The "Hands-on-Hips Little Girl" Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Foil Art Experience took place at Dongguan Sign·Yuehua Art Space.
Over 20 female theater fans explored the ICH foil-stamping technique, blending the iconic hands-on-hips pose from Matilda the Musical with Lingnan traditional patterns like the waking lion and phoenix.
Centered on the iconic "hands-on-hips little girl" from Matilda the Musical, the event, co-hosted by the Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Center and Dongguan Legacy, with support from the Dongguan Folk Artists Association, fused the millennium-old ICH foil-stamping technique with contemporary stage art and Lingnan traditional culture.
Guided by ICH inheritors, participants brought Matilda to life on gold foil through block cutting, foil application and stamping.
The event also served as a cultural warm-up for the upcoming opening of the Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Center. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and located in the heart of Songshan Lake Science City, the center is Dongguan's first art complex combining theater and exhibition spaces and is scheduled to open in April.
From April 17 to 26, the original London West End hit Matilda the Musical, the headline show of the first Songshan Lake International Musical Festival, will be staged 13 times consecutively at the Grand Theater of the Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Center. This performance marks the debut of the musical's current run in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Winner of 101 international awards, Matilda the Musical tells the story of a young girl who shapes her own destiny with intelligence and courage.
The Dongguan Sign·Yuehua Art Space, renovated from the 1933 Yuehua Confectionery Company, retains the Qilou architectural style and now serves as a cultural hub with exhibitions, workshops, reading areas, and a focus on ICH preservation and community arts education. Hosting the original West End musical Matilda, the venue creates a cross-temporal dialogue between Eastern and Western arts, blending Dongguan's local cultural heritage with international theatrical excellence.
Author: Li Jingru
Photo: Nanfang Plus
