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Article | KLUE magazine | Issue #126

Article by KL Lifestyle magazine

Article by: KL Lifestyle by Dian Pasquinal Kaur

In the world of Closetcrafty, junk doesn’t exist. Everything can be recycled and reused. Blog owner, Penny Yuen, is one environmentally conscious lass who claims to dig (literally) scavenging and transforming junk into useful things which she aptly calls ‘trashure’. She assumes the name Pokok and her alter ego eco warrior plays the role of a story teller cum educator who emphasizes the importance of saving the environment. Penny puts her creative knack to use and creates little cushions, soft toys, pencil cases, pouches and key chains from leftover fabrics and other materials. Her antique stationary collection is a marvel to look at and they are in great working conditions too. She also takes you down memory lane whilst reacquainting you with really old phone indexes, paper clips, sharpeners, rulers and more. If only there were more environmentally-conscious human beings like her, the world would definitely be a better place and we will never have to make absurd plans like sending our junk into outer space. She is also a common feature at The Weld’s Joujou & Shugi Toy Art Mart.

Pecha Kucha Night | KL | Vol.5

I did it! I finally did it!!! I may seem like a toughy but when it comes to public speaking - my ultimate fear factor - i turn into tofu. i don't know if I have the guts to do it again but it was surely a liberating experience. A big thanks to British Council and especially Sunitha and Pat for making it less daunting for me.

The event was held at The Apartment at KLCC, about 100+ people turned up , we expected a lot less tho. Met Wai Lam , Sarah, Nazim who are truly talented designer, artist, photographer. my friends Lisa+SooSim and Jo Foo were awesome too!

Read more about them here, an article featured by The Edge


Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each - giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up.

Article by Emmagem.com

Penny Yuen- Story Teller

Nov 4, 2008 Author: yetmee

emmagem.com , met up with the Penny Yuen recently and over a cup of coffee ,got to know this talented graphic designer and “eco- warrior alter ego”. Well, Penny would not be your ideal image of a “warrior , because she is very petite. But whoever said that heroism is measured by one’s physical size obviously forget, that it is the fighting spirit that counts!

Known for her alter ego eco warrior ,Pokok ,a soft toy, http://www.ecowarriorpokok.blogspot.com/, Penny takes on the role of story teller, talking and educating people about Pokok’s cause in saving the environment.

Pokok, Sherlock Holmes of a teddy bear , started his “career” by investigating the harm done to turtles due to pollution and use of plastic bags after hearing about their plight from Mr Loh, Director of Malaysian Nature’s Society. The first investigation into the turtle family’s desctruction was told with the unfinished turtles’ bodies in various states of decomposition at The Recylist’s “No Plastic Concert” in July 2008. Penny told of Pokok’s anger againts humans and his criminal investigation into their role in the destruction of the environment! She told the story with Pokok at the makeshift graveyard for the turtles with polystyrene lunch boxes as coffins!!(see pix above). Her funniest moment was when ‘the green family ” knelt to pay their respects .

According to Penny, ” it is easy to tell the story through Pokok , because people just naturally warm up to Pokok and usually come up to ask about him”…quite brilliant, I’d say because environmentalist messages sometimes comes across as too preachy , so in this way the graphically strong message is loud and clear but softened with a soft toy…Pokok has also met up with a new friend Chiquitita recently, to know full story go to the www.ecowarriorpokok. blogspot.com.

On a personal note, Penny plays her own part in saving the economy through a “non-consumption” policy! She believes everything is driven by supply and demand, so she is adamant in not contributing her part.
She personally only has about ten pieces of necessary clohing in her wardrobe. She also tries to eat and support the organic lifestyle. What about birthday gifts and all “…well people understand and I also try to make things to give away..”.

Penny’s next event would probably be held at Kiara Park, she is thinking of the “graveyard” on a bigger scale…with the full funereal effects like the music and ceremony. It would be quite dramatic, I reckon. Nothing like a shock to the system to get the message across, sometimes…

By the way , Penny’s artwork is also recently exhibited in the Man and God Exhibition in Beijing.

closetcrafty in THE STAR

Thursday July 31, 2008

Yuen’s green creations are not for sale

COLOUR ME GREEN

By THO XIN YI
Photos by CHUA KOK HWA

Turning junk into art is not unheard of, but Penelope Yuen is one of those few who live by the earth-saving rule.

The self-taught graphic designer had been very keen in creating things from junk since her teens, and that had attracted disapproving looks and later, admiration from the people around her.

Not just a knapsack: Yuen with her eco warrior, Pokok.

“I chanced upon a broken chair by the street and took it home, thinking that it was such a waste to throw it away as I could fix it in some ways.

“At first, my mum asked why I was bringing lap sap (junk) home but after she saw how I transformed the chair by painting it up and making it look new, she was very surprised and said it was very beautiful,” said the 36-year-old.

However, it was not until recently that she took up the hobby seriously under her Closet Crafty label.

“I attended the Utter Rubbish conference in Singapore in November last year, which brought in international designers to encourage people to use less and create more things,” Yuen said.

She then saw for herself the value in these green activities and started to create more things for the I Am Not Junk series, including notepads, dolls, pencil cases, bookmarks and bags... more

in the media l china press 19 july

TRANSLATED BY BABELFISH.YAHOO.COM
(haha the translation is bizarre but guess this will have to do for now till i get better translation)
Compassion colored glaze
The colored glaze workshop moves the design specially, and limits the quantity promotes this named “heart of the earth is so beautiful” the colored glaze end product, designs wraps the compassion by the day lily, unfolds to the earth flowers and plants and animal's compassion, this end product only limits the new horse two place sells.

Creativity doll
The body wears for the plane designer's free worker, the display creativity work, on the doll body's knapsack is she uses T- to pity the cotton material to sew becomes.

china pressclosetcrafty's i'm not junk series took an about turn when the element of greed was removed. i feel when you want to do good it has to come from the heart without expecting anything in return. hence i decided that this series should not be for profit. it's objective is to educate about our dying earth and inspire others to re-use, re-duce and re-cycle. these words are used so loosely that it's starting to mean nothing to many. but i hope my warriors will be able to hit a few nerves at some point