03 Cultural Events in 03 Suburban Neighborhoods of Hanoi
"You have brought a new, joyful breeze to the residential area, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic when the atmosphere was quiet and there haven’t been any activities to stir up people's spirits."
- Uncle Khuy, resident of Group 8 Tan Mai, Hoang Mai, Hanoi.
"These are the movies I longed to watch in the past. When my children and I watch this together, I can share with them about my childhood - a childhood without air conditioner, mobile phone or TV screens."
- Ms. Linh, resident of CT36 Xuan La apartment building, Tay Ho, Hanoi.
“To me, the show is interesting, and also quite strange. [...] Normally, in the Village, people mainly celebrate Children’s Day and Mid-Autumn Festival at the Cultural House with various forms of interesting performances. In the future, I also want to try to bring this performance into our organization program. ”
- Mr. Duc, resident of Huu Trung village, Huu Hoa commune, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi.
Producers: Thao-Linh Dinh, Red, Hyang Chu
Collaborative Partners: B Nashor/ Big Toe Crew, TPD Center, Onion Cellar
Production & Communication Support: Lam Phong
Photos Documentation: Bang Giang, Hyang Chu
Video Documentation: Hoang Hai
There used to be a time when Hanoi wasn’t all concrete jungles and fine dust clouds but a cluster of small villages, a time when villagers gathering at communal houses for celebrations of holidays or perhaps a Chèo* mat was not a rare sight. There used to be occasions that allowed every member of the community to observe and enjoy performances of ritualistic practice and/or traditional arts.
Nowadays, as the hamlet social life is but a distant memory and most arts and cultural activities take place at the center of the city’s hubbub, occasions for festivities and gatherings come few and far between for those living outside of that circle. Communities living in the suburbs or outer-city villages are often sidelined from the diverse and vibrant cultural happenings of Hanoi.
Inspired by Wonder Art’s “trong” - a series of chamber music concerts held in different locations including old apartment buildings **, Mat Tran Ensemble decided to bring a variety of contemporary art activities to different residential areas in the suburbs of Hanoi, in hopes of decentralizing and disrupting the way in which most cultural/ artistic events are being organized and curated.
(*): A traditional form of performing arts in Vietnam
(**): Find out more about wonder art and their activities here: https://www.wonder-art.org/du-an-cong-dong
"Summer Fiesta 2020" brought 3 programs to 3 residential areas of Hanoi:
1. Dance and Graffiti Workshops "Hip-hop sân nhà"
- Location: Communal House, Group 8 Tan Mai, Hoang Mai, Hanoi
- Partners: Women's Union of Tan Mai ward, Fatherland Front of Tan Mai ward, artist Mai Tinh Vi, dance group B Nashor/Big Toe Crew
- Time: 17:00 - 19:00 on Saturday (July 18, 2020)
- Audience served: 40 - 50 participants, with a wide age range
2. Screening night: "Trăng giấy kể chuyện"
- Location: basketball court next to CT36 apartment building, No.50, lane 28 Xuan La, Tay Ho, Hanoi
- Partner units: Management Board of CT36 Xuan La Building, The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD), Vietnam Movie Institute
- Time: 20:00 - 22:00 on Saturday (July 18, 2020)
- Audience served: 40 - 50 participants, mainly children and their parents, their grandparents from the building and surrounding residential areas.
3. Music night "Góc sân và khoảng trời"
- Location: Huu Trung Village Cultural House, Huu Hoa Commune, Thanh Tri, Hanoi
- Partner units: People's Committee of Huu Hoa commune - Thanh Tri, Huu Trung Hamlet - Huu Hoa - Thanh Tri, Youth Union of Huu Hoa Commune - Thanh Tri, Onion Cellar
- Time: 19:30 - 21:30 on Sunday (July 19, 2020)
- Audience served: 50-70 participants, mainly young children and parents, grandparents of grandchildren in the village.
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"Hội về hè 2020" (Summer Fiesta 2020) is a part of the series of events "For a worth-living Hanoi ". A worth-living Hanoi is a city with lots of public spaces for people to connect to each other, share their dreams and act together for the common good. This is the reason why The People's Participation Working Group (PPWG) collaborates with O Kia Hanoi, Mat Tran Ensemble, Hanoi Bo Hanh and ECUE in organizing a series of cultural and artistic activities in different public spaces. This series of events is supported by the Embassy of Denmark and the British Council in Vietnam.
The project "Hội về hè 2020" (Summer Fiesta 2020) is supported by the British Council under the Cultural and Creative Hub Vietnam Project, 2018-2021, a project funded by the European Union and implemented by the British Council in partnership with VICAS.
Mat Tran Ensemble sincerely thanks the valuable support from ECUE, PPWG, Embassy of Denmark, British Council Vietnam, Ms. Alice Fox - Vice Principal of Arts College, Brighton University; the Women's Union of Tan Mai ward, the Fatherland Front of Tan Mai ward, as well as artist Mai Tinh Vi, dance group B Nashor / Big Toe Crew, the Management Board of CT36 Xuan La Building, Mr. Tran Duy Hung, The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents, Vietnam Movie Institute, People's Committee of Huu Hoa Commune - Thanh Tri, Huu Trung Hamlet - Huu Hoa - Thanh Tri, Youth Union of Huu Hoa Commune - Thanh Tri, Onion Cellar, artist Ly Trang, artist Do Tan Si, artist Nguyen Minh, artist Dang Tung and volunteers.
