Or Six Hours Of Out-Breath Captured In 792 Balloons
Lerato Shadi is a young multi-media performance artist based in Johannesburg. Born and raised in Mafikeng, she moved to Johannesburg to study hospitality management, before switching to fine art. She completed her B-tech (Honours) in Fine Art at the University of Johannesburg in 2006.
She is currently exhibiting a video piece at the KZNSA Gallery titled Hema (or Six hours of out-breath captured in 792 balloons).
Hema is based on a performance staged by Shadi at the offices of the advertising agency Ogilvy in Cape Town. In this performance she blew six hours worth of out-breath into 792 balloons, letting the balloons fall down the stairwell once she had filled each with her breath. By storing this output of existence, Shadi literally captures the essence of life. She sites her performance in the centre of a modern, slightly industrial, office building where she sits cross-legged in the centre of a staircase landing. That the inflated colourful balloons are associated with life’s more light-hearted moments juxtaposes well with the solemn, meditative pose of the artist herself, perhaps demonstrating that attempts to secure and grasp the ethereal quality of life/living brings seemingly weightless, intangible results. The repetitive motions of the artist as she exhales into the balloons, together with the office setting she chose for this piece, reinforce thoughts of industry.
Hema runs until August 8 at the KZNSA Gallery at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
Friday, July 31, 2009
IMIZWA YAMI
Touring solo museum exhibition of Newcastle-born Mbongeni Buthelezi.
The Seippel Gallery, in association with Art Source South Africa, recently launched the opening of Mbongeni Buthelezi's first national touring exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum where it will run until August 16.
Titled Imizwa Yami (….my feelings), this exhibition is a showcase of this exceptional artist’s expression of his South African experience. Born in 1965 in Newcastle, KZN, Mbongeni Buthelezi is described as a “painter’ in plastic, layering coloured plastic melted together with a heat gun, which reflects a profoundly empathetic vision of his world.
“I now have 18 different techniques, each of which have subtle differences from the other,” says Buthelezi. “The material can be applied like large ‘brushstrokes’ in many colours, or a sepia toned portrait where layers of neutral shading creates visual depth and subtlety or with through linear drawings.”
On show are black and white portraits, works from the series Childhood, sepia paintings from the Winter in Kliptown series, and other thematically related new pieces.
“My figurative subject matter and township scenes reflect the physical environment of township life which is often one of survival,” he adds. “In my children at play series, I show everyday scenes around me and through my portrait studies, I try to express people’s emotions whom I’ve met.”
Accompanied by a major catalogue, this project will cement Buthelezi’s position as one of the most unique artists on the South African art landscape. Buthelezi has developed an impressive CV, having gained acclaim for his work internationally. He has exhibited in venues such as the Museum of African Art in New York, the Goch Museum in Germany and the Prague Biennale, as well as attending many international residencies.
The tour travels to museums and galleries in Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Stellenbosch, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesburg during 2009 and 2010. The exhibition will be in Durban at the KZNSA Gallery from March 2 to 28, 2010.
The Seippel Gallery, in association with Art Source South Africa, recently launched the opening of Mbongeni Buthelezi's first national touring exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum where it will run until August 16.
Titled Imizwa Yami (….my feelings), this exhibition is a showcase of this exceptional artist’s expression of his South African experience. Born in 1965 in Newcastle, KZN, Mbongeni Buthelezi is described as a “painter’ in plastic, layering coloured plastic melted together with a heat gun, which reflects a profoundly empathetic vision of his world.
“I now have 18 different techniques, each of which have subtle differences from the other,” says Buthelezi. “The material can be applied like large ‘brushstrokes’ in many colours, or a sepia toned portrait where layers of neutral shading creates visual depth and subtlety or with through linear drawings.”
On show are black and white portraits, works from the series Childhood, sepia paintings from the Winter in Kliptown series, and other thematically related new pieces.
“My figurative subject matter and township scenes reflect the physical environment of township life which is often one of survival,” he adds. “In my children at play series, I show everyday scenes around me and through my portrait studies, I try to express people’s emotions whom I’ve met.”
Accompanied by a major catalogue, this project will cement Buthelezi’s position as one of the most unique artists on the South African art landscape. Buthelezi has developed an impressive CV, having gained acclaim for his work internationally. He has exhibited in venues such as the Museum of African Art in New York, the Goch Museum in Germany and the Prague Biennale, as well as attending many international residencies.
The tour travels to museums and galleries in Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Stellenbosch, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesburg during 2009 and 2010. The exhibition will be in Durban at the KZNSA Gallery from March 2 to 28, 2010.
CURATORIAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
Spier Contemporary 2010 calling for applications.
Spier Contemporary 2010, the largest biennale art competition and exhibition in South Africa, has rolled out a Curatorial Internship Programme to those looking to extend their career in the arts industries to become a curator.
The Spier Contemporary 2010 Curatorial Internship Programme is a part-time programme that will run from August 2009 till mid-2010. The course will combine theoretical and practical training in Curatorial Studies. Made possible with funding from the South African Lottery Fund, it is to be implemented by artist and curator Clive van den Berg and TRACE, an exhibition research, museum development and curation company.
To find out more about the Spier Contemporary, contact 0860 111 0458 or visit www.spiercontemporary.co.za
Spier Contemporary 2010, the largest biennale art competition and exhibition in South Africa, has rolled out a Curatorial Internship Programme to those looking to extend their career in the arts industries to become a curator.
The Spier Contemporary 2010 Curatorial Internship Programme is a part-time programme that will run from August 2009 till mid-2010. The course will combine theoretical and practical training in Curatorial Studies. Made possible with funding from the South African Lottery Fund, it is to be implemented by artist and curator Clive van den Berg and TRACE, an exhibition research, museum development and curation company.
To find out more about the Spier Contemporary, contact 0860 111 0458 or visit www.spiercontemporary.co.za
WINTER VACATION YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME
Centre for Fine Art, Animation and Design Young Artist Programme.
The Centre for Fine Art, Animation and Design (CFAD) is a tertiary institution that offers training in fine art, animation (2D and 3D) and graphic design. It was established in 1994 by internationally acknowledged cartoonist, illustrator and journalist Nanda Soobben. It is from a need in the community that the institution was born.
Situated in Durban’s CBD, the CFAD recently wrapped up their annual Winter Vacation Young Artist Programme in which high school learners with an affinity to art and design were given a taste of post-matric art studies in a college environment for the duration of the July school holidays.
The project – now in its ninth year – sees talented youngsters aged between 10 and 18 years working through an intensive art course, not usually offered at high school level. Among the modules covered will be drawing, painting, computer graphics, animation and introduction to Toon Boon animation. The course ran from July 11 to 18 daily at the CFAD campus in Albany Grove.
“It is going very well!” enthused Krish Moodley, CFAD Academic Director, at the time. “We have more students that we anticipated – there are 42 youngsters which demonstrates a lot more interest this year than previous years. The youngsters are very focused and reliable. They are having a good time, but they have got their heads down and are working hard! We have a mix of age groups, backgrounds and skills levels which is great. We also have some students who have done the course before and are returning for more. One youngster is doing the course for the third time!”
“This project is part of CFAD’s long term commitment to create artistic opportunities for talented young people,” enthuses Nanda Soobben, Creative Director of CFAD. “We have had phenomenal response from running the course over previous years and this year is particularly exciting.”
For more info on the Winter Vacation Young Artist Programme and the other projects run at CFAD, contact Sasha on 031 305 2480.
The Centre for Fine Art, Animation and Design (CFAD) is a tertiary institution that offers training in fine art, animation (2D and 3D) and graphic design. It was established in 1994 by internationally acknowledged cartoonist, illustrator and journalist Nanda Soobben. It is from a need in the community that the institution was born.
Situated in Durban’s CBD, the CFAD recently wrapped up their annual Winter Vacation Young Artist Programme in which high school learners with an affinity to art and design were given a taste of post-matric art studies in a college environment for the duration of the July school holidays.
The project – now in its ninth year – sees talented youngsters aged between 10 and 18 years working through an intensive art course, not usually offered at high school level. Among the modules covered will be drawing, painting, computer graphics, animation and introduction to Toon Boon animation. The course ran from July 11 to 18 daily at the CFAD campus in Albany Grove.
“It is going very well!” enthused Krish Moodley, CFAD Academic Director, at the time. “We have more students that we anticipated – there are 42 youngsters which demonstrates a lot more interest this year than previous years. The youngsters are very focused and reliable. They are having a good time, but they have got their heads down and are working hard! We have a mix of age groups, backgrounds and skills levels which is great. We also have some students who have done the course before and are returning for more. One youngster is doing the course for the third time!”
“This project is part of CFAD’s long term commitment to create artistic opportunities for talented young people,” enthuses Nanda Soobben, Creative Director of CFAD. “We have had phenomenal response from running the course over previous years and this year is particularly exciting.”
For more info on the Winter Vacation Young Artist Programme and the other projects run at CFAD, contact Sasha on 031 305 2480.
NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY
(Pic: Jill Scott as Precious Ramotswe)M-Net to host television series of Alexander McCall Smith's popular detective books
Alexander McCall Smith's popular series of detective books is coming to the small screen, with a remake of his first book, No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. This seven part mini-series starts on M-Net, August 3 at 21h30.
As a young girl growing up in the African nation of Botswana, Precious Ramotswe was encouraged by her father to follow her dreams, no matter what. When Precious was a little girl, she spent her days with her father in the wilds of Botswana, learning to use her eyes, her ears, her memory and her patience to solve any mysteries surrounding her.
Years later, after her beloved father dies, Precious inherits his 180 cows – a windfall that draws the interest of her abusive ex-husband, Note, (a trumpet player) and conniving lawyer Lucky. Now in her mid-30s, Precious embarks on an almost improbable career utilising the unique gifts of inquisition and intuition she learned earlier in life to benefit those who need help the most. She beats the odds by opening her country’s first and only female-owned detective agency at Kgale Hill, Gaborone, Botswana, and fittingly calls it No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
In the lead role of Precious Ramotswe is R&B singer/songwriter Jill Scott. Assisted by her efficient yet highly strung and devoted secretary Grace Makutsi (played by Anika Noni Rose), Precious investigates a variety of cases, helping townspeople solve ‘mysteries’ in their lives, from dubious fathers, to missing children, to philandering husbands and con-artist scams. She also begins a special friendship with a widowed suitor, JLB Matekoni (played by Lucian Msamati), the owner of a local garage.
Other regulars include Colin Salmon as Precious’ abusive ex-husband and local act Desmond Dube as her neighbour BK, a flamboyant hairdresser. There are several appearances by other South African actors, including Tumisho Masha (playing conniving lawyer Lucky Sisane), John Kani, Brenda Ngxoli, Kenneth Nkosi, and Keketso Semoko.
As one of the first major film and television project series to be shot entirely on location in Botswana, and to be directed and produced by the late Anthony Minghella (who won an Oscar for Best Director in The English Patient), No.1 Ladies Detective Agency is an amazing story of female intuition and inquisition at its best.
No.1 Ladies Detective Agency starts August 3 at 21h30 on M-Net.
IAN WATSON AND LIEZL-MARÉT JACOBS
One of the leading South African musicians of his generation to perform on August 6 in Durban.
Ian Watson, one of the leading South African musicians of his generation, will perform works for the violin by Mozart, Franck, Temmingh, Bartok, Pärt and Ysaÿe on August 6 at Howard College Theatre. Playing on a Thompson and Sons Violin, circa 1770, he will be accompanied by Liezl-Marét Jacobs on the piano.
Ian Watson was awarded the ABRSM International Scholarship in 2005, enabling him to complete his MMus Degree in Performance (with distinction) under Prof. Lissauer at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow (2008).
His duo partnership with virtuoso guitarist and composer Marek Pasieczny has been invited to Festivals in Poland, the UK and China. In 2008, they made their debut in the Lutoslawski Hall (Laureates of the Nova Tradycya Competition) in Warsaw, which was broadcast live from Polish Radio across Europe. Ian has edited for PWM and performed the world premieres of Pasieczny’s Sketches on Phillip Glass, La Casa, and Six Polish Folk Melodies. He has also played the South African premieres of works by Hendrik Hofmeyr and Roeloff Temmingh.
