I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the opening of the Spier Contemporary 2010 Exhibition at the Cape Town City Hall last night. The event was well attended and a great success. Well done to Tanner Methvin and the Africa Centre for pulling it off.

Matanaswo-A Bragging and Proud Lady - Phillip Rikhotso

This is what I said at the opening:

“The Spier Contemporary 2010 is South Africa’s largest visual and performing arts exhibition, and we are honoured and delighted to launch it here in Cape Town tonight.

A good friend of mine in the art world gave me some advice about my speech. She said: keep it short, make it humorous, and for goodness sake, don’t talk about art. Whatever you say, you will be wrong. In any case, the audience are there to look at the work, and those who are really interested in contesting assumptions of what constitutes the proper protocol of post-apartheid rainbow nation representation in liminal spaces, with or without the cliché of the white frame, can read the catalogue.

Well, you’ll be pleased to know that it will be short. I don’t know about the humour bit, and I will limit myself to just one comment about art.

Maggots in red earth from Polokwane? Die Bystander - Hanje Whitehead

Our current national discourse is fractured, polarised, intemperate and downright dismal. Populism and opportunism is the order of the day and all manner of insincerities abound – none of which bring us any closer to finding ways to solve the real problems of the day – poverty, hunger, unemployment, our lack of solidarity, community and ethics, the need for better systems of accountability and governance.

Hope and Fear - Frina Galloway

Clive van den Berg, a member of the Curatorial Team, talks of a ‘national distemper, a profound unease in the nation’ that is reflected in many of the works submitted for consideration and many of those chosen for the exhibition. Mwenya Kabwe, another team member, notes the political cynicism that exists amongst many artists at the moment, whose work reflects ‘a deep sense of distrust and disappointment in formal politics and particularly with politicians’.

Representation: A Discourse - Christopher Marsberg and Francois van Tonder (video installation)

Phula Richard Chauke's acerbic view of politicians and their cars

The Spier Contemporary has amongst its aims: audience and artist development, creation of new markets, and training and development of artists and curators. All these aims are exemplary. It seems to me however that its greatest contribution is in giving us art as another language to understand and express ourselves, especially during this time when the conventional political discourse is severely limited. And it’s not all serious, thank goodness. Humour, irony and sly jokes abound in many of the works that cast a jaundiced eye on our contemporary leaders and problems.

The 2010 Football World Cup is not spared either. Ball and Chain - Dawood Petersen

I want to say something about the Africa Centre, the organisation behind the Spier Contemporary. Established in 2005, and located in the Cape Town Central City, the Africa Centre has already distinguished itself through its other programmes – in particular, the Badilisha Poetry X-Change, the Pan African Space Station and the Infecting the City public arts festival which annually stages and exhibits free high-quality, thought-provoking works in the public spaces of Cape Town accessible to everybody.

The Africa Centre is one of the new breed of organisations that are conspiring to make Cape Town a creative and innovative city. Five years ago, we realised the close connection between culture and urban regeneration, and so initiated the Creative Cape Town programme. Amongst other things, this programme attempts to find and create both public and private spaces for creative industries and enterprises to grow and flourish.

Today, there are more than 1000 creative industries in the Cape Town central city alone, which is why Cape Town has decided to bid for the World Design Capital for 2014, a biennial accolade that is given by the International Council of Societies for Industrial Design to cities that best use design for social, cultural and economic development.

One of our current projects is the East City Design Initiative (ECDI). The East City is that curious and quirky part of the city centre that lies between Adderley Street and District Six – an architecturally and historically rich area with amazing potential.

Home to many design and advertising businesses, film producers and photographic studios, the East City is also the location of the Cape Craft and Design Initiative, Fabrication Laboratory and Cape Town Fashion Council in Harrington St, the new Fugard Theatre and the District Six Homecoming Centre in the Sachs-Futeran Building, the District Six Museum itself, the Book Lounge, the Assembly live music venue, the Central Library in the beautifully restored Drill Hall, the rejuvenated Grand Parade (site of the 2010 Fan Fest), the new CT Station, Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Faculty of Informatics and Design, and the soon to be restored Granary Building.

A building in the East City with the potential to become one of Cape Town’s most important cultural spaces is the City Hall. To date, for a variety of reasons, this project has not managed to get off the ground. (By the way, have a look at Jonathan Garnham’s work – Gold Chain – a 298,5m long comment on the neglect of the City Hall over the years).

(Untitled) Gold Chain - Jonathan Garnham

The Africa Centre, by presenting the Spier Contemporary Exhibition in the City Hall, has done us a huge favour, in that we can now imagine how these spaces could be creatively used in future. This is why, to coincide with the opening of the Spier Contemporary, Creative Cape Town, the Africa Centre and Cape Mic have launched the Imagine City Hall campaign.

