Bön Estates taps into the influence of the five elements to embrace the spirit of unity, community and good health this Chinese New Year
10 February, BANGSAR – The New Year traditionally brings with it boundless opportunities to rejoice with loved ones, renew bonds with friends and family, revive a spirit of unity, and rekindle a sense of harmony and balance that crucially enriches our lives. Each New Year is an opportune moment for a fresh beginning, to reimagine your outlook and pursue life with renewed vigour.
Being a young and dynamic developer, BÖN Estates believes that it is in the business of providing fresh beginnings as it endeavours to curate living solutions that elevate the quality of life and enrich the living experience. However, in approaching this goal it also aims to strike an important balance between the dynamism of modern living concepts and timeless wisdoms about leading a fulfilling life.
Guided by this outlook, the word “BÖN” itself pays tribute to ancient teachings of Tibetan origin that focuses on the five key elements that govern our surroundings, and how the unity of these brings exceptional health, balance and prosperity to our environment.
To usher in the Year of the Dog, members of the growing BÖN Estates community were invited to a unique celebration of unity, harmony, health and prosperity at the BÖN Estates Gallery in Bangsar on February 10th, where the five elements where channelled to create a fun-filled and meaningful event.
“Naturally, our primary incentive was to have fun with loved ones and build strong bonds among those who will be part of our community at our flagship project The Estate, as well as future communities that we are bringing to the landscape. But this was also a wonderful opportunity to share a spirit of harmony in the context of underlying philosophies that drive our concepts and vision for a better life,” said BÖN Estates Managing Director Goh Soo Sing.
Goh explained that the five elements, which influence the ideology and design of all BÖN Estates products, were key influences behind the many activities and lifestyle enrichment workshops planned for the day.
For example, in paying tribute to the element of “Wood”, the developer organised a mammoth community feat by inviting participants to make their mark in Chinese calligraphy on a large paper parchment. This activity was highly symbolic in many ways, as paper comes from wood and provided the canvas on which many individuals would add their personal mark by writing the word “harmony”.
“Ultimately, all these collective writings by many individuals shared a single space, symbolising that out of many, we are still one. This channels our spirit of unity,” Goh explained.
More than that, the choice of paint for the occasion is Kansai Paint’s latest cutting-edge product, Ales Shiquy, which has remarkable air purifying properties among other positive health benefits. Once the parchment was completed, it was cut into individual pieces and returned to guests who participated so they would benefit from a mantelpiece that literally brings “a breath of fresh air” into their home.
In a tribute to “Water”, a flower reading tutorial was organised by Chinese metaphysics academy Soleil Trinity. The flower, symbolising the bounty that water brings forth from the earth, can also provide insights into your inner self and a glimpse of the future according to ancient lore. This activity gave guests important tips into how to read the messages that nature offers us, which ultimately puts us in greater touch with the natural world.
Expanding on this, BÖN Estates also celebrated the “Earth” element by hosting a Grow Your Own Edible Garden workshop. Conducted by terrarium maker Frozen Trees, the workshop promoted a future of self-sufficiency and sustainability by giving guests guidance on how to grow edible items within their own living spaces. Importantly, it also educated home dwellers about how to achieve this in various spaces they have to work with, with nifty solutions to fit all home sizes.
In perhaps one of the more entertaining highlights of the day, the “Metal” element was represented by a giant hamster wheel that made its way to the BÖN Estates Gallery courtesy of Biji Biji Initiative. Guests were invited to make a Hamster Wheel Run, which was both fun to watch and important, because it served to generate energy that was stored in batteries.
Again, this was in line with BÖN Estates’ commitment to a more sustainable future, but the activity also provided plenty of laughs along the way.
Interestingly, the “Fire” element in ancient culture is not only seen as a source of heat, but also represents the energy that flows through our atmosphere. While the Hamster Wheel helped to create a lot of stored energy, the fire element was best represented by the energy and passion that went into the 24 festive drums performance by students from the University Malaya. Guests were brought to their feet in full Chinese New Year cheer and appreciation of the musical artistry displayed by the performers. It was a spirited performance indeed, and BÖN Estates was proud to offer young talents such as these a platform to showcase their skill.
Also, in trademark BÖN Estates fashion, no event at the gallery is complete without gastronomical delights, and the New Year brought together a particularly star-studded line-up.
The Good Co, which operates an in-house café at the gallery was not only on hand to serve up its healthy menu of culinary delights, but was also happy to conduct a workshop on “Build Your Own Oat Jar”. Similarly, Buttercake Factory provided confectionary for the day and also ran a workshop on “Build Your Own Granola Cake Pop”.
Other food maestros that helped colour the event include Monster Chef, Sunflower Organics and Kind Kones, which supplied its unique brand of vegan ice-creams.
Adding even more colour to the event was the presence of lifestyle pop-up retail stalls, which provided a unique boutique shopping experience for guests who wanted pick up a little something to take home.
“Overall, we hope the message our guests took home was that we strongly believe in a healthy, sustainable and balanced living culture. I also hope that we provided many happy memories and meaningful memorabilia to take home with them,” said Goh.
“We enjoy events like this because it allows us to connect with the community, which is important for a developer, but also because it gives others a window into our own soul. At BÖN Estates, it is always important to infuse deeper meaning into everything we do, which can be seen in the way we approach the communities we build as well,” Goh said.
He explained that BÖN Estates put a strong focus on benchmark standards and quality material, but also has equal dedication to the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into its living spaces.
“Ultimately, I hope that this speaks volumes of our honest intent to not just enhance the quality of life, but also add true value to it,” he said.