Chris Saunders & Friends Chris Saunders is a multiple award winning photographer, filmmaker and director. Photographs by Chris Saunders
Installation from Not X CS at Wall Play in New York
Not X CS - collaboration with Floyd Avenue
C
. reative Feel recently fell for the work of
has worked for nearly a decade) or taking part in the
photographer Chris Saunders via a photo-
current SA-UK seasons, from whom he recently received
shoot undertaken by himself and stylist
funding for Ghost Diamond, ‘a Zulu Samurai story, told
Francois Ferreira, with whom Saunders often
on the streets of Joburg,’ describes Saunders. ‘It’s an
collaborates. The shoot featured items created
interpretive dance piece with Manthe [Ribane, a dancer
by Ferreira, ‘taking cultural references from Africa and
known for her work with Die Antwoord], and a six-track EP
translating them to South African culture and style, mainly
created by an electronic musician called Gervase Gordon,
as seen on the streets of Joburg,’ says Ferreira. One of those
otherwise known as OKZHARP. The music that he makes is
images became CF’s May cover: ‘Hair has such a powerful
very much inspired by South African dance music, as well
meaning in African culture’, says Ferreira of the image.
as Japanese culture; so we made a very experimental set of
‘Image Junkies and I collaborated in the making of this mask.
six short films to music, that are interpretive dance pieces
The man is in an overall from House of Ole. The idea was to
on the streets of Joburg.’
show the worker... The mask shows the complexity of the
place, collaborating with artists, designers, ‘culture crews’
that we all can relate to.’
and academics, both local and international. Small wonder
As it turns out, Saunder’s work has often featured on
30 / Creative Feel / May 2015
Saunders seems to have projects on the go all over the
country and the mask helps the character not be specific, but
he once or twice mentions feeling a little ‘over-burdened’
our pages – be it documenting the work of artists such as
on the day of our interview: in addition to a forthcoming
Athi-Patra Ruga and Anthea Moys (with whom Saunders
exhibition, a coffee table book on pantsula, and any number
Creative Feel / May 2015 / 31
of other enterprises in progress, he has a Facebook page,
In 2008, Saunders began photographing The Smarteez,
townships... signalling what’s happening on the corner,
and Smarteez member); Dennis Chuene of Vernac Bags
Twitter handle, blogs, Instagram and Vimeo accounts that all
a young, Soweto-based group of designers who have since
through a whistle [for example]. A hustler’s language, a
in Cape Town; ‘vintage clothier’ Dr Pachanga; Macdonald
need to be fed and watered. His desk is filled with stacks of
appeared, along with Saunders’ photographs, in blogs
language that the cops, and the people on the street don’t
‘Macdee’ Mfolo, a creator of giant puppets and clothing for
local and international magazines that have commissioned
and magazines from around the world. In 2010, Saunders
understand, which became their language,’ explains Saunders.
pantsula, based in Orange Farm; and Manthe Ribane.
his photographic skills (Saunders cut his teeth doing
headed over to Italy to take up a year’s artistic residency
‘It’s amazing how pantsula has transformed itself into
Lai worked intensively with each designer to
commercial and fashion work). Presently the magazines are
with Benetton’s creative research facility Fabrica, further
a very different culture,’ he notes. ‘It started off with a kind
recreate an item from her collection, re-imagined and
being used to flatten out prints, recently arrived from the
entrenching his interest in street style and fashion, and
of criminal vibe, and became more of a dance culture. It’s
reinvented through collaboration, a process shadowed
U.S., and set for exhibition at MOAD.
deepening his interest in his own country. One of his
a job, a career. During apartheid, it showed the underworld
and documented by Saunders. Finally, Saunders art-
projects led him to the Real Actions, a pantsula dance
of the townships; dance culture, history, storytelling, night
directed, filmed and photographed the final products,
Amid the SA doomsayers and gloom purveyors, Saunders and his collaborators and photographic subjects
group based in Orange Farm. (His photograph ‘Dressed
manage to convey a sense of irrepressible optimism; not by
Up’, taken for the Benetton Colors Magazine, consequently
ignoring problems, so much as treating them as background
won him the 2010 ACP Courier photo competition). Since
to the bright, the colourful, the individually stylish. In the
then, Saunders has continued his work in documenting
midst of decay, creativity rules. Through Saunders’ lens,
pantsula, teaming up with UJ post-doc Dr Daniella Goeller
Johannesburg is a wellspring of fascination, a place to be
to document the dance culture, which, says Saunders,
mined for cultural gold.
arose from the forced removals of apartheid, and
Ferreira describes his own references and inspirations
originally drew its inspiration from the look and feel of
as ‘one day a sunset, one day people waiting at a taxi rank,
the American gangster of yesteryear – ‘hats, shoes, double
and then another would be just waking up, looking down
breasted jackets,’ he describes. ‘The modern pantsula
from Newtown and seeing a mix of cultures blended into the
dancers have taken pieces from this... with the modern
uniqueness of Joburg street style – from the fashion kids, to
guys, it’s work wear – because everybody had it. Everybody
business people, to the hobos and just all around. If you are
had an overall, [or something similar]... Now they go and
not inspired in this magical city then I say look at the shadows
buy it, but then it was easy to access, and cheap enough to
on buildings, the ground beneath you. There is so much that
buy a uniform for your crew.’
one can draw from...’ Saunders, Jozi-born and bred, expresses a similar excitement regarding the in progress
Along with a style and moves of its own, pantsula developed ‘tsotsi-taal’ – ‘essentially street talk from the
Installation from Not X CS at Wall Play in New York
life... now it shows almost an escape from poverty, finding
modelled/performed by Ribane: A raincoat constructed
something that’s more positive for your future... it’s a very
from the ubiquitous ‘china bag’, and other one-of-a-kind
hard, professional dance form to be part of.’
garments, variously described by Lai as ‘a hat made by
According to Saunders, joining a pantsula crew now
created from overlapping recycled water bottles, a
hard-working to earn their place as professional dancers, and
reengineered garment from 2nd hand clothing donated
involvement in crime or drugs can see a member expelled.
from the West’. This formed part of an indiegogo proposal
likes of The Smarteez, Real Actions and other local dance/ fashion sub-cultures attracted the online attention of
32 / Creative Feel / May 2015
that successfully raised nearly $6 000 in support of the project’s New York exhibition debut last September. Now Not X CS, which features the final pieces,
Jenny Lai, a New York designer specialising in experimental
photographs and a short film, is showing in Johannesburg,
fashion and custom-made performance wear for dancers.
where its opening marked the reopening of MOAD (Museum
Like Saunders and Ferreira, Lai discovered a South Africa
of African Design) following several months of renovations.
rich in creative inspiration. After several months of digital
The exhibition has been accompanied by a series of
communication, Lai and Saunders decided to embark upon
workshops, and will run until mid June.
an extensive project of multiple collaborations. Through Not X CS - collaboration with Vernac
a local milliner, the joints of a puppet hand ingeniously
keeps kids off the street: members must be disciplined and
Half a world away, Saunders’ work documenting the
Not X CS - collaboration with Macdonald Mfolo
Installation from Not X CS at Wall Play in New York
After which, Saunders will presumably turn his attention
Saunders’ network, Lai teamed up with local artists
back to his work on pantsula, culture crews, music videos
including Floyd Manotana, aka Floyd Avenue (a milliner,
and (many) other things. Watch this space...CF
Creative Feel / May 2015 / 33