City Limits
Winnie Yeung gets a first peek at the highlights of the upcoming City Festival.
No matter how international Hong Kong becomes, it can’t be denied that at its heart, our city is predominantly made up of Cantonese people, and no matter how much we clamor for international music, movies and television, Cantonese culture remains deeply ingrained in our consciousness. That’s why the City Festival, now in its 12th year, has chosen neighboring Guangzhou as its spotlight city this year. Festival organizers want Hongkongers to reconnect with their “Lingnan” cultural roots in order to better understand where we come from. To this end, we will be visited by artists and performers from Guangzhou, bringing their traditional and modern art and performance works to our city. And as usual, the City Festival will also be staging some of the best local urban cultural performances in town. This year’s festival also marks the last major event to be held at the Fringe Club in its current form, before its major two-year renovation, due to commence just after Chinese New Year. Here are the festival highlights.
Turning Cantonese
The major collaboration between the two cities during the City Festival is a joint art exhibition between 15 Hong Kong and 15 mainland artists. The first part, “Walking to Canton,” is an art installation project by 15 local artists, curated by C & G Artpartment. “Walking to Canton” was a common phrase meaning to return to the motherland in early 1900s when the easiest way to return to Guangdong—the hometown of many Chinese people living in Hong Kong—was on foot. Rattan suitcases feature heavily in the exhibition, as they were commonly used as luggage back then. To echo the local artists’ attempts to get in touch with their roots through the art installation, the 15 mainland artists have created art pieces for the “Canton Canton” exhibition to explain what traditional Cantonese, “Lingnan” culture really is.
Jan 14-Feb 12, 2010, Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd., Central; Jan 16-Feb 11, 2010, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, 30 Pak Tin St., Shek Kip Mei; Sept 2010: (dates to be confirmed), Fei Gallery, 5 Yi Da Building, Nong Lin Xia Rd., Guangzhou.
Guangzhou Live
Guangdong has an amazingly vibrant band culture, and you can catch some of the best up-and-coming acts at a few shows coinciding with the festival. Wu Tiao Ren, which translates to “five people” in Putonghua, is a—duh—five-person band from Haifeng. Since 2003, they have been writing folk songs in their own Fujian dialect on episodes in their lives. And no, you don’t have to understand what they are singing to enjoy their music—it’s fun and easy to listen to anyway. Another act not to be missed is Bubble Noble, a young band from Zhaoqing in western Guangdong. Debuted in 2008, their early songs—performed by female lead singer Sansan—remind us of the sweet J-pop tunes of Chara from Japan. Bubble Noble’s music brings a breath of fresh air to the otherwise post-rock-heavy live music scene in Guangzhou. Finally, experimental musician Liang Yiyuan is doing a crossover show with American-Born Chinese musician Li Daiguo. The former has been conveniently compared to Marilyn Manson thanks to his dark vocals, while the latter moved to China after he decided to reconnect with his roots and learn the erhu—and Putonghua. We expect quite a riot once they share the stage. Finally, Guangzhou alternative rocker Mouliukei, now approaching its 11th year together, will also perform at the festival. The popular band has sold more than 100,000 records with their satirical music, covering everything from human rights to the environment. They will be performing with RICEMAGNET, an alternative/folk/rock band based in Taipei and Hong Kong.
Wu Tiao Ren, Fri, Feb 5, 2010, 10:30pm; Bubble Noble, Sat, Feb 6, 2010, 10:30pm; Liang Yiyuan x LiDaiguo, Sat, Jan 23, 10:30pm; Moliukei X RICEMAGNET, Sat, Jan 16, 2010, 10:30pm. All shows: tickets $100 (advance); $125 (on the day), both includes one standard drink. Fringe Gallery.
Bar Tapper
A singer, a percussionist, a bass player and a pianist will improvise accompanying music for a group of professional tap dancers from R&T Group, who’ll be tapping and clacking for 90 minutes at the Fringe bar.
Fri, Jan 22 and Jan 29, 10:30pm. Tickets $150, $180. Fringe Gallery.