
Macau Audio Visual Alpha (MAVA) was the first group to attend the projection-mapping course organised by ICM and taught by Spanish Team Telenoika, and is Macau’s first architectural video mapping group.
MAVA consists of musicians, motion graphic artists, an illustrator and a cinematographer, most of them having met on the training course with Telenoika. Their diverse line up gives them a strong profile for taking on a range of new projects.
Having established a good relationship with their teachers from Spain, they have not only become friends, but also project collaborators, and this year they will perform together with Telenoika for the audiovisual mapping show held at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, which will bring to a close the 25th edition of the Macao Arts Festival.
MAVA producer, Casber U, describes the evolution of their work.
“Last year, the show was like a graduation project for us, more experimental. This year the show is an artwork. We will try our best to find the optimal expression for our ideas.”
Commenting on what it takes to put on the best show possible, he adds: “Silence and total darkness, and of course, an attentive audience. I still remember the 2011 show, when people even came out in the rain with umbrellas to watch the show. That was very touching”.
For this year’s performance, entitled ‘A Dream of Light’, the theme of dreams is explored: we all live in the same city, we all have different dreams.
“This story is about Macau’s dream, about Macau’s people, thoughts and memories”, says Casber.
The Ruins of St. Paul’s will be turned into a dream factory to allow the audience to ‘experience their fellow citizens’ collective fantasies, memories and utopias. Whether bizarre, moving or ominous, these dreams also embody Macau’s multicultural atmosphere’.
“It is really nice for us to project on the Ruins of St. Pauls. It is very meaningful for us”, says the producer of the opportunity to work with one of Macau’s most iconic locations.
So what’s next for MAVA?
While video mapping is still relatively new in Macau, in much of the rest of the world that is not the case, and this opens many doors for future possibilities.
“As a start-up team, anything can happen”, says the producer. “Doing projection mapping in a more interactive direction or maybe on different objects”, are just some of the ideas that come to mind.
In terms of Macau, “there’s still some way to go, and I think when you compare it to the international scene, there is still a lot to improve. We will keep working hard.”
Macau (and its people) does however offer a constant source of inspiration that the MAVA video mapping group wish to continue interpreting and sharing.
8pm and 9pm every night from May 30 to June 8