Friday, June 22, 2007

final presentation 15 june. august house


it started at 18:00
with: ATHI PATRA RUGA & ANTHEA MOYS (SA), RAPHAEL URWEIDER & STEFFI WEISMANN (SWITZERLAND) AND KURA SHOMALI & VITSHOIS MWILAMBWE (DRC) in collaboration with JOCA (JOÃO PAULO), MUKUMELA MUSIIWA RATHOGWA, (MANDLA) XTRA MDLULU AND LUVUYO GOPE FROM THE DRILL HALL, BIANCA NOBANDA, KUDZANI CHIURAI, NADINE HUTTON, CHRISTOPHER PATRA, JAMES DYLAN HAPPE and DOROTHEE KREUTZFELDT.

to recap: Effectively KIN-BE-JOZI is an exchange project between artists and cultural networks from BERN, KINSHASA AND JOHANNESBURG. Those who initiated the project and acted as hosts in each city are Eza Possible (collective Kin), Jean Christophe Lanquetin from ScUr&ºK (Paris), Katrien Reist from PROGR_Zentrum für Kultur Produktion in Bern, and Dorothee Kreutzfeldt from the Joubert Park Project (JHB).

The idea: for a group of artists from each city to come together in each city and develop a dialogue in response to the specific context of each city: Kinshasa-Bern-Johannesburg. Each city presents a particular urban reality and ideology; each features differently on a global scale. The idea was to develop a kind of travelling dialogue, that would arise out of the engagement between the artists, the geographic distances and specific moments in the life of each city. As such the project was open-ended, an experiment. It depended on what the artists brought to the group, what they were looking for and how they would take on the idea of a dialogue.

Before JHB: The project started in October last year in Bern, the capital of SWITZERLAND, with a group of five artists from each place. The same group worked together in KINSHASA over December. A regrouping took place in Joburg in May with Raphael Urweider and Visthois Mwilambwe s part of the original group, and new artists including Steffi Weismann, Kura Shomali, Athi Patra Ruga and Anthea Moys. 4 strangers, 3 hosts and their local networks.

The hosts did the introductions to the east end grid - the Drill Hall, PONTY, Hillbrow, GEORGE’S boxing CLUB on Claim Street, 15th floor Plumridge in Berea, KINMALEBO in Yeoville, private strip clubs in Joubert Park, the vacant Ster City, ‘Little Mozambique’, THE Top of Africa’ in Carlton, and further a field Freedom Square, Sandton, Montecasino… From here the city introduced itself - a self-defense book, prostitutes at night below the window, gunshots at the corner, the cold at night, open door parties in Yeoville, Congolese bands, more parties, more dancing, ‘mind your head’, freshFISH from Kerk Street (little 'mozambique'), people running, photographs of AFRICAN leaders in some magazine. Artists were warned not to walk alone in the street, not at night at all… With the focus on process and dialogue, the artists researched and worked in the inner city for 6 weeks, with August House on end Street as their base.

Many of the resulting collaborations and performances were impulsive and site-specific, as much as they followed the interests and modus operandi each artist brought to the group. Raph (dj arafat) collaborated with the drill hall crew (Joca, Xtra, Tashika and Vuyo) on a series of hip -hop tracks; Kura and Raph initiated the 'safari dream team' tour to the wealthy northern suburbs which resulted in an animated photo-series by Nadine Hutton; the sound was edited by James Happe, using interviews that Joca had done during the tour (xtra, your mother is somewhere, we know it). Kura worked mainly in drawings - his visual kura-phone - to try and get closer to the disquietening maze that the city shows. Steffi collaborated with Vuyo on a dada-like xhosa-swiss german song performance (loved those plastic bag beats)...

HOW IS YOUR FRENCH?
Many of the people the artists connected with during the residency are not originally from JHB but come from Venda, Angola, Kinshasa, Harare, and Vereeniging. Between French, English, Xhosa, Zulu and SOUHaeli (spell?), communication was often broken and surreal and left many questions. Dialogues emerged through walking, witnessing, documenting, participating in training, picking up flyers…. It depended on how one would or could read the city’s codes.

for FRIDAY 15 JUNE, the artists and their collaborators presented documentation and selected work/performances. It included slide-projections of the 3 cities, a sort of family album from the 6 weeks in jhb (with patra's 'honey looking butter' shots) and a compilation of video-work produced during the time. The kitchen became the bar (thanks to kudzi for the exquisite shopping trolley with ak47s), complete with african home movie posters ('nigger' is the favourite) and drawings by kura (2010 theme-park). Performances ran parallel: virtual Vicky in dialogue with Steffi, Patra and Ruga - the latter two moved onto End Street to fashion their 'i've got stories' epic conversation between confession, catharsis and pavement pole come-on. The evening acted as a dialogue in progress, in an ongoing encounter with each city. It assumed that cities are expressions of our minds and desires; that they constitute our world-view; it assumed that a great part of cities exists primarily in our imagination, our aspirations and fears; it proposed that as a newcomer you will look first for the hard edges, for incomprehensible realities and the contrasts of a city. Since Kura and Visthois played hard to get in Mozambique (next time please check your visas before leaving SA, we missed you), we turned Kura's room into a 'looking glass' by opening the door, yet obstructing any entry. There were already enough drawings and notes on the walls, amongst the creative chaos and junk. We added a TV that ran off a video camera with one of Visthois' unedited street performance docs in Benin. Rest to say that the evening ended happily on the couches of queen-mother Bié next door; we love august house (thanks Bié ).

