ANNUAL/
1 APRIl 2011 to 1 APRIL 2012
SOBER & LONELY INSTITUTE / FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
INDEX/ YELLOW - DEAR FRIENDS PINK
- RESIDENCY PROGRAMME
GREEN
- OH MY OH MY
BLUE
- FEATURED PROJECTS
YELLOW
- FOOTNOTES
DEAR FRIENDS
This is the first Annual we’ve put together. It is a collection of projects, residencies and events that we have hosted as part of the Sober & Lonely Institute for Contemporary Art between 1 April 2011 and 1 April 2012. It was a busy first year. We experimented with different forms and durations of the Suburban Residency Programme. It was nice having artists stay over for a month at a time. It was also nice having artists in the house for only 24 hours. We did a project where we installed a new exhibition each week for eighteen weeks. We also hosted some once off events for a small audience as well as screenings and interventions. We spent a lot of time focusing on communication through thought transferal between ourselves, collaborating artists, and our imagined audience. On 1 April 2012 we were in the sky, flying from different continents to meet in a blizzard in Helsinki where we reflected on the past year, put these pages together, planned for a new year, and lay the foundations for building a teleportation device.
Love,
Robyn & Lauren
THANKS AND SPANKS
PETE AND AGNES, PAT AND MAJOR, VANSA, JOSEPH, LESTER, ANTHEA AND ANTHEA’S BROTHER JOSH, JOSH, JARED, JAMES, DINEO, DINA, NATALIE, GERMAINE, PIETER, DANI, GEORGINA, MOM, DAD, MOM, DAD, KIRSTY, KEITH / BREWMASTER BROTHERKEITH MACDADDY, LUCY, SUSAN, BAS, DAVE, HEDWIG, BIANCA, NICHOLAS, MALOSE AND RA, TIFFANY, SAME, TAMMY, ROBYN, NINA, MAKANDAL, SAM, JESSIE, GRACE, AMY, GEORGIA, NDAX, FRAN, AUDREY, JIM, NOOR, GREG, VAUGHN, PIERRE, ANNE, NIKLAUS, LIZA, SIMON, RUTH, LIEZEL, BRONWYN, MARCUS, EMI, SARAH, KYLE, DESHUN, MIET, JAVIER, ANNELIES (#1 FACEBOOK FAN), SHANE, CARL, BRONWEN, PORTIA, DAVID, GOETHE, JULIAN, GRANNY, JONO, ANG MANCOCK, CLARE, MR MARTIN HASE, EDWIGE, GENNA, LAURA, CHRIS THE POOL GUY, MARKO, JAN, RONALD, JONATHAN, ANTHEA, EDOUARD, AND ESPECIALLY THE GRUMPY GUY FROM POST, ISABELA, LEONARD, RUDY (RIP), BROWN, ARTHUR/STANLEY, DAYON, TIM, ERIC, PAUL, PIPPA, SARAH, SHERRY, CONNIE, ROBERT, NIXON, THE AUTHOR OF BANANAPHONE, KURT.
TELEPATHIC CONNECTIONS8:
GENNA GARDINI TALKS TO US ABOUT TELEPATHY AND INTERNET CATS. (ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN ART SOUTH AFRICA V10.2) DECEMBER 2011
FIRST OFF, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SOBER & LONELY INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART AND HOW WAS IT ESTABLISHED? In 2005 we began working as a collaborative partnership under the name Sober & Lonely, focusing mainly on performative actions. We went our separate ways geographically in 2009 (One of us based in Durban and the other in Gent, Belgium) always maintaining a strong working relationship with long distance projects. We met again physically for the first time in June 2010 for a residency at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center in New York, where initially the intention was to focus on producing a new body of work. However, while there we thought a lot about what we saw as a lack of non-commercial platforms for artists back home. To our collective mind there seemed to be few arenas for emerging artists to show project based work as well as a lack of dialogue between South African and international artists. Knowing that we’d both only be based in Johannesburg again in 2011, we started putting together plans to launch the Sober & Lonely Institute for Contemporary Art (SLICA). Essentially we planned to open up a mobile platform and areas for exchange to encourage participation between South African and international artists. The conceived Institute is a non-prescriptive platform, including but not exclusively focused on, a residency programme, exhibitions, screenings, events, talks, an online archive etc. SLICA essentially remains an extension of Sober & Lonely’s artistic practice.
ARE PEOPLE ENCOURAGED TO PROPOSE WORKS TO SLICA OR DO YOU GENERALLY WORK BY COMMISSIONING WORKS BY SPECIFIC ARTISTS? There is no prescribed way in which we conceive a project. Sometimes it is driven by a specific artist who we want to collaborate with, other times there is a research framework that works as a starting point to include particular artists or art works. We are always open to proposals and suggestions from
interested parties.
BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE RESIDENCY AND S&L’S OTHER PROGRAMMES, I’M VERY INTERESTED IN WHY SO MANY OF YOUR PROJECTS AND PERFORMANCES SEEM TO BE CONCERNED WITH TELEPATHY. YOUR OH MY OH MY, FROM THE ANNALS OF A GREAT TELEPATHIC AFFAIR AND THEN THE PERFORMANCE PIECE FROM THE JOBURG ART FAIR BOTH PLAYED WITH THE NOTION OF SILENTLY TRANSMITTING THOUGHTS FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER. COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE ABOUT THE PROJECTS AND WHERE THE INTEREST IN TELEPATHY STEMS FROM? Mindful of our imminent separation at the end of 2008 – we began exploring the possibility of long distance thought transferal in order to continue our working relationship. In our last collaboration in 2008 we made a work entitled An Attempt to Create a Telepathic Connection for a Long Distance Relationship. We spent the next two years exploring this way of communication. One of our grandfathers was a practicing magician and telepathist in South Africa in the 1960’s and 1970’s and from that we received our initial training. We found that this way of working was fruitful for us and were keen to open up this means of communication to other artists. Now that we are both physically in Johannesburg again there is an opportunity to include other artists in this dialogue. This platform creates the possibility to show work that doesn’t require funding and complex logistics, relying purely on sincerity. To us, the idea of telepathy seems like a logical way to deal with time and space restrictions inherent in a contemporary South African art context.
