Creativity abounds in Cape Town. In our 2020 autumn issue of City Views, we looked at the four pillars of innovation – design, art, music and the performing arts – in our downtown that are shaping the future of the city.
DESIGN
Design is alive and flourishing in Cape Town. With the CBD one of its main creative hubs, the city continues to push the boundaries when it comes to all aspects of design, from architecture to graphic design, product design, business innovation, performance art, costume design and more.
With the Central City still abuzz from one of Cape Town’s most renowned design events – the three-day multisensory, thought-provoking and, quite frankly, splendid, experience that is Design Indaba – it continues to live up to its reputation as a design city of note.
Not resting on its laurels as the first city in Africa to be named a UNESCO City of Design, an honour bestowed on it three years ago when the Mother City joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Cape Town continues to promote the creation of ideas and solutions to make the world a better place for all.
As usual, the impact of cultural invention, and its ability to bring about change, was the foundation of Design Indaba 2020, which celebrated its quarter-century this year and featured the “supercreatives who are changing the world”, from futurist Li Edelkoort to artist/engineer Nassia Inglessis, artist Ibraham Mahama and architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu. “With the world in a period of flux, solutions-driven thinking is more important than ever before,” say the organisers of #DI2020.
But it’s not only cutting-edge events like Design Indaba that have put Cape Town on the world design map: the city earned its World Design Capital status in 2014 on the basis of a myriad work depicting artistry from hotshot creatives to crafters. And the Central City continues to be the crucible from which big-name creatives such as jewellery designer Kirsten Goss, architect Robert Silke and ceramicist Anthony Shapiro ply their trade, and where the local design sector forges partnerships and shares knowledge, allowing creativity to shape the city.
ART
Above: Olduvai by Gavin Younge
Celebrating art has become second nature in Cape Town. As the city, and the CBD, basks in the recent success of the biggest art fair in Africa, the world-renowned Investec Cape Town Art Fair held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in February, and enjoys two major retrospectives and exhibitions celebrating internationally acclaimed South African artist William Kentridge’s astonishing career as well as the inaugural Stellenbosch Triennale, it is fair to say Cape Town has become “a vital art capital”.
This is also the conclusion of a new study conducted by art research consultancy Corrigall & Co, called the South African Art Market: Pricing & Patterns, which has identified Cape Town as Africa’s leading art capital, beating Joburg, Lagos, Marrakesh and Dakar. Apart from two of its private art museums being outside the city centre, namely the Zeitz MOCAA and the Norval Foundation, much of the city’s creative energy comes from within the CBD where there are 26 art galleries and 44 artistic studios, including the Iziko South African National Gallery in the Company’s Garden.
According to the publicist of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair Lisa Pellatt, 22 000 people attended this year’s event, an increase of 6 000 from last year with 101 galleries taking part. Of the 64 African galleries participating, 50 were South African. There was also a strong participation by galleries based in Europe (35) which Mary Corrigall, of Corrigall & Co, says further implies that the city is the art hub of the continent.
Other than its galleries and engaging art community, the CBD also has vibrant public art installations by renowned artists including Esther Mahlangu, Brett Murray, Gavin Younge, Bruce Arnott and Anton van Wouw, which enhance our cityscape and contribute to our collective identity as Capetonians.
MUSIC
Above: Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Music is a big part of the CBD’s creative scene with the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) which has been dubbed “Africa’s Grandest Gathering” and “the largest music event in subSaharan Africa”.
The event also includes the CTIJF Free Community Concert, which organisers host in a public space to show appreciation to the people of Cape Town. The CBD is also home to The Crypt Jazz Restaurant on St George’s Cathedral, a unique, iconic venue that plays live jazz every night. Another welcome addition to the CBD’s music offering is The Jagger Lounge, a popular live music venue offering a variety of acts weekly, many of them worldclass.
It would be very remiss to talk of music in the CBD without mentioning the resident Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the busiest and accomplished orchestras in Africa, as well as Africa’s premier opera company, Cape Town Opera. Both institutions continue to play a significant role in nurturing and showcasing talented musicians to the city and the rest of the world.
THEATRE
Above: A spell-binding Infecting the City performance on Thibault Square in 2019
Located in the heart of the CBD on the Foreshore, the Artscape Theatre Centre is the largest CBD venue for arts & culture and leads the way with its wide range of productions throughout the year. In the 2018/19 financial year alone, the venue hosted 701 productions and events geared towards making the arts accessible to all.
In an interview with the CCID in July 2019, Artscape Theatre Centre CEO Marlene le Roux said: “Everyone has the right to be here [Artscape] and our motto at the Artscape is ‘Everyone is important’. It is a huge space and it needs to be used … on any given day we have rehearsals taking place, professional people coming and going, schools attending performances, NGOs holding meetings, children receiving tuition, and our patrons coming to the Opera House.
And just a stone’s throw from the Artscape in the East City is the iconic Fugard Theatre, named after Athol Fugard, South Africa’s most significant and internationally acclaimed playwright. The venue also boasts a range of productions all year round including the much-loved annual Fugard Bioscope World Arts Cinema Season, which brings audiences the very best in recorded live performances. The venue also plays host to the annual Open Book Festival, which attracts nearly 10 000 people each year.
The creative arts in the CBD also thrive in public spaces through events such as Infecting the City. This biennial public arts festival transforms public spaces – such as St Georges Mall, Cape Town Station and Thibault Square, to name a few – into spectacular outdoor entertainment venues, showcasing a range of art forms from music, theatre, dance, poetry performances and visual art installations. The 2019 edition saw over 40 local, national, and international collaborative works that challenged people to think differently about urban spaces and how they are used.
IMAGES: Design Indaba, Infecting the City, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, CCID