Cool Capital Countdown

PHOTO Liam Purnell GRAPHIC SUNSHINEGUN WORDS Adéle de Lange

Spring will arrive with a bang this year in the capital city, as creative minds from all walks of life blaze the streets of Pretoria with ingenuity leading up to the Cool Capital 2014 Biennale.

Inspired to offer citizens of the capital an opportunity to express their love for their city, the biennale will showcase how small interventions with an artistic touch can transform areas of neglect into vibrant and beautiful spaces.

Not only is it a first for Pretoria, but its citizen-led approach is also a world first. Pieter Mathews, president of the Pretoria Institute for Architecture and convenor of the event explains: “Cool Capital is now officially the world’s first uncurated, DIY, guerrilla biennale.”

Everybody seems to love this new take, since ideas keep rolling in. Although long-term initiatives started emerging last year already, when VISI first reported on it, the Cool Capital event proper kicks off with a performance arts and music festival on 29 August 2014 at Open Window School of Visual Communication in Irene, followed by a wide range of happenings throughout the city that promises to captivate visitors and participants alike.

Looking forward, some of the highlights not to be missed include the Our Capital Sculpture exhibition featuring public artworks by local artists, the installation of architectural pavilions showcasing innovative design, and poetry displays on public buildings and in participating shopping centres, all scattered in and around Pretoria.

Apart from the artistic works on display, art gallery crawls, architectural bus and walking tours, creative film workshops and film screenings, and a variety of musical performances will also be hosted throughout the biennale.

For more information, visit coolcapital.co.za.