Cape Town

Artists arriving from Europe. A three-hour red bus tour through the Cape. A champagne get together at La Perla with local artists. The Swiss making a fondue braai on a studio rooftop. Matching costumes – a bit of glam.

I was worried about the Cape Town coolness. Would the time-frame and allowances be OK for the people here who have never experienced the game? Might people come late, or not stay the whole two-and-a-half hours?

On a rainy Wednesday: the first SMC in South Africa. Free of charge and open to all, people came on time, and a lot of people came. All the chairs that we had put in the back needed to come out. Friends and couples were separated, a mish mash of people of all ages, colours and orientations. People sat attentively, and then they played. They drank and ate and got excited as the evening progressed, and in the end there was little left of the very large bar. There were performances and installations and there was a feeling of openness that I have not witnessed before. There were moments of trust, give and take, each party had to give to the other. The result was overwhelming. We felt a rush of pride and satisfaction. The exhaustion faded for a moment and we floated.

Initiated 2016

Juliana Irene Smith (ALMA MARTHA)
with Molly Steven
and Matthew King, Slug Nation, Fanie Buys, Liza Grobler, Raees Saiet and DJ ST(E)AK
plus international guests Valerie Renay, Christoph Schön, Tayfun Schulzke and Benedikt Wyss.