Much of the value of a residency lies in the experience itself, in discovering a place with different rules, languages, potentials and cultural givens. Dialogues and exchanges are more often ad hoc, intuitive and incomplete, and only in retrospective do they seem to ‘fall into place’ (or not) in relation to one’s practice. The exhibition acted as a moment, a pointer in this process. ca va deja.

We would like to thank our generous sponsors: the French Institute of South Africa, Pro Helvetia Switzerland and Cape Town, the National Arts Council, the French Embassy in Kinshasa and the City of Bern. Special thanks also to Carole Chauvin (translation and running), Mzebenzi Phakathi (nice follow-spotting), Romeo Puthu and Gilles Akunda, Bié Venter, Joseph Gaylard and Gibson Khumalo.

dorotheek

Tuesday, June 19, 2007









Saturday Finale- Photos










“Interventions are temporary intrusions in a site that seek to make alternatives evident.”
(Spiegl and Teckert:2006:12)




Grab Hold Tightly and Pull Down Hard




“Above all, perhaps, it is important to engage in an equal exchange with others that re-embodies experiences and meanings across networks of ‘locals’. In this respect the tricky spirit of invention and intervention seeks to open up new ethical landscapes, creating both new narratives and new agents” (Peluffo:2005:63).

Boxing Info

George Khosi was my instructor at his boxing ring For two weeks Joca, Steffi and I walked to the boxing ring and trained for around 2 hours at a time every day Sometimes in the ring and sometimes in the street Walking from August House to Claim street every day became interaction with a dialogue in itself Game of survival vs the game to have fun . Play versus seriousness of crime in the city creates an interesting dialogue/paradox for me. The rules we make every day in order to survive. The roles we play - One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten Self defence in THIS city of Johannesburg The tension between experiment and safety is where the play moment begins is where the dialogue begins… inspiration for games begins within this tension. The game created out of the existing structure (the boxing site, ring, training) was a tool which I created in order to reinstate a sense of interaction and humour, perhaps into a space which is largely viewed as unstable, dangerous and hopeless. The participation of others in the space makes the work.



What actions come to mind when walking through the city
Senses over alert
A self-defence book falls into my lap while having pap and veggies in Newtown with Athi Patra
Exercise

Monday, June 11, 2007

a Complex Situation- realised part1


I live in berea ,downtown Johannesburg. My fathers fears about living in the city are fears expressed by many a people hence the fact that there is stories that have created a reality for those living in it. Patra what the hell are you talking about. Come i explain...A year ago we purchased a bachelor flat during the swirl of the renovation of the berea/hillbrow/yeoville,to find our selves subjected to certain laws that insure our "safety": only a certain amount of people can enter ones domecilia, A valid South African passport insures you entry...sorry for you if it isn't[ present on your body].

This was my story for my hood. I want to talk about the fact that as much as i haven't experienced the pass laws many people in my generation today go through this process by way of these requirements.Under the conviction that it is for their safety.,

A Complex Situation is about realising your space your socialisation within these limits...and the limits have been stacked for tonites supposed perfomance. it started while i was in the process of securing the times for the night yous were gonna make,18:30 it was. But due to the numbers that have expressed interest,my superintendant has expressed his disinterest for this"event" taking place under his time and responsibility.A letter of permission was submited and was this noon rejected on the ground of this being a commotion.Maybe it was the potential consequence of the story told:whatever it is the Complex Situation is ultimately designed for one to shift their focus from the space as protection[ie: four walls] to that of realising space as inticement with the architecture, we claim to have made, calling the shots...in this complex situation protection and all it's paranoia got the upper hand.but we have the body...
Friday night is the KinBeJozi experience at august House ,my residency, and we shall be presenting the perfomance,"A complex Situation-informed part2",featuring multimedia artist from Germany,Steffi[sure you've seen her Fourways-lady-in-a-LandRover performance] and Automaton Vicki[she identifies herself as an American] for the latest installment of "Honey Looking Butter,Honey looking greasy",my latest documentation. You will kept up to date on both the kinbejozi blog and www.iqons.com/athi-patra about the work going onto the finale on friday 15...oh it's a day before Y-fm Day...lest we forget why our parents did what they did that year whether it be punk or the s.african youthquake.

