The Shenzhen Bay Fringe Festival begins on Saturday, December 4 at 3 pm with a three-hour parade. The parade route spans from the Poly Theatre in the east to the Wenxin Park Plaza in the west (behind the Nanshan Book City). Should be fun. Also, please note that during workdays, most performances and screenings will take place from 7:30 on.

For Fat Birders, there will be two outdoor performances. The short playAnimals in Motion: Flashing Animals (动物在行动之”快闪动物”) shows on Sunday, December 5 at 4 p.m. on the Shenzhen Bay walk. The second is an ongoing performance piece (5-11 Dec) – Animals in Motion: One Cat, Six Days (动物在行动之”一猫六日”) that takes place throughout Coastal City.

In the meantime, in the spirit of the hopeful creativity, I’m posting a translation of Yang Qian’s thoughts on the Fringe; the Chinese original follows.

In the name of Shenzhen Bay
Yang Qian

During the Pliocene Epoch, over 5,300,000 years ago, black-faced spoonbills already took refuge in the mangrove forrest that grew in the deep and tranquil swamps of Shenzhen Bay. Over the past few decades, the ongoing reduction of the wetlands necessary to their survival, the increasing smog of their skies, the beautiful neighborhoods incesently clammering on their coast, towering glass skyscrapers and the shocking honks of traffic have made it nearly impossible for them to nest and breed here. Nevertheless, spoonbills continue – now as before – to take wing at sunrise and return to their nests at dusk. Like a group of society-forsaking hermits, their hidden but unhurried observation bears witness to and records each and every human action.

The nine days from December 4 to 12, 2010 may bring a sense of prosperity to the human residents of Shenzhen Bay because this is where the first Shenzhen Bay International Fringe Festival is being held. These days, it is more and more difficult to find situations which might be described as prosperous, nevertheless I feel that for this arts festival, we can boast a little.

The first Fringe Festival was held in Edinburg in 1947. It’s purpose was to celebrate and generate conversations about alternative theatre. Today, the Edinburg Fringe remains the world’s most famous and largest Fringe Festival. The word “fringe” refers to the decorative edge of a garment, consisting of hanging threads or cords. In the context of the arts it refers to art that is non-official, alternative, and non-commercial. Throughout the world, many countries and regions have their own Fringe, when residents get crazy happy and artists flaunt their brilliance and creativity.

During the first Shenzhen Bay International Fringe Festival, several tens of thousands of people will participate in the arts parade, independent films will be shown, cutting edge music and theatre will be performed, and performance artists and animal protection supporters will protest animal cruelty. The organizing principals of all this celebratory play are collective participation and individual creativity, equal dialogue and free expression.

In addition, I hope that people will be pleasently surprised to discover that the arts may change one’s habitual understanding of “ecological geography”. The first Shenzhen Bay International Fringe Festival takes place at Coastal City and the surrounding area. For the past three years, this luxury shopping mall has been the destination of upscale consumors. However, during the Fringe, the focus is not anxiously desired namebrand goods, even as the conversation is not about getting a good deal. In an era of ascending consumerism, securing a free space is a battle of life and death. In contrast, during the Fringe business defers to the people, and if even for a few days, this breathing space is the kind of prosperity worth lauding.

Finally, I cannot but comment that in practice the themes of this year’s Fringe – environmental conservation, low carbon life styles, and ecological safety – are but impotent and empty talk.

To understand the scale of Shenzhen’s environmental transformation, the most direct method is to visit the NASA website and download satelite photos of the Nantou Peninsula. From 1997 to 2002, in the short span of five years, the area of the peninsula doubled in size. What was the corresponding increase in population? How much arable land was eliminated? How many wild animals and plants were lost? Who knows the answers to these questions? More to the point, who can tell us what the short and long term cumulative effects of industrialization are and will be?

Presently, the phrases “environmental protection,” “low carbon lifestyle,” and “ecological safety” are on everyone’s lips. However, when we say one thing and do another, even putting the rights, safety, and protection of consumers above those of our world, then of course we become even more hypocritical and destructive.