The Spier Contemporary 2010 has brought life and colour into a neglected building

Imagine City Hall is a citizen activation programme. Its aim is to draw support for the development of the Cape Town City Hall as a dedicated cultural venue. The space should be accessible to all the people of Cape Town, and should forward the broader arts and heritage of the city and the continent. Please visit the Imagine City Hall Facebook group, which already has 541 members, and read what local artists Tina Schouw, Steve Fataar and Barry Smith have to say in support of the initiative.

More importantly, when you walk around the Exhibition, please take the time to see how spaces that were, until recently, dark, cluttered and neglected, have been ‘opened for art’, and to imagine the City Hall as a permanent cultural space.

Enjoying the new spaces in the City Hall (Picture: Anita van Zyl)

The opening speakers were mercifully located adjacent to the main balcony used by Nelson Mandela on 11 February 1990 (picture: Anita van Zyl)

In conclusion, my thanks and congratulations go to:

• the many South African artists who submitted a total of 2700 works for consideration
• the 101 artists that have been selected for the exhibition
• the Spier Estate for supporting visual and performing arts at a time when funds are hard to come by
• Tanner Methvin, Farzanah Badsha, Robin Jutzen and the hardworking team at the Africa Centre – for the exhibition and for all you do for the city
• The curatorial team and the judges, especially those who are visitors to our city – you are most welcome

Ladies and gentlemen, you are in for a treat! Please enjoy the evening. The Spier Contemporary Exhibition at the Cape Town City Hall is now open for art.”

A Downtown Symphony (detail) - David Koloane. This is my favourite piece on the exhibition (naturally)

Brett Murray at his provocative best with his piece 'Culture'

Voices - Maurice Mbikayi (picture: Anita van Zyl)

Heartbreaker (literally!) - Johann van der Schijff

(By the way, have a look at Gabeba Baderoon’s thoughtful response to Minister Lulu Xingwana’s comments about the Innovative Women Exhibition)

Like the man said, imagine...

I’ve never been a fan of the Cape Town City Hall from an architectural and aesthetic point of view. I always find it a bit gloomy – two buildings in one rather awkwardly joined together with a rabbit-warren of corridors and rooms. However, there is no denying its symbolic and historical significance, and its imposing edifice is instantly recognisable against the backdrop of Table Mountain.

With a bit of imagination, I believe that the City Hall can become one of Cape Town’s leading cultural centres. Already preparation for the forthcoming Spier Contemporary 2010, which is stripping out the detritus of the past few decades, is revealing the future potential of the building. This is why Creative Cape Town, together with the Africa Centre and Cape MIC, has recently launched an Imagine City Hall campaign – an opportunity for citizens to register support for the City Hall as a dedicated cultural venue, and to imagine ways in which the building can come alive again.

For more information, check out the Creative Cape Town webpage  and sign up at the City Hall Facebook Group.

The logo for the Imagine City Hall campaign

I normally eschew using the description ‘world class’ – it often means trying to measure up to someone else’s standards rather than setting our own. But in the case of the opening of The Fugard Theatre in the Cape Town Central City last night, I’m prepared to make an exception. It was brilliant, bloody brilliant, world class!

We were privileged to see a magnificent performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute/ Impempe Yomlingo by the Isango Portobello Company in their new home – the beautifully renovated Fugard Theatre in Caledon Street, next door to the District Six Homecoming Centre in the old Sacks Futeran Building.

It was a joyous occasion, attended by Athol Fugard himself, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, at least five Cabinet Ministers, actor Alan Rickman (aka Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies), scores of playwrights, artists and writers, and a healthy cross-spectrum of Capetonians.

Hats off to producer Eric Abraham, artistic director Mark Dornford-May, executive director Mannie Manim, music directors Pauline Malefane and Mandisi Dyantyis and all the members of the Isango Portobello Company. Welcome to the East City. We look forward to becoming Friends of the Fugard!

For more information on what is happening in the East City, see East City Design Initiative.

I toured the East City precinct in the Cape Town Central City yesterday – and saw two amazing projects, and one disaster.

I first went to the City Hall to see the installation of the Spier Contemporary biennial Arts Competition and Exhibition, set to open on 14 March. In my view – we’re in for a treat! The exhibition is organised by the Africa Centre and will showcase 132 pieces from 100 South African artists. The best news is that the City Hall is finally receiving a bit of a – albeit temporary – makeover, showing what the space could look like if it is properly restored.

Clutter and debris dating back to the 1970s being removed from the City Hall to create bright modern exhibition spaces

Majestic spaces - where the City Library (now next door in the restored Old Drill Hall) used to be

Next, I went around the corner to Caledon Street to the Sachs-Futeran building to look at the new Fugard Theatre. Its going to be the home of the award-winning Isango-Portobello Theatre Company. Situated in an old Congregational Church Hall and an adjacent warehouse, it is one of the best restorations of an historic building I have seen in a long time. The Fugard opens on 12 February with Mozart’s The Magic Flute-Impempe Yomlingo. Situated next door to the District Six Homecoming Centre, and the Old Granary Building (also due for an upgrade in 2010), the complex is set to become the heart of the Cape Town Partnership’s East City Design Initiative.

The entrance to The Fugard in Caledon Street, off Buitenkant Street

Rehearsal space on the second floor

Terri Carter of the Cape Town Partnership auditions on stage

The roof terrace boasts some of the best views in the Central City

See recent Sunday Times article on The Fugard by Marianne Thamm

And finally – the bad.

I walked around the newly-upgraded Grand Parade and was bitterly disappointed in what I saw. The Grand Parade is Cape Tow’s oldest public space. It is one of our most important heritage sites. It was where Nelson Mandela first spoke to the world as a free man 20 years ago. It is the venue for the official FIFA Fan Fest in June. The City of Cape Town has recently spent R22m on upgrading the Parade. It looks like this:

The brand new brickwork is covered in ugly oil stains due to the vans and bakkies that are allowed to park there

New paving turning to rubble due to lack of maintenance

The vandalised base of a monument

Lack of cleansing and refuse removal mars the environment

The main problem is that the City does not have a public space management policy and strategy in place. No one is responsible or accountable for maintenance and management, even though many of the spaces have been beautifully upgraded by the City in recent years. This issue, which has been kicking around the Civic Centre for the past four years, needs to be resolved once and for all. Watch this space!

A story on the state of the Grand Parade appeared in the Weekend Argus on 30 January 2010:

Vandals trash Grand Parade after upgrade

City’s main fan park ‘not managed’

By Helen Bamford

The Grand Parade, the site of Cape Town’s main fan park for the World Cup, was upgraded at a cost of R24 million but within weeks has been damaged and vandalised, apparently because of a lack of management.

In his blog, the chief executive of the Cape Town Partnership, Andrew Boraine, described his disappointment after walking around the newly-upgraded site.

He posted photographs of what he saw: brickwork covered in oil stains from vehicles permitted to park on the parade, new paving turned into rubble due to lack of maintenance and the vandalised base of a monument.

He says the main problem was that the city did not have a public space management policy and strategy.

“No one is responsible or accountable for maintenance and management, even though many of the spaces have been beautifully upgraded by the city in recent years.”

The city’s 2010 co-ordinators are also concerned.

Shameel Ho-Kim, project co-ordinator for the city’s 2010 operations office, said the Grand Parade was a high priority for 2010 and they wanted it closely managed.

He said that they had raised their concerns with the city’s sports and recreation department, under which the Grand Parade fell.

“They have indicated it will be managed more closely with increased patrols.”

The Parade will be fenced off from May 1 for construction of the fan park which will create a stadium atmosphere accommodating an estimated 25 000 people, with an overflow along Darling Street which will take 15 000 people.

All 64 World Cup games will be screened live at the fan park which will be open from 10am until midnight on match days with hospitality areas and beer tents.

The city has appointed an operator called Grand World Visions, a consortium of World Sport, VWV and Grand Parade Investments, to plan, implement and manage the fan fest on its behalf.

Paul Williamson, city service co-ordinator for business areas management, said the city had identified two alternative sites for existing traders during the World Cup.

The city would ensure that the Grand Parade was in a suitable condition for the fan fest, and the damage identified would be repaired.

 Weekend Argus sent written questions to Gerhard Ras, the councillor in charge of sports and recreation under which the Grand Parade falls, on Thursday asking who was responsible for managing the site and why it was not being done.

He did not respond but Gert Bam, director of sport, recreation and amenities, said the areas requiring attention since the upgrade were not substantial.

In one area the electricity department had “disturbed the paving” during an installation.

“This caused a ripple effect on the surrounding paving. We have asked the electricity department to correct this.”

In other areas the paving seemed to have sagged.

“As we are still in the maintenance period of the contract a snag list has been drafted and the urban design department which managed this project will interact with the contractor to attend to all the snag items,” Bam said.

Published on the web by Cape Argus on January 29, 2010.

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