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By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter
The Seoul Fringe Festival (SFF), which began as the Indie Festival, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The festival has served as a great outlet for up and coming artists to tout their talent. Performed in and around Daehangno, the nation's theater mecca, in the late 1990s the event then moved near Hongik University in 2001.
It has been a few years since commercialization and pop culture, pandering to the taste of teenage consumers, reared its head in what was once underground culture mecca. But the aim of SFF is to prove that there are still people who have not given up on their experimental mindset of searching for alternatives.
Scheduled from Aug. 14 to Sept. 1, the festival offers diverse programs under several categories, such as music festival, visual arts festival, performing arts festival, as well as street festival.
Its Aug. 14 opening will bring performances from all different genres together. Mime artists, ska music band, and indie dancers will be joined by Singapore band Observatory as well as DJ Guru from South Korea and Snoblind from Hong Kong.
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A scene from the opening festival for the Seoul Fringe Festival (SFF) last year
/ Courtesy of SFF |
Every Thursday to Sunday during the festival period, a relay music festival will take place in 12 clubs located around the area. A total of 95 bands are set to play in the event, promising unique tunes. For example, there's the ``Night of Folk and Acoustic Music'' on Aug. 17 at Live Club Bbang, while ``3 Big Match'' on Aug. 26 at the punk club Skunk Hell will feature indie bands such as R.U.X., the Moonshiners, and Cockrasher. The bands have a loyal following from their years-long careers based around Hongik University area clubs.
The Performing Arts Festival section features 19 theater pieces, 14 dance numbers, three musicals, as well as other mixed-genre varieties. Under the ``Bring Your Own Venue'' motto, the troupes have come up with their own performing venues _ not only small experimental theaters but also other alternative spaces such as cafes, galleries and live clubs.
The street festival, to be held around the main street leading from the Hongik Univ. Subway Station to the main gate of the university, will transform the cityscape into a street gallery _ hosting various workshops for performances and music. Every Saturday at seven p.m., there will be a tour program guiding audiences through the festival grounds.
The visual arts festival will be taking place at about 10 alternative exhibition spaces, with more than 40 artists participating. Movana Chen from Hong Kong will make clothes out of old magazine papers. The artist will invite audiences to take part in the process. Gallery King will focus on introducing cartoons and cartoonists as part of contemporary art, while Gallery Jandari will hold a workshop program for children from Aug. 25-30. All exhibitions are free of charge.
The SFF may not boast the international reputation like Edinburgh Fringe just yet, but just strolling around the various venues during its 19-day run will be a welcoming opportunity for those looking for refreshment in their daily routine. For more information, visit www.seoulfringe.net.
saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr
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