Funding needed for bodymapping project and community workshops

Remember the Koekenaap workshop in which I participated in 2011? Refresh your memory by following this link, this one, or read my Afrikaans account of the workshop. It was one of the opportunities created for artists in the region of the Namaqualand around Koekenaap, Klawer and Vredendal, and was organised by Desireé Brand and the Wesland Kunsvereniging. The workshop brought artists in from different areas of the Western Cape, creating a space for interaction, collaboration, art-making, discussion and ideas germination. It also culminated into an exhibition in Vredendal held at the Wesland Kunsvereniging, showcasing the work created during the 10-day workshop or residency. 

Artmaking during the 2011 regional Koekenaap workshop

Desireé is now running another similar project that forms part of her research at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, focusing on the state of art and artmaking in the Olifantsrivier Valley of Namaqualand.  The area plays host to a lot of creative and talented people, however there is no public art, galleries or other platforms for local artists. It's difficult enough for artists to create great art despite criticism and self-doubt, but it's even worse when there is no platform, no support and no community for the creative work that you do and to share your interest and passion for art. The following photographs documents one of the workshops organized as part of the new project. The workshop took place on the farm Begin!, located on the R362 between Klawer and Vredendal in the Western Cape. 

The current project is focused on doing body-mapping with people from different sectors - bringing together farm workers, people from the towns and people from the townships in a supportive space where their creativity can be explored and utilised into shaping a collective. Up to now the funding for projects such as this has come from the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, but this workshop is the last project that will be funded by the department, leaving a huge gap that needs to be filled. This is where you come in... If you can support or fund the project in any way, please contact Desireé at +27 27 2132567 or info@caperockwines.co.za.

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Originally posted/cross-posted on the Green Your Art blog

Current Experiments and Expressions

At any particular time I usually have to put in time and effort to clear space on my studio table. I am always surrounded by unfinished works (it's a curse!), experiments, natural materials from a recent walk or the garden, notes, quick sketches, and other bits that contribute to the chaos in my studio. Often I have gems hiding in unexpected corners because of this, and sometimes I am able to group together things that really work well together. Here's a selection of some of the many things that are currently occupying surface space in the studio:

A beautiful richly-coloured soil from the garden. I have no idea what I would like to do with it, I might end up making it finer with my mortar-and-pestle, and taking a photo of it strewn onto a piece of glass - then using the photo in the Nuances work I am currently working on. 

Some abstract sketches, possibly in preparation of some of the bigger works for my exhibition:

More bits of 'work in progress'

One of the pieces of seaweed from my recent Gordon's Bay sessions, now stitched onto paper with brown thread:

Detail from a large mixed media artwork in progress: