Going for it: South African Centre for Photography prepares for its 2008 festival
by Tavish McIntosh
The South African Centre for Photography (SACP) was established in 1998 under the auspices of the University of Cape Town as a non-profit organisation by Geoff Grundlingh, then lecturer of photography at Michaelis School of Art. Initiated in 1999, the first Cape Town Month of Photography (MoP) was testament to how divergent photographic communities can be represented in a single event. With 104 exhibitions featuring the work of more than 400 photographers, the massive show of support for MoP 1999 was indicative of the needs of South African photographic communities for such platforms, and reinforced the importance of the SACP's pivotal role in promoting photography through events of this kind. This was followed by MoP 2002 and MoP 2005.
It's now time for the fourth festival of photography (in the established mode of an ongoing triennial) despite the hiccup of Grundlingh's resignation in 2006. The triennial garners local and global exposure for local photographers and plays a role in giving prominence to photography and photographers. This festival hopes to continue the ethic of presenting an evolving collective vision of our contemporary life, and creating a comprehensive network between diverse photographic practices and communities from documentary, commercial, fine art, amateur associations and learner practitioners, all of whom are given a forum for expression.
According to the organisers 'the new festival... celebrates the photographic image as a unique space where the real and the metaphor engage and stimulate investigation and self-expression. It is a festival which provides a rare platform for communication between local photographic communities as the event invites inter-regional exchange, circulation and dialogue.' The programme will entail a 31 day series of exhibitions, events, workshops and master classes in photography and related themes.
The principal event in Cape Town will kick off on October 1 at the Castle of Good Hope. Other satellite events and exhibitions will open at a variety of venues and on synchronised occasions throughout the month. The Festival catalogue will showcase the core exhibitions, as well as the fringe and satellite items in various regions of the country.
In order to fundraise for the festival, the SACP presented 'Going going gone!' a photo auction of donated works by 50 South African photographers. The artists on auction were David Goldblatt, George Hallett, Guy Tillim, Mikhael Subotzky, Jodi Bieber, Sue Williamson, Dale Yudelman, Santu Mofokeng, Pieter Hugo, Barbara Wildenboer, Graham Williams, David Lurie, Paul Weinberg, Lien Botha, Neo Ntsoma, Jenny Altschuler, Pieter Badenhorst, Rima Geffen, Svea Josephy, Vanessa Cowling, Tracey Derrick, Eric Miller, Gerda Genis, Jan Verboom, Peter Magubane, Karina Turok, Julia Tiffin, Ant Strack, Malcolm Jones and Dale Washkansky.
