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Ansister Bowl Ritual

Boitumelo children

Boitumelo's bowl ritual workshop for Hillbrow children. As part of the 2005 FACE/Ansister project.


Handle with Care
A beautiful poem by Makhosazana Xaba, from her debut collection of poetry, These Hands.

Copyright © FACE 2005.
All rights reserved.

gallery

SAVIOUR 2004

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2004 Collaborators

Eugenie's Song
Hier Mag Jy Slaap by Eugenie Grobler, 2004.
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Saviour Images
A series of still images document the opening event which included video, sound and performance. (full image size 152K)

saviour ear

Saviour Video
Documentary video with Eugenie Grobler's soundtrack, Sitting in the Fire, 2004. (4.4 MB Quicktime streaming video).

saviour video saviourVideo

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creative constellation 2004 :
searching for a saviour

The Searching for a Saviour project formed part of the Bonolo Botshelo (Fragile Life) exhibition at Museum Africa in March 2004. It grew around one central idea that each artist explored in her (or his) own medium and style. However, within the context of the space we found that each work informed the other, and it became apparent in the process of setting up and solving little practical problems, that the organic flux of meaning encapsulated throughout the whole installation, was far greater than the sum of the parts.

Thus we collaborated intensely in finding the right placement, blend and flow through one artwork or installation into the next, so that the entire work came close to forming a complete interactive experience for the viewer, activating all the senses. Even though it was spread through three different spaces, incorporated eleven artists (in all creative spheres including poetry, music, video, choreography, research) and a host of wonderful dancers/performers/witnesses from the Imagination Lab. Apart from images, sculptures and videos, imagine the effect of Eugenie’s beautiful music; the sound of the rice pouring into Cheryl’s votive containers; the aromatic oils; the movement of the water in Katty’s video as well as the moving presence of dancer/performer and viewer/participant alike.

Artwork and intention blended into a whole that tried to involve the viewer much more than is customary in our galleries and museum spaces. In fact, we would have preferred to call it a therapeutic space, rather than an ‘exhibition’, thus the word ‘Kunstellasie’ or creative constellation came to be. This utilises the special combination of qualities that these kind of public arenas offer: they are generally places of silence, contemplation and safety. In future constellations, we would like to take this further, utilising the constellated space for workshops, gatherings and related performances.

One of the most interesting results of this process on us as artists, was the ‘side-effect’ of being less lonely in the creative process. Of finding understanding, respect and dialogue within the process of creation. Making the final product of our work (and its reception) not the ultimate reason or needy high point of the event, but more of an offering to our larger community, having found nourishment for ourselves in the process itself.

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comments

"It felt as if I belonged to a big family of immensely creative and talented people. Everyone was so willing to share thoughts, materials and ideas without fear of exploitation or ridicule. It was as if the constellation was forming itself, and we were just the instruments of something mysterious and bigger than us." — Anni

"i loved the co-operative, nurturing aspect of the collaboration – the focus was on the process, the experience, the journey – helping one find a creative energy source that is truly ones' own – the beauty of allowing that energy to breathe freely in a space that is without judgement and measurement – where the focus is to encourage and help grow – it gave me trust, love and open-hearted faith." – katty

"It is always a privilege... to be beckoned from the outside... to be drawn into a project that in all its parts are bigger than my tiny inside... to realise that participation is a contribution." – Tanya

"The group dynamic that was generated by this collaborative artwork allowed me to see a wider range of meanings in my own work. It was more than a group exhibition - it was a 'choir' of voices, that complimented and underscored the individual statements of each artwork." – Cheryl

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collaborators

vega imagination lab
lannon prigge
sam pienaar
cecile heysteck
nerina du plessis
flip hattingh
roela hattingh
tanya pretorius
eugenie grobler
cheryl gage
anni snyman
katty vandenberghe

Posted November 2004, Ansisters site, author: Anni Snyman.

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