Modern Fabrics

modern fabrics
>urban culture and artists connected to the city landscape<
Curated by Nontobeko Ntombela

Exploring notions of identity, aesthetics, human and geographic relationships; ‘modern fabrics’ interrogates the relationship between 'high' and 'low' culture in the cosmopolitan urban landscape of South Africa.

The exhibition is arranged in a symmetrical construction probing dialogues between works of different artists as a way of finding synergies, commonality and contradictions. This construction is set to demonstrate the diverse and hybrid nature of the city. Whilst the word ‘fabrics’ creates an impression of a show of artists' only working with a didactic inclusion of fabrics, the title of the show is a metaphor for ‘young artists’ on the exhibition. ‘Modern fabrics’ also refers to the constructed weave of the modern urban environment.

Coincidentally, selected artists in the show have works that use fabric, their works have been included because of their conceptual comment relating to the city. Similar to the inclusion of other types of found objects, these low cultured commodities in artists' work, purposefully transform the 'found object' function into new readings. Mkhize, Bengu, Xaba, and Sitas explore this dimension in their work.

Dunywa, Mama, Bopape, Dunn & Zondi interrogate the contemporary language of high tech through the use of new media whilst exploring different and separate concepts in their works. Traditional mediums are also included, particularly the work of Vaughan-Evans and Sibande, who use painting to excavate notions of both human and geographic relationships.

Curated by Nontobeko (Nonto) Ntombela. She is currently employed as the Gallery Curator of the Art Gallery, Durban University of Technology. Trained as an artist in recent years she has worked mainly as a curator and art project manager in Durban.

For More information contact Nonto Ntombela or Bronwyn Lace
nontobekon@gmail.com or Bronwyn.lace@gmail.com
0781901221 (Nonto) or 0716820756 (Bronwyn)

Invitation to Deposit Work at Joburg Art Bin

Empty Office invites collectors of local art to deposit pieces from their private collections into the Joburg Art Bin at the Bag Factory for “creative recycling” between the 18^th of July and the 1^st of August 2008.

A team of artists, in consultation with the collector depositing the work, will dismantle the work and use the physical detritus to develop proposals for public artworks to be installed in Johannesburg. The collector who deposits work will play a critical role in deciding what site the art work will be reconfigured for.

The central idea behind the project is to invite collectors to democratize their art collections by donating pieces of it to the public realm. Empty Office argues that because of the increasing commercialization of the visual arts, cultural production is essentially becoming privatized and controlled by capital. The project is radical in the sense that it asks collectors to depart with work they may treasure in order to invest in the idea of art rather than material instances of it. There are many reasons why an art collector may feel motivated to donate work to the Joburg Art Bin: they may feel that a piece is obsolescent, reached its sell-by date, that it is ideologically problematic, that it has potential to be shared with a broader community, or a collector may just be curious about what happens to piece of art that they own is dismantled by another visual artist.

We are interested in how art objects are remotivated in new contexts, specifically in how the lives of objects change as they move from the private into the public domain. In this sense, the project is neither nihilistic nor anti-aesthetic but rather celebrates the contribution that artists make to culture, by asking artists to materially intervene directly on the artworks that collectors have donated to the Joburg Art Bin.

Participate in maintaining the dynamism of contemporary culture by depositing a piece from your private collection at the Bag Factory at our opening event at 17h30, Friday the 18^th of July 2008.

Marvellous World: Bronze Casting Workshop and Panel Discussion

In conjunction with the Marvellous World exhibition, currently on show, The Bag Factory invites the public to participate in a bronze casting workshop and discussion panel.

Bronze Casting Workshop over two weekends: 5 - 6 July 2008 and 12 - 13 July 2008, starting at 10 am every morning.
Interactive Panel Discussion: Friday 11 July 2008 5:30 for 6pm

The Bronze Casting workshop will take place on the weekends of the 5th and 6th as well as the 12th and 13th of July.

It will serve as a basic introduction to the bronze casting process. It will cover the beginning and the end of the process. The wax positive generation (art) and the demoulding, fettling, finishing and paternation (craft) of the final artwork. The rest of the process will be demonstrated and discussed but will be carried out by my assistant in Guy du Toit's studio and could form the basis of a more advanced workshop.

