Sue Clark
Gods of PreTshwane (2021 -2023)
(180 x 120 x 20 mixed media)
As a local resident, I am fascinated by the built environment of Pretoria/Tshwane, including monuments and predominantly male statues. My work layers memories represented in public art and buildings with contemporary imagery, imagining future potential. The notion of a monument as a permanent memory is a Western concept. In retrospect, most memories are questionable, and the relevance of monuments is being contested globally.
​
The post-apartheid name change from Pretoria to Tshwane continues to be confusing. I play with a hybrid name, PreTshwane, signifying the state of limbo between what was Pretoria but is not yet Tshwane. This name suggests that collective memories can be altered, not only through the physical artefacts themselves but their renaming.
Four hybrid gods evolve out of existing statues, decaying buildings, nature, occupants, and other symbols. These ‘gods’ represent the entangled lives, hopes, and memories that symbolize a future enmeshed society. The dominance of the past harsh patriarchal presence is gently erased to form a more representative, flexible future.
(Sound created by : Kolbe)
Kolbe
Artwork:
Gods of PreTswhane
Creative Process:
Inspired by the artwork “Gods of Pre-Tshwane,” I embarked on a journey to capture the essence of Pretoria’s narrative within auditory dimensions. I sought to orchestrate an arrangement of sounds that resonates with the soul of the city. I intertwined church bells, haunting drones, and cinematic violins. Just as Pretoria transitions from serene mornings to the frenetic pace of daytime life, the track evolves, from tranquil bell melodies and ethereal violins that create a crescendo of percussive elements; thus mirroring the dynamic flux of a bustling city. Incorporating vocal singing into the arrangement pays homage to the local culture, infusing the composition with reminders of our ancestral wisdom. Through this sonic journey, I invite viewers to immerse their senses in the story, and to traverse the frayed edges of our own reality with renewed imagination. Echoed in the heartbeat of every city lies a testament to the eternal dance between chaos and harmony as the city evolves, and captured within every note of this composition.
About the artist:
Fascinated by the underground Techno scene; Kolbe gained recognition as a DJ and Techno producer with a love for sonic experimentation. His tracks are characterized by intricate soundscapes, rhythms, and mind-bending synths. His music expresses a dynamic sonic atmosphere that booms with electric energy, resonating with both avid techno enthusiasts and newcomers to the genre.
A Patchwork Quilt of Pretoria (2024)
(180 x 120 x 20 mixed media)
The strips are woven into the razor wire to form a map of the central blocks of the city with identifying features highlighted in red stitching. The razor wire patterns remind one of eiderdowns and quilted bedcovers. The contrast between the sharp razor edges and the soft fabrics represents the contradictions of the city centre.
This mixed media work depicts the growth and decay of the city of Pretoria, with life continuing despite the security (razor wire and fencing) and decay (rusty wire, unravelling, and burnt fabrics). Various fabrics representing local inhabitants (shweshwe), strips of old sheets, and curtain linings dyed (domestic) and gauze (healing and repair) are used to create and quilt in the razor wire. Street scenes from the centre of Pretoria are embroidered and printed onto the fabric strips in various ways.
(Sound created by: Soul Circle Studios)
Soul Circle Studios
Artwork:
A Patchwork Quilt of Pretoria
Creative Process:
A Patchwork quilt for Pretoria features a combination of hard, sharp and soft and gentle materials. I utilized this in the sound effects that populate the soundtrack for this artwork. I am not traditionally a musician but a sound designer so my approach to making a soundtrack is different. I chose sonic elements that describe Pretoria’s growth and decay. These included the train tracks that were so vital to Pretoria’s original growth, various sounds of wire and metal and glass breaking to signify the decay as well as represent the actual materials used in the artwork. The rhythmic element of the train on the tracks is weaved throughout the mix. I used it to join the different portions of the sound track. The sound track has three major sections, beginning - with growth and warmth (birds, African drums, train tracks). Middle - decay and chaos (wire, glass, sharp notes, cloth flapping) End - Life will persist despite the decay (sounds of south African suburbs, birds, warm synth pads). Other elements common to the sonic landscape of Pretoria are present such as the loud thunder we hear throughout summer, vital to life. Sirens from the persistent fight against decay. Overall this sound track does not follow any traditional musical structure but rather is a soundscape layered on top of rhythmic and tonal elements.