A passionate orchestral musician, Ian was Associate Principal of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (2004–2006). Since moving to Glasgow, he freelances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ballet, Symfonia Cymru (Wales) and is currently on trial for Principal 2nd Violin with the Ulster Orchestra (BBC Northern Ireland). He has appeared as a soloist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RSAMD Symphony Orchestra, University of Stellenbosch Symphony and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra.
The performance will take place at Howard College Theatre on August 6 at 19h30. Tickets R50 (R30 students and pensioners) booked through Mandy on 031 260 3353.
Ian Watson, one of the leading South African musicians of his generation, will perform works for the violin by Mozart, Franck, Temmingh, Bartok, Pärt and Ysaÿe on August 6 at Howard College Theatre. Playing on a Thompson and Sons Violin, circa 1770, he will be accompanied by Liezl-Marét Jacobs on the piano.
Ian Watson was awarded the ABRSM International Scholarship in 2005, enabling him to complete his MMus Degree in Performance (with distinction) under Prof. Lissauer at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow (2008).
His duo partnership with virtuoso guitarist and composer Marek Pasieczny has been invited to Festivals in Poland, the UK and China. In 2008, they made their debut in the Lutoslawski Hall (Laureates of the Nova Tradycya Competition) in Warsaw, which was broadcast live from Polish Radio across Europe. Ian has edited for PWM and performed the world premieres of Pasieczny’s Sketches on Phillip Glass, La Casa, and Six Polish Folk Melodies. He has also played the South African premieres of works by Hendrik Hofmeyr and Roeloff Temmingh.
A passionate orchestral musician, Ian was Associate Principal of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (2004–2006). Since moving to Glasgow, he freelances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ballet, Symfonia Cymru (Wales) and is currently on trial for Principal 2nd Violin with the Ulster Orchestra (BBC Northern Ireland). He has appeared as a soloist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RSAMD Symphony Orchestra, University of Stellenbosch Symphony and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra.
The performance will take place at Howard College Theatre on August 6 at 19h30. Tickets R50 (R30 students and pensioners) booked through Mandy on 031 260 3353.
FOR BETTER FOR WORSE FOR VIDEOVISION
Videovision Entertainment acquires Durban romantic comedy.
Sanjeev Singh, Head of Acquisition and Distribution for Videovision Entertainment announced today that the company has acquired the distribution rights to the romantic comedy, For Better For Worse which stars a host of popular local personalities including Raeesa Mohamed, Simon Morgan, Afzal Khan, Suria Govender, Rahul Brijnath, Eubulus Tracy, Kajal Bagwandeen, Kogie Naidoo, Juanita Leopardi, Pranesh Maharaj and Clinton Marius.
For Better For Worse marks Naresh Veeran’s directorial debut, is written and executive produced by Raeesa Mohamed with Ross Garland as Line Producer. The film had its world premiere at the 30th Durban International Film Festival on July 26, 2009.
For Better For Worse is a delightful, romantic comedy which tells the story of Anisa Khan’s search for the perfect husband. Anisa (Raeesa Mohamed) is an ambitious 30-year old lawyer who, due to a bad experience in the past, is wary of men. However, she is pressured by her family and friends to get married. They set her up with those they believe to be suitable, leading to disastrous consequences. She meets these dates at a coffee shop. Zak Ali (Simon Morgan), the owner of the coffee shop, is attracted to her but the two are at odds with each other from their very first meeting.
Commenting on the acquisition, Sanjeev Singh said, “We are delighted to have acquired For Better For Worse for distribution in South Africa. The film is a humorous take on the pressures placed on eligible men and women to find marriage partners. The setting of an Indian household and context gives the film a touch of authenticity. We will release the film at cinemas later this year.”
Writer and Executive Producer, Raeesa Mohamed commented, “We are extremely pleased with having signed a distribution deal with Videovision Entertainment. They have a proven track record in the industry and their involvement can only take the film to greater heights and help it reach as large an audience as possible.”
For Better For Worse is a Videovision Entertainment release through United International Pictures (South Africa).
Sanjeev Singh, Head of Acquisition and Distribution for Videovision Entertainment announced today that the company has acquired the distribution rights to the romantic comedy, For Better For Worse which stars a host of popular local personalities including Raeesa Mohamed, Simon Morgan, Afzal Khan, Suria Govender, Rahul Brijnath, Eubulus Tracy, Kajal Bagwandeen, Kogie Naidoo, Juanita Leopardi, Pranesh Maharaj and Clinton Marius.
For Better For Worse marks Naresh Veeran’s directorial debut, is written and executive produced by Raeesa Mohamed with Ross Garland as Line Producer. The film had its world premiere at the 30th Durban International Film Festival on July 26, 2009.
For Better For Worse is a delightful, romantic comedy which tells the story of Anisa Khan’s search for the perfect husband. Anisa (Raeesa Mohamed) is an ambitious 30-year old lawyer who, due to a bad experience in the past, is wary of men. However, she is pressured by her family and friends to get married. They set her up with those they believe to be suitable, leading to disastrous consequences. She meets these dates at a coffee shop. Zak Ali (Simon Morgan), the owner of the coffee shop, is attracted to her but the two are at odds with each other from their very first meeting.
Commenting on the acquisition, Sanjeev Singh said, “We are delighted to have acquired For Better For Worse for distribution in South Africa. The film is a humorous take on the pressures placed on eligible men and women to find marriage partners. The setting of an Indian household and context gives the film a touch of authenticity. We will release the film at cinemas later this year.”
Writer and Executive Producer, Raeesa Mohamed commented, “We are extremely pleased with having signed a distribution deal with Videovision Entertainment. They have a proven track record in the industry and their involvement can only take the film to greater heights and help it reach as large an audience as possible.”
For Better For Worse is a Videovision Entertainment release through United International Pictures (South Africa).
NATANIËL FOR KOLLIG
(Pic: Shaleen Surtie-Richards in “Shirley Valentyn”)Absa Kollig op die Absa KKNK Arts Festival to run from August 20 to 22. (Report by Billy Suter, courtesy of The Mercury)
Durban’s Absa Kollig op die Absa KKNK Arts Festival, which annually showcases the best of the annual Klein Karoo Arts Festival in Oudtshoorn, celebrates its 14th anniversary next month.
Circle your diary now for August 20 to August 22, 2009, as that’s when Port Natal School in Dirk Uys Street, Umbilo, Durban, plays host, once again, to the annual Absa Kollig Arts Festival which is presenting 9 varied productions seen earlier this year at the Absa KKNK in Oudtshoorn...
This year’s Absa Kollig op die Absa KKNK festival promises top acts that include performances by superstar Nataniël, vocalist Nianell, a capella boy band Flip a Coin, the superb comedy Shirley Valentine (with the inimitable Shaleen Surtie-Richards from Egoli fame) and the multi award winning Die Naaimasjien (starring the formidable Sandra Prinsloo.)
The festival opens at 18h00 on Thursday August 20 with a lively performance of Vocals and Wine starring Flip a Coin showcasing their acappella talents including a wine tasting from Van Loveren wine estate. This show is bilingual and runs for 80 minutes (tickets R70 and R50). Next up on the same evening at 21h00 is the supurb Nianell, the triple platinum selling singer-songwriter, who has won several local and international awards. The show runs for 75 minutes (tickets R80 and R60).
Next up on Friday August 21 at 17h45 is the spectacular Musiek Maestro’s starring Brandon October, Jannie Moolman, Jak de Priester and Lize Beekman. Tickets for the 90 minute show R100 and R80. This show is followed by Samoerai at 21h15, a brilliant drama focussing on violence in our schools starring Deon Coetzee, Nicola Hanekom and Zane Meas. This play has caused controversy at all major Arts Festivals throughout South Africa. It runs for 80 minutes and tickets are R80 and R60.
The Saturday August 22 offerings begin with a real scoop for Durban – Sandra Prinsloo in Die Naaimasjien, the award winning drama by Rachelle Greeff at 10h30. Prinsloo’s performance is a master class in acting! Tickets are R80 and R60. This is followed at 14h15 by another blockbuster comedy Shirley Valentine (Shirley Valentyn), starring the ever popular Egoli star - Shaleen Surtie-Richards. This brilliant comedy by Willy Russel was translated into Kaapse Afrikaans and was voted most popular play at all major Arts Festivals. It runs for 100 minutes and tickets are R80 and R60. At 17h30 on the same day, the great Nataniël takes to the stage bringing to Durban his unique brand of performing art. This is a show not to be missed! It runs for 70 minutes and tickets are R100 and R80.
The highlight of Saturday August 22 is Durban’s first Afrikaans Rock Festival INNIKOL showcasing the following bands: Die Melktert Kommissie, Glaskas and Straatligkinders. This rock show is presented in an open air arena on the main rugby field of Port Natal School, starting at 19h15 to run for 180 minutes. Tickets R80 (reserved seats) and R50 (unreserved – bring your own chairs/blankets)
New at the festival this year is The Absa / Pinotage Wine and Food Show. Different wine makers from several Cape wine estates (i.e. Beyers Truter from Beyerskloof) will present a wine tasting and serve a five-course meal. The guest artist is vocalist Tobi Jooste. Performances are on Friday August 21 at 19h30 and Saturday August 22 at 12h30. Tickets R50 (all inclusive).
Book for all shows at Computicket outlets at Shoprite/Checkers stores or on the internet at www.computicket.co.za or at the booking office at Port Natal School between 09h00 and 13h00 on weekdays or phone 031 205 6369. For all enquiries, phone the organiser Koos Kruger on 082 463 8517 or visit www.teatergilde.co.za
THE COUSIN FOR PMB
Barry Hilton to perform in Pietermaritzburg on August 8.
The popular "Cousin" is coming to town! Barry Hilton, one of South Africa's most loved comedians, will perform in Pietermaritzburg on August 8.
Barry Hilton is a comedy icon, well known for his live stand-up comedy routines, his 50,000 selling Here We Go Again DVD, his performance as the dry barman in the Savannah cider television adverts and his feature movie, Finding Lenny. His 26 successful years in the comedy industry have ensured his status as a role model. With approximately 150 shows per year, the public's demand for his hilarious interpretations of everyday situations continues unabated. Barry's interpretation of this fame is simply that he's “just a normal oke with a better job than you!”
"Once when I was lost, I saw a policeman, and asked him to help me find my parents. I said to him, 'Do you think we’ll ever find them?' He said, 'I don’t know, kid. There’s so many places they can hide.'”
For more of the same, comedy fans will find him in Pietermaritzburg on August 8 performing in the undercover parking lot at Parklane Spar. Graffiti Bridge, the talented duo featuring the talents of Aaron and Shanthan, will open the show.
Doors open at 19h00. Tickets R95 (booking a table for a party of 8 saves the price of one). Tickets available from Big Beat Shop 13 and Café Dulcé's (both at Parklane Centre).
More information from Lara 033 394 4426 or visit www.barryhilton.co.za
The popular "Cousin" is coming to town! Barry Hilton, one of South Africa's most loved comedians, will perform in Pietermaritzburg on August 8.
Barry Hilton is a comedy icon, well known for his live stand-up comedy routines, his 50,000 selling Here We Go Again DVD, his performance as the dry barman in the Savannah cider television adverts and his feature movie, Finding Lenny. His 26 successful years in the comedy industry have ensured his status as a role model. With approximately 150 shows per year, the public's demand for his hilarious interpretations of everyday situations continues unabated. Barry's interpretation of this fame is simply that he's “just a normal oke with a better job than you!”
"Once when I was lost, I saw a policeman, and asked him to help me find my parents. I said to him, 'Do you think we’ll ever find them?' He said, 'I don’t know, kid. There’s so many places they can hide.'”
For more of the same, comedy fans will find him in Pietermaritzburg on August 8 performing in the undercover parking lot at Parklane Spar. Graffiti Bridge, the talented duo featuring the talents of Aaron and Shanthan, will open the show.
