Rhythm In Bronze's Ooi (left), artistic and music director, and Sharmini, executive producer, performing at the 'Gema Gamelan' concert in Kuala Lumpur in May. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli
Do you hear them? The seagrass meadows gently beckoning you to listen to their tale?
In Seruan Setu - The Secret Gardens Of The Sea, award-winning contemporary gamelan group Rhythm in Bronze takes the audience on a journey to learn about Malaysia’s endangered seagrass meadows.
The multi-disciplinary show is set to play at Pentas 2, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) from Aug 24-27.
Every note, rhythm and melody in the performance has been carefully curated to tell a story about these vital marine ecosystems and the people who rely on them for their livelihoods.
Theatre stalwart Zahim Albakri, the show’s artistic director, says that the team behind the show participated in “immersive labs” that took them to Tanjung Kupang, Johor to speak with local fishermen and visit the nearby seagrass meadows, known as "beting" in Bahasa Malaysia.
“In the show, we aim to create a similarly immersive experience for the audience. Each composition – which are all inspired by the seagrass meadows we visited – will have different elements, such as animation, video, vocalists and dancers,” says Zahim.
At the heart of Seruan Setu is contemporary gamelan music - 10 songs tied together in a narrative woven through seagrass. Besides the material from Rhythm In Bronze’s songbook, the performance at KLPac features six new works, written by composers such as Adilah Junid, Mohamad Faliq Che Adeni and Teuku Umar Ilany.
Rhythm In Bronze concert is set to return to the big stage with its new production 'Seruan Setu' at KLPac. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli
Master traditional drummer Mohd Kamrulbahri Hussin, who is also a musical director, arranger, music lecturer and composer, will also be driving the percussion in Seruan Setu.
Another key person behind Seruan Setu is the show's choreographer Aida Redza, who maintains that dance isn't just art, but a dialogue - a dynamic blend of tradition and innovation.
Five Arts Centre's Mark Teh, a performance maker, researcher, and curator, is the show's content mapper, and responsible for weaving together the varying aspects of the storyline – with a mixture of science facts, real stories from the field, and a repertoire of gamelan compositions inspired by different facets of seagrass.
Zahim also reveals that even a scientist will be going up on stage as a guest performer.
“You’ll have to come for the show to find out more, though,” he teases.
Marine ecosystem under threat
So what does Seruan Setu mean?
“We actually chose the title so that people would be curious and ask about it,” says Zahim.
The title of the performance is taken from the setu, or tape seagrass. Known as the largest tropical seagrass species, its long, ribbon-like leaves can stretch up to 1.5m and are anchored by robust root systems.
Malaysia is home to at least 16 species of seagrass and is third in the world for seagrass diversity. Seagrass meadows can be found off the coasts of Sabah, Sarawak, and the southern and eastern portions of Peninsular Malaysia.
Zahim, who directed the award-winning film Spilt Gravy On Rice, says that he learned a lot while working on the show.
“Seagrass meadows play such a vital role in marine life, coastal communities and can help in the fight against climate change, but they tend to be overshadowed by coral reefs and mangrove forests, even though seagrass meadows are among the most threatened habitats in the world," he elaborates.
The 'Immersive Lab' group visit to the seagrass meadows near Tanjung Kupang, Johor. Photo: Nuradilla Mohamad Fauzi
“Through Seruan Setu, we hope to raise awareness about seagrass and why they’re so important, because it’s not just a Malaysian issue, it’s a global one – the decline of seagrass meadows affects everyone in the long run.”
Beyond the stage
The concept behind Seruan Setu is the brainchild of Rhythm in Bronze’s artistic/music director, Jillian Ooi, who is also a marine ecologist and senior lecturer at Universiti Malaya. It is supported by Pew Marine Fellowship, MyCreative Ventures and Yayasan Warisan Johor.
The story began when Ooi was selected as one of six Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation in 2022, which came with a grant to study seagrass restoration.
She had never mixed gamelan and science before, but she knew the arts could reach people in a different way. She then proposed to Pew to create one gamelan piece to accompany this seagrass project.
Sharmini Ratnasingam, Rhythm In Bronze producer, urged Ooi to find ways to develop a theatre production that was inspired by the scientific research.
Last year, they decided it was time for the group to create a new gamelan theatre production (the last major show by Rhythm In Bronze was Arus Gangsa in 2014). In May this year, Rhythm In Bronze returned with the Gema Gamelan club show series in KL, which served as a "gamelan 101" preview leading up to the production of Seruan Setu at KLPac this week.
"Seruan Satu is different from Gema Gamelan because we used the gamelan theatre approach where we perform music pieces theatrically, with movement, text, projections and dramatic lighting," said Ooi.
"And also, Seruan Setu is all about building a community of arts practitioners dedicated to environmental conservation and creating new work dedicated to conservation. In this case, we used seagrass as the model," she added.
Rhythm In Bronze, which was founded in 1997, comprises multi-ethnic members from various professional backgrounds, including scientists, lecturers, lawyers, and engineers. It continues to open up new paths for contemporary gamelan theatre works in Malaysia.
“Despite being a lecturer and marine science researcher, my passion towards gamelan is strong and whenever I’m free, I would go for rehearsals together with my colleagues to sharpen my skills,” said Ooi in a recent Bernama interview.
Rhythm In Bronze playing at a packed out club show in KL in May. The gamelan group is set for a more elaborate theatre production this week at KLPac with 'Seruan Setu'. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli
“Whenever I dive underwater, I could hear various sounds coming from fishes, shrimps, and other marine life, which gave me a calming effect and a sense of freedom. “To me, the Malay gamelan instrument is synonymous with rhythmic patterns that emulate the sound of ocean waves. It not only evokes fond memories spent in the field, but also has the potential to raise awareness about the critical need to conserve marine life,” she added.
At KLPac, the team's photographer Michelle Yip will also curate a mini photo exhibition, giving the theatre masses a glimpse of the conservation project in Tanjung Kupang, Johor.
The team behind Seruan Setu also plans to host a public roundtable on Aug 29 at Universiti Malaya, after the show’s run.
Those who attended the show are entitled to free entry to the roundtable, an initiative that combines performing arts and marine conservation to shed light on the challenges facing the fragile seagrass ecosystem.
Participants will be able to witness and take part in an exchange of diverse ideas between artists, conservationists and scientists on how to pave the way for marine conservation and explore the inspirations and stories behind the performance, which helped generate new strategies for seagrass conservation.
Seruan Setu plays at Pentas 2, KLPac from Aug 24-27. More info here.
