ENGEKI QUEST

orangcosong

You might have seen two Japanese artists exploring Makhanda for almost two months, wondering what they were up to… Well, scratch your head no longer and get ready to enjoy Engeki Quest, orangcosong’s ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ book that will guide you through the streets of Makhanda and reveal some of the invisible stories of the city. Engeki Quest is a game and a self-performed artwork at the same time, where you, the adventurer, will custom tailor your own narrative and discover new perspectives in familiar surroundings.

Written every time anew, Engeki Quest has been realised in collaboration with Rhodes University’s anthropology department. This 2022 edition is the first volume of a triptych supported by the Saison Foundation in orangcosong’s first endeavour on the African Continent. The adventure will continue in Dar es Salaam next year before returning to Makhanda, where local artists will contribute to the project with their own unique stories.

So come pick up a book at the Rhodes Box Office (which is located just outside the Rhodes Theatre Foyer) to experience this literary adventure solo or in a small group, and feel free to come share your insights with the artists at 17:30 at the Monument Restaurant on Friday 24 June or Friday 1 July, with a cup of tea or a glass of beer.

Books are available for purchase for R120 from the Theatre Box Office

Start Your Adventure

CREDITS

Engeki Quest – Rainbow Bridges in Makhanda
『演劇クエスト　マカンダ、虹の橋』

A project by orangcosong, as part of the 2022 edition of the National Arts Festival, Makhanda, South Africa

Planning, Production & Art Direction | 製作・総合演出
orangcosong (Chikara Fujiwara＋Minori Sumiyoshiyama)
orangcosong（藤原ちから＋住吉山実里）

Illustrations & Cover Design | イラスト・カバーデザイン
Haruka Shinji | 進士遙

Producer | プロデューサー
Stéphane Noël / Materialise Limited
羅永飛 / 形賦有限公司

Coordinator | コーディネーター
Dominique Santos

Research Assistant | リサーチアシスタント
Amy Bernier-Desmarais
Uyanda Ntloko

Supported by | 助成
THE SAISON FOUNDATION
公益財団法人セゾン文化財団

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

orangcosong is an art collective founded in 2019 by Chikara Fujiwara and Minori Sumiyoshiyama, mainly active in Asia. Their activities are based on the experience of performing arts, but beyond any genres and positions. The name comes from Indonesian orang (person) and kosong (empty).

Chikara Fujiwara (Kochi/JP, 1977) is based in Yokohama and works as a critic / artist / curator / dramaturg. In order to connect the world divided by “invisible walls”, he has produced Engeki Quest and also co-devised IsLand Bar with the transnational artists in ADAM 2017. He is a Senior Fellow of Saison Foundation and the East Asian Cultural Exchange Envoy of Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs since 2017.

Minori Sumiyoshiyama (Osaka/JP, 1986) studied architecture at Kyoto Institute of Technology. After performing dance, butoh, and theater for various directors, she has been creating her own projects since 2010. Her work explores relationships with audiences, as for instance her performance Hitsudankai, in which participants only communicate by writing in complete silence. She joined Engeki Quest in 2017 as a researcher, writer, editor, and art manager.

Based in Yokohama, Japan