Doors open at 19h00. Tickets R95 (booking a table for a party of 8 saves the price of one). Tickets available from Big Beat Shop 13 and Café Dulcé's (both at Parklane Centre).
More information from Lara 033 394 4426 or visit www.barryhilton.co.za
Thursday, July 30, 2009
CELEBRATING WOMEN
”Bonewoman” - work by Dina CormickAn exhibition of hand carved icons and ceramics by Dina Cormick.
The African Art Centre is hosting an exhibition titled Celebrating Women by Dina Cormick.
“My main focus is always to honour the stories within every woman,” explains the artist. “Whether we dance for the revolution or search for bones in the desert, there are memories to be shared.
“In the visual re-telling of these stories, I am fascinated by the blurred distinction between imagination and symbolism, between dream-time and awake-time. The artworks are presented as icon triptychs. The concept of the "icon" is to re-present the story with the intimacy of encounter one experiences by opening a small icon to meditate. The viewer can thus interact on a very personal level with each icon.
Celebrating Women runs in conjunction with Women's Month and will open on August 5 to remain on show for three weeks after this date. Dina Cormick is a female artist whose work celebrates life and significance of women in South African societies.
CERAMICS AT TATHAM
History of Twentieth Century Ceramics in South Africa on show at Tatham in Pietermaritzburg.
History of Twentieth Century Ceramics in South Africa is the title of an exhibition showing in the Ceramics Room of the Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg.
The exhibition is made up of the Gallery’s collection of ceramics in South Africa. It was part of the Curriculum exhibition. The display showcases traditional and commercial ceramics. These include ceramics by unknown potters to established ceramists like Clive Sithole, Maggie Mikula, the Nala and the Magwaza families. On display are ceramics from the first commercial studios that produced Kalahari-ware and Globe-ware contrasted with current studio, Ardmore ceramic studio.
The main purpose is to make learners aware of how ceramics had developed from functional objects to commercially valued objects.
The Tatham Art Gallery is situated in Chief Albert Luthuli (Commercial) Road. opposite the Pietermaritzburg City Hall. More information from Tatham Education Officer Thulani Makhaye on 033 392 2801 or email: thulani.makhaye@msunduzi.gov.za or visit www.tatham.org.za
History of Twentieth Century Ceramics in South Africa is the title of an exhibition showing in the Ceramics Room of the Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg.
The exhibition is made up of the Gallery’s collection of ceramics in South Africa. It was part of the Curriculum exhibition. The display showcases traditional and commercial ceramics. These include ceramics by unknown potters to established ceramists like Clive Sithole, Maggie Mikula, the Nala and the Magwaza families. On display are ceramics from the first commercial studios that produced Kalahari-ware and Globe-ware contrasted with current studio, Ardmore ceramic studio.
The main purpose is to make learners aware of how ceramics had developed from functional objects to commercially valued objects.
The Tatham Art Gallery is situated in Chief Albert Luthuli (Commercial) Road. opposite the Pietermaritzburg City Hall. More information from Tatham Education Officer Thulani Makhaye on 033 392 2801 or email: thulani.makhaye@msunduzi.gov.za or visit www.tatham.org.za
THE BOY BANDS
Jonothan Didlick, Lyle Buxton and Cavin Sewell take their talents to Hillcrest.
The Heritage Theatre in Hillcrest presents The Boy Bands, a brand new show featuring music from the world’s most famous boy bands and starring hot young performers Jonothan Didlick, Lyle Buxton and Cavin Sewell.
The show salutes the hits of the first boy bands of the 50s (The Platters, The Marcels) and 60s (Beatles, Hollies and Bee Gees) to the popular metro-sexual groups of the new millennium including Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Boyzone and Take That.
Also on the musical menu are songs from a number of artists such as Ronan Keating and Robbie Williams who left their boy bands to carve out successful solo careers.
The ladies, especially, are invited to enjoy the “eye candy” cast while savouring some of their favourite hits from How Deep Is Your Love and I Want It That Way to When You Say Nothing At All and Angels.
The Boy Bands runs until August 23. Tickets R190 include a two-course meal from Wednesday to Saturday at 19h00 (R165 Tuesday nights) with Sunday lunch at R150. Bookings or more details on 031 7654197 or online at www.heritagetheatre.co.za
The Heritage Theatre in Hillcrest presents The Boy Bands, a brand new show featuring music from the world’s most famous boy bands and starring hot young performers Jonothan Didlick, Lyle Buxton and Cavin Sewell.
The show salutes the hits of the first boy bands of the 50s (The Platters, The Marcels) and 60s (Beatles, Hollies and Bee Gees) to the popular metro-sexual groups of the new millennium including Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Boyzone and Take That.
Also on the musical menu are songs from a number of artists such as Ronan Keating and Robbie Williams who left their boy bands to carve out successful solo careers.
The ladies, especially, are invited to enjoy the “eye candy” cast while savouring some of their favourite hits from How Deep Is Your Love and I Want It That Way to When You Say Nothing At All and Angels.
The Boy Bands runs until August 23. Tickets R190 include a two-course meal from Wednesday to Saturday at 19h00 (R165 Tuesday nights) with Sunday lunch at R150. Bookings or more details on 031 7654197 or online at www.heritagetheatre.co.za
RAINBOW RESTAURANT NEWS
Rainbow Restaurant in Pinetown stays on track.
The Rainbow Restaurant and Jazz Club in Pinetown has managed to stay on track so far, despite the recession.
“Up at the Rainbow, it has been a very quiet first half of the year with regards to concerts,” says joint owner Neil Comfort. “A few under-the-radar performances from emerging groups but no headline Sunday concerts mainly due to the fact that, rather than retrenchments, we have been cutting shifts and therefore cannot justify spending on concerts.
“Thankfully, I managed to get all the part timers back up to their usual quota of shifts for July and so quickly jumped in and booked the two shows we have coming up in August, featuring musicians who last played at the Rainbow many years ago.”
Next up is the Simba Morri Trio on August 2. Morri Natti - professionally known as Simba Morri - is a South African musician of Kenyan origin. He came to Johannesburg as a scholar, studying anthropology at Wits before turning to music full time. His music is an eclectic mix of crisscross rhythms known as maasaik muziki. His bio explains it as "vibrant, it is food for the soul. Joy is an essential element in the music of Simba Morri. The essential lyrics, the happy scintillating guitar, the chugging rhythms make for a wonderful experience!" Sounds good.
Simba Morri Trio performs at 13h00 on August 2 (doors open at 12h00). Tickets R30 (R20 Rainbow Jazz Club Members and Durban Collective Members). The criteria for being a Rainbow member is to visit on a weekly basis.
The Rainbow Restaurant and Jazz Club is situated at 23 Stanfield Lane, Pinetown. More information on 031 702 9161 or 083 463 8044 or email: bandwagon@artslink.co.za
(The Simba Morri Trio will also perform at the Centre for Jazz, UKZN, on August 5 at 17h30)
The Rainbow Restaurant and Jazz Club in Pinetown has managed to stay on track so far, despite the recession.
“Up at the Rainbow, it has been a very quiet first half of the year with regards to concerts,” says joint owner Neil Comfort. “A few under-the-radar performances from emerging groups but no headline Sunday concerts mainly due to the fact that, rather than retrenchments, we have been cutting shifts and therefore cannot justify spending on concerts.
“Thankfully, I managed to get all the part timers back up to their usual quota of shifts for July and so quickly jumped in and booked the two shows we have coming up in August, featuring musicians who last played at the Rainbow many years ago.”
Next up is the Simba Morri Trio on August 2. Morri Natti - professionally known as Simba Morri - is a South African musician of Kenyan origin. He came to Johannesburg as a scholar, studying anthropology at Wits before turning to music full time. His music is an eclectic mix of crisscross rhythms known as maasaik muziki. His bio explains it as "vibrant, it is food for the soul. Joy is an essential element in the music of Simba Morri. The essential lyrics, the happy scintillating guitar, the chugging rhythms make for a wonderful experience!" Sounds good.
Simba Morri Trio performs at 13h00 on August 2 (doors open at 12h00). Tickets R30 (R20 Rainbow Jazz Club Members and Durban Collective Members). The criteria for being a Rainbow member is to visit on a weekly basis.
The Rainbow Restaurant and Jazz Club is situated at 23 Stanfield Lane, Pinetown. More information on 031 702 9161 or 083 463 8044 or email: bandwagon@artslink.co.za
(The Simba Morri Trio will also perform at the Centre for Jazz, UKZN, on August 5 at 17h30)
NIGHT OF 100 STARS IS BACK!
Popular glitzy fundraiser to take place on August 10.
The popular and long-anticipated return of the Night of 100 Stars will take its place on the Durban social calendar, thanks to the generous support and sponsorship of Suncoast Casino & Entertainment World (Suncoast) and Durban’s artistic and performance community.
Show director Mark Hawkins, together with a talented production team and the cream of SA’s entertainment talent, will be pulling out all the stops to bring Durban a night of “pure enjoyment”! The theme for this year’s glittering event is “Dress Like A Star” (…think Oscars).
“It always was a glitzy affair with Durbanites turning out in full-force to support this event,” says Hawkins. “We are thrilled to be involved in bringing Night of 100 Stars back once again,” says Suncoast executive director Mike Dowsley. “We invite other corporate companies and caring individuals to show their support by buying tickets for the event and in this way contributing to a really worthy cause.”
The star-studded line-up of performers brings together a selection of the country’s top performers from across all the areas of performance. The list includes Aaron McIlroy and Lisa Bobbert, Mark Banks, Robert Whitehead (of Isidingo fame), stars of the Cape Town City Ballet, Rory Rootenberg, Karen Van Pletsen, Melanie Roberts, Shelly McLean, Black Magic, Pop Idol finalist Pixie, Janna Ramos-Violante, The Sharkettes, dancers from Eenie Meenie Miny Mo Productions and Samantha Peo and Angela Kilian who have just completed a run in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love’.
The show’s musical director Burton Naidoo will also perform with his band and a number of sports stars and other celebrities will show their support by attending. Each performer will perform free of charge.
Night of 100 Stars takes place at 18h00 on August 10 at Suncoast and all proceeds from the evening will go towards Cancer research projects and awareness campaigns in the Durban region. Tickets R500 pp include a three-course dinner and an evening of top class entertainment. Whole tables and individual tickets are also available. Booking is strictly on a first-come-first-served basis. Donations can be made to CANSA KZN for those unable to attend the event.
For more information contact Shauneeta Pargoolall at CANSA KZN on 031 205 9525 or email: spargoolall@cansa.org.za
The popular and long-anticipated return of the Night of 100 Stars will take its place on the Durban social calendar, thanks to the generous support and sponsorship of Suncoast Casino & Entertainment World (Suncoast) and Durban’s artistic and performance community.
Show director Mark Hawkins, together with a talented production team and the cream of SA’s entertainment talent, will be pulling out all the stops to bring Durban a night of “pure enjoyment”! The theme for this year’s glittering event is “Dress Like A Star” (…think Oscars).
“It always was a glitzy affair with Durbanites turning out in full-force to support this event,” says Hawkins. “We are thrilled to be involved in bringing Night of 100 Stars back once again,” says Suncoast executive director Mike Dowsley. “We invite other corporate companies and caring individuals to show their support by buying tickets for the event and in this way contributing to a really worthy cause.”
The star-studded line-up of performers brings together a selection of the country’s top performers from across all the areas of performance. The list includes Aaron McIlroy and Lisa Bobbert, Mark Banks, Robert Whitehead (of Isidingo fame), stars of the Cape Town City Ballet, Rory Rootenberg, Karen Van Pletsen, Melanie Roberts, Shelly McLean, Black Magic, Pop Idol finalist Pixie, Janna Ramos-Violante, The Sharkettes, dancers from Eenie Meenie Miny Mo Productions and Samantha Peo and Angela Kilian who have just completed a run in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love’.
The show’s musical director Burton Naidoo will also perform with his band and a number of sports stars and other celebrities will show their support by attending. Each performer will perform free of charge.
