|
MAP Fest – Traces of Transformation
The theme for Melaka Arts and Performance Festival (MAP Fest) is ‘Traces of Transformation’, which speaks in direct correlation of a desire and universal need for performance work that speaks of regeneration through a rekindled past and traditional practice still passed down through generations. Boldly moving forward, capturing the imagination whilst harnessing the potentials offered up by both the collective and the individual. It aims to take each individual thread, to then weave these into a tapestry of knowledge, colour and life. At MAP, artists present individual and collaborative works of art that incorporate the experimental. They produce on-site works and performances that are profound, empowering and transformative to the audiences. The next MAP Fest will be a Biennial starting in 2020.
MAP Experimentum – Art & Nature
MAP EXPERIMENTUM will be a 'in-between event' and takes a focus to workshops and collaborations, two weeks leading to 22-24 November festival weekend.
MAP and the Environment - MAP’s focus for 2019 is on the power of art to generate awareness of the environment and sustainability. What has contributed to the critical change in climate and what is our capacity to affect change in what is a global crisis at an individual level?
We need to register the change in humanity’s collective consciousness from a basic ‘gut’ level of understanding to make real effect. This is the artist’s premise for their creative motivation. We need to shift our way of thinking from seeing ourselves as separate from nature, to accepting that we are an integral part of nature. Recognising the natural environment as inherent to our spirit, imagination and creativity is a vital link to ecological wellness and recovery.
‘Poor Festival’
To explore these questions, we are extending MAP’s art festival model to incorporate the philosophy and power of the ‘poor theatre’ (Towards a Poor Theatre, Jerzy Grotowski). Here the use of extravagant props, material and decorative ornamentations will be challenged with nature’s fundamental power of the use of the body, mind and spirit (the psyche) in the creation of art.
The singer’s power is in their vocality; the dancers in their psycho-physicality and the visual artist in their use of available basic materials from both nature and refuse. Innovation is key to the artist’s task to convey their stories and their messages. Grotowski coined the term ‘poor theatre’, defining a performance style that rid itself of the excesses of theatre, such as lavish costumes and detailed sets (hence ‘poor’). ‘Poor Theatre’ centers on the skill of the actor and is often performed with only a handful of props. ‘Poor theatre’ can be performed anywhere in bare spaces and MAP’s link in this is the site-specificity and proximity to spectators. We experiment the elasticity within this range and the use of simple and waste materials for expressing the common and deep inner human experience.
Other information:
> Lighting and sound
This workshop & collaboration festival spans two weeks leading to the final three days and nights of presentation of works. E-Plus Global, will provide the permits for sites, however not their usual elaborate technical crew and support. This means, we artists will take a position to light the night installations ourselves with experimentation of all sources we can find. Eg. Light reflections on water, multitude of candles, portable and reachable flood-lights, etc.
> Equipment
Well have 3 Bose portable/rechargeable speakers and one powerful speaker/amp for the main space.
> Mapping
Daytime Mapping remain quite unchanged from previous years!
> Programs
Programs will all be available online.
> Funding
Artists are responsible for their own acquisition for funds and MAP can provide letters of invitations for the artists’ individual funding applications from their own countries or sources.
> Support (Voluntary)
- Performance permits: E-plus Global
- On-line publicity: E-plus and Tony Yap
- Program and publicity: Tony Yap
- Artistic Direction: Tony Yap
- Associates: Brendan O'Conner, Kien Faye Lee, Lim Paik Yin, Takashi Takiguchi
- All participating artists
- All enthusiastic photographers
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
MAP Fest acknowledges the spirit-filled and generous support provided by Andrew Ching, Suen Kar Nee and the staff from E-Plus Global for past decade. MAP is non-profit and there’ll be a website and publicity. All support people provide their work voluntarily.
|
