“The Public Space As Shared Museum” by Nhlakanipho Mkhize, Popesz Csaba Láng, Elwira Wojtunik, Lorenz Potthast

Title:

The Public Space As Shared Museum

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Exhibiting Artist(s):

Collaborators:

Martin Koplin -

M2C Institute for Applied Mediatechnology and Culture

University of Applied Sciences Bremen
Stephan Siegert

Symposium:

ISEA2018: 24th International Symposium on Electronic Art

Medium:

Digital guerilla art projection

Art Event Affiliation:

Amasosha Art Movement and The People’s Smart Sculpture (PS2)

Artist Statement:

This digital guerilla art projection project that was named “The Public Space As Shared Museum” after the Bremen subproject. It was implemented by a team with Popesz Csaba Láng, Elwira Wojtunik-Láng (Elektro Moon Vision), Lorenz Potthast (Xenorama), members of the M2C Institute Martin Koplin and Stephan Siegert together with the local Durban artists of the “Amasosha Art Movement”. It consisted out of a series of activities at different venues in Durban, the Denis Hurley Center, the BAT Center, the Durban Art Gallery and the City Hall.

The project reflects the design of facades in Durban with their often missing link to African art. It created an example how contemporary African art can change the face of the urban environment fundamentally by artistic participation in urban re-design and development. Therefore art works by local Amasosha artists refecting the identity, the history and the problems black citizens have to face in modern South Africa were identifed, digitalized, and animated. The results were projected on a façade directly opposite the Denis Hurley Centre as part of the offcial ISEA2018 program. The animated art works were again shown at the fnal event of the ISEA2018 at the city hall in form of a projection on the pavement and the central square in front of the building. The events ensured the local artists a great attention showing importance of integration of the new local African art in an international conference like the ISEA2018.