City being ‘infected’ with freedom of artistic expression
VISUAL art, dance, poetry, music and performance have “infected” the city centre since yesterday – often in an unexpected and captivating way.
The annual “Infecting the City” festival aims at bringing artwork out of galleries and theatres to the streets of Cape Town while sending out a message of freedom of expression.
More than 400 national and international socially-engaged artists and performers will be presenting their pieces until Saturday.
“This is a good infection,” said Jay Pather, leader of the curatorial team. “We want to give a human touch to the festival, since it is not about sitting around a stage but becoming part of the performance, sometimes accidentally.”
Among the multi-discipline spectacles art lovers admired last night was Siyaba – Found Among Translation. Swiss multimedia artist Charlotte Hug performed with three dancers from the Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative in Johannesburg.
“The piece is about translation between the performers and their bodies, as well as about relationships between people and different types of art,” said PJ Sabbagha, choreographer of the show.
Madness – a preliminary sketch told the story of a young architect and his mental breakdown. The presentation, a collaboration of composer Neo Muyanga and senior specialist psychiatrist Sean Baumann, consisted of live music, a choir and animated drawing.
“The combination of artwork, strong production values and public spaces makes this festival magical. The city becomes a space where one can be human and express feelings,” Pather said.
Voyeurism and exhibitionism are part of another highlight of the eighth edition of the public art festival: Living Room Dancers was created by Swiss choreographer Nicole Seilers. While dancers transform private apartments into a dancefloor, audiences can observe the intimate performances from a street-level through binoculars.
Each day, citizens and tourists can experience nine shows, either as part of a route through the city centre or independently. “Infecting the City” was not commercially driven, said Pather. All performances are free of charge.
“It is important to us that art becomes accessible to all citizens and that they have the freedom to make their own decision about the presented performances.”
The annual festival aims at bringing artwork out of galleries and theatres to the streets