A sense of prosperty flourishes when we face the world with dreams and hope and live with respect and freedom. It does not grow ignoring and fearing painful and lingering death – of ourselves or of the natural world. The most valuable aspect of the Shenzhen Bay Fringe is that it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of prosperity. Whether or not a fringe festival celebrated in the name of Shenzhen Bay will maintain its honor and sence of well-being is not simply dependent on Shenzhen’s GDP, but more importantly depends on the future condition of the Bay itself. If human beings act in the name of place and are to do so without shame, it must be done in such a way that also benefits black-faced spoonbills and painted snipes, spoiled and abandoned pets. May all that consitute the Shenzhen Bay prosper!

以深圳湾之名 杨阡

在深圳湾僻静幽深的泥沼里，530万年前的上新世也许就已经存在的黑脸琵鹭藏身红树林间。尽管最近的几十年里，它赖以生存的水面越来越小，尽管它鼓翼飞翔的天空越来越朦胧，尽管漂亮的邻居彩鹬一直抱怨岸边，高耸的镜子和震天的喇叭让它无法安心养育雏鸟。黑脸琵鹭还是一如既往地凌晨起飞，黄昏归巢。犹如离群索居的隐士，躲避着人群又从容不迫地观察着、记录着人类的一举一动。

2010年12月4日到12日这九天，对生活在深圳湾周围的人或许是幸福的日子，因为这里将举办首届“深圳湾国际艺穗节”。幸福这个词在今天越来越难得有用得上的地方了。但这个艺术节，我觉得多少值得这么自夸。

世界上首次“艺穗节”（Fringe Festival）是1947年在英国的爱丁堡举办的，主要是边缘戏剧表演和交流的艺术节。至今爱丁堡戏剧节仍是世界上最享有盛誉的也是规模最大的“艺穗节”。艺穗的“穗”（Fringe）原意是指我们穿的衣服，戴的围巾周围作为装饰的穗子。引申到艺术活动就有了非官方、非主流、非商业的含义。如今世界上已经有许多国家和地区拥有自己的艺穗节。这是个民众狂欢和艺术家自由展示才华与创造的节日。

在首届“深圳湾国际艺穗节”期间，将有几万人组成的艺术巡游，有独立电影的播放，有先锋音乐和戏剧的表演，有行为艺术家和动物保护主义者对环境破坏和动物虐待发出的抗议行动等等。公共参与和个体创造，平等对话和自由抒发是这个节日的游戏规则。

除此之外，我希望人们能惊喜地发现，艺术活动其实可以改变自己习惯的“生存地理学”概念。首届“深圳湾国际艺穗节”的主场地是深圳海岸城及其周边地区。这座奢华的shopping mall建成三年来一直用高档消费主导着大众周末和平日的消遣。但是由于艺术节，那些让人望而生畏的品牌将不再是焦点，压抑的标价也不再是谈话的核心。在消费主义盛行的时代，夺回自由空间是一场生死攸关的战斗。欢呼生意向民意低头，哪怕只有短短的几天时间，这也是值得夸耀的幸福。

最后我不得不说说这届艺术节的主题——“环保”、“低碳生活”和“生态安全”——在具体的现实面前是多么无力与苍白。

如果想了解深圳的环境发生了多大改变，最直观的办法就是上美国国家航天局（NASA）的网站，下载南头半岛的卫星照片。事实上从1997年2002年仅短短的五年里，南头半岛的面积几乎膨胀了一倍。那么同样的时间人口膨胀了多少？汽车增加了多少？耕地和湿地减少了多少？野生动植物损失了多少？谁能告诉我们？更进一步，这些改变加在一起产生的近期和远期后果，谁又能告诉我们？

现在“环保”、“低碳生活”和“生态安全”正在流于口号和做作。因为这些动听的字眼在不作为的时候，甚至比提保护消费者权益还要安全、保险，当然就更加犬儒和恶俗。

幸福感产生于我们朝向梦想与希望而生的尊严和自由中，而不在逃避与屈从恐惧的苟延残喘里。艺穗节最大的价值在于提供了这个对幸福反省的机会。以深圳湾得名的艺穗节是否会延续自己的荣誉和福祉，不光仰赖深圳市GDP指数，也仰赖于深圳湾这片水域有怎样的未来。如果我们人类用一个大地的名字荣耀自己而无愧疚的话，那么让黑脸琵鹭、彩鹬还有那些关在宠物店或流浪在路上的猫狗也能分享吧！