The National Arts Festival is bringing art, music, dance, comedy and theatre to South Africans and the world to enjoy from the comfort of their homes via the new normal-digital viewing.
The annual 46th National Arts Festival kicked off on Thursday, June 25, and the artists have risen to the challenge of innovating and creating work specifically for the digital space.
The Virtual National Arts Festival is 11 days of a curated programme of online creativity –pre-recorded and live events, short films, virtual art exhibitions, jam sessions, interactive events, webinars and more.
This Monday, we have picked five compelling shows that will keep the lockdown blues at bay.
The shows including music by the local New Generations Jazz trio “The Wretched", dance and film show “Rebirth of Iqhawe”, digital arts “The Voice in Your Head” by Anton Krueger, performing arts “Death and Birth in My Life” and storytelling Human Bones by Veronique Mensah.
The Wretched
The show is made up of the award-winning jazz vocalist Gabi Motuba, drummer, and scholar Tumi Mogorosi and avant-garde sound-scape artist Andrei van Wyk joined forces to take the viewers on a unique sound journey.
Their sound is explored through the lens of a shriek, a scream, a moment at the end of the limit of struggle.
The Wretched. Picture: Supplied
Rebirth of Iqhawe
The show is a short experimental dance film, exploring the potential to hybridise Sibeko’s Butoh-inspired performance practice into the film form: fragmenting, collaging and refiguring the body in time and space as a means to capture the corporeal expression of the movement.
The Voice in Your Head
The Voice in Your Head. Picture: Supplied
The production offers a lively commentary on the nature of performance, it’s a playful series of experiments around what it means to be an ‘actor’ and ‘audience’ within the shared space of Zoom.
Isitemela Sendaba – Story: Human Bones
Since lockdown, online storytelling has become a popular way to engage curious young minds with imaginative worlds. The Story Train presents Human Bones, showcasing African storytelling with Veronique Mensah and Thembile Tshuma. It presents the genre and art of storytelling to curious young minds, inspiring them with various African narratives and literature.
"Storytelling sessions, "Isitemela Sendaba – Story Train" takes place at 2 pm every day of the festival.
Death and Birth in My Life
Invites the audience to listen in on a series of intimate conversations about the most moving and challenging experiences in life. This latest long-term project by Mats Staub asks about existential experiences.
It approaches universal themes through individual experiences and in relation to local contexts.
Death and Birth in My Life. Picture:
Supplied
The event organisers confirmed that content will be available to stream from the date of the production until Thursday, July 16.
For more information on shows and price list, click
.