PROJECT KICK-OFF! Visit to Oom Bolo's jazz breakfast event and home-made museum

On the 20th of January, we kicked off our project in Kliptown, by attending Oom Bolo's jazz breakfast. Oom Bolo is a community leader in Kliptown, and has devoted his house to the creation of a DIY museum about the social/informal history of Kliptown. He is an expert on forgotten local history, and avidly collects stories from elderly Kliptown residents. The aim of his breakfast was to awaken lost memories by playing jazz records from the 40's and 50's, (the likes of Nat King Cole and Nina Simone) and recording stories which might be sparked by music. The students from Funda were eager to join in, this was their first visit to Bolo's museum. We look forward to working with Bolo for our upcoming project.

On the back wall are different Soweto kitchens, dating back to the 1950's and 60's.

Inside Oom Bolo's home museum, see Kliptown letters made from scrap.

Vintage record player

Soweto crockery and found objects- with many stories

Bolo conducting an interview with elderly Kliptown resident, and former actor- about various topics including "How to be a foreigner in Kliptown?" and "How to get rich?"

Funda art students listening in on Bolo's interview

STARTING NEXT WEEK! - CARDBOARD MONUMENT PROJECT

Click on image to see sketch animation!

NEW MURAL- KLIPTOWN ARTIST IMPACT

A new mural has appeared on the outside of the Soweto Hotel, thanks to Kliptown Artists Impact. They are collaborating with the hotel, for future artistic interventions, and will be working together with us on the Cardboard Monument project.

Outside the Soweto hotel- a new mural by Kliptown Artists Impact

FREEDOM CHARTER IMAGES

Some historical documents, found in the Museum at Walter Sisulu Square, mapping out the Freedom Charter event which took place there in 1955.

FIRST MEETING WITH FUNDA ART SCHOOL

During the last two weeks of October, I visited Funda Community Art College for the first time. We discussed our collaboration on the Cardboard Monument building in Janurary 2011. We held several discussions at Funda with the students, about their knowledge and understanding of Kliptown as an historically and politically significant site. In January will start with field research in Kliptown.

Tumelo, and mural on the outside of Funda, painted in 1980's.

Working studio, third year students

Charles Nkosi, well known South African artist, speaks about Kliptown

MY CITY EXHIBITION- JOHANNESBURG