-
Pantsula dancers during Dance Nation on Thibault Square : Dance Nation celebrated the sounds, rhythms and dances of the diverse and far-flung parts that make up our country — from classical Xhosa to hip-hop and Latin American. Individual groups and companies converged to featuring over 60 dancers. -
A City Varsity student performs as part of BodySpectra at St Georges Mall -
Environment Vertical by Compagnie Retouramont from France : A choreographed dance duet performed against the facade of a high-rise building using the vertical plane as the stage. -
Wall Hug by Kira Kemper on Queen Victoria Street. : Breaking down the barriers between architecture, space and the public, performers wearing foam costumes mimicked architectural details of specific sites in Cape Town and dished out embraces. -
Striking the Balance by Ikapa Dance : This dance production explored finding the balance between personal and professional spheres, learning to share and discovering who we are as a society. -
The Homecoming Ball: Bushwaacking by Odidi Mfenyana (Odidiva) : Blending the American gay cultural phenomenon of “balling” with urban African dance, Odidiva challenges homophobia, misogyny and bigotry, celebrating diversity as a source of pride. -
Processional Walkway by Katie Urban : Inspired by processional walkways of ancient temples — designed to purify and provoke a sense of awe — this modern counterpart used some 50 000 red rose petals to offer commuters and passersby purification for the struggles and triumphs of the day ahead. -
Con Tatto by Da Motus! -
Table Duet and Who Wants To Live Forever by Bovim Ballet : Sean Bovim's trademark neoclassical style of “ballet with a twist” created a strong emotion and intense connection between the dancers’ classical line of the body within the architecture of the St George's Mall and its environment. -
The Giant Puppet Parade in Church Square : Two schoolgirls giggle with delight during the Giant Puppet Parade in Church Square. -
Con Tatto by Da Motus! : The Swiss dance and performance collaborative presented a playful and sensitive exploration of empathy and corporal contact, through its eight dancers playfully interacting with architecture, each other and spectators. -
Steal My Photograph! by Lukas Renlund : These framed photographs were exhibited in the streets of Cape Town and any passerby with the gall to steal one was allowed to. In exchange, the “art thieves” were asked to send a pic of where they hung their stolen photograph to the artist. -
Polite Force by Christian Nerf : The first noteworthy performance of this work was staged in 2002 outside the World Trade Centre, Johannesburg, on the first anniversary of 9/11, with artist Barend de Wet kitted out in riot gear while being friendly to strangers. -
BDSM by Rhine Bernardino : A young girl chasing shadows during the projection piece. -
Hatch by Mamela Nyamza : An autobiographical dance work, Hatch explored deeply personal and challenging issues of culture, tradition and a woman’s evolving sexuality within the customary rites of marriage. -
Dark Cell by Themba Mbuli : Drawing inspiration and metaphors from imagery of prisoners on Robben Island, Dark Cell probed mental freedom and self-imposed restrictions. While celebrating and commemorating South African history, the work also mirrored contemporary society. -
The city by night : Audience members await to be led to the next location during Infecting the City's evening programme. -
3600 a day by Asanda Kaka and Valentina Argiro : An installation of women’s clothes highlights the disturbing statistic that 360 rapes are reported in South Africa every day. The title is exaggerated to highlight the magnitude of the problem. -
Mechanised Intimacy by Rhine Bernardino on Commercial Street : Some 28 800 photographs of the artist kissing 20 strangers were edited together into a one-minute film exploring the limitations of kissing: its shift from an intimate act to a mechanical process, and vice versa. -
A City Varsity student performs as part of BodySpectra at St Georges Mall : For the past 14 years, the BodySpectra event in October has entertained 1000s with human artworks, drawing a great deal of acclaim for its high standards of creativity. A taste of the event saw living artworks adorn and activate various city locations.
WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo PHOTOS & CAPTIONS Sydelle Willow Smith
Last week was the irrepressibly contagious Infecting The City Public Arts Festival, which turned Cape Town’s central streets into a stage. Photographer Sydelle Willow Smith shot this striking photo essay for us so that you can either fondly remember the highlights or, at least, taste what you missed.
In recent years public art has continued to expand beyond the familiar and more permanent examples like sculpture. Instead, is a wider more inclusive spirit of public art champions dance, theatre, performance art and, even, controversial intervention. All of which is, of course, taken out of traditional spaces, into spaces where the public can’t interact easily.
Pioneering this progressive approach to public art for the past seven years now, is the Infecting The City Public Arts Festival that, from 10 to 15 March, gave Capetonians a taste of what life could be like if our city throbbed with daily public art events. The festival saw over 300 artists take over the city and present work in a variety of venues including street corners, sidewalks, squares, gallery steps, public gardens and museums. The real treat for is that all of this was free, gratis, mahala. With an evening and an afternoon programme, a step outside the office for lunch turned into surprise art shows for many.
Besides being an official World Design Capital 2014 project, this year’s festival was also made special by award-winning shows like Nelisiwe Xaba and Mocke J Van Veuren’s Uncles and Angels, which won the coveted FNB Art Prize in 2013, made it all the more special. Standard Bank Award winner for dance in 2011, Mamela Nyamza also presented a new work in collaboration with actress Faniswa Yisa, which they debuted last year in France at the Festival d’Avignon, and brought home for the first time at the festival.
“Our intentions with this festival are to bring curiosity, wonder, beauty, empathy, pain and new ideas out onto the streets for everyone to engage with,” explains Tanner Mervin, executive director of the Africa Centre, the non-profit organisation behind the festival.
View our highlights from last year’s Infecting the City here.
See more of Sydelle Willow Smith’s photo essays here.
