THE SEVENTH Infecting the City public arts festival took place last week in Cape Town, bringing art and performance into the streets and communal spaces of the Mother City.
Some of the work called attention to spaces normally ignored by passersby, while other pieces were about evoking emotions, like the perfume added to the fountains on St George’s Mall which had many people thinking they’d stepped on to the mountain.
On Saturday 50 dancers took to Thibault Square for Dance Nation, inspired by the work and legacy of Alfred Hinkel, Dawn Langdown and John Linden and including classical Indian dancer Sarveshan Jumar (left) of the Vadhini Indian Arts Academy.
“Argus” used to be one of the defining sounds of Cape Town, as familiar as the howling wind. The distorted cry was the backdrop to many growing up, but only a few were aware of the lessening of the cry, which ceased without a defining moment. Nadja Daekhnke and Owen Manamela-Mogane created an Argus performance (top) as part of the festival, evoking nostalgia in older passersby, while the youngsters seemed bemused at best.
Then there was the work that snuck up on you, like the CityVarsity students in their body paint who positioned themselves on windowsills, in nooks of buildings and a fairy (right) who hid in the shrubbery next to St George’s Cathedral. – Tonight Reporter