Night of 100 Stars takes place at 18h00 on August 10 at Suncoast and all proceeds from the evening will go towards Cancer research projects and awareness campaigns in the Durban region. Tickets R500 pp include a three-course dinner and an evening of top class entertainment. Whole tables and individual tickets are also available. Booking is strictly on a first-come-first-served basis. Donations can be made to CANSA KZN for those unable to attend the event.
For more information contact Shauneeta Pargoolall at CANSA KZN on 031 205 9525 or email: spargoolall@cansa.org.za
SEVEN NEW ZULU AUTHORS PUBLISHED
Nasou Via Afrika and Arts, Culture and Tourism Department Partner to find new voices in local literature.
South Africa’s leading educational publishing company and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture join forces to nurture local authors and grow the market for local language literature
Nasou Via Afrika publishers (www.nasou-viaafrika.com) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism (www.kznact.gov.za) will launch seven captivating new isiZulu literature titles on July 30. This exciting launch is the fruits of a competition hosted by the two organisations that challenged KwaZulu-Natal authors to reach deep inside themselves to write a great new novel, short story or children’s book in isiZulu.
The competition was conceptualized as a joint publishing project between Nasou Via Afrika and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism to promote literature and reading in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as to give new and upcoming authors a chance to shine. To be published by a major book publishing house allows up-and-coming authors to develop their writing into a successful career, and allowing a new generation of authors to inspire and entertain South African children.
Local language publishing is vital to preserve and grow our rich cultural heritage,” says Alugumi Rathumbu, African languages publishing manager at Nasou Via Afrika, which is well known for publishing in many African languages. “We’re committed to keep on improving the quality and variety of local titles, giving authors a voice and allowing people to connect with their language and culture in their mother tongue. Having built up an extensive list of literature titles over the years, we were ideally placed to partner with the DAC on this initiative.”
The Department of Arts and Culture was the instigator and organisers of this competition, but looked for a suitable partner to help fund the prize money awarded to the winners and runners up, and to ensure that the books were professionally published once the winners were announced – with a high quality of book editing, cover art and printing, as well as promotion of the new titles to book buyers.
The winning books in each category were: Novels: Amandi’ Esambane (first place), Ithemba Lami (second place) and Ithemba Alibulali (third place). Children’s books: USimo uthanda ifeshini (first place), Isipho (second place), UFana noQethukile (third place). Short stories: Iqhaza (collection of the winning short stories).
The seven books are: Ithemba Lami by Lungile Zondi; Ithemba Alibulali by Maphili Shange; Amandi’ Esambane by Babhekile Annastatia Ngcobo; Iqhaza by Prof. LF Mathenjwa; Isipho by Nzimand; USimo uthanda ifeshini by Mzi Mngadi, and UFana noQethukile by Brightman Luthuli.
Nasou Via Afrika Publishers (NVA), a division of Via Afrika Group has been publishing top quality educational books and materials for over 40 years. This includes schools textbooks and educational materials for all school grades and learning areas and for FET Colleges. NVA is also the oldest and largest publisher of literature for schools with some of the country’s best-loved authors, numbering more than 350 literature titles in all genres in all 11 official languages. In 2008, the Department of Education, the Department of Arts and Culture and the National Library of South Africa publicly recognised NVA’s proud tradition of publishing literature in all official languages as part of the nation’s heritage.
For more information please visit: www.nasou-viaafrika.com
South Africa’s leading educational publishing company and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture join forces to nurture local authors and grow the market for local language literature
Nasou Via Afrika publishers (www.nasou-viaafrika.com) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism (www.kznact.gov.za) will launch seven captivating new isiZulu literature titles on July 30. This exciting launch is the fruits of a competition hosted by the two organisations that challenged KwaZulu-Natal authors to reach deep inside themselves to write a great new novel, short story or children’s book in isiZulu.
The competition was conceptualized as a joint publishing project between Nasou Via Afrika and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism to promote literature and reading in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as to give new and upcoming authors a chance to shine. To be published by a major book publishing house allows up-and-coming authors to develop their writing into a successful career, and allowing a new generation of authors to inspire and entertain South African children.
Local language publishing is vital to preserve and grow our rich cultural heritage,” says Alugumi Rathumbu, African languages publishing manager at Nasou Via Afrika, which is well known for publishing in many African languages. “We’re committed to keep on improving the quality and variety of local titles, giving authors a voice and allowing people to connect with their language and culture in their mother tongue. Having built up an extensive list of literature titles over the years, we were ideally placed to partner with the DAC on this initiative.”
The Department of Arts and Culture was the instigator and organisers of this competition, but looked for a suitable partner to help fund the prize money awarded to the winners and runners up, and to ensure that the books were professionally published once the winners were announced – with a high quality of book editing, cover art and printing, as well as promotion of the new titles to book buyers.
The winning books in each category were: Novels: Amandi’ Esambane (first place), Ithemba Lami (second place) and Ithemba Alibulali (third place). Children’s books: USimo uthanda ifeshini (first place), Isipho (second place), UFana noQethukile (third place). Short stories: Iqhaza (collection of the winning short stories).
The seven books are: Ithemba Lami by Lungile Zondi; Ithemba Alibulali by Maphili Shange; Amandi’ Esambane by Babhekile Annastatia Ngcobo; Iqhaza by Prof. LF Mathenjwa; Isipho by Nzimand; USimo uthanda ifeshini by Mzi Mngadi, and UFana noQethukile by Brightman Luthuli.
Nasou Via Afrika Publishers (NVA), a division of Via Afrika Group has been publishing top quality educational books and materials for over 40 years. This includes schools textbooks and educational materials for all school grades and learning areas and for FET Colleges. NVA is also the oldest and largest publisher of literature for schools with some of the country’s best-loved authors, numbering more than 350 literature titles in all genres in all 11 official languages. In 2008, the Department of Education, the Department of Arts and Culture and the National Library of South Africa publicly recognised NVA’s proud tradition of publishing literature in all official languages as part of the nation’s heritage.
For more information please visit: www.nasou-viaafrika.com
INTONGA
Local, Xhosa, Mdantsane shot film based on young stickfighter from Fort Beaufort.
Intonga is a local, Xhosa, Mdantsane shot film based on a heart-warming story of Siviwe, a young stickfighter from Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape, and his fight for acceptance when he and his mother move to the city after his father dies. He gets into trouble when a local girl, the girlfriend of a local boxing champion named “Knuckles” shows interest on him. After many confrontations with Knuckles, Siviwe decides to take him on his own game, boxing, with the help of a local priest and a trainer. They guide him on his journey into the unfamiliar world of boxing.
It’s a simple and beautiful Africa story full of love, confrontations, stunning scenery and many valuable life lessons that will entertain the whole family.
The film was shot during July on location in Mdantsane and Fort Beaufort surrounds. No sets were built as authenticity was key and, with careful planning, the stunning natural winter sunlight of the area contributes to the look of the film. Those who visit Grahamstown for the National Arts Festival every year will identify with the surrounding landscape.
The process of incorporating students and learners together with experienced cast and crew proved to be hugely successful and each of them left the production with more experience than they may have gained in the industry over the years.
Distributed by Numetro Films Intonga is a joint venture between Swayani Films and Cape Peninsula University of Technology. It features top boxers such as WBF world champion Zolani Tete, Balekile Sam, Mandisi Mkile and Dudu Bungu, the brother of the ex-world champion Vuyani Bungu.
Intonga is a local, Xhosa, Mdantsane shot film based on a heart-warming story of Siviwe, a young stickfighter from Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape, and his fight for acceptance when he and his mother move to the city after his father dies. He gets into trouble when a local girl, the girlfriend of a local boxing champion named “Knuckles” shows interest on him. After many confrontations with Knuckles, Siviwe decides to take him on his own game, boxing, with the help of a local priest and a trainer. They guide him on his journey into the unfamiliar world of boxing.
It’s a simple and beautiful Africa story full of love, confrontations, stunning scenery and many valuable life lessons that will entertain the whole family.
The film was shot during July on location in Mdantsane and Fort Beaufort surrounds. No sets were built as authenticity was key and, with careful planning, the stunning natural winter sunlight of the area contributes to the look of the film. Those who visit Grahamstown for the National Arts Festival every year will identify with the surrounding landscape.
The process of incorporating students and learners together with experienced cast and crew proved to be hugely successful and each of them left the production with more experience than they may have gained in the industry over the years.
Distributed by Numetro Films Intonga is a joint venture between Swayani Films and Cape Peninsula University of Technology. It features top boxers such as WBF world champion Zolani Tete, Balekile Sam, Mandisi Mkile and Dudu Bungu, the brother of the ex-world champion Vuyani Bungu.
WAVESCAPES
Surf films at Durban International Film Festival.
A premiere at the fifth Wavescapes Surfing Film Festival in Durban this year is set to prove that South Africa has some of the biggest waves and best big wave surfers in the world. Red Bull’s Perfect Ten documents ten years of big wave surfing at the hair-raising Dungeons break off Hout Bay in Cape Town, and is one of 11 films to be screened at Wavescapes, which again teams up with the Durban International Film Festival (July 23 - August 2) in 2009.
Wavescapes, which runs between July 26 and August 1, features a foamy mixture of topics, from The Glacier Project, about sub-zero surfing in swells created by cliff-sized chunks of ice falling from glaciers, to Black People Don’t Swim, the story of Kwezi Qika, a champion longboarder who has overcome great odds to reach the pinnacle of his sport.
With support by the marine conservation group Save Our Seas Foundation, an environmentally friendly theme runs through Wavescapes this year. In Out There eco-surfers travel the world to study the effects of human development on sensitive regions. The Glacier Project highlights the effects of climate change.
The opening film, screened under the stars at the Bay of Plenty lawns on Durban’s Golden Mile on July 26, was Fly in the Champagne, a powerful and drama-filled surf action film about the fiercest rivalry in professional surfing: Andy Irons versus Kelly Slater. The screening featured efforts by Ocean Minded, who were behind the evening, to spread a message about keeping beaches clean while recycling all waste generated by the estimated 1,000 people who enjoyed a few family hours near the surf spot immortalised by Shaun Tomson.
Wavescapes now runs at SunCoast Nu Metro until August 1 where the indoor component of the festival is taking place.
Other films include Inside Teahupoo, One Track Mind, Musica Surfica and Welcome to my Paradise. The footage shot in Inside Teahupoo at this world-famous reef break in Tahiti marks another leap in the technology of filming waves from inside the curling tube. One Track Mind has been described as a quick-fire burst of adrenal overload as the filmmaker delves into the minds of the world’s top professional surfers.
Musica Surfica represents the intersection of art, music and surfing, starring Australian surf legend Derek Hynd and Richard Tognetti, leading violinist and Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Welcome to my Paradise, a home-grown short film, tracks the story of two sandcastle builders who ply their trade just metres from where the outdoor screening takes place at the Bay of Plenty.
For the full DIFF programme visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or contact on 031 260 2506 or 031 260 1816.
A premiere at the fifth Wavescapes Surfing Film Festival in Durban this year is set to prove that South Africa has some of the biggest waves and best big wave surfers in the world. Red Bull’s Perfect Ten documents ten years of big wave surfing at the hair-raising Dungeons break off Hout Bay in Cape Town, and is one of 11 films to be screened at Wavescapes, which again teams up with the Durban International Film Festival (July 23 - August 2) in 2009.
Wavescapes, which runs between July 26 and August 1, features a foamy mixture of topics, from The Glacier Project, about sub-zero surfing in swells created by cliff-sized chunks of ice falling from glaciers, to Black People Don’t Swim, the story of Kwezi Qika, a champion longboarder who has overcome great odds to reach the pinnacle of his sport.
With support by the marine conservation group Save Our Seas Foundation, an environmentally friendly theme runs through Wavescapes this year. In Out There eco-surfers travel the world to study the effects of human development on sensitive regions. The Glacier Project highlights the effects of climate change.
