Creative Cape Town

It’s not often that the whole city gets to show off, showcase and show visitors and residents a good time, but we did it in (true Cape Town) style in September/October…

Hosted in part by Creative Cape Town and in part by the citizens of Cape Town, the city opened its arms to one and all with the very first Creative Week Cape Town* from 24 September till 3 October 2010.

The Mother City let loose a scintillating and assorted array of creativity and innovation, in early-bird, parrot-fashion style just before the Loeries Awards.  For more than seven days, the city was buzzing with beautiful things to see and do, and new ways to meet, greet and get down with the people of Cape Town. Here are some highlights…

Heritage day was huge during the My Cape Town Weekend.  In Company’s Garden,  every museum was free, and more than 6 000 people came.  A heartfelt discussion around indigenous identity took place in Iziko Museum . The Iziko South African National Gallery invited kids to criticize its exhibition, “1910-2010: From Pierneef to Gugulective”  to point out that every opinion about art is important.  District Six brought young and old together to commemorate icons of freedom and compassion, and underground street culture went public down at the Cape Town Station with STR-CRD.

26^th September saw Poetry Africa in action at the Convention Centre. This nationwide poetry extravaganza was wonderful, with lively poets and performers from around the world touching on every issue under the South African sun, and offering insightful (and often hilarious) perspectives on the human condition.

Faith47 presented a new wall of art to the city for all to enjoy .  27^th September saw BHC School of Design open its doors to the public.

28^th September heralded the launch of Picture This, a new publication from One Small Seed.  The newly opened Free World Coating building in Waterkant Street hosted a gathering in its brand new auditorium on 28 September to celebrate the new voluntary, interim Cape Town Design Network and to offer design editors from a variety of leading consumer magazines including One Small Seed, House And Leisure and Elle Decoration the chance to tell us how they’d redesign Cape Town.

Pan African Space Station hosted its 3^rd annual month-long music intervention including the broadcast of live, online radio, and a week of live music which coincided perfectly with Creative Week. It boasted legends like Dr. Philip Thabane and prodigies like Kyle Shepherd.

The Creative Cape Town Annual Launch on 29 September filled the all-new Field Office in the East City. The Annual this year focuses on the World Design Capital Bid and East City development projects.

A Creative Coffee Morning at The Book Lounge on 1 October this month invited Jenny Ehlers, Creative Director and equity partner of King James RSVP, to talk about her work in the advertising industry. These gatherings are free, varied and full of useful information.

The Creative Cape Town party on 2 October filled Fiction, Long Street, with beats and treats from African Dope Records, Peroxide and Mahala.  Around the corner, original Congolese music resonated at the Scalabrini Centre.

30 September saw the opening of a new photographic gallery in Woodstock’s Upper East Side. The Museum focuses on young vision and new perceptions of the familiar. On the same day, Cool As Folk at The Assembly combined good times and green concerns with Holiday Murray on top form.

The Loeries weekend was a huge affair, with much back slapping and loud clapping  which naturally led to a lot of dancing in the (Long) street.

Our message to you – Cape Town has so much to show and share; let’s make every week Creative Week.

*if you are curious, Creative Week Cape Town is an annual, week-long celebration of local inspiration with events covering and intercepting education, business, entertainment and the arts. The idea is to bring individual and collective creativity closer to the public, and to bring creativity and commerce closer to each other.