AT THE JOBURG ART FAIR, SLICA PRESENTED (ALTHOUGH THAT MAY BE A BIT OF A STRETCH, SINCE THE GENERAL PUBLIC DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE PIECE UNTIL AFTER THE FACT) JAMES WEBB’S SPECTRE, AN ARTWORK THAT INVOLVED SOMEONE WALKING AROUND THE FAIR WITH A CELLPHONE JAMMER HIDDEN ON THEIR PERSON. WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE TO THIS PIECE LIKE? There was little response. The work was ephemeral and quiet. For SLICA this was an important project in terms of our ability to create a participatory act in a non-commercial way. The fact that SLICA is a non-prescriptive
platform allows us to engage with projects such as James Webb’s Spectre – there is no need to market or sell the work in a way that could be detrimental to both the artist and organisation.
YOUR LATEST PROJECT IS THE 24 HOUR SUBURBAN RESIDENCY. COULD YOU OUTLINE WHAT THE RESIDENCY ENTAILS AND WHO COULD APPLY TO IT? It is unclear as to how long we will have access to the SLICA house so we want to offer the space to as many interested artists/curators/writers as possible while we have the opportunity. The sporadic way in which this programme can develop reflects how Sober & Lonely works, and will hopefully open the door to many new collaborations.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO OFFER DAY-LONG (AS OPPOSED TO, SAY, WEEK OR MONTHLONG) RESIDENCIES? We’ve had three separate month-long programmes which proved beneficial to both SLICA and the artists involved and now want to experiment with shorter residencies that will hopefully allow more artists to be engage and collaborate with SLICA in the limited timeframe that we have.
AND, FINALLY, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM SLICA IN THE FUTURE? There are many things on our agenda at present that we are excited about, including a fiction publication, a collaboration with a secretive Edinburgh based organisation and a collection of internet cats.
2011/2012 RESIDENCY PROGRAMME JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA
JULY 2011 - NINA BARNETT & ROBYN NESBITT SUBURBAN RESIDENCY http://www.coexistent.net/
THE FIRST GLIMPSE 2011 from ‘Where are we exactly - are we near the island?’ OUTLET, Johannesburg, South Africa
Word association by Sober & Lonely for Robnina1: Island, pineapple, fruit, vagina, penis, envy, green, giant, pea, soup, banana, phone, ring, ring, banaphone, badger, dingalingaling, ring ring, polony, Mahoney, bomboney, macaroni, spaghetti, cheese, sauce, wors, braai, tongs, fran burger, wendy, house, mouse, rat, tail, wings, bird, janine, dina’s friend, gav, nick, nesbitt, emilio, robert, ring, bing, bingo, ringo, star, nose, cup, oxford, dictionary, pictionary, pencil, pen, ben, big, horse, pony, macaroni, cheese, cheddar, gouda, clogs, pugs, hugs, chugs, jugs, mugs, bugs, spider, bathroom, spiderpig, fat, cat, lester, tyra, vaseline, cream, cow, milk, coffee, tea, talk, walk, pork, spiderpig, bacon, macon, facon, tits mcgee, betty boop, shoop shoop, de doop, garfield, lasagne, cheese, cheddar, gouda, fishpaste, bovril, cow, sheep, pig, cute, dog, frog, pool, vomit, slime, vomit, red wine, white wine, white whine, pine, cone, christmas, tree, leaf, island.
JULY 2011 - DINEO BOPAPE2 SUBURBAN RESIDENCY http://seshee.blogspot.com/
AUGUST 2011 - FRANCIS BURGER3 SUBURBAN RESIDENCY
7 JANUARY - TALLULAH JAMES & KIDU4 24 HOUR RESIDENCY
EXCERPT FROM ORIGINAL
compose simple songs around
PROPOSAL:
the lyrics. Kidu taught his
Model
c
started
as
collaborative
a
project
sister the
to
sing
melodica
and
and
master
sampler.
between Kidu and his sister
They would then sit in their
Robyn in 2006. They wanted to
old domestic helper’s room
work on a project together,
and
coming from very different
till the early hours of the
artistic backgrounds; their
morning; it made them both
diaries
very happy.
of
became
a
inspiration.
boundary project They
or was
would
The
rule to
source
be
for
come
entries
and
their
music
only this
http://soundcloud.com/kidu-
honest.
