Saigon Rapsody Open Cypher Project
Saigon Rapsody Open Cypher is an event created in celebration of Cải lương's old glory.
Culture is one of the values that define a nation; it is what makes us who we are, and differentiates us from others. Therefore, preserving cultural heritage, especially the intangible, is a crutial part of protecting the country. However, it is important to think of solutions to not only restore and preserve traditional cultural expressions, but also pass them down to the next generations. To do this, the initial step must be to change the youth’s view about these traditions, and the common prejudice that the traditional culture belongs to the previous generations. The project "Saigon Rapsody Open Cypher" experiments with an unconventional yet practical way to achieve this goal.
Cải lương, the “renovated theatre art”, is part of Vietnam’s intangible cultural heritage, part of our national pride and authenticity. Since its birth in the early twentieth century, this folk music has been expressing the soul of Saigon through the social topics and emotions it conveys. Inspired by that, the project rounds up a basic Cải lương band and a DJ/producer to work together to play live backing tracks for an open rap cypher. The event invites people to come gather around, move together and rap together on the topic of contemporary issues of present time.
"Saigon Rapsody" Open Cypher acts as a tribute to the traditional theatre art Cải lương, and aims to inspire young people to learn about, preserve, and keep developing it. It is also a connection drawn between the old and the young of Ho Chi Minh City.
Facebook event cover image
Eventscape
Teaser poster
Event poster
Event handout (front)
Event handout (back)
Stage backdrop
Event logo in two forms
Visual
The making of this project is documented in a process book.
