WORLDBEAT
- ASIA
May
2008
HONG KONG
Cheung Chau is Hong Kong’s largest fishing island
and each May it sees flying children and towers of lucky
buns at the world’s only Bun Festival. The origins
of this Taoist rite can be traced back hundreds of years
to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when Cheung Chau was
devastated by a storm, followed by an outbreak of the
plague that claimed many lives. Believing the island to
be haunted, the locals performed a sacrificial ceremony
to placate the gods and pray for their favor. The festival
is now timed to coincide with Buddha’s birthday.
The people of the island eat a vegetarian diet for the
three days prior to the main procession, when 16-meter
high bamboo towers are erected in front of the Pak Tai
temple and studded with thousands of steaming buns as
an offering to the ancient Chinese spirits. The buns are
thought to ensure smooth sailing for the fishing boats
and to bring good fortune and plentiful catches. No Chinese
festival is complete without lion and dragon dancers,
but this island’s quirk is the children dressed as
mythological and modern heroes suspended above the crowds
on the tips of swords and paper fans. May 12. http://www.cheungchau.org
JAPAN
TOKYO
The Turner Prize is one of the most important accolades
in the art world today. Organized by the Tate galleries
and presented annually since 1984, it represents a major
steppingstone for young British artists. The Prize is
unique because it is not restricted to conventional
media—such as painting, sculpture, or photography—but
may include new and diverse forms of expression. The
awards ceremony is telecast live and is a highly anticipated
national event in Britain. The Mori Art Museum delves
into the prize’s storied past with History in the
Making: A Restrospective of the Turner Prize. It’s
the first time that works by all past prize-winners
has been exhibited together, and provides an opportunity
to examine changes in the prize over the years. It is
at the same time a retrospective of British contemporary
art, with work by the likes of Gilbert and George, Tony
Cragg, Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst, and Wolfgang Tillmans.
Through July 13. http://www.mori.art.museum
PHILIPPINES
MANILA
Flowers like ylang-ylang, hibiscus, and sampaguitas
are strewn around Manila by young girls in white during
the city’s Flores de Mayo festival, a month-long
event that celebrates the rite of passage for Filipino
youth. Spanish conquerors introduced the festival more
than a century ago, and it is marked by a range of events
and activities, including the nine-day celebration of
the Holy Cross. Throughout May. http://www.tourism.gov.ph
SINGAPORE
The cornerstone of Asia’s art scene is the
month-long Singapore Arts Festival. This amazing art
explosion is set to entertain fine arts lovers once
again, May 23-June 22. Each season, the celebration
pays homage to the world’s finest artists with
such acts as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Vietnam National Opera Ballet. In a normally traditional
arts scene, the SAF pushes the envelope a bit more each
year, embracing a new level of avant-garde performance.
http://www.singaporeartsfest.com
TURKEY
ISTANBUL
Art and architecture are inseparable, and never
more so than in the new exhibit Design Cities at Turkey’s
Istanbul Modern museum, April 23–June 29. In conjunction
with the Design Museum, London (where the show will
travel later in the season), Design Cities focuses on
the most creative moments in the histories of seven
key cities: London during the Great Exhibition of 1851,
Adolf Loos’ Vienna of 1908, 1928 Bauhaus in Dessau,
Le Corbusier’s Paris 1936, Los Angeles via Charles
and Ray Eames in 1949, Milan in 1957, 1987 Tokyo, and
full circle to present-day London. Each era is explored
through textile and fashion, industrial pieces, furniture,
and prints. http://www.istanbulmodern.org
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