Bringing art to the people
Saturday will see a Nicosia park turned into an open-air arts venue as people from all disciplines will come together to strut their stuff
Mix together a passion for the arts and a touch of urban culture and what do you get? The first ever Urban Soul Festival in the centre of Nicosia.
For the first time in its history, the Pantheon Cultural Association has organised an open-air festival to be held in the park between Eleftheria and Solomou squares. Taking place this Saturday, the festival aims to bring together a vast amount of artists belonging to different fields, inviting them to present their work and be given a voice for one day by communicating their ideas through various forms.
What’s really great about this festival is that it breaks through the boundaries of everything we’ve known so far, moving away from the closed confines of a gallery and the four walls of a music venue. It’s hoped that passers by will be lured into the festival grounds as they hear the beats of soft electronic music coupled by the sounds of live bands. Even addicted shoppers will surely stop in their tracks to see what’s going on. After all, it’s a free event bringing the best of the contemporary music and the local art scene all in one space. What more could you ask for?
“The idea for a festival of this kind came up about a year ago,” explained event organiser, Petros Lapithis. “Musicians who wandered into Pantheon Gallery were saying that having a big festival was a good idea, and I had so many artists complaining that nothing of a larger scale was going on here. So eventually we all gathered together and came up with a grand plan!
“Such an event has never taken place before in Cyprus so I’m really excited. Only a small percentage of the population enters a gallery and we really wanted to take art out to the general public,” said Petros. “That’s why we chose such a central spot in Nicosia. We hope that shoppers, those going for a walk, and even friends out for a coffee will be able to pass by and catch a glimpse of some really interesting things”.
So how exactly will the area be transformed? Music lovers can look forward to a huge tent housing DJs and live bands. The music scene on the day will bring you hip-hop, reggae and fusion electronica with DJs including the Roots Crew Sound System, DJ Zen, Cusack, Achilleas, Yiannis Tryfon and DJ Magos. Local bands and solo artists will put on shows at various points throughout the day.
Close to this tent will be the publishing section, filled with local independent magazines and publications. If you’re interested in this scene then you can spend time browsing through through zines, comics, posters, stickers, t-shirts and postcards. Most of these items will be on sale and visitors will even be given the opportunity to contribute to a collective story.
The nearby artistic area will include sculptures, photography and paintings. On the multimedia scene you can also expect to see interesting video art and animation with projections on the surrounding walls really livening things up. A little further down there will be an arts and crafts section with handmade jewellery and decorations on sale. And more than this, there will also be on site installations scattered throughout the grounds, with some of the larger ones taking up a whole area and transforming it into a work of art. For all those looking for a chilled out Saturday you’re in luck, as there will be plenty of space on the grass to relax, as well as various drink and food stalls.
As you enter into the festival area you can grab a map as well as a programme of the various music sets and projections. Pick and choose what you want to see and listen to, and spend the rest of the time as you please. “We’re trying to offer a space where you can spend your whole day and even families can enjoy their time,” said Petros. “We really want to open the eyes of people who may not be so into art scene, for them to see something new. There’s an art world that’s thriving in Cyprus but not so many people really pay attention. And I don’t blame them, they need to be exposed to it more”.
As a collective event celebrating artistic diversity, this is an occasion that should let you in on things you didn’t even realise were happening or being done on our island. Go on, put a bit of soul into next weekend and make the most of all that urban culture truly has to offer.
Urban Soul Festival
Open air festival with live music and art work on show. September 30. Eleftheria Square, Central Nicosia. 12 noon to 12 midnight. Free. Tel: 22-670843. www.urbansoulfestival.com