and-tallulah-james/24-hour-
together
once a week to shares their dairy
perform
develop
them into lyrics. Kidu would
sober-lonely
8 JANUARY - OPEN DRAWER PROJECTS 24 HOUR RESIDENCY EXCERPT FROM ORIGINAL PROPOSAL:
• Set up in the morning at the house • 3 main interventions installed 1. A lead ball will be suspended from a cable in the ceiling. The ball, attached to a winch, will function as a drawing device marking a sheet of paper on the floor. 2. The pool’s water (a fluid horizon) will be circulated through the house in a transparent tube and deposited back into the pool. 3. A horizon line will be drawn onto the walls throughout the house. The line will be created by both the artists and the people who come to see the show. The horizon will constitute each drawers individual outward view. • In the evening, host the opening • Following day de-install and restore the house
DOCUMENTATION: SLICA, Johannesburg, 8 JANUARY
DOCUMENTATION: SLICA, Johannesburg, 8 JANUARY
10 JANUARY - AMY WATSON & ANTHEA MOYS5 24 HOUR RESIDENCY IN CONVERSATION WITH COLLEEN WAFER 10th of January 2012:
AW:When did you begin working at WITS as the slide librarian? CW:I started in Senate House in June 1983. We were very busy, also with national and international requests, we had a reputation as having the best African and South African collections. AW:When was the library first established and located? CW:The Slide Library was started at the History of Art Department in the early 60’s by Prof Martienssen. Images were made from books or ordered from special Slide Libraries from London, New York and Germany. AW:What was the original collection, and who was the intended audience for it? CW:Taken over by Prof. Nevil Dubow, then the head of Art History as a teaching tool. AW:Who was responsible for the library? CW:Prof. Alan Crump really grew the Slide Library and nurtured it. It grew to almost 500’000 slides from about 10’000. He was passionate about it. AW:When was the library first under threat? CW:The Library came under threat in 2006/7 with the increase of digital technology. It was really threatened in 2010, when the first clear-out started. In 2011 lots were thrown away, I have squirreled away as much as possible. Now only African and South African slides remain, which the department has asked that I get rid of before the students return.
Slide librabry from the Olden days at Wits
CONVERSATION BETWEEN ANTHEA AND HER BROTHER JOSHUA Tuesday the 10th of January 2012:
A: Hi Josh! How you? J: Hi Ant, I’m cool and you? A: Cool thanks. Hey Josh where are you? J: At home... Why? A: I’ve got a bit of a strange request... J: Shoot A: Amy and I are doing this art residency thing and we need someone to climb the highest tree in the garden and tell us what they see... J: Yaaa... A: So... I thought of you - would you be able to come round and climb the tree?! J: Ok, sure, why not? A: Great! Why not indeed. Thank you. J: Ok! See you in a bit. JOSH CLIMBS UP THE TALLEST TREE ON THE PROPERTY, UP TO THE HIGHEST POINT. Anthea and Amy: Ok now tell us what you see… Josh: I can see roofs, I can see a chimney, I can see...three...lights of a tennis court I can see telephone lines, A fir tree… I think that’s an oak tree… Uumm… I can see….(strains his neck) what looks like a sky light on top of the roof there, I can see the shed (looks down) I can see you lovely people That’s about it! Blue skies. Clouds.
15 JANUARY - BIANCA BALDI 24 HOUR RESIDENCY EXCERPT FROM ORIGINAL PROPOSAL:
Dear Lauren,
My dates for SA are now a little clearer. I am aiming for the weeks between 5th Jan and 15th Jan as I will be up North for some research. Are you closing for the holidays around this time at all ?
I gave some thought to the residency and I feel that this would be an opportune moment to screen some material related to my research trip even though the project is still in progress. In short, I am looking at a Frank Sinatra concert that was held at Sun City a year after it opened in 1981 during the cultural boycott.
I would like to propose a screening of this event with Shrimp cocktail at the Sober and Lonely Institute, how does this sound? Do you have a pool, I am totally dreaming of summer!
Bianca Baldi
DOCUMENTATION: SLICA, Johannesburg, 15 JANUARY
22 JANUARY - PORTIA MALATJIE 24 HOUR RESIDENCY RESIDENCY REPORT:
What does it mean to be an emerging curator in the contemporary art landscape? With the current growth of curatorial practice, which is accelerated by the growing curatorial courses at universities, a number of emerging curators are negotiating their spaces in contemporary curatorial practice. This was the premise of the curatorial residency at the SLICA house on 22 January 2012. The participants, all involved in curatorship, whether traditional or alternative, presented ideas about their practice. The presentations morphed more into a expanded conversation, spanning 7 hours, and the results of which yielded no apparent conclusion. This lack of resolution will be the premise of the next seminar I will organise on curatorship where some of the debates that arose from this talk will be explored further.
24-Hour Suburban Residency 2011/2012: Curatorial Practice Sober and Lonely Institute for Contemporary Art
Programme Date: Sunday, 22 January 2012 (15 minutes presentation, 10 minutes discussion= 25 minutes per participant) 09h30 – 10h00: Arrival and Tea 10h00 – 10h10
Introduction Portia Malatjie, Lauren von Gogh, Robyn Cook
10h10- 10h35
Curatorial Discourse: Making Sense of Independent Curatorial Practice Portia Malatjie
10h35- 11h00
Enclosures: Navigating the Lion’s Den. (Reflections on group curating) Tiffany Mentoor
11h00- 11h25
Finding the Contemporary within the Print Landscape Robyn Nesbitt 11h25- 11h45: Tea Break
11h45- 12h10
Fierce Festival Caravan of Artists: the international and the hyperlocal Laura McDermott
12h10- 12h35
Curator by Default Tammy Langtry
12h35 – 13h00
Outlet: Towards a Reading of how the Edge Defies the Centre Shane de Lange 13h00- 14h00: Lunch
14h00- 14h25
Painting of Fatima Meer Same Mdluli
14h25 – 14h50
Call and Response: An Ensemble of Arts and Media Projects in an African City Rangoato Hlasane and Malose
14h50 – 15h15
Wrap Up 15h15 – 17h00: Drinks and departure
1
DOCUMENTATION: SLICA, Johannesburg, 11 JANUARY
18 FEBRUARY - GEORGIA MUNNIK & NDAXOLA NKALASHE6 24 HOUR RESIDENCY
DOCUMENTATION: SLICA, Johannesburg, 18 FEBRUARY
DOCUMENTATION: SLICA, Johannesburg, 18 FEBRUARY
NOVEMBER 2011 - JOSH & JARED GINSBURG KYLE MORLAND, FRANCIS BURGER7
OH MY OH MY: FROM THE ANNALS OF A GREAT TELEPATHIC AFFAIR CONVOCATION
HOUSE
JORISSEN ST JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA
JULY TO NOVEMBER 2011
OVERVIEW:
Since 2008 Sober & Lonely have been exploring telepathic connections. These telepathic experiments have explored long distance thought transferral, as well as close-range movement synergy.
