Infecting the city, a community project sponsored by the Africa Centre, takes place every year in Cape Town for one week during the month of March. My proposal "100 Places" comprised of 100 ceramic kewpie dolls wrapped in printed cloth with a poem and distributed throughout the CBD as "gifts" . The marked destination for each individual ceramic piece was an historic one, either hidden near a public sculpture or place of significance ready to be found by enlightened participants. Whoever finds the object dictates the response, the project highlighting issues of ownership, engagement with public spaces and objects, and just what is considered art. Or not. The kewpie "Phobia", in the photograph opposite, (Photograph: )was placed on the granite memorial in Church Square - artists Gavin Young and Wilma Cruise placed 11 memorial slabs dedicated to slaves sold there and a doll was placed on each slave slab with words connected to slavery.
The Concept:
Accidental finds are all about “us”. The chance event favours the prepared mind, and therefore needs a context – hence the collaboration with “Infecting the City”.
The wrapped “kewpie doll” thought forms were being used not only for the mere ‘coincidental find’, but to create in the viewer a sense of wonder/confusion/disruption and delight which in turn, allowed for the escape of humour and play. The words on the forms/material sparked questions and intrigue which in turn gave the viewer the opportunity to e-mail the artist with their thoughts. Depending on who ‘found’ the objects ultimately depended on whether they were seen as ‘art’ or not, and in that sense “art” itself just disappeared. John Cage once said that a “happening” should create something wholly unforeseeable, a ‘net to catch a fish’ the nature of which can never be predicted”.
The Concept:
Accidental finds are all about “us”. The chance event favours the prepared mind, and therefore needs a context – hence the collaboration with “Infecting the City”.
The wrapped “kewpie doll” thought forms were being used not only for the mere ‘coincidental find’, but to create in the viewer a sense of wonder/confusion/disruption and delight which in turn, allowed for the escape of humour and play. The words on the forms/material sparked questions and intrigue which in turn gave the viewer the opportunity to e-mail the artist with their thoughts. Depending on who ‘found’ the objects ultimately depended on whether they were seen as ‘art’ or not, and in that sense “art” itself just disappeared. John Cage once said that a “happening” should create something wholly unforeseeable, a ‘net to catch a fish’ the nature of which can never be predicted”.
To view slide show