About the artist:
I took an interest in sound design from a young age, watching my dad work on sound design for museums. Since then I’ve been hooked on using sound as a medium of self expression, delving into the world of interactive sound design and story telling
Urban Fabric (2022 - 2023)
(110 x 150 x 20 mixed media)
Urban Fabric is the landscape of Pretoria made from stitched and tensioned cloth. The original piece of fabric was used in the making of a stop animation about the growth of the city. The animation made use of coloured clay, pieces of map, string, and inks. The resulting image has been stretched and formed to create a three dimensional map showing the ridges and valleys. The centre of the city was completely eaten away in the animation in the process of depicting the changes after 1994. Green corroded copper growth has been woven to create the new communities and life that have taken hold in the central area.
(Sound created by : Ann Bläck)
Ann Bläck
Artwork:
Urban Fabric
Creative Process:
This is not a song. It is not a structured thing. It is a careful and un-careful meditation. It is filled and yet empty. The soundtrack itself loses track, and of itself and then finds its way again. It grows and then decays. There is familiarity, and contempt. There are questions, with only some answers. There is dissonance. There is change. Then there is monotony which becomes very uncomfortable at times to listen to while other elements of the melody seem to flow in another direction, much like a map influenced by its people, reinforcing themes within Urban Fabric. Segregation, connection, disconnection, growth and decay of the city of Pretoria - it takes looking at the past and dealing with the aftermath to look to a brighter future. I cannot and won’t speak for this soundtrack, but I can speak for its process and how that shaped its sound, without taking away from the visual piece for which it was made. The soundtrack as a whole, was and is a battle with one’s ego, while being the bystander watching the battle take its course. The discomfort arises and dissipates, depending on which guitar you “agree with”, so to speak, or disagree with. Or maybe don’t even notice, until taking a closer look or leaning an ear to the left or right “speaker”. I realized that this carefully un-careful approach in creating a backdrop for the artwork, has enhanced my perception of the piece and it’s very sensitive, terrifying yet hopeful and very real theme that begs closure from the past, and hope for the future and the theme of growth and decay of the city of Pretoria. I hope through this soundtrack, you can find your way INTO this visual artwork, Urban Fabric by Sue Clark. It certainly found its way into me, and my strings.
About the artist:
My name is Anja Stöhr, but you can call me Ann Bläck. I am 24 years old. I am a sound designer and solo musician, with a keen heart for collaboration. Primarily, I have been a self-proclaimed guitarist since the age of 10 years old. Going on to study music at Wits specializing in classical guitar, and later pursuing a degree in Sound Design at The Open Window Institute.
Screensaver (2023 - 2024)
(180 x 120 x 20 mixed media)
The cell phone repair shops in Marabastad put out displays of broken screens that reflect the sky, jacarandas, and curious passerby faces, much like a multi-mini screen movie. A collection of broken screens is woven into “city fabric” using pieces of cloth and recycled wire. Screensaver is a collection of these discarded screens fixed to strips of fabric. These dead screens are stripped and reconstructed, adding images of the city, messages, mirrors, and filters, imagining the past of all the phones as if they had memories of their owners.
(Sound created by : Paws)
Paws
Artwork:
Screensaver
Creative Process:
I decided to go for a very dark feel for the entire composition. I wanted to capture the emotion and feelings of the then and now of Marabastad. The composition is designed to feel like a dream that’s come to life– a dream come true. The track follows through a spectrum of ups and downs of eerie pads, with multiple bass stabs, booms and deep bass synths. It features orchestral elements, which help formulate the structure style of the composition. I am obsessed with the raw capabilities of bass (low end)-- because of ‘that feeling!’, which I heavily incorporated into the mix– exploring different techniques to bring out the narrative of the composition. I feel the lower end additions truly bring out the deeper emotions, because the lower frequencies are more feeling based. I also decided to add the realism of events with old news reports and community cries that occurred over the last couple of years in Marabastad.
About the artist:
Paws is a Techno Producer and DJ. His music has been played in some of SA’s best venues and events. He also strives to bring the cinematic life into his productions, this comes with experience of creating cinematic and ambient soundtracks. He dabbles mostly in the eerie and dark sounds, but isn’t limited to any mood or emotion.
