July 4, 2003
By Tshepiso Mogotsi
OPPOSITES, a theatrical exploration of life in Joburg's inner city through mime, music and puppetry, is one of the events celebrating the community and urban renewal in Hillbrow and Joubert Park this Saturday.
The performance, in the old Wolmarans Street Synagogue, is just one of the many daylong events being held by the Creative Inner City Initiative (CICI), a poverty alleviation programme in Joburg's inner city. Funded by the department of arts and culture, the CICI is hosting the multi-layered winter exhibition - with art exhibits, performances and a conference - to showcase their half-yearly achievements.
The all-day conference and exhibition is on at the Lutheran Church Hall, 30 Edith Cavell Street in Hillbrow, starting at 9:30am. This event, sponsored by the European Union, is aimed at creating discussions between the city's artists and others who work in the industry. It will focus on skills training and career opportunities for artists, giving advice on how to market their work, and on motivation.
This event will be followed by the opening of the exhibition at 4.30pm at the CICI School, on the corner of Wolmarans and Claim streets. The exhibit will reflect the theme of the CICI - the urban beautification and sustainability of the inner city. "A range of graffiti walls, jewellery, documentary videos of city life and the portraits of the city residents in various media will be showcased," according to a statement from the CICI.
The exhibition runs daily until July 11 between 11am and 4pm, while the documentaries are to be re-screened at the Johannesburg Art Gallery on July 9,10 and 11 from 2pm.
The day ends with the premier performance of the Performing Arts Project's Opposites at 5.30pm. "Opposites tells the story of life in the inner city of Johannesburg through music and visual arts," explained the statement.
Opposites will have four further performances, between 8 and 11 July, at the same times and in the same venue. Tickets, available at the door, are R5.
To book for the opening performance of Opposites, contact Francois Venter (011) 614 1387 or 072 290 4458.
For more information on the conference and the exhibition contact Keren Ben Zeev on (011) 403 5967 or 072 323 9393.
