Infecting the City
infecting city public art festival cape town south africa festival committed making art freely available everyone festival host range different type sitespecific art art intervention performance art central part city year festival take social issue theme participating artist respond festival worked cape town artistic cultural community present public art theme treasure theme intended celebrate artistic tradition contemporary practice diverse community within south africa explore cape town afropolitan reality infecting city presented africa centre nonforprofit organisation creates platform exploring contemporary panafrican artistic practice tool social change infecting city integral part city challenging audience notice hidden space perspective cape town providing art cultural voice africa african festival started infecting city performing art festival singular aggressive aim – infect city performance capture complexity daily life festival born migrate experience nowdisbanded spier summer season spier wine farm central part cape town annual spier summer season first started included diverse performance opera comedy poetry music threemonth period year spier art trust organisation produced summer season discontinued project africa centre funding spier decided continue spirit summer season creating weeklong performance art festival centre cape town brett bailey curated iteration infecting city festivaljay pather curated festival festival changed name infecting city public art festival incorporate visual art public intervention better reflect festival represented public art traditionally functioned popularise art – challenge elitist art culture gallery bring art street today public art attempt respond flexibility crossdisciplinary nature contemporary art practice combining artistic vision community value public art offer opportunity challenge audience breach boundary shift perspective public space vision public art festival aspires year number artist participating audience attending steadily grown festival including artist whose artwork seen people festival based around theme year theme refers social issue applicable make artist audience look social issue new transformative way itc curated theme treasure theme allowed artist make art highlighted treasure city audience know forgotten treasure presented four category – cultural jewel music gem environmental waste historic treasure category named jewel city treasurer slice life music gem festival opened monday february lasted saturday february festival hub cape town station forecourt public art event occurred every day different public space around city jewel consisted local community group displayed ritual rite cultural practice jewel ranged rieldans drum majorette xhosa stickfighting ratiep opera ballet ethiopian coffee ceremony cultural gem choreographed five theatre maker peter hayes natalie fisher fiona du plooy celeste botha sensei ndlovu jewel performed locally crafted jewel box stage twice day jewel route led audience jewel box jewel box city centre different jewel route festival week city treasurer section made well known visual performance artist used artistic intervention performance piece public art draw attention historic contemporary treasure city strand series performance piece wove together story cape town port took place twice daily cape town station invisible gold urban diamond number unexpected undercover agency artwork differently looked people make city work relic place watermark highlighted waste spring water flowing mountain sea treasurer included peter aerschmann doung dala catherine henegan nadine hutton jethro louw mafuta ink owen manamela anthea moys myer taub athina vahla caron von zeil slice life title festival focus eco waste eight environmental artist cape town johannesburg igshaan adam simon max banister james clayton hannelie coetzee brendhan dickerson heath nash usha seejarim nomthunzi mashalaba transformed recyclable garbage artwork purpose drawing attention valuable material u consider rubbish subsequently dispose music gem featured nine musical group stage forecourt cape town station group came different community represented different culture life cape town delta soetstemme loit sol congolese car guard quartet mac mackenzie goema symphony spaza hiphop teiko drumming zimbabwe madzishe zamanani brother programme curated iain harris itc held february theme human rite investigates role rite ritual tool transformation healing festival oriented around theme human rite asked artist take deep look dynamic cape town society creatively envision kind society want live artist invited ask cry transformation healing need included social fabric city amplify liberate energy cbd artist confronted cape town collective demon put rest seek silent memory invisible story validate look need righted rited broaden deepen way experience world live celebrate fundamental human right express programme included installation engage capetonians visitor cape town choreographic work window world dancing jesus largescale collaborative performance art piece imperfection meet market quiet emergency low key intervention grey matter information people jump mandala healing wishing wall well discussion forum right respond participating artist came cape town johannesburg grahamstown zimbabwe china uk greece germany usa australia netherlands itc held saturday february friday february theme home affair infecting city asked artist grapple national tension revealed xenophobic violence artist asked look human displacement migration immigration refugee identity named government department process immigrant south africa home affair work programme deepened audience understanding complex often disturbing issue week infecting city transformed cape town cutting edge theatre featuring work local international artist programme included three artwork result sixweek collaborative course twelve artist south africa sadc country beyond sadc border shared diverse skill created artwork relating festival theme amakwerekwere exile limbo artwork resulted process commissioned work included histrionic call cutta box eyton road incwaba lendoda lise cankwe ndelela grave man next road tuning void itc held february march theme time spier performing art festival – infecting city – launched cape town february intention infect city performance capture complexity daily life underlying intention feature work bravely take new way expression collaboration discipline integrating classical contemporary programme included commissioned new work dreamtime cinnamon existing work relocated restaged gun isivuno sama phupha harvest dream transport exceptionnels misterios da actualidade collaborative project order passage min sec waking time talking head workshop series infecting city festival short film africa centre