Public arts festival turns a corner

IN AN attempt to adapt performance art amid the pandemic, the City’s longest running public arts festival is changing the way it does things.

Infecting the City has rebranded its offering to continue the work of the performance industry in the pandemic, thus creating work for artists.

While many artists were stripped of their livelihoods, organisers have rebranded the festival to (Un)Infecting the City, allowing artists and musicians the opportunity to “cleanse the city” with their art.

The performance stage will be the streets of the CBD, where audiences can still appreciate the works while maintaining social distance.

A total of eight programmes will be hosted in the city, both inperson and digitally, presented by UCT’s Institute for Creative Arts (ICA).

The digital exhibitions are open to anyone who has access to the internet, expanding past the physical limits of Cape Town.

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to enjoy the experience, which features 50 artists.

The pandemic has caused a dramatic loss of human life nationwide and because of this, this year’s festival will have a thematic focus on the psychological and social impacts of this period.

The artwork displayed at the festival aims to highlight mental health, gender-based violence, mourning, and celebrating resilience, above all.

Professor Jay Pather, director of the ICA, said: “Society has had to find ways to deal with the trauma that they have faced and find their own method of survival.”

He said for many people, art became a coping mechanism and the festival is proud to display the bodies of work that were birthed in this time.

Pather said they had worked closely with the City to ensure they were mindful of coronavirus protocols.

He said the ICA wanted to prioritise giving artists an opportunity for work, and for the public to understand creatives form an integral part of society.

Yazeed Kamaldien is a journalist, photographer, and independent documentary film-maker whose latest video, Missing You CT, is part of the festival.

Kamaldien used his work permit to document what Cape Town looked like in lockdown level 5.

“The city is not a city without its people. People were not only missing being in the city but also missing from the city,” Kamaldien said.

He said although many creatives had lost multiple jobs, he was grateful for the opportunity to still be able to have some level of creative expression.

The festival is on until June 30 and is free to the public. The existing line-up is subject to change and update schedules can be found at infectingthecity.com/2021/