TELEPATHY CAN BE BROADLY DEFINED AS:
•
Apparent communication from one mind to another without using sensory
perceptions. •
The transference of thought from one mind to another, where distance
and time seem unable to affect this phenomenon.
•
The sympathetic affection of one mind by the thoughts, feelings,
or emotions of another at a distance,without communication through the
ordinary channels of sensation or messaging
THE PROJECT:
The Sober & Lonely Institute for Contemporary Art (SLICA) would like to invite you to explore your own experiment related to the idea of ‘telepathy’. The overarching title of the project Oh My Oh My: from the annals of a great telepathic affair, comes, in part, from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Breakfast of Champions. Vonnegut explores the release of precognitive and recognitive thought through ‘telepathic butterflies’. Thought being something manifest, the intangible made tangible. The project is site specific – it will be installed on your behalf at Convocation House, Johannesburg, South Africa. The project is intended to be an enjoyable experiment, an exploration rather than a formal presentation in the traditional gallery sense. There is no prescribed content or format.
THE SPACE:
Convocation House is a small window display space on the ground level of Jorissen Street, Braamfontein. The windows act as an interface between the passing public and the Wits School of Arts (WSOA)9. The venue is situated amongst a number of other contemporary galleries in the Johannesburg city centre, and has a good deal of pedestrian traffic. http://convocationhouse.blogspot.com/
THE REQUIREMENTS:
Deadline: 20 July 2011 Completed proposal, which will form part of the documentation for the project
THE FINEPRINT:
• The work cannot take more than 2 hours for SLICA to install • The work can be for a single day or night, up to a period of 1 week • The budget is limited to R100* per artist (approx $8.50).
WEEK 1: Telepathic Drawing (word & image) - Sober & Lonely
WEEK 2: I want you to know that I know - James Webb
7 AUGUST, 17H58. Location from where
7 AUGUST, 17H58. Lauren von Gogh &
James Webb telepathically sent his
Robyn Cook receiving the telepathic
proposal.
message from James Webb.
SOBER & LONELY’S TELEPATHIC RESULTS
From: James Webb Date: April 13, 2012 11:55:41 AM GMT+03:00 To: SLICA Subject: Re: Oh My Oh My I attempted to transmit the details of my project to Sober & Lonely through telepathy. I sat, blindfolded, in a chair and silently repeated a phrase willing SLICA to black out the windows of the gallery and make the space disappear. When I visited the installation and the gallery for the first time, I was amazed to see that my telepathy had worked; the shop front windows at the given address had been painted over in black. Then I noticed that the gallery was actually next-door. The “actual� gallery was filled with objects and texts that relate to my practice, but my real work was the found, dark space alongside it. A case of good magic to the wrong address, perhaps?
The proposal James Webb sent through telepathically was to ‘blackout the windows, make everything disappear’.
WEEK 3: Psychic Psorn - Jim Skuldt
19 JULY From Jim -->
So, I’m going to try to project colors toward Johannesburg while gyrating from within my backwoods trailer. The colors received are associated with sweet moves. I’ll be aiming to get y’all to practice your surf manoeuvres, but who knows what’ll happen. I’m going to cluster the colors based not on the correct sequential moves (or gyrations), but on some extremely tasteful color combinations for vivid colors. If you’re receptive to these vibrations (and I can tell that you are), you are welcome to share your psorn moves with anyone else nearby, or just hang around and be smug.
12 AUGUST From Jim -->
Here we go, a fusion of multiple modes of interpretive communication as points of inspiration: Phone sex, video sex (such as skype or chat roulette, or streaming video porn), transmission of binary code into space, morse code, braille, human interpretation of bird calls, charts of sign language, charts of yoga asanas, qigong chi projection, photographic representations of yoga postures, smooth moves seen in porn videos or surf movies.
