Buffalo Culture: Individual expression reigns across city for 11 days

By Gabrielle Dubreville
(Image above: A collage of images from previous festivals)

The Buffalo Infringement Festival — like the word “infringement” — can mean a lot of things for a lot of peope. According to co-organizer Daufhin Thorndike, the festival represents something much deeper than its name.

“It means true diversity and the best, purest form of individuality and personal expression you can find,” he said in a recent interview. “Something that has become far more challenging to express in recent years, which is why the Infringement Festival is such an important event every year to all those who feel marginalized and unappreciated by the ‘mainstream’ arts community.”

This understanding continues to guide the festival today.

The festival — which kicked off Thursday night — brings together artists, musicians, performers and audiences for 11 days of creative expression.

Check out Ron Ehmke’s recollections of the beginnings of the Buffalo Infringement Festival.

This year’s festival features approximately 20 venues, 70 performers and over 30 sets of performances, offering a wide variety of experiences across the city.

“The festival’s mission is the same this year as it’s always been,” Thorndike says, “to shine a spotlight on ‘fringe art’ and the performers, musicians and artists who often struggle for venues to perform in and an audience to perform for throughout the rest of the year.” 

Buffalo’s Infringement Festival runs through Aug. 3. 

Organizers recommend browsing the event schedule online before heading out. The festival’s Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/InfringeEveryDay/.

This commitment to independent artists is what makes Infringement unique.

Thorndike said he is most excited to “meet performers whom I have only spoken to through social media preparing for the festival, but have not yet had a chance to meet in person until the shows themselves.”

New artists as well as returning performers set up for this festival to express themselves and share their talents. 

For experienced Infringement visitors, “Wet Dreamland” is returning on Aug. 1 to the newly remodeled Mohawk Place. The show’s tagline is “Wet Dreamland: Filthy and Wet, The John Waters Edition.”

Few have seen the new updates and renovations done by the new owner, Sam Marabella. Thorndike is most excited about seeing the “new” Mohawk Place.

Also, according to Thorndike, there are several new first-time performers for Infringement this year.

Each artist and musician has the freedom to express themselves through their own unique art. 

It is this freedom of expression for all the performers that keeps artists coming back year after year. Infringement shines an annual spotlight on artists who may be marginalized the rest of the year.

All these artists differ stylistically and creatively. It is this diversity that is the common thread among them all. 

To shine a bit more light upon what to expect at this festival, Throndike shared one of his favorite festival memories: “One year there was an artist who made up all these different sizes and shapes of ‘gongs.’ All these little kids were fascinated by the sounds they made and were throwing balls at all the gongs, and they were ringing out with this cacophony of sounds. Many of us remember that with a smile and a chuckle.” 

Whether attendees come for experimental performances, live music, visual art or unexpected moments like that one, Infringement Festival continues to celebrate creativity without boundaries while giving a platform to artists who might otherwise go unseen.