Participants need no previous casting experience and age is not a criteria. The number of participants is limited to 10 for logistical and transport reasons, we run on a first come first serve basis. Please book with Bronwyn on 011 834 9181 or bronwyn.lace@gmail.com.

Cost R 800 per participant - this would include wax, modelling tools, all the process that is not part of the workshop, namely, the gating and investing of the wax positives, the burnout of the wax - melting and alloying of the bronze, pouring and finishing. It also includes some snacks and transport to the foundry.

The weight of our object will have to be about 3 kg or the size of a mans fist.

Wax positives will be made at The Bag Factory on the weekend of the 5th and 6th, if you complete your positive on the 5th there is no need for you to come on the 6th.

One week is necessary for the gating and investment, to be done in Zwavelpoort studio.

Burnout, casting and finishing at Zwavelpoort studio on the weekend of the 12th and 13th, we'll all travel to the studio together where we'll have a bring and braai to end it off.

The workshop is facilitated by the artists of the Marvelous World team, this includes Guy du Toit, Sarel Petrus, Paul Cooper and Richard Forbes.

For any questions please contact Bronwyn at The Bag Factory on 011 834 9181
The Bag Factory, 10 Mahlatini Street, Fordsburg

About Art: How to enhance your funding application

Workshop #3: National Arts Council [Apply now!]

Venue: The Bag Factory Artist’s Studios, 10 Mahlatini Street, Fordsburg,

Johannesburg

Dates : Monday 6th of August 2007

Time : 17:30 for 18:00 until 19:00

Interactive Video Weekend Workshops

Interactive Video Weekend Workshops

Venue : The Bag Factory Artist's Studios, 10 Mahlatini Street, Fordsburg, Johannesburg

Dates : 10th August @ 17:30 for 18:00 (Open Introductory lecture)

11th and 12th August 9:00 till 16:00 ( 1hour lunch break at 13:00)

18thth and 19th August 9:00 till 16:00 (1 hour lunch break at 13:00)

Cost : R1000 all inclusive

Workshop:

Interactive Video combines the use of video cameras and computers in order to track bodies, motion, proximity, light and color for use in interactive installation, multimedia performance, and VJing. The workshop will cover a basic intro to all of the above, as well as real-time video mixing, scrubbing and effects, and the use of sound to generate and/or interfere with video.

All students will leave with copies of the software worked on in this workshop.

Bookings and more information:

Bronwyn Lace bronwyn@bagfactoryart.org.za 011 834 9181

About Art: Business in Art Workshop.

From the 18th to the 22nd of June, Jill Waterman (arts management lecturer at Wits University) ran a business orientated workshop for a pre-selected group of emerging artists at The Bag Factory as a part of the About Art programme.

The artists, from Soweto, Orange Farm and Hillbrow, were taught basic internet and email skills, how to write a biography, create a business card, write a funding proposal and draw up a budget.

After an intense week of workshopping, the group attended a Mapp Seta dance production at Museum Africa (featuring the aboriginal group Descendents) as a case study of a production produced during a learnership programme to which some of the students may wish to apply.

ABOUT ART: Enhance your BASA funding application

How to Enhance your Funding Applications
Workshop #2: Business Arts South Africa
[Apply now!]

Venue: The Bag Factory Artist’s Studios, 10 Mahlatini Street, Fordsburg,
Johannesburg
Dates : Thursday 19th April
Time : 15:30 for 16:00 until 18:00

Workshop:
The Bag Factory as part of our About Arts programme is putting together a number of workshops for groups and individuals who want to gain insight into the creating and funding of successful projects. This week we will be looking at Business Arts South Africa and their funding and application processes.

Lecturer:
Jill Waterman is a lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand for the post graduate programme of arts, culture and heritage management. She has worked as a consultant and facilitator on arts management training in all nine provinces of South Africa.

Spaces are limited so please book a space with Bronwyn by email on bronwyn@bagfactoryart.org.za or telephone on 011 834 9181 or 0832844726. We request that we have no more than two people per organization taking part.

QUERIES
Bronwyn Lace
Education Officer
The Bag Factory
Tel (011) 834 9181