Colour Chart10
Examples of colour coded key cards
Trailer Gyrations - Jim’s trailer, Los Angeles
Gyrations - Convocation House, Johannesburg
WEEK 4: 42 Years Later, I picked up the Message - Noor Nuyten
42 Years Later, I picked up the Message - Noor Nuyten11
From: Noor Nuyten Date: April 16, 2012 To: SLICA Subject: Re: Oh My Oh My While sitting in the train from Gent to Groningen, I’m writing down my daydreaming about telepathy, the project ‘42 years later I received the message’ and a possible new platform for artworks which are not applicable to language or image. A telepathic message can arrive at the same time as it is send as well as days later. At the moment Robert Barry communicated his artwork telepathically, in 1969 at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, he didn’t know by who, when and where this telepathic artwork would be picked up. This ‘who-when-where’ scenario can change anytime, since several people can receive the artworks at the same time at totally different places. I’m looking at my right side, my neighbour is looking out of the window of the train, I’m imagining that he is receiving a telepathic artwork at this moment. The received artworks are only existing as a thought, which is hosted in anybody’s mind. In this way the telepathic communication could generate an universal platform for artworks which are not applicable to language or image.This platform will be free from any physical space, it will travel through the universe, it will be interchangeable. What will be the name of this space, since it is not applicable to language or image? I presume we have to communicate this telepathically now. But before that let’s transform this note into an opening of the new universal platform for artworks which are not applicable to language or image, like in a regular gallery. This new platform is already having an archive of exhibitions, one of the exhibitions is communicated by an invitation letter as a part of the project by Sober & Lonely - Oh My, Oh My: from the annals of a great telepathic affair, at the Convocation House in 2011. I’m almost arriving in Groningen station and I’m thinking about how to end this note. Since the note became an opening I would like to say: ‘Cheers!’ 1 (1)The writer of one of my favorite children’s book, Die unendliche Geschichte by Michael Ende, is using two colors for the fonts - green and red. The color green is used for the fiction part and the color red for the reality part. While actually it is a story, it never happened in real life.
WEEK 5: The writing is not on the wall - Greg Streak
WEEK 6: Ready Made / Found Object - Vaughn Sadie
WEEK 7: In Greek Zoe Means Life - Audrey Cottin
Testimionals sent to Audrey during the project: Premonition: I was 19, my girlfriend was 18. My first, true, passionate love. Her favorite thing besides sex was watching bad movies. I wanted to marry her but I couldn’t stand her taste in “cinema.” Sitting in my car outside the video store as she made her selections, I had a vision: if I married her, I would be a widower left with our little girl. We broke up for good when I was 20. She died aged 27 of leukemia, leaving him with a baby daughter named Grace. Suicide’s Not Painless Same girlfriend, different situation. I’m 18, she’s 17. Having dinner at a Burger King. Apropos of nothing, I blurt out to her, “If Dave’s mom’s not dead yet she’s about to kill herself.” Dave, by the way, was and still is my very best friend. Freaked out and no longer hungry, girlfriend and I skip our regularly scheduled make-out session and I take her home. When I get to my house, my mom is waiting at the door. “I have some bad news,” she says. “Dave’s mom killed herself, didn’t she,” I say. “How did you know?” she asked. I got in my car to find Dave. Blast From the Past: I was 17 and in a deep funk, riding my bike on my way to the dentist. Upon crossing the most dangerous intersection in town, I miscalculated, got hit by a car. Flew 6-8 feet up in the air, thrown from my tenspeed. Everything in slow motion, seeing nothing but sky. A voice in my head from nowhere told me “Tuck your head into your chest. Tuck it now!” I did, and felt my teeth rattle as my shoulder crashed into the pavement, followed by my ass. I bounced twice, but no head injury. “Nice,” the voice said sarcastically. Hospital right there, I folded up into a ball like my bike was now and got treatment. I later found out 75 years prior, a female cousin of mine (my age at the time) was killed in that very same intersection. Tesla Was Onto Something My paramour in London never surprises me with email… every day, at least once when i think about her, like clockwork, she, at that very moment, emails me. Never the same time, totally random, yet strangely predictable. I know when she’s being bad too… my chakras get all messed up. I live in Los Angeles, btw. Testimony I am French and leaving in Brussels in an apartment with flatmates a young English couple. We talk English together. The all day was like long and felt like my body could not work at all,,, but nothing appearing as symptoms,,,The pain started late the same night - shaky body - diarrhea - dehydration - uncomfortable with your inside. I vomit it all - My flatmates were sleeping and I do have wish some one will help me that night - although i did not asked any help,,,After vomiting what was a food indigestion - i cleaned up and went back to sleep. The morning was lighter for me but still affected. I crossed one of my Flatmates and the first thing he says: I dreamed you were sick. I look at him and reply: I was sick! My flatmate look at me with a strange expression: Oh I almost wake up to make sure you were ok, but I did not ,,, because it was a feeling you know,,, nothing concrete,,, tangible,,, I open big eyes and answer: Dam I wish you did I was shit last night ! At this point of the conversation, I realised how much i wished someone to appear into my life scene,,, and it could have happened if my flatmate will believe into his feelings,,, even the intangibles one,,, If it was telepathic I do not know, what is telepathic actually? A.J.S Testimony Anne - You know tortoise are the oldest animals on earth, they saw dinosaurus disappearance. It’s such a priviledge to communicate with her. In the begining I was not aware of our language till I started to listen better. It’s with the air. Zoe use the air. And now I can even be at home I know the shape and color of the food she desire. Sometime I do miss the point,,,It