The opening film, screened under the stars at the Bay of Plenty lawns on Durban’s Golden Mile on July 26, was Fly in the Champagne, a powerful and drama-filled surf action film about the fiercest rivalry in professional surfing: Andy Irons versus Kelly Slater. The screening featured efforts by Ocean Minded, who were behind the evening, to spread a message about keeping beaches clean while recycling all waste generated by the estimated 1,000 people who enjoyed a few family hours near the surf spot immortalised by Shaun Tomson.
Wavescapes now runs at SunCoast Nu Metro until August 1 where the indoor component of the festival is taking place.
Other films include Inside Teahupoo, One Track Mind, Musica Surfica and Welcome to my Paradise. The footage shot in Inside Teahupoo at this world-famous reef break in Tahiti marks another leap in the technology of filming waves from inside the curling tube. One Track Mind has been described as a quick-fire burst of adrenal overload as the filmmaker delves into the minds of the world’s top professional surfers.
Musica Surfica represents the intersection of art, music and surfing, starring Australian surf legend Derek Hynd and Richard Tognetti, leading violinist and Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Welcome to my Paradise, a home-grown short film, tracks the story of two sandcastle builders who ply their trade just metres from where the outdoor screening takes place at the Bay of Plenty.
For the full DIFF programme visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or contact on 031 260 2506 or 031 260 1816.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
TRIBUTE TO MONICA FAIRALL
Tribute from Keith van Wyk who worked with her on many radio productions.This is a tribute to Monica Fairall from Keith van Wyk who worked with her on numerous SABC radio productions over the years, including her well-known “Durban After Dark” programme.
I remember one of our earliest Outside Broadcasts: on board the QE2. Whether Monica was interviewing the diesel mechanic from the engine room below or the Captain of the QE2, she had the skilful quality and ability to draw out the best from her interviewees. This was Monica at her best – all for the sake of her listeners.
Each and every listener mattered to Monica. And I could see that from the manner in which she put so much work into her preparation
I’ve never met a princess or a queen but in Monica, I met both. A Princess because of her outer and inner beauty. Yet in Monica, I also met a Queen because of her graciousness. Monica was the epitome of graciousness.
We’ll miss you very much, Monica. – Keith van Wyk
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
MONICA FAIRALL REMEMBERED
SAfm woman’s programme Otherwise between 13h05 and 14h00 on July 29.
Between 13h05 and 14h00 tomorrow (July 29), the SAfm woman’s programme Otherwise will pay tribute to the late Monica Fairall and her many talents and accomplishments: model, former Miss South Africa, journalist, photographer, musician, singer, author, yoga instructor and radio personality par excellence.
Nancy Richards will be in the Cape Town studios talking live to Fairall's friends and radio colleagues Dianne Kohler-Barnard and Caroline Smart in the Durban studios. Listeners will hear numbers sung by Fairall in the smash-hit musical production Those Were The Days and will be able to phone in with their memories.
Between 13h05 and 14h00 tomorrow (July 29), the SAfm woman’s programme Otherwise will pay tribute to the late Monica Fairall and her many talents and accomplishments: model, former Miss South Africa, journalist, photographer, musician, singer, author, yoga instructor and radio personality par excellence.
Nancy Richards will be in the Cape Town studios talking live to Fairall's friends and radio colleagues Dianne Kohler-Barnard and Caroline Smart in the Durban studios. Listeners will hear numbers sung by Fairall in the smash-hit musical production Those Were The Days and will be able to phone in with their memories.
Monday, July 27, 2009
FOR BETTER FOR WORSE
(Pic: Raeesa Mohamed and Simon Morgan in one of the coffee shop scenes)Congratulations all round to producers, directors, cast and crew for an entertaining Durban-made production. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Last night the 30th Durban International Film Festival hosted the world premiere of the Durban romantic comedy, For Better For Worse. Produced by Bright Side Productions, the film is directed by Naresh Veeran and written by Raeesa Mohamed, who played the leading role and wrote the screenplay. Set in Durban, the movie involved 25 locations over 18 days with a crew of 20 and a cast of 70.
Raeesa Mohamed plays Anisa whose life alternates between her successful business as a lawyer and a home life with her mother Ayesha and father Yusuf, brother Farhan and sister Tasneem. Having loved and been betrayed, she is wary of men but pro-actively undertakes to meet those who her mother and friends place in her path. Towards the end of the film, the character is required to drop her steely resolve, fall in love, feel betrayed once again and then rejoice in being reunited with her love. This process Raeesa handles well, with sincerity and passion.
Pulling on his strong comedy skills, Afzal Khan is a delight as Anisa’s tersely strict father with Suria Govender giving an equally strong performance as Ayesha, desperately trying to find a husband for Anisa and shielding the reckless Farhan from his father’s justifiable impatience at his irresponsible lifestyle. Comedy veteran Kogie Naidoo produced the laughs as Ayesha’s gossipy friend Saras and her scenes with Suria Govender are hilarious.
As Farhan, the impressively tall Rahul Brijnath gives the role a good impulsive energy, particularly in his dealings with his shady and volatile friend Iqbal – a good performance from Pranesh Maharaj – and their scene with Roger Service in the Home Affairs office is very amusing. The ever-radiant Kajal Bagwandeen brings a feisty liveliness to the role of Tasneem.
The romantic lead of Zak is in the sure hands of Simon Morgan – not only in his first film appearance but also in his first professional acting role. He contributes just the right amount of quirky ironic humour as well as the reserve required for a man withholding several secrets from the object of his affection. Working with Zak in the coffee shop, Clinton Marius provides good support as the laconic Jeff. Chantal Bond is Anisa’s endearing lovelorn secretary.
Many of the main characters are well-known personalities for their appearances in theatre, film and television as well as in Lotus FM’s radio dramas such as Kumari Ambigay, Mariam Bassa, Pauline Dalais, Hetesh Daya, Dhaveshan Govender, Iris Francis, Hamish Kyd, Shiraz Mohamed, Vivian Moodley, Juanita Ramlochan, Farouk Randeree, Philippa Savage, Shalini Singh, Eubulus Tracey and Rishi Tularam.
The camera work is good and Tansen Nepaul has produced some evocative music for the soundtrack with lyrics by Saffee Siddiqui.
Naresh Veeran announced that we were seeing the long version and that this would be brought down to about 90 minutes for the circuit. In this process, I am sure that the various technical problems such as sound imbalances will be attended to.
For Better For Worse is notable for its major Durban content and humorous storyline which is uncomplicated and totally lacking in the violence which is all too prevalent in films today. The closest you get is a dead body in a boot of a car – and it’s nothing to do with murder! And in true Bollywood style, there’s an extravagant dance sequence. This film was a major undertaking for Bright Side Productions who have just signed a distribution deal with Videovision. The enthusiastic response from last night’s audiences who delighted in the humour heralds further successful productions to come.
There will be another performance of For Better For Worse in the Durban International Film Festival and this will take place on August 1 at 18h00 at Supernova at Suncoast Casino. – Caroline Smart
Sunday, July 26, 2009
MICHAEL GREEN’S WINE NOTES #225
(Pic: Carl van der Merwe, winemaker at Quoin Rock)Quoin Rock Winery releases its first sparkling wine.
The Quoin Rock Winery is a double establishment, with properties on the southern coast of the Western Cape, near Cape Agulhas, and on the foothills of the Simonsberg mountain at Stellenbosch.
The unusual name comes from a landmark near Quoin Point, a dangerous reef (many ships have been wrecked here) off the coast west of Agulhas. Quoin is an old English term for a wooden wedge used to lower or raise gun barrels.
From its land in the small Cape Agulhas wine region Quoin Rock produces some high quality cool climate varieties of wine, such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. Cultivating vines here at the southern tip of Africa is a difficult job, with the farmer facing high humidity, occasional and unseasonal summer rainfall, and strong winds which can damage vines. But, correctly managed, the vineyards can produce exceptional wines; Quoin Rock’s white wines from this area are all rated four stars or more in the Platter Guide.
The winery uses part of its 160 hectares of prime wine-growing land near Stellenbosch for the production mainly of red wines, which make up 70 percent of its total annual output of 5,000 cases.
Quoin Rock has now released its first sparkling wine, a Cap Classique made by the slow and difficult French champagne method of fermentation in the bottle. I think we should be allowed to call these wines Cape champagne, but the French object and make dire threats about trade between South Africa and France. Okay, Cap Classique it is, and the best examples are comparable to true champagne, in my opinion.
It is a densely packed chapter in the Cape wine library; there are about 70 Cap Classiques on the market (as distinct from lesser sparkling wines made by tank fermentation or artificial carbonation). But the Quoin Rock is the first to come from the Agulhas area.
Only 4,000 bottles of the Quoin Rock Cape Agulhas Cap Classique First Release, to give its full name, have been produced. The wine is a 50/50 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay. The grapes were harvested by hand and then transported by refrigerated truck to the winery in Stellenbosch for vinification.
The Quoin Rock winemaker Carl van der Merwe points out that the cool climate of the Champagne region in France preserves flavours and acidities in the grapes, a vital factor in sparkling wines, and says this is equally true of grapes grown at Cape Agulhas.
I have sampled the wine and it is distinctive and distinguished. It is a bone dry white wine with a slightly pink tinge, thanks no doubt to the pinot noir in it. The bubble is fine and long-lasting, and the wine has delicate strawberry and oatmeal biscuit flavours. It would go well with most foods but especially of course with shellfish and oysters. And on its own it is the perfect aperitif in hot or cold weather.
It is a luxury wine. Cellar price is R125 a bottle, and I guess you would probably have to add about R20 for a local retailer’s price. All the same, it is about a third of the cost of most French champagnes.
The Quoin Rock Winery has tastings and sales at its Stellenbosch cellar. Phone 021 888 4740. – Michael Green
MEETING CARL ROBERTS
(Pic: The cover of "Meeting Carl Roberts")Publication focuses on the work and life of one of South Africa’s most innovative sculptors. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Written by Neil Wright and published in 2006 by Wright Publishing, Meeting Carl Roberts focuses on the work and life of one of South Africa’s most innovative sculptors who has received both national and international acclaim.
Working in wood or bone, Carl Roberts allows his material to dictate its future. “I seldom have preconceived ideas; the material suggests images,” he states in the book. “The image chosen depends upon what lies in the subconscious, elements of chance and the spirit of the times.”
In this interesting, well-laid-out and high quality soft-cover publication, Neil Wright draws on the professional relationship he has built up with Roberts over the years in which he and his wife Liesel have worked with him through their Bonisa Gallery in Kloof and their successful international arts business. Apart from offering fascinating details of various works, the book contains contributions from Liesel Wright and sculptor Jeanne Wright. The latter attended Rhodes University art school with Carl Roberts and offers a chapter on the academic side of the sculptor’s work.
Carl Roberts’ life makes for interesting reading, particularly the question and answer section at the end. Having been born in Bristol UK in 1957, he came to South Africa at the age of six months with his mother Jenny and sister Anya after his father was killed in a flying accident. In his early years, the family lived in various areas of Southern Africa as his mother remarried, lost her second husband to cancer and then married again several times.
From childhood Carl had modelled with clay, becoming more adventurous as he got older, creating items out of leather and then carving or painting pictures. After he finished school, he entered into a variety of occupations – fireman, assistant manager on a dairy farm and a truck driver driving 18-wheelers long distance for SA Railways & Harbours. With no matric, his application to enrol for a degree in journalism at Rhodes University was turned down but he challenged this so vigorously that he won through.
Rhodes and Grahamstown turned Carl Roberts’ life around. He changed from journalism to the arts, majoring in sculpture, and went on to acquire a Bachelor of Fine Arts and his Masters degrees. Receiving tuition from American potter Rod Mcoubrey who had set up a pottery school at Rhodes he made some significant pieces including large ceramic eggs made from Grahamstown clay. He owes much of his success to his mentor, Professor Jos Nell, then acting head of department. After leaving Rhodes, he moved to the University of Durban-Westville (UDW) and from then on, KwaZulu-Natal became his permanent home.
However, UDW was not to offer the new and better world Carl hoped for. He was very close to Professor Tom Matthews and his suicide affected him deeply. Turmoil at the university and death threats from a student he had failed, eventually made him take the plunge and become a fulltime artist. Two high successful exhibitions had already proved that his work was in demand - one sculpture going for R18,000 – and this is over 15 years ago!
