The 21st Macao City Fringe Festival will be taking place from January 12 to 23, 2022, with the theme “Margin Break.”
The festival will feature 20 programs and 15 outreach activities, directing the audience to break down the barriers of distance, crafting art out of regular venues, and integrating it into everyday lives. Like many other events this year, the Fringe Festival will combine online and offline amenities and present a range of creative programs, establishing itself as an exceptional event with innovative ideas.
A press conference was held yesterday at the Macao Cultural Center to introduce the City Fringe Festival, where Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) director Mok Ian Ian remarked, “Art is the reflection of the real world.”
The Fringe Festival follows the dictum: “All around the city, our stages, our patrons, our artists.” It seeks to encourage the participation of all residents. This year, they have launched the series “Crème de la Fringe” with two subthemes. “Iao Hon” by Ao Ieong Pui San features three programs and three outreach activities. “Todos Fest!” by Comuna de Pedra Arts and Cultural Association will feature three performances, two workshops, two screening sessions, and one sharing session.
“Crème de la Fringe: Iao Hon” is set against the backdrop of Iao Hon, with three outreach programs called “Surviving Route”, “Not Junk Mail”, and “Iao Hon Pop-up Store”. They will use artistic creation to reframe the world through the eyes of its residents, primarily in the form of theater. It also features three programs: Tenant, Illegal Immigrant, and Passerby.
“Crème de la Fringe: Todos! Fest” features three performances named: The Never-ending Task of Lust for Failure for Secondary School Students; Dancing Veins; and Body-Specific!. The program’s screening and sharing sessions will be on “How to Curate Inclusive Art”, as well as the “Symbiotic Dance Workshop” and the “Body Workshop for the Elderly”. The third workshop is aimed to inspire the elderly and people with physical or mental disabilities to think creatively, to demonstrate their artistic potential, and to redefine the mainstream’s aesthetics.
In addition to a series of performances, the festival features a total of 15 outreach programs, including: screening sessions, sharing sessions, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, and exchange sessions. It will also feature immersive interactive experiences in the community, further broadening the public’s artistic horizons.
Registration for the festival’s outreach programs starts this Sunday, December 12. Citizens can apply online via IC’s website or by phone. Staff reporter