happens. But I mostly know about her needs because of the air. She is a difficult tortoise to communicate with. Testimony received 15 September 11th 6:25 Nina thought light went dim, Robyn Blinked 11th 6:20 Robyn and Nina both looked up at the same time to check the time 8:30 Robyn Said “Bless you”, Nina Sneezed 12th 10:15 Robyn has sympathetic pain in big toes because of Nina’s cold 13th 1:40 Robyn got up and left the table, nina said salt 5:55 Robyn says its her handwriting, Nina says the same 13th Night Robyn dreams of Nina on Grandfathers farm, Nina dreams of Robyn at a party in the bedroom 15th 9:10 Nina and Robyn both wore blue top with white vest 16th 6:20 Nina right hand in pocket Robyn left hand in pocket, then Robyn touched nina and shocked 6:30 Nina Blogged about cosmos, so did Robyn 17th 7:00 Nina and Robyn both dream of running away and hiding 18th 8:45 Robyn turned off phone at 11:15, Nina texed Robyn at 11:15 19th 12:30 Robyn and Nina both went for the salt at the same time 21st 12:05 Nina said save document when Robyn was already saving 24th 12:05 Nina pre empted Robyn’s need to draw on nice paper 11th Nina see’s the green parrots in New York that Robyn has been talking about
WEEK 8: I am not the Messiah, don’t follow me - David Sherry
WEEK 9: We saw two holes, Pierre - Pierre Bismuth
WEEK 10: Telepathy by Word Association - Coexistent12
WEEK 11: Mr Martin Hase Is Offering Advice From His Gifted Born Rabbits - Anne Schiffer13
A few replies from Mr Martin Hase:
Liebe Anna, The rabbit number 12, sie haben mir gesagt: Dream lofty dreams. You will soon be surrounded by laughter. I hope this is enlightening für Dich, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Martin Hase Lieber Bart, Rabbit number 9, er hat mir gesagt: You don’t need talent: focus on the color yellow. I hope this is enlightening für Dich, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Martin Hase Liebe Charlie, Rabbit number 3, sie hat mir gesagt: A new wardrobe will bring great joy and changes to deinem Leben. I hope this is enlightening for you on the matters of deinem Herzen, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Martin Hase
WEEK 12: The Phrase That Came To Me - Niklaus Rüegg14
At 10.30 on Saturday the 15th of October, Sober & Lonely (in Johannesburg) and Niklaus Rüegg (in Zurich) synchronised eating a bowl of Kellog’s Corn Flakes at a circular table in the respective cities. Rüegg had instructed Sober & Lonely to prepare beforehand 25 letters cut out of another Kellog’s Corn Flakes box. Once the eating ceremony was over, Sober & Lonely vigorously shook the box with the 25 letter cards while at the same time Rüegg had laid out the phrase he wished to transmit. The letters that Sober & Lonely took out of the box one at a time should have spelled out Rüegg’s phrase.
Niklaus’s phrase transferred from Zurich, 15 October 2011, 10h30
Niklaus’s phrase recieved in Johannesburg, 15 October 2011, 10h30
WEEK 13: Message in a Blanket / Quilt Shaped Object Liza Corsillo15
WEEK 14: Most Best - Ruth Sacks & Simon Gush Following Ruth Sacks & Simon Gush’s proposal for Oh My, Oh My, Sober & Lonely invited three artists to telepathically project their favorite artwork (for one hour) into the space at Convocation House. The following three artworks were selected:
When Faith Moves Mountains (2002) by Francis Alÿs in collaboration with Rafael Ortega and Cuauhtémoc Medina Good Feelings In Good Times (2003) by Roman Ondák Kissing Through Glass (2007) by Jirí Kovanda
Unfortunately due to space constraints, the three channel video projection of When Faith Moves Mountains could not be installed in the gallery space. Jirí Kovanda’s Kissing Through Glass was telepathically projected on the left hand side of the gallery, with Kovanda (potentially) standing inside the window, offering passersby a kiss through the glass. Outside the gallery, to the right of the entrance, Roman Ondák’s Good Feelings In Good Times sees an invisible queue of people lining up, waiting to enter the space.
From: Ruth Sacks Date: April 15, 2012 To: SLICA Subject: Re: Oh My Oh My Sorry to take so long to respond re: Oh My, Oh My. I’m also really sorry you lost sleep over our contribution. For me, it was an open proposal. I saw our contribution as being the set of instructions. The rest was entirely up to you and the exhibiting artists.
WEEK 15: Frank vs The Furnace - Liezel Prins
WEEK 16: 18 Sketches of You - Bronwyn Lace & Marcus Neustetter
As life partners and occasional collaborators Neustetter and Lace are interested in how one another’s fascinations and sources of inspiration affect and influence one another’s practices. As is often the case in the lives of these two they will be spending 2 weeks apart over the course of September. Neustetter will be traveling through a number of countries in Europe and Eastern Europe, while Lace will be at home in Johannesburg. The two have decided to keep independent daily journals of those 14 days apart. Each day both artists will look out for something they know or suspect would inspire the other and will record it in whatever form they see fit. They will not share or describe these elements to one another until they are reunited at the end. The artists propose to display these elements, side-by-side and day-by-day, like a calendar of sorts on a wall in the space.
18 Sketches of You - Bronwyn Lace & Marcus Neustetter
WEEK 17: The Longest Way Round is the Shortest Way Home Emi Kodama16
The Longest Way Round is the Shortest Way Home (detail) - Emi Kodama
WEEK 18: I Went To See The Northern Lights for You Sarah Gerats
Sarah Gerats To: SLICA Date: 21 November 2011, 15:54 Tonight I spent on an old night train to Copenhagen. A woman got crazy and broke a window to jump out, we had a three hour delay, which made me miss my train to Stockholm to catch the train to the northern lights‌
FEATURED PROJECTS WITH: MIET JAVIER HEDWIG BAS JAMES AUDREY LESTER
ARCHIVE APRIL 2011
MIET WARLOP17 - SPRINGVILLE
Screening at Outlet Project Room (Jhb) & Artspace (Dbn)
Bas Schevers on Springville:
First I remember it was hilarious in
was very amused. Often I find things
general, very well thought out, with
that are meant to be funny not funny,
the
stuff
so that’s the biggest compliment I
exactly matching and spot on. And
think. It was going beyond clichĂŠs and
the use of this Lo-Fi technics was
she created these super good images
a very strong thing, it was like a
that are new and funny in themselves
home made spectacle that is easy for
already.
