Thamara Bejarano, is executive director of Open Scene, a Latina-led nonprofit dedicated to amplifying diverse artistic voices in Central Florida. The organization’s sixth annual Latin Festival of Performing Arts (FLAE VI) will include a concert/movie hybrid, Right in the Eye, which uses more than 50 instruments and audio devices to recontextualize the work of French filmmaker Georges Méliès. Also on the schedule is the local debut of Blanco Temblor, a theatrical drama by Puerto Rican playwright/director Carola Garcia López. | Courtesy Maitland Art Center
This summer’s earthquakes in Venezuela were especially impactful for Open Scene, a Latina-led nonprofit that’s dedicated to amplifying multicultural, global and diverse artistic voices in Central Florida.
Since most of the organization’s leaders are Venezuelan, it seemed natural and logical that the tragedy be reflected In the programming of its sixth annual Latin Festival of Performing Arts (FLAE VI), which will run from Monday to Sunday, October 12 to 18, at the Maitland Art Center.
The result is Interlude, an installation by Colombian-born, Panama-based artist Remedios (Maria Camila Bernal) that will be on view when the festival gets underway on Monday, October 12, at the historic center, which is itself a work of architectural art.
The installation is a textile-based construction that presents images of hearts, gardens, flowers, beetles, rabbits and other natural forms in a walk-through environment.
According to Thamara Bejarano, executive director of Open Scene, the idea is to impart “a sense of softness and shelter” where visitors can feel the grief and loss caused by horrific events followed by the uplifting sensation of life beginning anew. (The installation will be augmented by a “live activation” on Wednesday, October 14, at 7 p.m., in which a dancer will interact with Interlude to the accompaniment of live music.)
Such rapid responsiveness to real-world events underlines the global-mindedness of Open Scene’s signature event, which will again highlight underrepresented communities both here and abroad through a series of performances, installations, workshops, visual art, staged readings and discussion sessions.
By the way, don’t let the event’s name fool you; the festival’s focus is truly global. The crises unfolding in Iran are reflected in Viajeras (Thursday, October 15, at 7 p.m.), a staged reading that explores issues of migration, identity and displacement.
Iran is also the inspiration for Vilomah: Against the Natural Order, a solo exhibition by artist Soude Dadras that considers her native country’s turmoil through “traditional handwork, found objects, video, abandoned textiles and discarded data.” (An opening reception is Friday, October 16, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.)
There will also be Central Florida premieres, including Right in the Eye (Saturday, October 17, at 7 p.m.), a live concert/movie hybrid that uses more than 50 instruments and audio devices to recontextualize the output of French filmmaker Georges Méliès (creator of the seminal 1902 silent short A Trip to the Moon).
Also making its local debut will be Blanco Temblor (Sunday, October 18, at 7 p.m.), a theatrical drama by Puerto Rican playwright/director Carola García López that depicts an astrophysicist’s struggle with bipolar disorder after attempting suicide.
“FLAE VI is an invitation to encounter beauty as something active, something that moves us toward one another,” says Bejarano. “At a time when so much in public life feels fractured, we need artistic spaces that allow us to feel, listen and imagine more generously.”
That emphasis on generosity will extend to admission policies: Some events will be free, while others will follow a choose-what-to-pay model, with a suggested minimum of $21. (Last year, everything was free as a fifth-anniversary gift to the community—but that’s obviously not a model that’s replicable in perpetuity.)
Every program presented at FLAE VI will be available in more than 25 languages through either captions visible on smartphones or audio fed to headphones. The events will be followed by audience talkbacks.
“This year’s festival is both a celebration and a bridge,” hints Bejarano. “We want each person who attends to leave with the feeling that they experienced something rare, beautiful and necessary. FLAE VI is also the beginning of an exciting expansion for the festival, which we look forward to sharing very soon.”
The Maitland Art Center—which operates under the umbrella of the Art & History Museums of Maitland—is located at 231 West Packwood Avenue, Maitland. For more information, call or visit the website.
