'Retroactive' - Art influenced by Africa

What is the intention of these works?

The ‘Retroactive’ public art intervention is a one of the strategies around the 25th World Congress on Architecture which aims to debate and discuss alternatives for the design and delivery of more habitable, functional and beautiful cities. Here we see storm water drain covers turned into artworks that exist in an interactive public space in Durban, South Africa.

Who was involved?

This intervention was conceptualised and developed by Bren Brophy and Terry-Anne Stevenson together with the participating artists, Joseph Manana, Thami Jali and Lalelani Mbhele, with mentorship from Architect Tsidi Moahloli.    

The Context

The project focuses on South African architectural heritage and history as well as the socio-political and cultural landscape - this on the occasion of the anniversary of 20 years of democracy in South Africa (in 2014).

The painting of these stormwater drain covers was a type of performance art as it engaged a curious public as the painting progressed - giving rise to questions and discussions aimed at attitude change.

[The project fits in with the school’s NCS Curriculum Theme 2: South African artists influenced by African and/or indigenous art forms]

Pastels on paper

Village - Acrylic on board 62cm diameter

Thami Jali is one of the artists from KwaZulu Natal who has researched the indigenous architecture from this province in a number of drawings done in pastels on paper. He has then developed these into acrylic paintings and finally into stormwater cover paintings.

 

          

            

         

What is interesting in all of these paintings is that the format has had to be circular - the shape of a stormwater drain. This is very different from looking through the rectangular viewfinder of a camera, and it gives us - literally - another viewpoint of our local architectural heritage.
It is unexpected and unusual and asks us to look again! 
 

Jali has chosen to work directly using the element of expressive colour. The intensity of the greens and blues of the KZN summer landscape have been captured in both his pastel drawings and his acrylic paintings. However - in the pastel drawing - he has used these blues in the walls of the buildings for expressive purposes. 

Drawing - Pastels on paper

Jali’s acrylic paintings remain closer to the natural (‘local’) colour of the thatch and whitewashed mud brick, although the oranges and browns have been intensified for artistic (‘aesthetic’) reasons.

Single Hut - Acrylic on board 62cm diameter

Jali’s use of strong intensive colour has more impact, however, than the use of space and so this colour tends to flatten the circle again into areas of expressive colour shapes.
His technique of  paint application is loose and gestural which increases the expressive quality of the paintings. 
This paint application also gives us an idea of the linear texture of the thatch.

Jali’s use of vernacular architecture as an inspiration for painting in this Durban context provides an interesting contrast for us between the hi-tech urban cityscape and the celebration of our alternative architectural heritage.

Read more about this in Architect Tsidi Moahloli’s article on 
Retroactive: A Harmony in Resilience, Ecology and Values

Article by the ArtTeam 2014