Sutherland: Intervention 1: Kamamas/ Youth Centre artwork

Step 2:

One of the strategies we have used throughout the three years of this project is to launch kites at the same time and in the same space each day, the kites are a a way of drawing attention to the project in the town and then recruiting participants for various workshops. The kites are essentially a gentle tool for advertising our presence and have been very successful in slowly gaining the trust of many of the community members.

We begin the day like this:

and end it like this:

Some of the results of the workshops may well feed into a bigger vision for rejuvenating an Arts and Crafts initiative by the NDA.

The results of the workshops also provide inspiration and design solutions for more permanent interventions in the town. The following images are mock-ups for the planned 'Planetary Highway' leading into town along the main road.

As well as other design elements already under construction for the facade of the 'Brain Centre'. Below is an example of the burglar bars of the new centre.

Sutherland: Intervention 2: Visitor Centre installation

Step 1:

Intervention 2's purpose is to further links and communication between SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory) and the town of Sutherland. We have been meeting and interviewing members of the community to access stories and information which might serve as inspiration towards an installation in the Visitors Center at the Observatory.

One such individual is Oom Tomas Cloete. Oom Tomas was born in 1907 and lives today at the Sutherland 'Huis Johenco' old age home. At the age of 103 he has many beautiful stories to tell about his long and remarkable life. He has survived two wives and fathered 23 children. As a construction worker on farms Oom Tomas moved all over the Cape region and finally came to settle in Sutherland when he was no longer able to work.

Image by Mike Carelse assisted by Claire Gritten

Part of the installation will incorporate an audio piece in which Oom Tomas tells a story about the night sky. As a boy the older people used to tell him that if he saw a shooting star he should run after it and if he found it lying on the ground he should pick it up and throw it back, he laughs at this idea and says as hard as he tried he never found his fallen star.

The 'stars' of this installation piece will be created from shards of glass and crockery found in what is called the 'Ou Lokasie' (Old Location), this area in Sutherland is where many lived in Brak Roofed houses, these where self built stone houses, many of the homes where destroyed under the Apartheid Government’s Group Areas Act in the course of the 1960's when the community was moved to a new location.

The intention of this piece is to commemorate this area as well as draw attention to a community of people who live under this remarkable night sky. The installation will hopefully be the first of a few which draws attention the the town and it's people.

Images of the installation to follow.

Intervention 1: Kamamas/ Youth Centre / Brain Centre

Step 1:

One of our identified areas for intervention is Kamamas, a coffee shop created and initially funded by the National Development Agency (NDA), it like a number of similar projects in this area has recently shut down due to lack of funds once the NDA grants have been exhausted. Our intentions in this area involve gaining an understanding as to why so many of these projects fail and subsequently looking into some alternatives for the re-activation of the space.

The Southern African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) have also recently built a 'Brain Center' next to Kamamas, this centre will house internet enabled computers, educational play areas for smaller children and a reading and learning area. We are currently working together with key community members to develop plans and strategies to both activate and link the spaces.

One of the main features in our plans is the upgrade and re-imagining of an existing Planetary Highway, these current public structures are dotted along the only tarred road in the town of Sutherland, they indicate the different planets and represent relationally the size and distance differences between the planets. Unfortunately the structures have been vandalized and as a result large cages have been placed on top of them, the result being that the structures are virtually invisible and resemble dustbins or tombstones. In order to redesign the Planetary Highway as well as link it into and activate the Brain Centre we are holding workshops with the children every two days. The results of these workshops are informing our design solutions.

Digital mockups to follow shortly.

Yesterday’s activities involved amongst other things creating 'telescopes' that capture the stars during the day. Using donated and recycled tubes and vinyl each child designed his or her own telescope and covered the end with block out fabric, we then pricked star drawings into the fabric. The effect is obviously a daytime star experience. We are working towards turning this idea into a possible product for tourists visiting Sutherland, to be displayed and sold with Kamamas.

Sutherland Reflections

Image by Carolina Ödman

Art meets Science in a place of Darkness and Silence

We've arrived and spent the first working day scheduling meetings for the implementation of

2011 Sutherland Dark and Silent

This stage continues with the research and projects over the last 3 years to manifesting a series of site-specific interventions in collaboration with the local communities visiting scientist and artists in late 2010 and early 2011. The intention is to create an annual celebration owned by and to the benefit of the local community of Sutherland to highlight the resources and values of their unique environment and allow an opportunity to celebrate their context in relation to the otherwise isolated and challenging living conditions.

Objectives:

To host a meeting of scientists, artists and contemporary thinkers and practitioners to address points of discussions between their disciplines and the context of Sutherland.

To sustain the interventions and research in Sutherland into the creation of an annual celebration owned by and to the benefit to the community of Sutherland.

To create 3 participatory interventions spread from the town centre to the nearby international observatory to further the connections between the two places for locals and tourists.

To create dialogue and identify opportunities with current local Municipal Tourism and Collateral benefits programs from the Observatory.

To build on existing interest and proposed ideas by artists and scientists from previous projects in Sutherland.

To continue the transfer of knowledge and skills to the youth of Sutherland.

To make use of the current community development programs such as Kamama’s Coffee Shop and Venus Susters Guest House supported by the National Development Agency and support the new Youth Centre established by SAAO / SALT.

Activities by March 2011:

Intervention 1: Kamamas/ Youth Centre artwork

Intervention 2: Visitor Centre installation

Intervention 3: Observation Structure

Additional activities:

Possible intervention in the Observatory shuttle, Kamama’s Coffee Shop, the Youth Centre and Venus Susters

Oral history research and recordings

Redesigning the Planetary Highway and brainstorming the development and upgrade of other public areas

Kite Flying and experimental activities

Sutherland: Dark and Silent – Sutherland, Northern Cape

Bronwyn Lace and Marcus Neustetter

Sutherland: Dark and Silent is based on the project Sutherland Reflections, a series of interventions in the town and an exhibtion at the Goethe Institut in 2009. Reflections aims was to create an experience of participation, artistic intervention and a creative spectacle in the form of a community driven kite flying artwork. The project also aimed to investigate and address the current attitude and relationship between the seeming “distance” of the disadvantaged communities in Sutherland and the international neighbouring telescopic observatory. Dark and Silent continues with the research and projects completed over the last 3 years wit ha view to manifesting a series of site-specific intervention collaboration with the local communities, visiting scientists and artists.

Marcus Neustetter is an artist, researcher, consultant and project developer in the field of new media. He is a founding member and joint director of the Trinity Session and is heavily involved in the Johannesburg art industry. Neustetter holds a MA in Fine Arts from Wits and has exhibited widely both internationally and locally.

Bronwyn Lace is a practicing artist living and working in Johannesburg who completed her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts at Wits in 2004. As part of her practice she has been involved in the development of young artists, notably co-founding saartsemerging.org with Simon Gush and Nathaniel Stern. Lace has been instrumental in developing the About Arts programme at the Bag Factory where she is the Educations Officer. Lace has exhibited work locally and internationally.