Don’t mess with Durban Artists – have some Respect!
It seems all is not peachy post the recent combined DDC and Red Eye art event in Durban – Our Deben Dee-va follows through on her review of the event with a referral to an interesting article on the Artsthrob website entitled “Is Art a gift?” by Tamlyn Martin, the curator of the art side of the event. Certainly something to chew on… Is art a gift? by Tamlyn MartinONG Is Art a gift? This is a question that hangs heavily on my shoulders as I field calls from various parties over the inadequate media representation of artworks presented at the recent ‘Red Eye meets DDC 2005′, an event I curated on behalf of the Durban Art Gallery and the Durban Design Council (DDC) production team. As an independent curator who runs two independent alternative gallery spaces (at Bean Bag Bohemia and at Home restaurants), I am well aware of the vital importance publicity plays in promoting artists’ careers. Not only does adequate media representation relay vitally important information about the context of the artwork and the artist who created it, but it also gives the work a broader audience allowing access to those who may not logistically have been able to experience the work themselves. Media representation also endorses and adds value to the artwork in the same way it might a beverage or garment. In fact, it is no secret that prime media time, when given to commercial goods, translates directly into money. Sponsorships and buy-ins from brand managers and the economic sector is not merely based on the intrinsic qualities of an event but rather on the event’s potential to ‘steal’ them media attention and those prime time seconds. Artists have the power to excite the imagination of the media and earn those valuable prime time minutes. However, their artwork is seldom represented properly, often simply providing a decorative foil in an elaborate branding exercise. Fortunately, some artists like myself have been able to foster the independence and freedom required to speak out against this type of manipulation. In fact, it is my mission as an arts curator to empower my fellow artists to such a position of freedom, as it is my belief that a vibrant and healthy artistic community is reliant on this degree of autonomy and self-respect. I have no doubt that these qualities were what won me the honour of curating this event and enabled me, quite literally, to bring to the party a number of highly sought after artists. It is also what requires me to challenge the motives of the DDC production team. Had they read or considered my article...
Review: Jomba! 2005 dance was a treat!
Our Durban Dance Fundi Naz reckons it will be a long wait till the next spread of such fine Dance talent in Durb’s. If you missed the Jomba festival, you missed out ! Thanks to Naz for the words. Durban only ever gets to see this much dance once every year, and the 8th annual Jomba! Contemporary Dance Festival was well worth the wait. Durbans finest dance compa…nies, including Phenduka Dance Theatre, Fantastic Flying Fish, and the unforgettable Flatfoot Dance Company, each presented new works proving that Durban is rife with dance talent. We were lucky enough to have Lab Dance from the Netherlands performing on Tuesday and Wednesday night at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, which was a nice change from the style we are accustomed to seeing in South Africa. The show was a series of four short pieces, each one exploring the connections of the body and the relationship between dancers on a bare stage, with dim lighting and minimal music. Their contact work and body articulation was beautifully refreshing to see and the standard of dance was phenomenal. Thursday the 25th August was Paradise, a collaboration of twelve different young choreographers from Durban, each depicting a 15 minute piece of their personal interpretations of the Paradise theme. The KZNSA gallery provided a scenic setting for the work, with dancers making use of the indoor gallery, as well as the park, jungle gym and stair case, making the environment an integral part of the performance. Paradise was directed by Jay Pather of Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre and was an interesting display of dance as an art form. Also gracing us with their presence were Kettly Noel from Mali (who proved to be very popular last year), and Jant-Bi from Senegal, with an intense performance telling the story of the Rwandan genocide. The final night saw four of Durban’s best up-and-coming dancers and choreographers presenting works of their own. With the likes of Marise Kyd and Caroline van Wyk of Flatfoot Dance Company, as well as the freshest hip-hop band on the scene, The Big Idea, the future of Durban contemporary dance,if nurtured well, is sure to be a bright one . Unfortunately, if you missed this rare opportunity to get a good dose of quality contemporary dance in Durban you’re gonna have to wait for next year!...
