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Official opening August 1st Saturday at 16:00pm All welcome for snacks, drinks and meet the artist
(Tertius Meintjies exhibition; United People continues in the GL restaurant )
About the Photographer:
Born in Utrecht, Natal on new years day 1977, Lavonne Bosman further grew up in the Overberg, lived in the Netherlands and UK for a few years and is currently living and working in Cape Town as a freelance photographer. She obtained a degree in Drama and psychology at the University of Stellenbosch before studying photography at City Varsity, Cape Town in 2 000.
“I started photographing for the Niall Mellon Housing Initiative in May 2008, covering their housing development areas such as Khayelitsha, Imizamu Yethu, Mfuleni and Paarl.
I was also involved in their annual Blitz in November, December when 2 000 Irish volunteers came to Cape Town to complete 250 houses in one week.
The photographs in this exhibition where taken during the times that I spent in the townships on assignment for Niall Mellon. Some are direct portraits of the beneficiaries and some are snapshots as I passed by the local people in their everyday life. A time of change for a lot of people who are moving from shacks to houses for the first time in their lives.”
Lavonne Bosman can be contacted on 084 548 5659,
lavonnebosman@gmail.com
http://www.lavonne.co.za/
http://www.lavonnebosman.blogspot.com/
“Ilungile”: It is good . A Photographic Exhibition by Lavonne Bosman
Shrewdly conceived and intimately observed, this collection aims to document the heart and soul of a people during times of intense transformation. Rather than focusing on the activity surrounding the actual construction, the photographer trained her subtle lens on an infinitely more dynamic subject: the people who still call row upon row of decrepit shacks home.
Purposefully set against the backdrop of physical improvement in their environment, the stirring characters in this changing scene are portrayed with honesty, liveliness and wit. Void of socio-political commentary and stylistic pretense, these images tend to represent the snapshots of an observant passer-by, an incidental visitor with no intention of being a voyeur. The result is emotionally and aesthetically refreshing.
The reality that many of the subjects appearing in these photographs are not directly influenced by the radical crossover from dilapidated tin to sturdy concrete - the young can not fully comprehend the impact of what’s happening, while the elderly can not fully benefit from the lifetime’s promise it implies - makes these photographs even more intriguing.
We are reminded that there can not be hope without suffering. But we are also reminded, by the simple joy, colour, happiness and inner beauty captured in these images, of the invincibility of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Corporeal poverty can never subtract from the riches contained within. And the utter sanctity of this inner space becomes an extension, a symbol, of the outer structures being raised to improve the lives of these extraordinary people.
Whether this collection is perceived as a glimpse into the daily life of a community on the road to progress, or a final account of a communal lifestyle that might be irreversibly altered by economic upheaval, is up to the viewer. But the resounding message is one of ultimate hope.
In her literal and figurative quest to look for light in a somewhat bleak world, the photographer has succeeded in letting us in on a secret - her creative honesty, together with the fine work being done in the construction of proper housing in this community, allows us to dwell with new vision on the words of Fugard: people are living there.
In the end, home is where the heart is. As this soulful collection shows, in the hearts of these inspirational subjects one sentiment prevails: it is good.
Jac Kritzinger
The Niall Mellon Township Trust was established in 2002 with the aim of providing quality social housing for the impoverished communities in the townships of South Africa. “In our first year we completed 150 homes, over the next six years we have completed 11 000 homes in total, 5 000 were built in 2008.
Each year since we started we have brought Irish volunteers to South Africa to participate in a week long ‘Building Blitz’. In 2008 2000 volunteers travelled from 13 countries to take part in our Building Blitz, during this week an incredible 253 homes were built. This brings to a total of 5 000 volunteers who have participated in our building blitzes up to date.
We are currently building in 23 townships, 13 in the Western Cape and 10 in Gauteng, although we have only been in existence for six years, we are currently the largest charity provider of quality social homes in South Africa.”
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