August 2, 2005
By Lucille Davie
THE truth is there shouldn't have been any text in Johannesburg Circa Now; the photographs and captions speak more than amply for themselves.
The book, edited by Terry Kurgan and Jo Ractliffe, was launched at the Johannesburg Art Gallery last week. It is the culmination of an exhibition and interactive public project, with additional contributions from writers, teachers, architects, photographers and visual artists.
The original exhibition, on at the gallery from July to October last year, was a collection of the editors' work, plus the work of photographers who use Joubert Park as their studio and photographers from the Market Photo Workshop in Newtown.
Visitors to the exhibition were invited to register their responses to it in a tangible way. A photographic studio was installed in the exhibition space, with a selection of backdrops, props, lights, a camera and printer.
They were able to select appropriate backdrops and props and pose for self-portraits. Two copies of each image were produced - one for the visitor to take home and the other to be added to the exhibition.
The results were colourful and informative. Kurgan and Ractliffe say in their introduction to the book, "The response to these workshops was diverse, provocative and often, very moving. While some participants enacted playful and elaborately staged fantasies, others were more grave about how they revealed themselves."
These images make up an interesting 12 pages of the book, together with the striking black and white photos and captions of the seven workshop photographers. In addition, the book includes stunning panoramas of the city.
A range of writers and researchers were invited to contribute to the book, adding a range of disparate articles, some of which have no apparent relevance to the city.
Three are worth reading: "Four Spaces", by Melinda Silverman and Msizi Myeza is a useful look at the history of Joubert Park and elements of the CBD; "Trajectory of a Street Photographer: South Africa 1973-1998" by Santu Mofokeng; and Ingrid de Kok's charming poem called "Child Stretching".
Although it features distinguished writers such as Antjie Krog, the main reason to buy the book is for its striking photographs of the city and its residents.
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