Last week I was invited to a Media Preview of the 2020 Cape Town Carnival, at its Warehouse in Maitland, and introduced to the Carnival theme, float preparations, staff, and costumes. I was struck by the bold colours of this year’s Carnival, and the enthusiasm of the staff who we were introduced to. The theme for this year is ‘Incredible Journey: Sounds of South Africa’, and will be held on Human Rights Day, 21 March. Continue reading →
The Sweet Service Award goes to the A4 Arts Foundation, which I discovered on Buitenkant Street whilst going for a walk near The Fugard theatre last night. Despite being past 19h00, I was allowed to enter to view the exhibition, and then was offered a glass of Boschendal red wine as well as a bag of popcorn, a generous way to kill time whilst I was waiting for the show to start. The staff were very friendly and the exhibition impressive. The Foundation website describes it as ‘a free to public not-for-profit laboratory for the arts of Southern Africa’. Continue reading →
On Saturday I attended the opening of the new Art Gallery and Sculpture Park at Benguela Cove outside Hermanus, with 40 sculptures by master sculptor Anton Smit spread around the wine and residential housing estate. The local Sculpture Park flows from a collaboration between Smit and Benguela Collection owner Penny Streeter to create a Sculpture Park at its Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in the UK. Continue reading →
In a first event of its kind, pairing food, wine, and music, the ‘Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi was recomposed by German-born UK composer Max Richter, and paired with wines and food to match the four different seasons covered in the composition, and took place in the majestic Zeitz MOCCA Museum art gallery last night. It was preceded by a ‘reimagined’ interpretation of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 3, by Hans Roosenschoon. Continue reading →