Review: Smudged Red-Eye in Durbs
Thanks to Durban D-Va yet again for filling us in on what’s happening in Durbs – if the photo looks blurred that’s coz it’s REPRESENTING D-Va’s state on the night! Sounds like they need to cast those nets a bit wider… : Friday’s are often rather festive (and sometimes also a little fractious)&this Friday past was even more so, it being the Friday before the first of Octobe…r – the month associated with festivities of all kinds, from ancient harvest festivals to Thanksgiving and Halloween, the month we become aware of approaching summer and the final quarter of the year. So my Friday at Red Eye was a bit of a blur…a glorious haze of city lights, AV projections, fashionistas and subcultures. This month’s Red Eye was (mostly) back in the gallery this time, so it was up the carpeted stairs, face-to-face with the stuffed giraffe, then face-to-face with female nudity on the landing in the form of Brigitta Gaylard’s final series in her Boudoir board trilogy of photographic art. It was amusing to see how uncomforable people were with being confronted with nudity in a confined space and people were less interactive with these boards as they were the the two previous series, which were displayed on the pavement outside. For this, The Glamour Series, Brigitta styled herself in reference to works of art by Gustav Klimt and Schiele, “sexual voyeurs of the female body”. Images of the artist reclining on luxurious fabrics, the colour gold predominating, had the artist’s own poetry stencilled onto the larger-than-life photo-boards. The series is all about the female subject in art, the male gaze, the productive channelling of sexual energy, sex as a form of spiritualism, motherhood and the process of self-acceptance as a sexual being. Read more about Brigitta and the motivation for her work here. A very large screen displaying a visual piece by Roger Miller towered above the top of the stairs. One of the gallery rooms had been transformed into an unstructured jamming venue, with musicians from various backgrounds jamming in front of a screen of visuals by Rike Sitas, fast becoming on of the hottest names in the local art scene. This was like peeping into a private party, lots of bopping going on. (Musicians included: Quincy Fynn, David and Elbi (?)from the Big Idea who pleased the crowds at this year’s Splashy; Ngeza and Sazi Dlamini; Richard Ellis; Portia Malunga from Rouge; Sam and Daniel Sheldon and a Dlamini brother who turned up with a flute…) Fashion by the students graduating from the Linea Fashion Academy was on show, and models strutted their stuff to a...
Movie buffs – FREE Spanish film festival!
Now we know how hard (and expensive) it is to get that first film off the ground, so do yourselves a favour all aspirational movie-makers – take a break and grab your neglected friends and loved ones and treat yourselves to some muchos grande Spanish flieks – they’re free! The Spanish film industry experienced a boom this year thanks to the international success of The Sea Inside… (Mar Adentro) which received an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film. Now South African film fans have the chance to see some of the best award-winning films Spain produced at this year’s Spanish Film Festival at Cinema Nouveau screened by Jameson. Best news of all is that attendance is free. The films include the Cannes Film Festival winner The Hours of the Day; the hilarious comedy Torremolinos 73 and the Spanish Civil War drama Soldados de Ssalamina. The Spanish Film festival dates are: 7-13 October – Pretoria – Cinema Nouveau Brooklyn Mall from 14-20 October – Johannesburg – Cinema Nouveau Rosebank Mall 28 October – 3 Nov – Cape Town – Cinema Nouveau V&A Waterfront 11-17 November – Durban – Cinema Nouveau Gateway There are six films in the festival with screenings each week at 11.30am, 2.15pm, 5.15pm and 7.45pm. The programme is subject to change. Tickets may be bought at participating cinemas’ box offices, through TicketLine 082 16789 or at THE STER KINEKOR WEBSITE....
Cape Town WORLD Cinema Festival and SITHENGI 2005
If you’ve got a movie and you need a deal, get to Sithengi and hang out with the industry – we hear it has it’s ups and downs – this year looks to be blinger than most with a fine line-up of African and other films on show – check it out. The 4th Cape Town World Cinema Festival (CTWCF) takes place in and around Cape Town from the 11th to th…e 20th November and marks the 10th Anniversary of its business component, the Sithengi Film and TV Market, 15 -18 November. The CTWCF is the only film and television event of its kind in Africa. This year the CTWCF is bigger than ever before and will showcase over 110 feature films, shorts and documentaries and will be screened at a variety of venues from Artscape Theatre Centre, Cinema Nouveau at the V&A Waterfront; V&A Amphitheatre and the Labia Theatre on Orange to Cinemax in Mitchell’s Plain, the Kismet in Athlone and the FAWU Hall in Gugulethu and the Zolani Multi-purpose Hall in Nyanga. ‘The 2005 Festival will be completely different to last year,’ says CEO & Festival Director Michael Auret. ‘It is my objective to increase audience participation in the Festival and grow audiences for film. For instance we have included Leon Schuster’s latest slapstick comedy Mama Jack. If by doing this more people look at the programme and go to other films, then we will have achieved something.” This year’s festival will cater for the entire international spectrum of taste and culture that is encapsulated in Cape Town. Latest films by iconic directors such as Lars von Trier, Ousmane Sembene, Wong Kar-Wai and David Cronenberg complement an African Retrospective to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sithengi Film & TV Market as well as 50 years of African Cinema. But there is even more, with focuses on Cuba and also Argentina. South African highlights include Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi, Khalo Matabane’s Conversations of a Sunday Afternoon, Kevin de Toit’s Tau ya Soweto and Darrel Roodt’s much anticipated Faith’s Corner. And, says Michael Auret, the bright lights, fashion and spectacle will be in full swing too! ‘The bling and glamour of the Oscars is reflected in the 2 daily Red Carpet Screenings of the movies that are in contention for the Annual Awards. These are held at 18h00 and 20h00 at Artscape and, yes there actually is a red carpet, and flashing cameras and screaming fans! This culminates in the Gala Awards night on the 19th of November. So, if high-fashion and celebrity is your thing, Artscape is where you want to be on the evenings of the 12th...
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