The Fringe Chat of the Macau City Fringe Festival, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) at the Universal Gallery and Bookstore Tap Siac, in the Tap Siac Square Commercial Centre (commonly known as the Glass House) was held on Saturday night. The event invited mainland, Hong Kong and local art critics, as well as the creative teams of this year’s Fringe Festival, and about 50 members of the public to participate in the discussion. The chat was hosted by Jesse Cheong (張少鵬), the chief executive editor of Fantasia, a local art magazine.
Participants were divided into five groups: Drama Interaction, Music, Dance, Silver Age, and Contemporary Circus. The discussion began with group discussions, followed by group presentations and a Q&A session. The highlights and characteristics of this year’s Fringe Festival activities were outlined.
Regarding the theme “Two Points, One Innovation” of the Fringe Festival, Cheong underlined two main points as the concluding part of the discussion. The first point was the strong support from the government, not only for the Fringe Festival but also for various other art activities in the local community. The second point was the festival’s commitment to diversity, encompassing a wide spectrum of art forms, including music, drama, dance, and even contemporary circus. Innovation lies in the festival’s approach, constantly exploring boundaries and pushing the limits in terms of age, bringing art closer to life itself, Cheong said.
Tap Siac is the bureau’s alternative spelling to Tap Seac.
Participants pose after their discussion at the Universal Gallery and Bookstore Tap Siac on Saturday night. – Photo provided by Jesse Cheong
