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We did a wall in the main coloured neighborhood around K.W. T called Breidbach or “Breities” in trying to reach out and draw connections with other communities that could join the campaign. We received a call soon afterwards from a local preacher who complained the wall promoted “Satanism”. He was really struck for words however when we asked why members of his congregation that walked past with their children applauded, along with a local artist/sign writer who is a senior member in the community. This type of stuff happens ALL the time. Fortunately Breidbach soon showed their support and are part of our Launch on the 21March.
This was one of the most exciting activities for me during the project.
We have built a really close unit between the core team, having spent over a month working on the main spaces. Whenever we would be painting the bus shelters and further buildings where we would meet other groups of the community, there would be so much commotion that we sometimes had to just wait for it to subside. We have also been capturing video footage for a DVD showcasing the project, featuring local artists. Dlala Indima has really spread like wildfire and the discourse that it has created has been very uplifting. I must say, in my teens growing up in Phakamisa I never imagined such an interest in the creative arts, recycled crafts and most recently performance art genres. The nature of how people have gotten involved has also sparked challenging debates about self-sustainability and new ideas for local entrepreneurs.
Painting the Old Fikelephi SuperMarket next door to the Old Butchery has been a great experience. The building is situated right next to a taxi stop so there is a mix of people walking past and enquiring. This building has also been great to paint because it was always regarded as the graffiti wall in the hood, so seeing this “renovation/continuation” was a good point of departure in responding to questions. I decided to have the first example of real letter-style graffiti on this building. I remember the issue of a “reversal of roles” in the workshop, where I received feedback that it would be best not to change our stance in enlightening Phakamisa about real graffiti art in the way we approach our style.
Two Thousand and Ten Reasons to Live in a Small Town is a public art project facilitated by VANSA and funded by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund. The project aims to create opportunities for the insertion of contemporary art practice and thinking into new contexts and environments, reaching new audiences in new ways. The project enables artists to develop their own practice and the impact of this practice outside of major urban centres and outside of the traditional context of the gallery space. Projects will be realised between October 2010 and March 2011, and will be documented in a publication and exhibition. To find out more about this project please click here.