Life as a full-time artist has been good for him – he married Joanna Bowker and they now have two children and live in Hillcrest. Their property also houses an enormous pile of indigenous wood, most of which he has collected as driftwood on the East Coast of KZN. There are also piles of giraffe, buffalo, rhino and whale bones which he uses as a medium for his sculptures. His work is acknowledged and respected worldwide and is in private collections around the world as well as national public collections in South Africa.
Carl Roberts is a forthright, no-nonsense person and the book reflects his personality. “Carl uses corruption of form to great effect,” writes Jeanne Wright. “Where wood has weathered unevenly or partially rotted, he capitalises on these patches to set up an atmospheric condition in the piece. Perfection and simulation for him, is banal.”
Looking through the gallery of Carl’s works, I was reminded of my days as a tv presenter/producer for KZN arts inserts in the days of Collage and Arts Unlimited. Filming Carl Roberts’s work was always a fascinating process and works such as Back to Water, Aviator, Little Fisherman and the charming Birds in a Nest Must Agree remain in my memory. When we were filming the days leading up to the opening of the Durban ICC, we had much fun with The Lion, his lifesize work in wild fig which is a permanent feature at the International Convention Centre.
New work since then includes the fascinating and ethereal Daphne or the spunky Janjaweed (both azalea root) as well as the beautifully-marked Olive Dog (wild olive). Then there’s the stunning Moon Flower (wild fig) while Eel represents a richly-coloured twisting eel (wild plum). Bone sculptures Hare in a Hurry and Cheetah see the animals in full flight, legs kicking wildly!
ISBN: 0-620-37090-4 To purchase the book at R449.00 including postage, contact theartist@carlroberts.co.za – Caroline Smart
Saturday, July 25, 2009
THE CARGO HOLD
(Head Chef Preshanthan Pillay displays one of his fine seafood dishes, as the fish glide past!)Wondrous water ballet accompanies excellent cuisine in magical marine world. (Review by Caroline Smart)
“Since the dawn of history the oceans have thrown the gauntlet to the brave. The foolhardy, the wicked and the wise inviting those who dare to take their chances in a perilous dance of life and death. But nowhere has this challenge been more tempting and taunting than here on the vital eastern trade routes of Port Natal where jagged rocks, dangerous currents, treacherous and violent seas have lured hundreds of vessels to their watery graves. It’s not surprising then that ghost stories abound along this stretch of coastline.”
This is the legend of uShaka Marine World’s Phantom Ship, a marvellous construction created by the famed Disney World team resembling a wrecked and rusty ship grounded on the shore just south of Addington Beach. While the lowest level houses the world-class aquarium, there are several restaurants “on board”.
The Cargo Hold offers diners a marvellous experience as they descend into the depths of the “ship” to enjoy excellent cuisine on the other side of a massive tank that houses several sharks and countless fish. Gliding silently past, they execute a wondrous and silent kind of water ballet.
The above extract from the “Captains Log” (dated April 17, 1914) is contained in the first pages of the comprehensive menu which also features historic photographs dealing with shipping news of the times. In the sure hands of experienced Head Chef Preshanthan Pillay, The Cargo Hold has a new menu and so – accompanied by good friend Dianne – I descended into this magical marine world to check it out.
Chef Pillay created a special starter platter for us. This included the Mediterranean Vegetable Tornados made of feta and sun-dried tomato pesto wrapped in char-grilled aubergines on tossed greens with a honeyed wholegrain mustard dressing (a vegetarian’s dream), as well as some feta and jalapeno stuffed crisp Spicy Wontons; Prawn Samoosas which also contained sweet potato, and some delicious Cargo Mussels flambéed with Pernod.
Other choices in the Setting Sail (starter menu) at R35 each are Ostrich Salad; Warm Bacon, Blue Cheese and Pear Salad; Game Carpaccio or Mushroom Crepes. At R45, the selection includes Calamari Steak; Prawn Stack; Es-Cargo (snails!) or New Orleans Chowder.
Having been carefully guided by our charming and attentive waitress Zethu, we then settled down to enjoy our main choices.
There are two main course menus – From the Galley (ranging from R69 to R121) and Cargo Classics (ranging from R89 to R125).
Dianne had opted for St Valentines Catch (Cargo Classics) which was fillet of linefish topped with a Mango, Pineapple and Tomato Salsa then surrounded by Crisp Fried Prawn Tails and a Gingered Soy Sauce. She pronounced it delicious but, not being a fish fan, I preferred to share one of her prawns. I had decided on the Braised Karoo Lamb (From the Gallery) and it was superb - slowly braised with tomato, honey, grained mustard and lemon set on minted creamed potatoes served with crisp garden fresh vegetables.
Other From the Galley dishes are Smoked Rib-eye of Pork, De-boned Oxtail, Thai-Mushroom Curry, Simonsberg Steak, Gnocchi; Sweet Chili Chicken and Cannelloni. Cargo Classics also offers a Game platter; Cargo Kingklip; Linefish; Chef’s Kingklip; Singapore Sling and The Phantom Ship Adventure (SQ). There’s also The Spanish Inquisition and Flaming Prawns as well as The Shellfish Grill and Platters for Two offering game of seafood.
Not one for sweet dishes, I happily left the dessert choice to Dianne who was encouraged by Chef Pillay to take the Chocolate Fondant (heartily endorsed by Zethu) and it was indeed a triumph - the melting chocolate in the hot cake offset by the chill of the homemade icecream. However, it is important to remember that it requires a baking time of 10 to 15 minutes, so sit back and watch the fish! I must say that one does feel slightly treacherous eating fish dishes as they move past but you can harden your heart in the knowledge that you’re not eating any of their close relations!
The items on the Before you Disembark (dessert) menu are R35 and also include Banana Duo cheesecake; Crème Brulee; Aphrodite’s Kiss (raspberry tiramisu); Panacotta and the Iced fusion trio of sorbets topped with Cointreau.
There are plans to develop the Bosun’s Terrace just outside the restaurant offering reasonable light meals to meet the needs of a funkier more youthful crowd. Chef Pillay also indicated that his menu will be reviewed again in the months to come, so if what you see above excites you, head for The Cargo Hold straight away! The hospitality’s great and it’s a highly worthwhile experience.
The best way to reach The Phantom Ship is to go to uShaka Marine World’s B parking and either walk through the shopping concourse and up the gangplank onto the ship and then descend through the various levels so that you can appreciate the décor and atmosphere, or walk along the beachfront and enter the lower entrance. Bookings on 031 328 8065 or email: cargohold@ushakamarineworld, co.za – Caroline Smart
JIMBO
(Pic: Jailoshini Naidoo and Percy Smith)Evocative musical returns with Percy Smith and Jailoshini Naidoo reprising fine performances. (Review by Caroline Smart)
With the first performance of its second re-run season opening last night in the Playhouse Drama, Jimbo is set in the 1960s and ’70s. Filled with relevant distinctive jargon, it focuses on the city’s coloured community and depicts the street life of Durban’s Indian Market and Warwick Triangle – the latter now in danger of extinction as the area is undergoing a controversial revamp to create a new mall complex.
Direction is once again by Themi Venturas featuring the show’s original music by Siva Devar and lyrics by Hamish Kyd and Themi Venturas. The production is performed on Larri Coquillion’s original set design with lighting design by Richard Parker and musical direction by Melvin Peters who leads a five-piece band.
My last review of Jimbo was on July 12, 2006, when the production returned to the Playhouse after its premiere run in 1993 when it was presented in Durban as part of the Playhouse Company’s Kwasa Community Theatre Development Project. As the seasons are only three years apart, I make no excuses for drawing from my 2006 review.
Every major city in the world has its community of hoboes – sleeping on doorsteps or pavements, in parks or alleyways or under bridges - their only covering a threadbare blanket, cardboard boxes or sheets of plastic. Ever wondered what put them there? What change of fortune altered their lives to seek this kind of existence?
There is a dark side to Jimbo which retains its authenticity through Hamish Kyd’s input. Playing the impulsive Vishnu and also the only member of the original 1993 cast, he has drawn on his own experiences in the coloured community to create this scenario.
Jimbo was the first stage musical to be written about coloured people in Durban. Charged with vitality and graphic humour along with its own brand of pathos, its evocative story of back-street life is played by a sharply-drawn cast of characters, headed by two drink-sodden hoboes who tell of a life lived between heaven and hell. The action swings from their recollection of their pasts, often recalling painful memories, to vibrant crowd scenes filled with song and dance.
Three years on from their last appearance, Percy Smith and Jailoshini Naidoo still work extremely well together and put in compelling performances as the amusing and quarrelsome down-and-outs. Good to see Percy Smith back in an acting role again after his many Barnyard musical roles (his Hey Boy was extremely poignant) and Jailoshini is just as deliciously scruffy and volatile as Natasha.
Other pluses are the inimitable Sam Marais as the original gang-leader Stets, “T-Bone” Hlahane as Fingers, Andile Mdletshe as Styles; Thomie Holtzhausen as Sgt van Rooyen, Samkelisiwe Hlophe as the Shebeen Queen and Vivian Moodley as the witness. Special mention must also be made of Gareth Purchase, Grant Jacobs, Afzal Khan, Mario Ogle and Rory Booth who appear in a number of roles. Nomonde Matiwane and Marcia Mzindle play the young Jimbo and Natasha.
Followers of Lotus FM radio drama will also recognise names such as Kajal Bagwandeen, Rory Booth, Shika Budhoo and Pranesh Maharaj in the line-up.
With dancers of the calibre of Siyanda Duma and Sanele Mzinyane in the dance team, audiences can be assured that Ebrahim Medell’s pulsating choreography is in safe hands.
My main problem was the bad quality of the sound. Pure dialogue was fine but in the songs, it was almost impossible to distinguish the lyrics. This is something that needs urgent attention.
Representing survival over seemingly impossible odds, Jimbo runs until August 9 in the Playhouse Drama. Early booking is advised. Tickets range from R60 to R80 booked through Computicket at 0829158000 or the Playhouse box office on 031 369 9596 or 031 369 9540. Tickets at the door cost between R90 and R110. – Caroline Smart
Friday, July 24, 2009
WALSH PAINTING STOLEN AT THE KZNSA
Act of desecration in Aidan Walsh’s memory at his memorial celebration.
On Monday evening (July 20), acclaimed artist Aidan Walsh's life was honoured at a moving funeral service at Nazareth House where those attending brought a multitude of flowers to drape his simple coffin. This was followed by a memorial celebration at the KZNSA Gallery where Aidan’s most recent work was displayed, with candles, music and the planting of a tree.
The gatherings at both the chapel and the gallery featured an impressive representation of major roleplayers in the visual arts field in Durban as well as those who came from Cape Town and Johannesburg for the event. It was evident that Aidan Walsh’s influence spread far and wide across the arts spectrum as there were many well-known performing artists present as well as high profile members of the business and legal professions.
However, a shocking discovery was made by the KZNSA gallery staff as they were closing up once the celebration was over. One of the paintings, which had been sold earlier in the evening, was missing.
As Andrew Verster, fellow artist and Aidan’s partner of 42 years, states on Facebook: “It was the biggest gathering of people at the Gallery ever, in itself a testament to how much he was loved. There was an exhibition of the ten last works he painted. Sadly, one of the paintings was stolen from the wall. An act of desecration to his memory.”
Fortunately, the KZNSA’s cctv cameras picked up the culprit and the footage revealed the identity of the thief. It is understood that procedures are in place to return the painting to the people who bought it and for future legal action.
Apart from the robbery aspect, this act was nothing more than despicable and contemptible, displaying a shameful disrespect to the memory of an esteemed artist.
As Andrew Verster noted: “This is no ordinary theft. As the last works that an artist touched before they died, they have the aura of holy relics.”
On Monday evening (July 20), acclaimed artist Aidan Walsh's life was honoured at a moving funeral service at Nazareth House where those attending brought a multitude of flowers to drape his simple coffin. This was followed by a memorial celebration at the KZNSA Gallery where Aidan’s most recent work was displayed, with candles, music and the planting of a tree.
