Over 50 artists from 10 countries participated in the largest festival at a UNESCO World Heritage Site
KUALA LUMPUR， Malaysia, Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of Singaporeans recently visited the 5th Melaka Art & Performance Festival (MAPFest), the largest and only site specific art and performance festival on a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with art installations and performances by more than 50 renowned artists from 10 countries.
Andrew Ching, Founder and Producer of MAPFest said, "Over the years, MAPFest has become a yearly excursion for Singaporeans. The festival is widely supported and appreciated by Singaporeans and I expect it to only grow bigger."
Artists from Australia, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea and Thailand used the historic city as their canvas, and the streets came alive with magnificent images and performances.
MAPFest is an innovative contemporary festival featuring dance, performance art, visual art, film and music. The festival throws the spotlight on Melaka's famous heritage sites, and its collective ancestral heritage, to create a space for contemporary culture and artistic practice.
According to the festival organiser, the event attracted approximately 25,000 attendees, 5,000 of which were estimated to be from Singapore.
For the first time since its inception in 2009, MAPFest kicked off a new sister festival in Australia: Mapping Melbourne -- Asian Contemporary Arts Festival (Australia).
Through the years, MAPFest has increased its international status, being recognised for its programme of exciting independent artists, collaborations and its use of alternative sites for performance.
Conceived and directed by Cheryl Stock, "Naik Naik" was the opening performance and also one of the highlight at MAPFest 2013. The festival kept it new with specialty components such as the "Cerita Pendek" (Short Stories), visual arts and discussions, as well as workshops. MAPFest 2013 culminating with "Eulogy for The Living", a spectacular and soulful finale to the festival directed by Tony Yap, Founder and Creative Director of MAPFest.
MAPFest 2013 was produced by Arts & Performance Festival Melaka Sdn Bhd together with the efforts of E-Plus Entertainment, the Australian Government, High Commission of Australia, Australia Malaysia Institute, Multicultural Arts Victoria, Tony Yap Company, Mercatus+ Malaysia, Asialink, the Embassies of France, Thailand and Indonesia, the High Commission of Ireland, and the Malaysian National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN).
For more information on MAPFest, visit http://www.melakafestival.com.
