Infecting The City is an arts festival that places provocative, innovative art in the communal spaces of Cape Town's Central Business District (CBD). The Festival Hub is the newly refurbished Forecourt of the Cape Town Station, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2011.
The festival theme is "Treasure" and invites everyone to appreciate, take ownership of and celebrate the cultural riches that are often overlooked, neglected or discarded. The theme covers four categories of treasure that are found locally, and looks specifically at: The variety of cultural expressions that often exist on the margins of society; What we discard as waste; The people that make our city work, and; Our historical and architectural heritage, as well as the natural wealth of the Cape.
The Festival is composed of all-new artworks, which have been commissioned to explore these layers of our cultural Treasures.
The Festival Hub at the Cape Town Station Forecourt will include a music stage hosting three daily concerts, featuring the sounds of our diverse cultural communities: from Japanese teiko drummers to Congolese folk songs, and symphonic goema to Xhosa initiation songs; collective of artists who will build art works from recyclable materials throughout the festival week; taste of the Cape's art galleries who will display selected art in glass boxes in the station, and; spectrum of other public art interventions.
Across the city centre, there will be a number of scheduled and unscheduled artworks and performances, including:
* The Jewel Stages that will move around the city and will feature over 15 cultural treasures (jewels) that have extensive traditions and deep subtleties. These include such diverse arts as Xhosa stick fighting, Indian sari-wrapping, opera, Ethiopian coffee ceremonies, to Riel Dancing. Each Jewel is presented by one of four South African artists and theatre makers.
* Local and international artists who will make works that reveal some of the city's treasures, such as underground rivers, forgotten heritage sites, what happens on a refuse truck, and much more.
A live Wikipedia evening of Cape Town thought leaders, 48 experts curated from a wide range of fields and experiences will gather to share revelations with you via intimate conversations. The theme is "Making the Future". It will be held at the Iziko National Gallery on Wednesday, 23 February at 7pm.
Ticket price R100 (book with Felicia on +27 (0)21 422 0468; feliciapb@africacentre.net).
The public are encouraged to talk to the festival curator and artists at two Feedback sessions: at the On Broadway Theatre, 44 Long Street at 5pm on Tuesday, 22 and Thursday, 24 February.
There are a number of tours, treasure hunts, and even jazzing classes that have been organised by the Festival for the public participation, including an Education Programme, which will transport 120 Grade 10 school learners into the city every day of the festival to engage with the arts and the riches of the city and will focus on Grade 10 learners who are studying creative and performing arts, and those involved in environmental sciences and geography. There is a structured programme conducted by learning facilitators who will escort the learners through the artworks, the theme and the creative process.
For more information, go to www.infectingthecity.com or www.africacentre.net or call +27 (0)21 418 3336.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/infectingthecit
Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/InfectingTheCityTreasure
Photo by Jonx Pillemer