The gatherings at both the chapel and the gallery featured an impressive representation of major roleplayers in the visual arts field in Durban as well as those who came from Cape Town and Johannesburg for the event. It was evident that Aidan Walsh’s influence spread far and wide across the arts spectrum as there were many well-known performing artists present as well as high profile members of the business and legal professions.
However, a shocking discovery was made by the KZNSA gallery staff as they were closing up once the celebration was over. One of the paintings, which had been sold earlier in the evening, was missing.
As Andrew Verster, fellow artist and Aidan’s partner of 42 years, states on Facebook: “It was the biggest gathering of people at the Gallery ever, in itself a testament to how much he was loved. There was an exhibition of the ten last works he painted. Sadly, one of the paintings was stolen from the wall. An act of desecration to his memory.”
Fortunately, the KZNSA’s cctv cameras picked up the culprit and the footage revealed the identity of the thief. It is understood that procedures are in place to return the painting to the people who bought it and for future legal action.
Apart from the robbery aspect, this act was nothing more than despicable and contemptible, displaying a shameful disrespect to the memory of an esteemed artist.
As Andrew Verster noted: “This is no ordinary theft. As the last works that an artist touched before they died, they have the aura of holy relics.”
AIDAN WALSH & HIS INSPIRATION
The late Aidan Walsh’s inimitable and humorous comments written in October 2005 linked to a forthcoming exhibition.The following was sent to artSMart by Andrew Verster, giving the late Aidan Walsh’s inimitable and humorous comments linked to a forthcoming exhibition of his works. It was written on October 10, 2005:
When I was a child, we lived in England – war-torn England. Although I’m South African, I was brought up there because my father had business interests there and the whole family went over – all seven children and my mother – and, BOOM, war was declared. Bad timing.
There was rationing. I was, I believe, considered an odd child – I didn’t like sweets, so I used to give my sweet ration cards (children got extra), to an old lady who lived near us. She was amazingly interesting. Her father had been a doctor in a Catholic Mission Station in Yucatan, and they had a house in Vera Cruz. She was well over 80 and had a collection of exquisitely illustrated books, huge and magnificent, on the rain forests, Mayan and Aztec ruins, the local flora and fauna. Her flat was filled with beautiful objects and Spanish colonial furniture. I was totally captivated by the stories of her childhood, visits to Mexico City, to the forests and all the ruins. She was so absorbing that I used to lose all count of time. Once my father had the canal dragged, thinking I had fallen in. I have always seen filled with curiosity. And Miss Elizabeth Bamber stimulated that curiosity to an amazing degree.
I didn’t ever get to Yucatan. I haven’t been as much a traveller and I would have liked to be. And in another life, I might have become an archaeologist.
At least in this country, I have travelled to some pretty remote places, possibly the most remote being Pofadder. I have made two trips there. It has a weird and unique fascination. I really had no idea whether it existed or not, or was simply a joke. I knew it was real when I discovered it.
So much of my trips around the Northern Cape, arid, desolate and stark, have produced some amazing places, place that people in general hadn’t heard of, and which in their unique way are totally fascinating.
Near Saldanah, I discovered some upright stones near a remote sandy tack which were thought to have been venerated by the San. They possess an aura similar to that which I experienced when I saw some menhirs at Carnac in Brittany. They have a vibrant presence about them.
My friend Lize, who one evening was driving past from Vredenburd to Gonnamanskraal, noticed some indistinct little lights flickering around the stones. She turned off the road and drove towards them. Her husband felt uneasy. He felt they were interfering with something beyond them and that they should turn back. And they did. They both felt the eerie atmosphere exuded by the stones.
Later on, when I joined them for drinks, Lize said that in the 1850s a shipload of Irish immigrants who were fleeing the Potato Famine and religious intolerance, settled in nearby Caledon. Amongst them were Walshes, some who had names that run in my family so they were probably distant relations. She has a theory that when they were packing up in the Holy Isle, some leprechauns sneaked in and stowed away in their portmanteaux and snuck out again in South Africa, and it is they who made their home around the stones.
I remember my first trip to Paris. I had applied for the Atelier flat at the Cité Internationale des Arts. The waiting list was two years. Unexpectedly, Diana Breedt phoned to tell me there had been an unforeseen cancellation and I had to leave within ten days. My passport had expired … Well, those ten days were chaotic. I had my passport and visa just hours before boarding the place. Did I need a Jamiesons once aboard…!
As soon as I arrived in Paris, I headed for Notre Dame, which is right across the bridge from the Cité. I climbed the tower and when I saw the gargoyles face to face, I knew I had come home. Friends and family. Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas had had a great effect on me.
My mother, whose father was born in Paris, was very intrigued by French medieval history.
I was inspired by my different stays in Paris to paint various aspects of the sculptures, crypts of that period, including several of the Royal Tombs in Saint Denis – a fabulous necropolis.
After this rambling discourse, I will end by stating the obvious. I am fascinated and attracted to ancient stone, derelict houses, dark empty temples and churches. For me there is always a presence of past humanity. People have lived there, worshipped there and the stones have absorbed their personalities, giving them that strange thing called atmosphere.
My present exhibition on the Karoo, Northern Cape and West Coast centres on this strange and unique landmass. I believe the oldest in the world, It positively throbs with the presence of people and things from the distant past right up to today. (October, 2005)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
NCIS IS BACK!
(Pic: The whacky Abby handcuffs Gibbs to herself to ensure he doesn’t escape to retirement again!)Naval Criminal Investigative Service series back on the box for compelling viewing!
One of artSMart’s favourite television programme, NCIS is back on the box on the Hallmark Channel and offers compelling viewing with excellent performances all round. The series successfully offers a fast-moving, clever script imbued with much wry humour which has seen the series extremely well received in the US and abroad.
Headed by top notch NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), a former Marine gunnery sergeant and a man of few words, the team comprises Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) whose focus can easily stray to the ladies; the wonderful wild and wacky Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette); the endearingly naive computer whizzkid Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and the feisty former Mossad agent Ziva (Cote de Pablo) who was awarded Best Supporting Actress at the 2006 Imagen Awards for her role in NCIS. The team also includes the inimitable David McCallum (who shot to fame in his early days in The Man from UNCLE) as the forensic scientist Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard.
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents travel the globe to investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.
The third season of NCIS ended with the dramatic retirement of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Known as the Season of Secrets, the fourth season opens to find the team under a new leader, Anthony DiNozzo, in a frantic mission to prove Ziva David’s innocence following a political assassination tied to the Mossad. There’s only one person who can sort out this complicated and dangerous situation!
Gibbs responds to the call for help and the fur starts flying in the office and out in the field as he reassumes control!
Behind the camera, NCIS welcomes three television veterans to the writing and producing staff. Nell Scovell (Monk, Charmed, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch), Shane Brennan (CSI: Miami, One Tree Hill) and Robert Palm (Law & Order) will serve as consulting producers and writers for the series. Steve Kriozere will also serve as a co-producer and writer for the show.
NCIS runs on Wednesdays at 21h00 on the Hallmark Channel on DStv.
MOSES
Pic: Musa Hlatshwayo with Phumzile Masina (left) and Busi Deyi (right)Musa Hlatshwayo’s latest creation is a powerful and moving work, beautifully lit and staged. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Acclaimed award-winning choreographer and dancer Musa Hlatshwayo is one of Durban’s performing arts luminaries. His recent work commitments have taken him further afield in Africa as well as to Europe and America.
Thankfully, for Durban dance lovers, he’s back home for a time and presenting his latest production Moses at the Square Space Theatre for a short season. The choreopoem (dance set to poetry with a dramatic element) was inspired by former president Thabo Mbeki’s I am an African and we hear this poem alongside Lebo Mashile’s The Ancient Ones spoken by Musa Hlatshwayo and Ingrid Jonker’s The Child Who Was Shot Dead by the Soldiers in Nyanga spoken by Phumzile Masina.
With production design by Wesley Maherry and featuring the photography of Val Adamson, the work is described as exploring the politics of identity post former President Thabo Mbeki’s I am an African era. Moses follows a socio-political dream that unfolds into an experience led by two youngsters whose journey leads them to challenges that rob them of their youth.
With Musa Hlatshwayo himself playing the dominant figure, the youngsters are performed by Ngcebo Nzama and Sikelela Magxala. The other two members are Phumzile Masina and Busi Deyi – making up a very good five-member cast. Their strong standard of emotional presentation helps audiences discover the underlying themes and moods of the piece as the characters move towards an unknown future. There were some highly amusing moments as they gather together for a series of “family portraits”.
Moses is a very powerful and moving work, beautifully lit and staged. The door in the back wall is used to ultimate effect, often swinging open to reveal characters in back-lit silhouette.
The work is significant for its use of barrier tape - lots of it. Even appearing as a head-dress and tight-fitting tops. It’s the kind of red/white barrier used to mark off accident or risk areas where it usually represents restriction, warning or danger. However, if one looks beyond the barrier tape surrounding a construction site, for example, it shields something in the process of development, so it could represent a temporary lack of access to a new creation. In this work, the sheer practicality of working in a space which eventually becomes criss-crossed in a seemingly never-ending network of tape, adds its own danger. A wrongly-executed step and a dancer could become seriously off-balance.
Then there are boots. Big solid, clumpy army boots, the kind worn by the military or those in security companies – even hikers. They can be associated with force or oppressive power – or else simply with comfort for long hikes and protection of the feet. They also create good percussive sound for dance.
Music is by Miriam Makeba, Jurgen Bräuninger, Brice Wassy, Amampondo and Fausto Romitelli. The background music behind the poetry needs to be more sensitively adjusted to accommodate the human voice, particularly for the rendering of the Jonker poem, as the words are as critical as the choreography.
Background sound effects play a strong role in understanding this piece, as it moves from the birdsong of rural areas to the confusing tumult of the city, the loud brash sounds of military action or community uprising, and then back to the gentleness of the natural environment.
Moses runs at the Square Space Theatre until July 26 at 19h00 (Sunday at 18h00) The show runs for approximately seventy minutes without an interval. Tickets at the door R60 (R40 students and pensioners). Prior booking is highly recommended and block bookings of ten and above get special discounts.
For bookings and enquiries, contact Claudette Wagner on 031 260 3133 or wagnerc1@ukzn.ac.za This is a family show and thus no age restriction applies. – Caroline Smart
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
W;T
(Pic: Clare Mortimer as Vivian Bearing)Superb piece of theatre writing, beautifully handled by KickstArt with stellar performance by Clare Mortimer. (Review by Caroline Smart)
In 1999, American playwright Margaret Edson won the Pulitzer Prize for drama for her play W;t which deals with the last two hours in the life of Vivian Bearing, a feisty professor of English who specialises on the holy sonnets of the English Jacobean poet John Donne.
W;t (or Wit) was Edson’s first play, drawing on the experience she gained when she worked on the oncology/HIV unit of a major research hospital. The play was originally written in 1991 but received numerous rejections until it finally achieved the accolade it deserved with the Pulitzer Prize and a later Emmy Award for the film version. It is now a teaching tool in classes ranging from high school English to graduate bioethics.
Vivian Bearing has advanced metastatic ovarian cancer and starts off the play by saying matter-of-factly, "It is not my intention to give away the plot, but I think I die at the end.”
The very word “cancer” is invariably greeted with a reserved emotional response – from those who have lived with it, lost loved ones through it or are scared of being struck down by it. Firmly thrusting aside these responses, Margaret Edson has skilfully created a riveting, funny, warm-hearted, no-nonsense script.
It’s a superb piece of multi-layered theatre writing which Durban audiences – and later, those at the Witness Hilton Arts Festival – are privileged to appreciate with KickstArt’s current production. Invited to appear on the main frame of the National Arts Festival, it received major critical acclaim and played to sell-out houses and standing ovations.