Marabi Woman (2024)
(180 x 120 x 20 mixed media)
Marabi Woman features the decaying hybrid of the Kruger Park building and Paul Kruger confronted by a part-female, part-plant form of medical gauze and thread. A ghost from Marabastad’s past, she heralds its vibrant multiculturalism before apartheid into the present with a renewed, organic connection to the earth. Marabastad is an area in west-central PreTshwane. It was originally a black-only township under early apartheid. The inhabitants were later forcibly removed to areas outside the city. The abandoned and derelict modernist residential block, Paul Kruger Park, is portrayed as PreTshwane’s portal to the underworld, overshadowed by an amplified statue of Paul Kruger. The word ‘Marabi’ describes a working-class culture that flourished in the slum yards of Gauteng during the 1930s. The name is considered to originate from Marabastad. Marabi music was often played in shebeens (pubs) and accompanied by dancing. Marabi also implied a certain lifestyle. ‘Marabi love’ was illicit; a ‘marabi girl’ wanted a good time. But marabi meant more. It meant youth and modernity and freedom of the town. It meant freedom of towns not yet in the grip of the state. It meant hope and ambition not yet crushed. (ILIFFE, J. 1987. The African Poor: a history. African Studies Series 58. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
(Sound created by : Jinji)
Jinji
Artwork:
Marabi Woman
Creative Process:
Marabi Jazz is a South African jazz style with origins in the 1920s. The genre has its roots in traditional South African music and emerged from the shabeens and ghettos of Johannesburg. The sound gained notoriety because it was used as a protest against the exploitation of South Africans at the time. My approach with this piece was gradually to ease elements into the song. Starting with the syncopated percussion and chants that build the atmosphere and rhythm of the composition. Traditional Marabi music has simple major chords, I took the opposite approach with minor and augmented chords but kept the groove of the genre so that people feel as though they could dance to it. The main melody is a softer, almost bluesy Rhodes sound instead of the grand piano that is frequently used in Marabi jazz. To give an old sound a little more contemporary twist, I added a lead synth that whirls around the other sounds. This composition blends an old jazz sound and style with modern jazz influences.
About the artist:
Jinji, a dynamic force in the realm of electronic music, specializing in the vibrant sub-genre of house known as bounce. Drawing inspiration from iconic figures such as J Dilla, Kaytranada, and Hiatus Kaiyote, Jinji infuses his productions with a unique blend of groove, soul, and innovation.
Urban roots (2024)
(180 x 120 x 20 mixed media)
Urban Roots are made from a common trio of elements found in our cities: razor wire, crocheted doilies, and plant roots. Razor wire has become common, cordoning off spaces for security. Roots take over older structures and fences where there is little maintenance, reclaiming the built environment. They ease into the smallest cracks and assume any shapes in their way. Doilies and similar lace fabric elements are a common part of South African homes and dress, softening the harshness of our urban environments and creating an opportunity for identity.
The roots in this work have taken the shape of ‘doilies’ as they grew, creating new root doilies. The repetitive rosettes of the root and yarn doilies framed by the coiled razor wire create a quilt of floral-like patterns reminiscent of shweshwe and laced fabrics. The harsh and unyielding nature of razor wire intertwines with delicate doilies, symbolising the duality inherent in urban landscapes and the fragility of societal connections. Amidst this juxtaposition, tenacious roots emerge, representing the organic essence that anchors the city in its history and growth.
(Sound created by : Bok)
Bok
Artwork:
Urban Roots
Creative Process:
My soundtrack mirrors the organic growth depicted in the physical artwork. This electronic composition is led by the saxophone as a travel guide through Pretoria. Immersing the listener in the urban atmosphere, the track features chanting people and taxi noises, mimicking the city’s hustle and bustle as well as incorporating the lively sounds of South African Loerie and Hadedah. As the song progresses, the mood evolves. The tone captures the essence of exploration, hinting at an ongoing quest for answers within the city’s energy. This piece is rhythm focused, and layered with changing rhythms, including accents from traditional gumboot dancing. Similar to the organic root patterns and barbed wire formations found in “Urban Roots” artwork, my piece employs sound motifs that come in and recede as the track progresses, each time explored a little differently. This signifies the continual growth and evolution of the urban environment
About the artist:
I took and interest in music and from a young age, Specifically playing the saxophone and performing live. I am currently a sound designer who graduated from Open Window institute in 2023 and an aspiring producer.
Sound Collaborations
Immerse yourself in this exhibition as our collaborative artists have each crafted a 7-10 minute soundtrack, releasing alongside the exhibition on March 9, 2024. With total creative freedom, each composition enhances the visual narrative of their assigned installation artwork, creating a multi-sensory experience for our audience.