KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Mar. 15, 2012 (ANTARA/BERNAMA-AsiaNet) --
Come join the two-day arts festival of entertainment, artistic displays, performances and pick up new skills in marketing talents- all taking place in Bandung
What happens when a flock of creative artistes, savvy businessmen, and globetrotting spectators gather in one place? One thing: a curious blend of brains and endless creative fun at the 4th Marketplace of Creative Arts at Cihampelas Walk (CiWalk) in Bandung, Indonesia on April 14-15.
The Marketplace of Creative Arts was created under the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Young Leaders Network (WYN) as a platform for young artistes to showcase their talents, build networks in the creative industry, and explore business potential in the arts field.
Emulating the liveliness of the centuries old bazaar concept, Marketplace is home to creative talents from across the globe and from various fields like music, visual arts, poetry, comedy, literature, filmmaking, and other imaginable art forms. Aptly themed 'Design Nation: Carving Creative Spaces', this year’s Marketplace will have art exhibits, performances, film screenings, creative business forums, Parkour showcases, graffiti art, contests, and other exciting activities for artistes and the general public alike.
Fazil Irwan Som, Executive Director and Head of the WIEF Young Leaders Network, said: "We are very excited to bring the Marketplace alive again this year! It is not just about being a world stage for talents, but it is really about helping and supporting young artistes explore business potential in their craft and passions."
Perhaps what sets Marketplace apart from other music or art festivals is how it promotes the creative arts as a valuable form of business. It helps forge lucrative collaborations between creative artistes and businessmen, or sometimes, the artistes become the businessmen themselves.
"One of the most common misconceptions is that there is no money in art. Sadly, the potential of artistes to make profitable business is sometimes underrated. With Marketplace, we aim to help artistes learn how to represent themselves, build a following, and actually sell their great work," explained Fazil.
The 4th Marketplace of Creative Arts, co-organised by the WIEF Foundation and the Bandung Creative City Forum (BCCF), will be participated in by around 40 creative artistes from 11 countries namely, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As if the eclectic mix of talents is not enough, close to 5,000 spectators from around the world are expected to come and participate in the festival’s activities.
The two-day festival, which offers free admission to the public, has a wide range of exciting and interactive activities for its artistes, spectators and guests.
Creative souls will surely enjoy the artistes' freestyle performances at busking stations, the non-stop showcase of Southeast Asian short films and documentaries in the 'Reel Room', Parkour performances, and the public graffiti walls to unleash creative skills. There is also the 'Fusion Showdown', where all Marketplace artistes from different cultures perform a unique collaborated performance on stage. They can also learn from the best in the creative industry through 'Masterclass' sessions on music, performing arts, and photography. Then there is also the 'Creative Convoy', a parade on the streets of Bandung followed by a variety of creative expressions during the journey. On the other hand, shutterbugs can join the 'Street Soul' photography contest and stand to win exciting prizes.
There will also be creative business sessions designed to pitch artistes to the international business community. Several key sessions include 'Making the Business Pitch in 10 Minutes', leveraging online platforms for sustainable business in arts, developing a creative economy through branding, and sharing best practices in Creativepreneur Exchange. 'Ngomong-Ngomong' dialogue sessions will also discuss what is happening and what is important in the creative industry, with topics like 'Developing a Creative Economy: Creating a Business and a Global Brand', 'Nurturing a Creative Environment: The Role of Education', and 'Art and Business: Making Creativity Profitable'.
Fazil added, "We are honoured and privileged to be organising the 4th WIEF Marketplace of Creative Arts in the presence of hugely talented artistes and business decision makers from the Asian region. We are proud to be sending five of our very own talents to represent Malaysia in what we may consider as one of the most exciting happenings in the Southeast Asian art scene for 2012."
"On behalf of the WIEF Young Leaders Network, I invite everyone-the young or the young at heart from all corners of the world-to join us in Bandung this April for a one-of-a-kind experience at the Marketplace," encouraged Fazil.
For more information please log on to http://wief.org/. You can also like the Facebook events page http://www.facebook.com/events/279644908761415/ to become a fan, get more updates and join in the countdown for the Marketplace of Creative Arts. You can also view and vote on the works or performances of your favourite Marketplace artists by visiting www.artpage.wief.org. See you in Bandung!
SOURCE: WORLD ISLAMIC ECONOMIC FORUM (WIEF) FOUNDATION
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