https://www.scmp.com/rss/501633/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The actions of Finnish deaf rapper Signmark’s sign language speak louder than words in many ways. The 41-year-old artist, who is preparing for his second performance in Hong Kong in November, is using big, bold gestures and animated facial expressions (just as he does in his concerts) to explain – through a sign language interpreter – how he experiences his own music without being able to hear it. I always had this dream to be an artist, but nobody believed in me. Everybody was saying, ‘You're a... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3033613/how-deaf-finnish-rap-artist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3033613/how-deaf-finnish-rap-artist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Oct 2019 10:47:13 +0000 There will always be one language that shines out above all others – the language of music. Regardless of nationality, origin, time or composition, music can connect and communicate through an array of emotions and messages – even mental images – with audiences of any race, age or language. We’ve yet to invent a time machine, but we do have music, which is like a time machine, where we can go back to different times and places … with Norwegian composer Grieg’s music … you can always imagine a... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3030891/time-machine-musicians-serve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3030891/time-machine-musicians-serve?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 03:23:22 +0000 From the anxiety captured in Edvard Munch’s The Scream to the off-planet sounds of post-rock band Sigur Rós, Scandinavian artists know how to push art to extremes. Three examples of boundary-pushing expression go on show from next month as part of Hong Kong’s World Cultures Festival: The Nordics – organised by the city’s Leisure and Cultural and Services Department – which features music, dance, drama, literature and circus arts from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland. I deeply believe... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3028050/how-much-disaster-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3028050/how-much-disaster-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Sep 2019 05:33:52 +0000 Seasoned music teacher Kung Chi-shing is the godfather of Hong Kong’s independent music scene. For more than three decades, he has performed and curated music, all the while being a voice for indie music and musicians. “Indie music is most valuable for its strong personality and its independent artistic creativity,” he said. ‘Autumn Sonata’ goes from big screen to grand stage to tell of estranged mother-daughter relationship Kung’s latest mission is to pull together an event across two nights,... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3026458/hong-kongs-godfather-indie-music?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3026458/hong-kongs-godfather-indie-music?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2019 02:47:10 +0000 Breath clearly is not your typical theatre production: Kimmo Pohjonen wrings harmony and discord in equal measure from his accordion as dancer Tero Saarinen throws shapes incorporating Japanese dance theatre – butoh – and classical ballet from the other side of the stage. Though ‘Breath’ is not an easily categorised work, it is in its own way very accessible: you can experience it as a concert, a visual performance or a dance piece Tero Saarinen, dancer and choreographer, ‘Breath’ This... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3025303/finnish-artists-including-jimi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3025303/finnish-artists-including-jimi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Sep 2019 03:09:34 +0000 As we scroll through endless social media feeds and watch the 24-hour network news, it can seem as if we are increasingly faced with examples of ideological conflict, tribalism, inequality and mistrust. So, is it because the world is becoming a worse place in which to live, or has it always been this way and we are simply seeing more of what it really is because of today’s real-time hi-tech communication devices? Although the story of a South American boy coming to Europe in search of his father... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3023354/life-death-and-struggles-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3023354/life-death-and-struggles-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Aug 2019 03:13:12 +0000 When hearing the announcement that the Lithuanian Pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale would be located in a remote part of the old Arsenale naval area, critics predicted that the site would be difficult to locate. They pointed out that the area hadn’t been opened to the public before. Once the pavilion opened, the critics were proven wrong. All you have to do is follow the queues. During the preview week in May, Sun & Sea (Marina) — a unique opera for 13 voices set on a beach and watched by... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3022100/climate-change-human-exploitation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3022100/climate-change-human-exploitation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2019 04:09:49 +0000 In December 2012, Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund took an interesting creative request. Could he write the music for an opera based on a 1978 film directed by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman? Fagerlund, now 46, had not seen the film – Autumn Sonata – since he was a student. The legendary Bergman remains Sweden’s most well-known director and the request came from the artistic director of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet company, Lilli Paasikivi. “Lilli gave me a copy of the screenplay at a... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3021029/when-your-loved-one-hurts-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/nordic-stage/article/3021029/when-your-loved-one-hurts-you?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Aug 2019 01:59:21 +0000