By Soon Li Wei
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- The rousing opening male chorus and the captivating music of the gamelan set the tone for the entire musical theatre, ‘Mantera Nelayan.’
With the hypnotic rhythms of the gamelan, a completely immersive experience has been created, allowing the audience to escape to the tranquil sounds of the ocean.
The minute the stage was lit, 12 ‘fishermen’ were seen seated cross-legged on the floor, with musical instruments such as the bonang, gambang, saron, kenong, gong and gendang.
As the beating of the gong gained momentum, the sounds of ocean waves crashing on the shore and thunderstorm portrayed by the vibrant energy of the ‘fishermen’, signalled to the audience that they were ready to set sail to earn their livelihood amid rough sea conditions.
Interestingly, all 12 ‘fishermen’ were human-sized puppets fully controlled by musicians in the background.
Although it has been 9 years since the show was originally performed live, this writer recently stumbled upon a recording of the show on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il1S8l3fpG8).
Her excitement was palpable and clearly visible on her face. It would have been more exhilarating if she she had the privilege of witnessing the show in person.
The gamelan piece, Mantera Nelayan, which was performed by Rhythm in Bronze in 2014, was part of the ‘Arus Gangsa’ concert mooted by marine biologist and seagrass expert from Universiti Malaya (UM), Dr Jillian Ooi Lean Sim.
When she is not underwater watching seagrass grow, Ooi is the co-music director of Rhythm in Bronze (RiB), an award-winning contemporary gamelan ensemble based here.
Ooi proves that when scientists apply music to their work, the results can be surprisingly beautiful. And the science-music relationship works well as she is capable of stimulating ears and academics as well.
According to Ooi, RiB’s ‘Mantera Nelayan’ was inspired by her many visits to fishing communities in Johor while undertaking research work on seagrass meadows together with her students.
"The lyrics of this piece come from a real mantera from the Malay community, which was used to ensure the safety of fishers going out to sea.
“This is because they believe that fishing means taking something from the sea, hence, the mantera is used to avert the possibility of some tragedy befalling them,” she told Bernama.
ARTS IN HER BLOOD
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Ooi is known in the marine world, especially related to seagrass and their conservation
Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that form seagrass meadows in shallow coastal waters. They also inhabit areas around mangrove forests and near coral reefs..
In fact, Ooi, who is known for her expertise in the seagrass ecosystem since 2015, was selected as a 2022 recipient of the Pew fellowship in marine conservation. She received a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts to study the growth and best methods to restore seagrass meadows and raise awareness of its importance.
Besides that, the senior lecturer at the Geography Department of Universiti Malaya (UM) was also given the trust to advise two non-governmental organisations which undertake marine resource conservation programmes, Reef Check Malaysia and Kelab Alami Tanjung Kupang.
Who would have guessed besides her interest in marine and seagrass research, Ooi is also passionate about arts, especially in preserving Malay traditional music since her varsity days.
It all started when Ooi was invited to attend a research of gamelan performance at the UM Cultural Centre when she was still a third year Environmental Studies student at UM in 1995.
“1995 was a meaningful year for me as I was ‘accidentally’ exposed to the gamelan traditional musical instruments which were usually performed at convocations and royal events only.
“During that time,, I followed a friend to watch the rehearsals of a community gamelan group led by ethnomusicologist and then music lecturer at Universiti Malaya, Sunetra Fernando.
“My intention was only to watch their training sessions,but Sunetra (Fernando) insisted that I play the gamelan with them,” she shared, with a laugh.
Her defining moment was when she was given the opportunity to strike the gamelan for the first time and fell in love with its resonance and majestic sound.
"Playing the gamelan requires teamwork, I truly enjoyed first attempt at it and the rest is history. Sunetra later set up RiB and I joined her as a musician there and eventually took on the job of Music Director and Artistic Director,” she added.
Despite her busy schedule undertaking research activities and sample collection works on the field, Ooi remained steadfast in her commitment to be part of RiB with regular practices with her teammates every weekend.
“Despite being a lecturer and marine science researcher, my passion towards gamelan is still strong and whenever I’m free, I would go for training together with my colleagues to sharpen my skills,” she said adding that, RiB comprises members from various races and professional backgrounds such as doctors, lawyers and engineers.
OCEAN SOUNDS TRANSLATED INTO GAMELAN PERFORMANCE
For Ooi, playing the gamelan takes her imagination to the depths of the ocean as the gamelan music produces similar ocean sounds that are music to her ears whenever she dives underwater to collect seagrass samples for her research.
