Urbanscapes was 48 hours ago. My head was still buzzing from the laughter excitement and music from the day. This time I was heavily involved with the KLickr events this time around. It was a long and tiring day. But looking back, I was rather proud of what we done especially the 5 minutes Photo Express. Oh! And before I go on, please look at my collection of photographs from the day here.

I missed last year's event as I was in Lumut giving a lecture. This year, the went was moved from KLPAC to Padang Astaka in PJ. Before I go any further, I can sense there were two groups of people who turned up that day, the first-timer who heard great things or been told of activities happening at Urbanscapes in the previous years, and those who had been to previous events. I belong to the second group - yes, I'm old - and there was a part of me that felt Urbanscapes has lost some of its charm. KLPAC was cosy and should I say, rather exclusive. It was like an escape IN THE MIDDLE of KL.

Tumbleweeds maybe?Even Pikachu was around ....The hotair balloon was unfortunately all hot air. It was a non-event ....Fancy a cup of tea?Batman with lipstick?And the night festivities kicked off after dark ....

You drive into the greenery of Sentul Park and in the middle of nowhere you would find a lake, and a studio, with cosy, breezy surrounding. The organizer might try to convince you otherwise, but the charm was now clearly not there anymore. KLPAC also allowed for both indoors and outdoors activities but I shall keep discussions on a later date. As for this entry, I just want to let the pictures tell the story ......