Macao's creative scene has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. A huge part of the enclave's growing artistic culture has been This Is My City, an independent, city-wide festival that presents concerts, shows and thought-provoking seminars with a host of international guests and using the city as its canvas. Back for its tenth edition this December, this year's programme offers audiences a new way to interact with the city, while showcasing the streets of Macao in a brand new light. Here's the rundown:
December 2: Live music
The festival kicks off with performances by some of the hottest up-and-coming Lusophone acts. From 6.30pm at Pagode Square (Rua do Guimaraes, Macao), catch indie Brazilian sonic rockers Turtle Giant (pictured above) (whose CV includes opening performances for the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and an appearance at South By Southwest) and Portuguese synth pop artist Balla, who's joined on stage by iconic Portuguese rock icon Rui Reininho on vocals. Kick on the night at Macao's hottest underground club, Kampek (3/F, Edf. Centro Commercial San Kin Yip, 197-223 Avenida da Amizade, Macao) with DJ Balla on the decks, followed by Japanese DJ Shintaro, the youngest ever Red Bull Thre3Style World Champion, and the first in Asia to take home the prize.
December 6: Documentary and talk
Head to Casa Garden (inside Camões Square, Rua do Patane, Macau) for a documentary screening and talk at 6pm on December 6. Watch award-winning documentary filmmakerr André Godinho's No Trilho dos Naturalistas: Angola (In The Naturalists' Footsteps: Angola), which documents Portuguese botanical expeditions to Africa from as far back as the 18th century to explore ecological diversity, the inner workings of ecosystems and the relationship between people and the environment. The screening is followed by a panel discussion featuring Dr António Gouveia, a Unesco Chair in Biodiversity and Conservation for Sustainable Development, political philosophy scholar Dr Alexandra Cook, a leading expert in Jean-Jacques Rousseau, director Godinho himself.
December 9: TICM2016 Talks powered by Pechakucha, and short movie screenings
Pechakucha, the global phenomenon of innovative show and tell in which speakers discuss 20 images for 20 seconds each, will be just the start of the night at frm 6pm Albergue SCM (Calçada da Igreja de San Lázaro, Macao). The talks will cover any number of topics, with speakers free to choose their own oratory adventures. Following the show and tell-style talks will be a series of short film screenings in the same location. The shorts have been curated by award-winning Russian-born, Hong Kong and Macao-based director Maxim Bessmertny, and will be presented in the charming al fresco surrounds of the Old Ladies House courtyard within the Albergue complex. December 10: Instameet While This Is My City pre-dates the rise of networking through social media, the festival has fully embraced this relatively new cultural phenomenon. Head to the Macau Design Centre (5 Travessa da Fabrica, Macau) from 12pm to meet like-minded social influencers and make new, IRL connections.
December 13: Documentary and talk 2
The creative scene of the wider Pearl River Delta is the focus of this evening of screenings and discussion from 6pm at Casa Garden. Explore the growing innovation scene of Shenzhen with eight-part short film series Unidentified Acts of Design, which focuses on personal perspectives of people not typically considered in discourses about design, including inventors, manufacturers, web developers, engineers and hobbyists. The clips paint a wider picture of design practices in Shenzhen ahead of next year's opening of the V&A Gallery, Shekou at Design Society. The screening is followed by a discussion featuring Luisa Mengoni, head of the V&A Gallery, Shekou at Design Society, and Ole Bouman, Director of Design Society and creative director of the fifth Urbanism/Architecture Bi-City Biennale Shenzhen.
For more information and regular updates, head to the This Is My City Facebook page.