Directed by Steven Stead, the play features a stellar performance by Clare Mortimer (Vivian Bearing) who is required to undertake a daunting journey of moods from the acerbic wit of the literary professor and the laconic responses of the patient being hustled from one clinical test to another, to the frightened person coming face to face with her destiny and the roaring tirade of a desperate woman in extreme pain.
Please, whatever you do, don’t be put off into thinking this is an angst-filled play and why see it because it will only depress you. On the contrary, you’ll laugh with Vivian’s forthright exchanges with the audience, chuckle at her impatience, sympathise with her frustration and – okay, yes – probably become tearful at some of the beautifully-handled emotional moments. There are some remarkable scenes and unless you’re made of steel, you will come out of the auditorium feeling that you have been part of a great experience – drama at its finest.
As excellent as Clare Mortimer’s performance is, it requires a strong support cast of equal standard to ensure the smooth running and credibility of the production. Jimmy Lithgow is suitably enigmatic as Dr Kelekian while Neil Coppen presents the right awkward energy as the intern Jason Posner. Alison Cassels brings much sensitivity to the role of Vivian’s former teacher while Olivia Borgen is endearing as the well-meaning but non-too-bright Susie Monahan. Doubling as lab technicians, students and hospital staff are Karen Logan, Clinton Small and Sean de Klerk.
Steven Stead and Greg King’s set is highly effective, using a structure of rails carrying white net curtains which Tina le Roux’s evocative lighting transforms into a range of scenes from the sterility of a hospital to the warmth of Vivian’s childhood home where she is fascinated by the unfamiliar words in a Beatrix Potter story.
Why the semi-colon in the title? Well, there is much focus on the importance of punctuation in Vivian’s life. A line in the script goes “death is a comma, a pause – not a semi-colon.”
Running time is 1 hour 35 minutes and there is no interval but don’t let this deter you, the action is riveting throughout.
W;t runs until July 26 at 20h00 in the Playhouse Loft, which is perfect for this kind of drama, as well as at the Witness Hilton Arts Festival for one performance only on September 20. The production is supported by the Grahamstown National Arts Festival and the National Arts Council. Book at Computicket nationwide. – Caroline Smart
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
START THE NIVEA ART AWARD 2009
(Pic: Leanne Frisinger, Sbusiso Zondo and Zama Mthiyane)Join NIVEA and Durban’s KZNSA Gallery for an exhibition of the artworks submitted by 23 finalists in the START THE NIVEA ART AWARD 2009. The winners will be announced on the evening of July 21.
“Historically and still now arts and culture have not received the kind of support that is necessary to build a thriving sector,” said Brenton Maart, director of the KZNSA Gallery and one of three judges in the competition. “In KZN especially we lose many of our artists to other provinces because they do not receive enough backing from the people in their own cities. When START THE NIVEA ART AWARD was created in 2005, NIVEA and the KZNSA Gallery decided to restrict the competition to artists in KZN. This was because those in Cape Town and Johannesburg have many opportunities and galleries receive a great deal of support. KZN needs patrons like NIVEA to help develop our emerging artists as well as encouragement from residents.”
Mitja Zupanic, managing director of Beiersdorf, adds: “In line with NIVEA’s philosophy to help bring out the best in individuals, START THE NIVEA ART AWARD was an investment in identifying artists with great potential and helping them carve a career that would both enhance KZN’s and South Africa’s art heritage.”
This year’s pieces - works specifically commissioned by NIVEA after the finalists were chosen in March and completed over three months under the mentorship of some of the province’s most experienced and respected artists - explored the theme Beauty is ... The final works on exhibition had to be no smaller than 1m on any one side and no bigger than 1,5m on any one side and use any visual art medium except video installation.
Maart said that because the artists were newcomers and had not won any major art awards to date, their interpretations of this theme were often extremely uninhibited. In addition, due to the fact that finalists represent a cross section of art South Africa with diverse backgrounds and life experiences, pieces on show were likely to reflect exciting and challenging views on this society’s perception of beauty.
“Via the exhibition, finalists have a platform to showcase their talents in a professional gallery and enjoy the kind of exposure they would never have had before. By being mentored by professional artists for the duration of the last leg of the competition, they could also spend time planning and creating in the studio while receiving advice, guidance and support,” he said.
START THE NIVEA ART AWARD focuses on those who are serious about a career in the arts. The aim is to bring together both self-taught and degreed entrants. This mix not only allows these artists to interact but also ensures a quality exhibition that reflects KZN’s many cultures.
The finalists’ creations will be hung in the gallery just before the competition ends. “With the appropriate lighting, the third phase of the judging gets underway and we select the top three,” Maart explained.
On the evening of July 21, the winner will receive R20,000 cash, a sponsored art studio and art materials for six months and a solo exhibition at KZNSA Gallery. The second and third prize winners will take home R10,000 and R5,000 cash respectively.
The 2009 Finalists are: Michelle Silk (Kloof), Ann Buss (Westville), Veronica Huber (Glenwood), Lara Mellon (Durban North), Robert Infanti (Kloof), Sbusiso Zondo (Kwa-Mashu), Zama Mthiyane (Umlazi), Amy-Jo Windt (Westville), Mariek Petzer (Westville), Ashley Jewnarain (Reservoir Hills), Angie Arbuthnot (Everton), Albina Mitchell (Gillitts), Janet Solomon (Durban), Ross Passmoor (Pietermaritzburg), Cynthia Msibi (Newcastle), Bheki Gumbi (Nongoma, Zululand), Leanne Frisinger (Kloof), Kim Bagley (Glenmore), Tony Buckland (Hillcrest), Robyn Cook (Berea), Diana Maroun (Durban North), Deborah van Niekerk (Durban North), Jane Oliver (Cowies Hill).
The 2009 Mentors are Pascale Chandler; Themba Shibase; Andrew Verster; Vuli Nyoni; Judy Jordan; Willis Nxumalo; Greg Streak and Grace Kotze. The 2009 Judges are internationally and locally acclaimed artist Zwelethu Mthethwa, KZNSA gallery director Brenton Maart and former director of the African Art Centre Anthea Martin.
The START THE NIVEA ART AWARD exhibition will run from July 22 to August 8 at the KZNSA Gallery at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
ALL TIME TOP CLASSICS
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(Pic: Jacqueline Wedderburn-Maxwell, photograph courtesy of Unisa National Music competition 2009)Pietermaritzburg City Hall to host KZNPO in programme of great classical music.
From the dramatic opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to the haunting beauty of the organ in Bach's Toccata and Fugue, and the resounding triumph of live cannons in Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, this is a concert that you simply cannot miss.
On July 23, the Pietermaritzburg City Hall will resonate with the sounds of some of the greatest classical music ever written, in the All Time Top Classics concert proudly presented by Alasdair Muir and Mike Woollam.
Taking centre stage with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra are violin prodigy Jacqui Wedderburn-Maxwell in her final performance before she leaves to pursue her career overseas, organ maestro Christopher Cockburn and talented PMB-based pianist Lloyd Blackbeard. In addition Christopher Duigan, one of South Africa's foremost pianists and a cornerstone of the KZN music scene, makes a special guest appearance. The concert also features the KZN Miniature Cannon Society which will bring a unique authenticity to the closing fanfare of the concert.
The thrilling programme includes highlights from Mozart's Symphony No. 40 and Dvorák's New World Symphony, Brahms's Hungarian Dance No. 5 and Bizet's Carmen: Habanera and Les Toreadors. As Pietermaritzburg's premier symphonic event, this concert promises an evening of sublime listening pleasure for all lovers of great music!
The Pietermaritzburg City Hall now offers new seats and a far more spacious seating structure with less rows, allowing for more leg room.
The All Time Top Classics concert starts at 19h30 on July 23. Tickets ranging from R90 to R175, can be booked through Pearl on 033 345 0303. Book early to avoid disappointment. Security will patrol the parking areas around the City Hall and there is parking available at the Tatham Art Gallery. Refreshments will be on sale.
JIMBO RETURNS TO THE PLAYHOUSE
(Pic: Pranesh Maharaj, Shika Budhoo, Afzal Khan and Rory Booth)Hit stage show written by Hamish Kyd returns for a two-week season from July 24.
Presented by the Playhouse Company, the hit stage show Jimbo makes a welcome return to the Durban stage for a two-week season in the Playhouse Drama Theatre from July 24
Scripted by local playwright and actor Hamish Kyd, Jimbo depicts Durban’s coloured community during the 1960s and ’70s. It is set to original music by Siva Devar, with lyrics by Kyd and Themi Venturas, who directed the musical play’s hugely successful premiere production at the Playhouse in 1993, as well as its revival three years ago.
Jimbo was the first stage musical to be written about coloured people in Durban. Charged with vitality and graphic humour along with its own brand of pathos, its evocative story of back-street life is played by a sharply-drawn cast of characters, headed by two hobos who tell of life lived between heaven and hell.
The play evokes distinctive landmarks such as Durban’s Indian Market and Warwick Triangle as they were 40 years ago. It remains a moving and highly entertaining tribute to the people who lived, loved, laboured and died in the area. The forthcoming revival carries a special note of nostalgia in the light of the Indian Market (one of Durban’s most famous historic landmarks) being about to be relocated due to the enlarging of the N3 entrance into the city centre.
Themi Venturas is back in the director’s chair. R & B star singer Percy Smith returns to reprise his successful portrayal of the title role, appearing opposite Kyd, the only member of the original cast, who returns to the play’s other principle role of Vishnu.
Other principal casting includes Jailoshini Naidoo, set to reprise her 2006 stage triumph as Natasha. Others in the cast include Sam Marais, Marcia Mzindle, Nomonde Matiwane, Grant Jacobs, Teboho “T-Bone” Hlahane, S’lindile Nodangala, Gareth Purchase, Mario Ogle, Thomie Holtzhausen, Thabo Mnguni, Rory Booth, Afzal Khan and Vivian Moodley, among others.
Jimbo runs from July 24 to August 9. Tickets range from R60 to R80 and early booking is advised through Computicket on 082 915 8000 or the Playhouse Dial-A-Seat on 031 369 9596 or 031 369 9540 Tickets at the door will cost between R90 and R110.
13TH WOMEN’S ARTS FESTIVAL
(Pic: Gcina Mhlophe will host an Open Mic Poetry and Dialogue Session)13th SA Women’s Arts Festival to run at the Playhouse from July 24 to August 9.
Powerhouse media and entertainment trio, Krijay Govender (Rhythm City director), Leeanda Reddy (Isidingo, Mr Bones 2) and Kaseran Pillay (Going Nowhere Slowly, IPL Ads), take to the Playhouse Opera stage for their laugh-a-line appearances in Queens of Comedy on July 31 and August 1 for three performances. The show, which forms part of the 13th SA Women’s Arts Festival (SAWAF) at the Playhouse, features fast-paced, stand-up comedy routines interlaced with comic sketches and some very identifiable characters.
Also on the SAWAF roster is the hit musical Jimbo, directed by Themi Venturas and starring Jailoshini Naidoo, Percy Smith, Hamish Kyd and Afzal Khan. The production, now running in the Playhouse Drama until August 9, evokes memories of Durban’s Indian Market and Warwick Triangle as they were 40 years ago.
SAWAF’s big stage Gala Concert takes place on August 8 in the Opera, starting at 18h00. This glitzy event spotlights the high-powered line-up of acclaimed Durban born diva Debora Fraser, much loved jazz star Busi Mhlongo, and gospel groups Avante and Old Time Religion Quartet, with uKhozi FM celebrity MC’s Linda Sibiya and Dudu Khoza.
Another SAWAF feature will be a special Open Mic Poetry and Dialogue Session, in the Playhouse Grand Foyer on August 8 at 15h00 (admission free). Hosted by Gcina Mhlophe, the session encourages contributions from upcoming poets and story tellers. The session will also include discourse centering around the topic of ‘Excellence in Womanhood’, which will cover issues that pertain to girl-children, women in the workplace, women as home-makers, women in leadership, among others.
Booking for SAWAF productions is through Computicket on 083 915 8000 or The Playhouse on 031 369 9540 or 031 369 9596. For more information about shows at The Playhouse log onto www.playhousecompany.com
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