“Whenever I dived underwater, I could hear various sounds besides other sounds coming from fishes, shrimps, and other marine life, which gave me a calming effect and a sense of freedom.
“For me, the Malay gamelan instrument is known for its rhythmic patterns that are similar to the sounds of ocean waves,. It not only evokes fond memories spent in the fields, but also has the potential to raise awareness about the critical need to conserve marine life."
“My inspiration is drawn from my field trips to collect research samples and I would jot down notes, and later translate them into music on the gamelan,” she added.
“In fact, quite a lot of our gamelan performances revolved around natural environment, especially those related to marine science and the ocean.
"Our last production in 2014 Arus Gangsa, presented a collection of nine new compositions revolving around the theme of water. The pieces included new compositions that told stories of love, devotion and retribution, all linked to the beauty and power of water and its various forms.” she added.
SEAGRASS CONSERVATION
This time, RiB taken on the challenge to highlight the preservation and conservation of the seagrass ecosystem and the community in the surrounding areas through its gamelan performance to be held this August.
Ooi said after a two-year hiatus from gamelan music due to the Movement Control Order (MCO), the Gamelan group has bounced back with a mega production aimed at raising public awareness on the importance of protecting the seagrass ecosystem.
“After two long years due to the MCO, we finally laid our hands on the gamelan last year. To be honest, it felt a little strange at first.
“Getting back the momentum is no mean feat but with cooperation and the ‘chemistry’ established with our team members, we are reviving our gamelan music and are now ready for the mega show,” she added.
The gamelan premiere production,which is collaboration between the arts performance community, scientists and residents from Mukim Tanjung Kupang, Johor will hit the stage at Bobo Kuala Lumpur from May 3 to May 6 and at Pentas 2, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) this August.
According to Ooi, this performance is part of her Pew Marine Fellowship project to promote awareness on seagrass ecosystems.
Ooi said seagrass is often overlooked in the conservation agenda in Malaysia and they are at risk of disappearing from the oceans because of water pollution and land reclamation.
"We call seagrass the ugly duckling of the sea as they don't get a lot of respect compared with corals and mangroves. Most people find corals and mangroves visually appealing, while seagrass is more humble looking.
"But, I like to fight for things that people don’t think there is value and seagrass is the underdog of all the marine ecosystems," she explained, adding that her husband, Affendi Yang Amri, a coral reef ecologist and research officer with UM's Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, took some convincing.
She said while doing field research with Affendi, they found that coral reefs attracted a lot of big, beautiful fish... fish that contributed to the aquarium trade.
"Meanwhile, the seagrass meadows attracted a lot of colourless fish that were not beautiful at all and no one would want in their aquariums.
"But these were fish that we eat, all of them that end up on our table were at the seagrass meadows, so we really should care about our seagrass because they provide are the fish that we feed on," she said.
She hopes to see more crossovers between the sciences and the arts, as science will inspire performing arts and performing arts will inspire science.”
"That's the whole point of doing this gamelan performance under the Pew project.
"While music isn't going to reverse climate change or the decline of seagrass meadows, it's a step towards reversing the decline of nature in culture, and that matters.
"If we want to change the world to safeguard nature and ourselves, we first have to see it. The Performing Art can do that," she said.
PRODUCTION TEAM TO TANJUNG KUPANG
Meanwhile, RiB executive producer Sharmini Ratnasingam revealed that the team, alongside Ooi, embarked on a visit to Mukim Tanjung Kupang in Iskandar Puteri, Johor.
Their goal was to gain a deeper understanding of the lives of local fishermen, as well as to study the seagrass research areas in collaboration with the Kelab Alami Mukim Tanjung Kupang.
Together, they explored the seagrass ecosystem, delved into mangrove forests, and even accompanied the fishermen on their fishing trips at sea.
“Through our Immersive Lab programme in February 2023, our composers and creative team are given a platform to fully immerse themselves and be inspired to compose music and deliver the best possible performance for the production.
“By experiencing the fishermen's environment and community first-hand, we can authentically tell their story through our gamelan performance.,” she added.
"At RiB, it is an opportunity for all members to build momentum and cultivate great chemistry. Whether it's musicians, singers, or creative team, we understand that a synchronised performance relies on the strength of our bonds. That's why we've been pushing ourselves tirelessly through rehearsals, to ensure that our upcoming shows are nothing short of spectacular,"she said.
She said those interested in watching the RiB upcoming performances can visit their website at
Translated by Salbiah Said
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