Friday, June 8, 2007

kura per note


something like; 'the building that makes me want to cry'
down town JHB, end street, so many things happening at the same time - other lives, other deaths. at the top of buildings, on the first floors, inside and outside are divided; differences played out between floors; the building opposite from august, its dark at night. for the young kinois, the yound men from kinshasa, jhb is the so called minitiature united states; you dont change that dream. you dont change your dream team; your winning team; all those who, in kin, dream of Europe find their refuge, their consolation in JHB; for most of them jhb is trouble. For some its better;

the buildings - from your 3rd floor, from the high point, the sounds reach you - all of a sudden the ambulance, the police, gun shots.. those sounds are foreign. On the ground, the pavement, you can buy, drugs, guns, women, its 100% shopping. what do I know?

no contact with people; no smiles; mistrust; bisso na bisso te – people follow there own paths; your passwords for entering the building - open/close/ limited access. where are we?

oh and - the north: sandton, saxonwald, montecasino - the northern bunker, 100% bunker; 660 watts electric fencing just for the tsotsies; gzzzzzzzk;

we don’t know where we are going but we are going anyway;

hey hey...Back from Cape Town



let me clear my throat:
So yah I went to Cape Town for an opening of a n exhibition ...should I probably start where everythiong started...the first week of KinBeJozi...Keeping time is my favorite fixation round about then. A boogie was in order so we we went to the now limbo space called Mind Your Head: literally it alludes to the action the patrons make when entering the underground.
My longsuffering husband of then 2days,Christophe had hooked up one of his gurl looks...bringing out from the vault of jozi's mem,ory an automaton-esque hostess by the name of Funky Cleopatra. StoryBoard is a weird concept that just stinks of post clubland irony...I personally would have loved to see my mate in the Ally McMartin alias. Anyway it was so cool to reconnect with the bras from Eza Possible[kinshasa] and see how Kura can get down with some Chicago house beats,if the Funky chicken is your thing...
Michaela,performer from the States via Bern went a step further by challenging this madam to a dance-off...or is it a crunk-off...suffice to say I kicked her ass...ALL HAIL THE HOOCHIE BURLESQUE CRUNKER.

We were in the groove now...the pulse of jozi was set. And it was time to exorcise my first issue...GIRL IN THE CITY.
The meditation started as something quiet simple...mill around the spot where gito baloyi was murdered and see what happens. wow, what happened was this. the pavement was abit uneven. i sprained an ankle. that's where the performance started. i was an injured girl in teh city. afer having had black body paint on me the prcession started downstairs at the car basement of august house, i was n character...... as i walked up i saw a SIGN - he sa clothing and textile workers union. i related for a bit as i felt like a seamstress. i was surprised that sactu was around here. i studied SACTU. i walked up kerk street, retracing his, gito's, final moments. there was silence, i was walking alone. and waiting. for a voice for a comment that would play into the unfriendliness towards femme,femininity, in the city. nothing. just the kinbejozi crew and my assistant bianca. as i reached the opposite end at the corner, a voice from the neighby club said 'hey sexy'. i was activated. i knew that people existed at this corner, therefor there was still life after the event, something else - sorry, i'm making the case of the perf around gito's death here. NOT. not only. my meditation was then about this PINK elephant on top of the building which served as a ganesh figure, this protecting god figure over the corner where gito... i felt safe. i could walk. i could vogue, i could read the street.

so i did my mince. i minced

there was something v difficult that i had to face - to get to the corner under the ganesh figure. i couldnt get to that corner. it was loaded with the story which is the case in most of jhb. everything is loaded with stories. one of the working girls said somthing nice that reaffirmed and pushed me to the corner - oh awusemuhle...(oh how beautiful you are). that called the boys to the yard. pushing me to confront this corner. therefor i waited for the rorbot to turn GREEN i reached the corner, noone shot me. the story was dispelled. the healing had started. for me at least.

the walk back to august house was centred around greeting the people who had given me the strength to go in the first place. to face it.

notes for sat


"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other."

- Jack Handey

introducing james dylan happe


jack of all trades - ...

he designs web sites, does animation, plays drums and teaches yoga; studies psychology through UNISA; works on an anthology of poetry in his spare time.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

sat 09 june, intervention at george boxing club



planning:
We will be showing 2 videos- one music video and one (more abstract) video which will focus on the training experience during the last 2 weeks and the sound effects and movements which we found very interesting during the process.
The evening will comprise of the videos being shown as well as a training expose which we would like the Congolese ex champion to facilitate. The audience will be encouraged to participate in the ring / or in the gym with us for this training.
After this training exercise there will be an opportunity for people to fight in the ring.
Four people at once would be what I would like.
Joca, myself, Amecca and maybe Kura and Vitshois as well?
The guys that we have met at the gym will all be invited to come on Saturday and join in.
Estimated end of evening; no later than 9pm.

Steffi Weismann: Car Event




Saturday afternoon the 2nd of June I went for a walk in the inner city of Joburg with my new self-made-Landrover. I was quite curious about the reactions. Some asked me if they could have a lift, or if they could buy my car. Many of them said "nice car" and smiled.

Fotos: Abrie Fourie

Tuesday, June 5, 2007


Ok all- so this Saturday the 9th of June- 6pm.
Do come join us for the Mini Rumble at George's Boxing ring, cnr Claim and Petersen st, Hillbrow.

planning the final showing


rendezvous 13:00 maison august

on doit rapporter le drapeau sud-africain et suisse!

script for the safari video


see image

kura - short proposal