(Un)Infecting the City expands beyond Cape Town this year

Infecting the City, now renamed (Un)Infecting the City, will expand beyond the borders of Cape Town this year. Picture: infectingthecity_ica/ Instagram

Infecting the City, now renamed (Un)Infecting the City, will expand beyond the borders of Cape Town this year. Picture: infectingthecity_ica/ Instagram

Published May 5, 2021

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Cape Town's famous public arts festival, Infecting the City, now renamed (Un)Infecting the City, makes a comeback this month.

Another exciting aspect is the fact that it will expand beyond the borders of Cape Town as organisers have included new digital and virtual elements that can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Each year, the free-to-the-public festival brings art, music, dance and performance out of theatres and galleries and into public spaces.

Presented by the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Institute for Creative Arts (ICA), the string of events are scheduled to take place from May 7 to June 30.

* Due to weather predictions of rainfall and thunderstorms this Friday evening, organisers have moved the starting date of the festival to Saturday, May 8.

Each year, the festival tackles a social issue or theme and all the participating artists deliver accordingly.

Organisers said this year's (Un)Infecting the City revealed they will be focusing on the psychological and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic this year.

Jay Pather, the director of the ICA, said: “The pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge to mental health, food systems, employment, and the arts.

"Still observing the festival’s city-based concerns of urbanity and spatial politics, some of the artists on the programme consider how these concerns have been further exacerbated by the pandemic.

"There are also many works that celebrate resilience, spirit, and community."

For example, acclaimed artist Wezile Mgibe will showcase a piece, We regret to inform you.

This year's festival, according to organisers, has been restructured to implement a new social-distancing model.

(Un)Infecting the City 2021 includes eight unique programmes as well as a wealth of culturally rich opportunities created by 50 different artists at no cost.

Excerpts of the full programme will be made available in stills and video format from June 18.

For the full programme, enthusiasts should visit http://infectingthecity.com/2021/.

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