20th Macao City Fringe Festival inaugurated

Date of publication: 20/01/2021
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The opening ceremony of the 20th Macao City Fringe Festival, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), was held on 20 January, at the Rotunda de Carlos da Maia. The ceremony was attended by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mok Ian Ian; representatives of the participating art groups of this edition of the Fringe Festival; the Head of the Department of Performing Arts Development, Iu Wai Man; the Head of the Division of Performing Arts, Chou Wai In. Adopting the concept of “All around the city, our stages, our patrons, our artists”, this year’s Fringe Festival features 18 extraordinary programmes and 16 outreach activities from 20 to 31 January in every corner of Macao.

The participatory exhibition “Art Exhibition for All”, in line with the theme of this year’s Fringe Festival “Everyone is an Artist”, also officially opened at the same time, providing a platform for the public to display their creative works from 20 to 25 January at Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, and from 26 to 31 January next to the Flower City Park. Interested parties are welcome to submit artworks during the exhibition period. Creativity comes first, regardless of forms and themes. An improvisation zone is also available on-site for the public to express their creativity. Application forms can be downloaded from IC’s website and the Fringe Festival’s website.

The series “Crème de la Fringe: Todos Fest!” presents the programme The Never-ending Task of the Moment at 8pm on the same day, at the Black Box Theatre in the Old Court Building, where the Comuna de Pedra Arts and Cultural Association will work with people with physical and mental disabilities to draw their own map of world views which crosses the boundaries of language, culture, common labels and personal barriers.

Highlights of the first week include: programmes of the series “Crème de la Fringe: On Site” which use body language as the domain, allowing audiences to appreciate contemporary dance art from city spaces to a theatre; the series “Crème de la Fringe: Todos Fest!” which brings programmes by local dancers, elderly people and people with physical and mental disabilities, sharing the precious moments of life through dance; Live on Suspension: a Performative Installation in 5 Chapters allows the audience to peek, observe and sense the dark side of group or individual consciousness, thereby reflecting on what it means to be a perpetrator, and what it means to be a victim; the programme F’art for U delivers various art performances to the audience, and tickets can be purchased through the mobile application “Aomi”, “WhatsApp” or telephone. For details, please visit www.fart4u.com or the “Fart4u” page on Facebook; the Enigma of the Actress is held in a bar, where audience members will hunt for the murderer; The Distance between the Ocean and Us – Puppetry Playback Theatre will improvise stories about varying distance with the ocean; Focus to – Release Creation Experience encourages participants to be aware of their moments of focus and release; Work Inspired Workouts – Macao Market Version records the bodies and memories at the market through movements.

This edition of the Fringe Festival also features a number of outreach activities. In the online meeting “Webinar: Connect with the Festivals’ Representatives” hosted by the visiting scholar of the Master of Arts in Cultural Management programme of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Benny Lim, three renowned overseas curators of Fringe Festival and an art review magazine founder will share their experiences of curating a festival and explore the relationships between art, city, life and emotions. In Fringe Chat, critics from Mainland China and Macao will shuttle through various performances of the Fringe Festival, and discuss with the audiences and artists the features and heartbeats of the Fringe Festival.

Tickets for the Fringe Festival are now on sale at the Macau Ticketing Network. Tickets for some of the Festival’s programmes are limited and the public is advised to purchase as soon as possible. Online registration for outreach activities can be made at www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event. For phone registration and enquiries, please contact IC through tel. no. 8399 6872 during office hours. The Cultural Affairs Bureau will strictly follow the related anti-epidemic guidelines of the Health Bureau and implement appropriate measures for cultural activities. All participants must wear face masks, undergo body temperature checks and present a “Macao Health Code” of the day. For more information about the programme, please visit the Fringe Festival’s website at www.macaucityfringe.gov.mo or the “Macao City Fringe Festival” page on Facebook.