Aug 12 (NIA) – Cinnamon Colomboscope, Sri Lanka’s only multi-disciplinary arts festival will present its fourth edition from Aug 25 to Sept 1 with this year’s festival theme titled ‘Testing Grounds: Art and Digital Cultures in South Asia and Europe’.
The festival will present new artworks and performances of Sri Lankan artists, who will work with electronic and digital media in keeping with the festival’s theme.
Presented by EUNIC Sri Lanka together with Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, Cinnamon Colomboscope will take place at the Old General Post Office in capital Colombo. Each year, the event evolves and changes shape with a new curator and this year, Testing Grounds was conceived by German curator, Susanne Jaschko.
Jaschko is a renowned expert in the field of media arts.
For many artists living and working in Sri Lanka today, working with electronic and digital media remains a widely unexplored field. Testing Grounds, with its focus on contemporary art that creates awareness on how digital technologies impact society and cultures, has commissioned over 10 Sri Lankan artists and artist collectives to foray into this field, conceptualise and produce artworks that reflect on this theme.
One of the many highlights of this year’s programme will be presented by DJ and electronic music producer, Asvajit Boyle, and technologist and entertainment designer, Lalindra Amarasekara.
Also collaborating for Testing Grounds are actor, writer and director, Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke and experimental musician, Isuru Kumarasinghe who will present ‘Close to the Bone’ – a theatrical production and sound art piece combined. Centered on a dinner hosted by a beautiful and young married couple for his difficult sister and her older girlfriend, and the events that unfold, ‘Close to the Bone’ is an immersive performance. Through their phones, the audience will be able to enter the characters’ heads to hear their thoughts, memories and regrets. The performance will take place on all festival nights.
Testing Grounds will feature the works of many notable Sri Lankan artists. Colomboscope will also invite over 50 international artists and speakers – from Europe and South Asia – to participate in this year’s festival.
