Interview by William Chan
Bernardo Amorim, a multimedia and plastic arts artist based in Macau, is set to lead both adults and children on a fantastical expedition in his latest play, “On This Side of Macao – The Quest for Verónica” as part of the 33rd Macao Arts Festival, which starts on Friday.
In an exclusive interview with The Macau Post Daily last week, Amorim noted that the performance will take place on May 6 and May 7, building upon the success of his previous work, “On the Other Side of Macao – A magical adventure,” which premiered at the 31st Macao Arts Festival.
Amorim has decades of experience in video production, animation, and visual arts. Born in Portugal in 1979, Amorim has a Masters in Drawing from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon and a BA in Painting. For the past 15 years, he has produced video mapping shows internationally, including in Portugal, London, and the US.
Selected for the 11th International Biennale of Engraving Caixanova in Spain, Amorim has also participated in Macau’s “Lanternas do Coelhinho” (“Little Rabbit Lanterns”) and “The Script Road” literary festival. He currently serves as Managing Director of MPIXEL – 3d Visualisation.
According to the play, Verónica’s recent expedition to Macau came to an end in 2021, after which she embarked on a new journey with her family. However, before departing, Verónica left behind a trail of mystical clues for her friends and the audience to follow, leading them on a magical journey to discover the enchanting sights of Macau.
During the interview, which took place at Amorim’s flat in the Hoi Fu neighbourhood, he explained that in the play Verónica and her parents are expatriates who are travelling to Australia, Portugal and the United States, which have Macanese communities. Amorim emphasised the importance of experiencing different cultures firsthand, rather than just through social media and smartphones. He highlighted the Macanese dish “minchi” (免治) as an example, explaining that in order to truly appreciate the culture behind it, one must see Macau, Portugal, and China with one’s own eyes, and taste the dish itself.
During the interview, Amorim shared his frustration with his friends in Portugal who make negative judgments about China without actually experiencing the country’s diverse cultures, cuisines, and languages firsthand. He emphasised the importance of seeing the world with one’s own eyes, rather than relying on social media, or hearsay.
Amorim also discussed the importance of interacting with the outside world, particularly for children. He pointed out that many flats in Macau lack balconies, which he believes are crucial for fostering a connection with the outdoors. Amorim emphasised that Macau is a diverse city with mixed cultures, and to truly experience it, one must see it with one’s own eyes.
Amorim also expressed his love for interacting with children and his disappointment in the lack of opportunities for imagination and creativity in today’s society. He observed that children nowadays often have everything handed to them, such as the extremely well-made parks, leaving little room for creativity and imagination to flourish.
“On This Side of Macao – The Quest for Verónica” is Amorim’s artistic interpretation of the cities Verónica visited, and an opportunity to share his own experiences with the audience. The city buildings featured in the show are all puppets that interact with each other and the audience, aiming to create a genuine shared experience.
Amorim shared a heart-warming story from a previous performance, where a girl from Hong Kong approached him at the end of the show to share how a scene with butterflies appearing after a character’s death matched the way her own grandmother had passed away, with butterflies appearing in her room. This connection between art and personal experience is what Amorim hopes to achieve with his work.
“Go travel, go meet people, go meet some other cultures, see the world with your own eyes– just as Verónica and her friends do in the show,” Amorim underlined at the end of the interview.
“On This Side of Macao – The Quest for Verónica”, part of the 33rd Macao Arts Festival programme, will be performed in Cantonese with English and Portuguese subtitles, or in Portuguese with Chinese and English subtitles. The Cantonese version will start on Saturday, May 6 at 3 p.m. and 8 p. m. The Portuguese version will begin on Sunday, May 7 at 3 p.m. and 8 p. m. The performances will be held at the Macao Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No. 2, and tickets are priced at 180 patacas.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://www.macauticket.com/
These two images show building puppets which will appear in “On This Side of Macao – The Quest for Verónica.” – Photos provided by Bernardo Amorim
These pictures show “On the Other Side of Macao – A magical adventure” which premiered at the 31st Macao Arts Festival in 2021.