storyline
and
technical
everyone to relate to. This everyday stuff was used in a not everyday way (understatement) which made it very authentic.. or something. One high point for me was when the lady-table came towards the audience and someone had to pour in the tea or something. Also the tall guy running of course and the final plastic air bag thing. I
http://www.mietwarlop.com/
Springville (still) - Miet Warlop
ARCHIVE MAY 2011
JAVIER HINOJOSA - EPHEMERAL TRAPS PERMANENT CONSEQUENCES
Installed at The Collective (Dbn)
Javier Hinojosa (born 1974 in Mexico
His project Ephemeral Traps Permanent
City)
creates
topography
his
exploring
own
artistic
Consequences
the
detritus
Collective in Durban for May 2011
was
installed
at
created in our growing cityscapes. http://www.hinojosajavier.blogspot.com/
Sober
&
Lonely
really
liked
his
work and wanted to install it at a suitable venue. We were too poor to invite Javier to install the work himself. Claus18 and Amy-Jo from The Collective said we could use their space. They watched me lug 60kgs of sand and cement up the stairs. They watched me mix it with my bare hands till they were bleeding. I was in a rush and forgot a spade. I laid the concrete and Claus watched me while his toenails hung over the edge of his Birkenstocks in anticipation. It was nice.
The
Ephemeral Traps Permanent Consequences - Javier Hinojosa
ARCHIVE JULY 2011
HEDWIG HOUEBEN
COLOUR & SHAPES, A SHORT EXPLANATION OF MY ARTISTIC PRACTICE
Screening at Outlet Project Room (Jhb)
A lecture in which my artistic practice is explained through five models made out of grey plasticine. Each object represents a different persona with its own qualities and habits that can be related to my practice. By introducing each object and showing the differed intentions between the objects,
through
dialogues,
I
try
to define and analyze the creative process - Hedwig Houben
http://www.hedwighouben.nl/
Colour & Shapes, A Short Explanation Of My Artistic Practice (stills) - Hedwig Houben
ARCHIVE AUGUST 2011
BAS SCHEVERS19 - FAILURE HOUSE
Event at SLICA House (Jhb)
Failure House was hosted by Sober &
work concentrates on the failure of
Lonely on Thursday 25 August 2011.
ideas, interventions and actions and
The project was based on research and
the way in which artists deal with
experiments conducted by Schevers in
differing
collaboration with invited artists,
In a sense, Failure House attempts
using the theme of failure as a starting
to unravel a primary aspect in the
point. The objective of this project is
human
to bring together various individual
for
failures exploring the subtleties of
be achieved, and the inevitability
each
of
artistic
interpretation.
The
situations
condition; something
failure
that
that
in
of
cannot
certain
striving always
processes.
The
interpretation, will be documented,
purpose, intention, realisation and
chronicled and explored as perceived
expectation,
black
failure in trying to bridge those gaps,
artists
in
oeuvre.
each The
respective
experience
of
eventually
that
problems.
residue, as Schevers puts it, of each
spots
gaps
and
separate
which
become
often
artistic
lead
realisations
to
in
art making and the processes therein,
themselves, offering an introspective
eventuate in either the success or the
escape from the pressures of success.
failure of an idea, causing different
The
understandings
people
and
questions
to
subjectivities
of
participating
the
various
in
Failure
arise in ways which are paradoxical,
House, and their attempts to tackle
optimistic and subversive. Schevers
the stigma of failure, often embracing
happy
accidents,
something
in failure as the awkward friend.
of our humanity to ourselves. Our
Failure reveals to us an intrinsic
introspection
only
part of learning, and encourages us
draws us into an interrogation of
to wear our battle scars as evidence
the
of our humanity and our craft.
process
of
of
reveals
failure
self
not
questioning,
but also suggests the potentialities within the gaps, that when ignored,
The
happenings
or overlooked, eventuate in failure.
included an intervention by Serbian curator
Just
as
the
worst
mistakes
Marko
at
Failure
Stamenkovic
House
who
often
currently
begin with the best of intentions,
cultures;
in reverse order there is unexpected
Schevers with artist Jan Huijben on
success to be found in failure, where
his work in relation to failure, An
serendipity
(anti)motivational
produces
comic
relief
researching
is
a
recorded
from the necessity to produce. In
Deysel
about
this
summit
Everest;
fashion,
the
contributing
the
about
A
suicide
interview
talk time
by
Deshun
she
didn’t
video
Ronald
by
piece
Detige
by
artists engage with the necessity to
Schevers
(who
fail, and accept this as a part of
recently quit art and now works full
the process of making.
time for the police. His job is to meet people who were raped or molested
The
Failure
or family of people that were killed
House are anecdotal of our pragmatism
and take them through the evidence
and
with
files); as well as a video work of
the
Hedwig Houben’s in a recent workshop
embrace of flaws inherent to the human
with art students in Holland about
condition.
their failed works.
a
views
communicated
discontent,
dimension
of
The
in
supplying faith
only
us
through
antidote
to
failure is an engagement with failure, understanding
that
part-
Contributors to the event were also
and-parcel with success. The people
asked to submit a Curriculum Ruinam
involved attempt to turn this around,
of things that didn’t work out for
finding
them, for example grants they applied
comfort
it
and
comes
companionship
to but didn’t receive, residencies they didn’t get into etc. Guests to the Failure House also received a lottery ticket and spicy tomato soup.
words by Bronwen Shelwell http://www.basschevers.nl/
Failure House, Johannesburg
Failure Portfolio (video 19:23min)
Anti-Motivational Talk Deshan Deysel
Skateboard Contest 1990 (video 18:35min)
Curriculum Ruinae
Visiting Jan Huijben (video 18:35min)
ARCHIVE SEPTEMBER 2011
JAMES WEBB - SPECTRE
Intervention at FNB Joburg Art Fair
As
part
of
our
featured
projects
series, SLICA presented Spectre, a new artwork by James Webb at the 2011 FNB Joburg Art Fair.
