The Centre for the Less Good Idea is an interdisciplinary arts hub located within the Maboneng Precinct. Founded by William Kentridge in 2016, the Centre brings together theatre makers, musicians, fine artists, animators and directors for two yearly seasons. Through a constant process of working and reworking their ideas at the Centre, these creatives are allowed the freedom to find the "less good idea". This is the secret behind the Centre's success and part of why it has become a go-to for arts and theatre lovers in the city.
The Long Minute
The Centre was due to host their Season 7 showcase in early April 2020. However, as COVID-19 regulations came into effect it became clear that this was not to be. But rather than cancel the showcase all together, the Centre announced that they would be debuting their first ever online season. Filmed at the Centre shortly before the national lockdown was implemented, Season 7 saw an amalgamation of performance, installation and free-flowing physical experimentation broadcast to the world via Facebook Live and the Centre's website. You can still watch a few of the season's programmes online for free if you haven't yet tuned in.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-pJM2MDebv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Thanks to the success of their Season 7 online showcase, The Centre for the Less Good Idea has continued to curate a variety of online content. Throughout April and May, the Centre has shared numerous videos on their social media platforms, engaging daily with artists about their working practice during lockdown. This collection of online videos has subsequently become known as 'The Long Minute'.
Curated by the Centre's animateur, Bronwyn Lace, this collection of videos reflects a shift in the way the arts community is making, sharing and consuming new material. Additionally, the series highlights the collaborative and interactive methodology exemplified at the Centre, allowing artists to explore the "nature of performance, the language of loss and the relationship between audience member and performer" at a safe distance.
As founder and mentor at the Centre, William Kentridge has responded to these "alternate realities" too, by creating 10 new minute-long pieces for the series. "These miniature works are interwoven into this 29-minute representation of the online action. They hold potent threads in much of Kentridge's larger body of work and seminally reveal what he brings as a mentor to the processes at the Centre," Lace says.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-1ZY-YjuuN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Kunsthaus Bregenz Art Museum
As the arts move online, the international community grows closer together than ever. Proving that their work is relevant not only to South African audiences, but the global community as well, The Centre has been invited to exhibit part of 'The Long Minute' series at Kunsthaus Bregenz Art Museum in Austria. After months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum will be reopening on Friday, 5 June 2020, welcoming visitors back with a brand-new showcase titled 'Unprecedented Times'.
Curated by Thomas D. Trummer, the exhibition features artists such as Helen Cammock, Annette Messager, Rabih Mroué, Markus Schinwald, Marianna Simnett and Ania Soliman, as well as Kentridge's body of work created as part of 'The Long Minute' series. All the works created for the exhibition were made in lockdown or in anticipation of present events. As a result, the showcase provides a reflection of these unforeseeable and unprecedented times.
The 'Unprecedented Times' exhibition will be unlike any other before in that there will be no opening event. Instead, visitors will be allowed inside the museum for a limited time on opening day. Of course, seeing that international travel is completely off the cards for us, online viewing will have to do. Join Kunsthaus Bregenz on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube for interviews with exhibiting artists and a sneak peek at the new exhibition.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAzrc8LFcRu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
You can also follow The Centre for the Less Good Idea on Facebook to experience 'The Long Minute' series in its entirety online.
POPArt Theatre
POPArt Theatre has embraced online streaming unlike any other performance venue in Joburg. During lockdown, they've debuted a number of new live shows for you to enjoy at home. This winter, POPArt is showing no signs of slowing down, bringing you a full lineup of online content. Join them for their new bi-weekly series, ZoomProv Live, as well as a live panel discussion with some of the country's most renowned playwrights, Mike Van Graan, Neil Coppen and Jane Taylor. Hosted by Kirsten Harris, this discussion is geared towards high school students learning from home during lockdown. Tickets cost just R120 per household, so book yours ASAP!
Date: Wednesday, 3 June 2020 at 19:00.
Follow POPArt Theatre on Facebook to tune into their live streaming shows.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAsoB6mDLz7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The Centre For The Less Good Idea
A week after lockdown was implemented, The Centre for the Less Good Idea was due to host their Season 7 showcase. Instead, their impeccably decisive reaction to move towards online streaming broke ground for many other theatre and arts venues to follow suit. The Centre presented their Season 7 lineup fully online via Facebook Live and their website. You can still watch a few of the season's shows if you haven't caught up yet.
