ARTIST STATEMENT
/kɑɹˈtɑɡɹəfi/ responds to our collective fear of nearness, by keeping at a safe distance. Simultaneously, it celebrates public space and invites viewers to visit its geolocations, a metaphorical step into the unknown, an invitation to engage with the physical world as an antidote to digital overload. The resulting works merge dance, drone photography, digital art, wheatpaste and performativities to express themes of human connection and connectedness during this time. This project is viewed as a laboratory for mapping these new ways of being and doing.
CONCEPT, CREATIVE DIRECTION, CHOREOGRAPHY: Louise Coetzer Drone Photography, Marcel Maassen
DIGITIZATION, GIFS, WHEATPASTE: Scott Eric WilliamsÂ
PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHER: Oscar O’Ryan
STYLIST: Gavin CollinsÂ
PERFORMED BY Darkroom Contemporary
DANCERS: Lewellyn Afrika, Angelique Du Plessis, Luyanda Mdingi, Gabriel Mehlomakhulu, Isabel Ray
/kɑɹˈtɑɡɹəfi/ is a public art project by Darkroom Contemporary, made possible by the National Lotteries Commission with support from the ICA.
THIS WORK IS BASED ON...
The following questions:
- What are the reconfigured definitions of the public within which we must now work?
- How do we draw closer to audiences / participants while respecting social distancing regulations?
- How do we interact while lessening the emphasis of technology in our interactions?
- How do we, as artists and cultural producers, avoid taxing the attention span of our audiences even further?
- How do we ensure that we have consideration for attention fatigue – by considering parameters such as brevity of form, content and composition?.
- How then do we address audiences more intimately?
Scott Eric Williams
Scott Eric Williams is a self-taught artist from Cape Town and 2019 Andrew Mellon Award winning artist. Williams uses diverse media that range from sculpture with recycled materials and weaving, to zines and Wheatpaste street art. Through his use of urban detritus and site specific materials, Williams’ work contemplates experiences of migration, land and trade within inner-city contexts. He has exhibited at Eclectica Contemporary, Gallery MOMO, Geumgang Nature Art Biennale and UCT’s Michaelis Galleries – amongst others.
As a founding member of the collective Burning Museum he has exhibited at The Centre for African Studies, UCT, Brundyn+, Kunsthaus Dresden and on the streets of Cape Town. His other work includes Youth Facilitation at The District Six Museum and writing for various print and online platforms.
Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre
Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre is a project based company formed as a vehicle to reimagine dance, through its innovative approach to staging and presenting contemporary works. Darkroom Contemporary challenges perceptions on how dance is viewed, by creating unique audience experiences and new ways of representing and appreciating dance.
​The organisation was founded in 2010 by Louise Coetzer and Oscar O’Ryan. Coetzer, a dancer and choreographer, and O’Ryan, a photographer and filmmaker, bring together expertise from their respective fields to form a dynamic partnership. Projects spearheaded by the founders provide platforms and create opportunities for skills development and exchange among all artists involved. A focus on the use of new technology and digital media frame their artistic approach. Similarly does interdisciplinary exploration, with project collaborators including visual artists, musicians, designers, filmmakers and digital artists.
Credits
Production Credits:
- Digital, Wheatpaste, Workshop Facilitation – Scott Eric Williams
- Concept, Creative Direction, Choreography – Louise Coetzer
- Drone Photography – Marcel Maassen
- Project Photographer – Oscar O’Ryan
- Stylist – Gavin Collins
- Costuming – nuun
- Performed by Darkroom Contemporary
- Dancers: Lewellyn Afrika, Angelique Du Plessis, Luyanda Mdingi, Gabriel Mehlomakhulu, Isabel Ray
Workshop Participants / Wheatpaste – Sibulele Kasana, Thandile Mbatsha, Kylie The-Hoff, Sinazo Mxeli, Victoria Lwebangila, Lungelo Jonas