In a
this
unadvertised
volunteer
portable
concealed
cellular
intervention, a
phone
powerful, jammer
on
their person and walked through the fair cancelling reception within a roving 20m radius.
http://www.theotherjameswebb.com/
Intervention view of Tate Modern director, Chris Dercon, looking for phone signal at the Art Fair (image courtesy Anthea Buys)
ARCHIVE OCT 2011 to FEB 2012
SOBER & LONELY & AUDREY COTTIN - TELEPATHIC CROWD
Telepathic Experiment
Telepathic
Crowd
work
created
solo
show
was
for
a
durational
of ideal collaborators. Whether or
Cottin’s
not Cottin and Sober & Lonely got any
Audrey
Charlie
&
Sabrina,
Who
perfect matches will serendipitously
Would Have Believed? on at Jeu de
open
Paume
ideal
from
October
until
February
up
possibilities
collaborations.
for The
future list
of
2012. Cottin, together with Sober &
names will be used by both Cottin
Lonely, spent four months curating
and Sober & Lonely in whichever way
a crowd of collaborators. A lawyer
each artist sees fit, to conclude the
drafted
project or make new work.
a
contract
between
Cottin
and Sober & Lonely stating that the only communication between Cottin in
http://www.jeudepaume.org/
Paris/Brussels
http://telepathiccrowd.tumblr.com/#about
in
and
Johannesburg
Sober
would
be
&
Lonely through
telepathy, every week night at 20h00. During each meeting, Cottin and Sober & Lonely agreed on a person (an ideal collaborator, living or dead) that they wish to work with in some way. At the close of Charlie & Sabrina, Who Would Have Believed? in February 2012, the list had 85 sets of names
Audrey Cottin explaining Telepathic Crowd contract at Jeu De Paume (image courtesy Kristaps Epners)
Contact sheet of some of the collected telepathic crowd members as archived by Sober & Lonely
Signed Telepathic Crowd contract p1/3
Signed Telepathic Crowd contract p3/3
ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 2012
LESTER ADAMS - THE INTERNET IS MADE OF CATS20
Event at SLICA House (Jhb)
The Internet Is Made Of Cats was a
gravely wrong until their daily dose
one night event at the SLICA house
of cute disappears. A chronological
in Johannesburg. Lester Adams looks
display of the evolution of cat video
at how internet cats reflect the way
memes,
we
around internet cats will occupied
communicate,
use
information
technology and humour and how this is shared on social media platforms.
Recently, Ethan Zuckerman, director of
the
Center
for
Civic
Media
at
MIT delivered a lecture on the “cute cat” theory of internet activism and explains that while the internet is a great place for dissent and activism to start, most users go online to look at pictures of cute cats. As the so-called Arab Spring has taught us, social media can be a powerful tool for voicing dissent at the dominant ideology, but the general population won’t
notice
that
something
is
still
images
and
the Sober & Lonely house.
theories
From: http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/01/11/i-can-has-cheezburger-3/
FOOTNOTES
FOOTNOTES 1. Robyn and Nina were neat and hardworking. They worked all day and ate really healthily. Nina made good fires. Robyn was so nice we invited her back to live forever. 2. Dineo was always happy and said sweet things. 3. Fran Burger liked to make fires outside and burn stuff. She was going to live in the pink bathroom for a month but then Manuel the builder came to turn the pink into grey. She moved into the Wendy house instead. 4. We weren’t here when they did this. At first we were suspicious but then they sent us a soundcloud link and we liked it. 5. Anthea and Amy drew a beautiful annotated map of the garden on our chalkboard that we loved and kept in our studio. Unfortunately, at a later event, the map was vandalised and made to look like a cock. 6. See footnote #5. 7. This was a fun week. 8. We had trouble rereading this because it is embarrassing, but maybe it will help contextualise things for new friends. 9. Thank you Leonard. 10. These were really bright colours. The black & white copies don’t really do them justice. 11. Annelies Propstra is Noor Nuyten’s mom, and our #1 Facebook fan. 12. See Residency section for our version of the Word Association game. 13. This project was extra special for us. 14. We never found out the phrase that came to him. 15. On Monday the 5th of March we met Liza in Brooklyn for the first time and returned her blanket / quilt shaped object. 16. Since this project, Emi published a beautiful book of drawings and short stories. You can have a look at it here: http://issuu.com/merpaperkunsthalle/docs/book 17. We saw Springville live in 2009 and laughed so hard and cried so hard and realised our favourite artworks were those that could evoke extreme emotions right next to each other. 18. It has been disputed whether Claus should be spelled with a C or a K. 19. Bas and Dave Sherry serendipitously met in September 2012 as part of an exhibition with PietMondriaan.com. 20. Indeed it is, Lester.