스킵네비게이션

- Play, Communication, and Participation -

At the coming Sea Art Festival 2013, 35 works of art from 12 countries are not the only ones expected to attract the eyes of the visitors. The Festival Events also will grab the visitors’ attention.

Organized by the Busan Biennale Organizing Committee, various festivities and events, combining the sea, art and a festival, will be available for the visitors at the Sea Art Festival, which will be held at Songdo Beach from September 14 through October 13. The program has been renamed from “Sea Art Fun Zone,” which was its official name in 2011, to “Festival Events”, hinting the Organizing Committee’s plan to devise programs that are more comprehensive, befitting to its new name. The Sea Art Festival 2013 is being designed to provide a site of play and communication, where the exhibition visitors and the general public can both join and enjoy.

The Festival Events, which will take place centered at the Central Fountain Square, can be described by three keywords: play, communication, and participation.

The first keyword “play” comes from an intention to provide fun and enjoyment to the Sea Art Festival 2013 visitors. The Various Arts Lab falls under this keyword, which will be held every Saturday and Sunday, and also on holidays throughout the festival. The Various Arts Lab has its significance in its collaboration with the local cultural organizations of Busan. A variety of performances converging different genres, such as sound and street art, will be presented over a 5 weeks period of time. Performed on top of shipping containers, a new kind of stage will be introduced.

The second keyword is “communication,” to bring out interactions between artists and audiences. The Sea Art Salon and the Sea Art Bus are the two main programs falling under this keyword. The Sea Art Salon, a conceptual program regarding space, will be held every day during the festival inside a shipping container similar to the Various Arts Lab. Acting as the central area of the Sea Art Festival 2013 for the festival’s smooth operations, the Sea Art Salon will provide space to be used as a performance stage, artist lounge, outdoor cafe, and interview and rest area. Meanwhile, the Sea Art Bus will partner with Busan City Tour for the first time in Busan, inviting the Various Arts Lab collaborators to perform on open-top buses, which surely will draw many eyes.

The last keyword that represents the Sea Art Festival 2013 Festival Events is “participation.” As there is no such thing as a festival without an audience, audiences are the essential elements of a festival. The Songdo Art Road and the Arts Flea Market are the main programs that will engage audiences to participate. Like Silk Road where cultural exchange between the East and the West took place, the Songdo Art Road, collaborating with the local humanities organizations of Busan, aims to bring out discourse, addressing three topics: the Sea Art Festival, Songdo Beach, and contemporary art. By forming groups of interested participants, it will prompt participation from the public. Similar to Busan Biennale 2012 Learning Council, the Songdo Art Road will constitute lectures and gatherings conceived by the local humanities organizations. For the Arts Flea Market, two flea market groups will showcase small objects and artworks produced by the local artists. This will be an opportunity for the local cultural organizations to gain public recognition and also will be a fun attraction for the visitors.

Collaborating closely with the local cultural organizations and the public, the Sea Art Festival 2013, “With Songdo: Remembrance·Marks·People,” will be held at Songdo Beach for 30 days from September 14 through October 13.