Ssegar Angin: The Healing Art Project is a contemporary version of Malay traditional healing performances inspired by Main Puteri and Mak Yong. This project is a special designated program developed by fusing the power of art with therapeutic elements which highlight the positive benefits of connecting art with mental health and well- being. The Ssegar Angin Project uses sound and body movement to heal the internal psychic and spiritual body based on the Malay traditional healing performances such as Main Puteri and Mak Yong. In Malay culture, traditional healing performances have existed for hundreds of years. These performances use sound/music, movements, and mantras to address different kinds of ailments. There are three elements in the Ssegar Angin performances: the music (soundscapes created by sound artists), body movements (dance choreography inspired by Main Puteri/Mak Yong), and Jjampi (mantras recited by bomoh, a Malay shaman). Ssegar Angin or “revitalizing the energy” is the process of healing the internal psychic and spiritual healing energy which transpired within the panggung or “theater” through sound and movement. It is an embodiment of metaphysical relationships between creation and the Creator. The sounds of the instruments, chanting and the movements are believed to be capable of activating the angin or semangat (energy) of the participants and enabling them to be receptive – Serah diri or “surrender” to the performance stimuli hence possible to revitalize their spiritual well being.

Kamal Sabran is a Malaysian artist-academic-researcher. He received his PhD in Art and Design (New Media) from Universiti Teknologi MARA in 2017. His work is interdisciplinary and exists at the intersections of art, science, and technology. His research work focuses on art-based interventions for mental health and well-being. Experimental music, performance art, and electronic installations are among his artistic endeavors. He received the Malaysian National Art Gallery’s “Best New Media Artist Award” for Young and Contemporary in 2004, as well as the “Best NOKIA Music Video Director” award in 2005. In 2005, he was Artist-in-Residence at the Malaysian National Space Agency, and in 2015, he was a musician-in-residence at the 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica, California. In 2022, he has been invited to participate in the Venice Art Biennale in Italy. He is also the founder of the “Space Gambus Experiment,” an experimental music/sound art collective, and The Healing Art Project that focuses on art-health initiatives for mental health and wellbeing. He has scored award-winning films with directors such as Mamat Khalid, Shanjhey Kumar, Tan Chui Mui, Ho Yuhang, Pete Teo, among many others. He is currently an editor for Wacana Seni Arts Discourse Journal and a senior lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang.

Website: https://spacegambusexperiment.bandcamp.com/

Soc Med: https://www.secure.instagram.com/kamalsabran/