However, the Centre's focus this winter season will be the 'Unprecedented Times' exhibition, curated by Thomas D. Trummer with the Kunsthaus Bregenz gallery in Austria. The Centre will exhibit a number of works from their 'The Long Minute' series - a collection of online videos shared by the Centre on social media and curated by Bronwyn Lace over the last few months. The virtual exhibition opens on Friday, 5 June 2020 and you will be able to access it via the Kunsthaus Bregenz galleries' website.
Follow The Centre for the Less Good Idea on Facebook for more daily online content from the 'Long Minute' series.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-rC9EKDGe5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Joburg Theatre
Joburg City Theatres have been shut since mid-March in compliance with lockdown regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, you can still get your fill of classical ballet, opera, comedy and musical extravagance online via their websites and YouTube channel. Over the past few weeks, Joburg City Theatres have dug deep into their archives to find the best recordings of their most popular shows. Watch Verdi's La Traviata, Janice Honeyman's Snow White Pantomime and the National School of the Arts production of Gibson Kente's Too Late, from the safety of your home this winter.
If all things go according to plan, Joburg Theatre expects to reopen in August for the South African season of William Kentridge's The Head and The Load. This highly-anticipated production was scheduled to open in May 2020, but has since been postponed to early August.
Dates: Thursday, 6 August 2020 - Friday, 14 August 2020.
Visit Webtickets for more information on ticket availability and show times.
The Head and The Load. Photo by Stella Olivier.
SA State Theatre
The SA State Theatre has gone virtual in response to the extended national lockdown. Their online showcase kicked off on Sunday, 24 May 2020 in celebration of Africa Month. This virtual programme will run until 13 June 2020, bringing audiences the very best of the State Theatre's proudly South African productions from a distance. One of the most highly-anticipated shows for this online season is Ladysmith Black Mambazo Live In Concert. This screening features never-before-seen footage of their award-winning acapella group, not to be missed.
Dates: Sunday, 24 May 2020 – Sunday, 07 June 2020
Find the full SA State Theatre online lineup here.
Subscribe to the SA State Theatre's YouTube channel for daily online content.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQw8F0zXQCk
&Scene: Together Again Series
&Scene is a new live streaming platform, created by the arts community, for the arts community. Each week the platform debuts a new 'Together Again' series - bringing together the casts and crews of some of South Africa's best big-budget productions from over the last two decades. So far, we've enjoyed content from the creative geniuses behind the South Africa productions of Hairspray, Rent, Mamma Mia! and African Footprint.
Have you ever wanted to know what it takes to carve out a career in the performing arts on the West End or Broadway? Tune into &Scene's 'Spotlight On' series to get first hand advice from South Africans living abroad and "making it big" on international stages.
&Scene is also a proud supporter of the Theatre Benevolent Fund and the Waiting In The Wings campaign. While their online content is free to view, you can make a donation to either of these organisations through the &Scene website. Follow &Scene on Facebook or subscribe to their YouTube channel to watch their weekly series and join in on morning yoga classes, kiddies Cabaret and much more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAtT7a-DjVS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
By Tarryn Jameson
Looking for more arts-related content online? Check out these exciting digital arts festivals coming up this winter.
What Is It?
William Kentridge and Kyle Shepherd join forces to perform in the collaborative concert 'Why Should I Hesitate?' at the Centre for the Less Good Idea in Maboneng this February.
'Why Should I Hesitate?' is an expansion of their work together at the Centre and on the chamber opera Waiting for the Sibyl, which premiered in Rome in September 2019. The performance includes a section of Kurt Schwitters' Ursonate, which Kentridge has performed with different musicians on several occasions in various cities; live piano performance by Shepherd to a charcoal animation film, still in progress, by Kentridge; as well as other mixtures of projection, voice and piano.
Part rehearsed and part free improvisation, the evening promises to be an interesting exploration of the relationship of sound, word and image - how the image affects what you hear, how the sound affects what you see. Tickets are selling out fast, so get yours as soon as possible!
When Is It?
Wednesday, 19 February 2020 from 20:00-22:00
Where Is It?
William Kentridge Studio, 264 Fox Street, Maboneng Precinct, City and Suburban, Johannesburg.
How Much Is It?
Tickets cost R200 per person. Book yours here!
For more information
Visit their website for more information or follow The Centre for the Less Good Idea on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Shop up a storm at this bustling suburb in the heart of the Joburg inner city. there's sure to be something that'll catch your eye. You never know, you may just find your new favourite shopping destination right here in Maboneng.
What Are You Looking For?
Arts on Main
Market on Main
Herbert Evans Art
Bridge Books
Vintage Zionist
Shopping In Maboneng: Arts on Main
Arts on Main is a mixed-use arts hub right at the centre of the precinct. Housing artist studios, Canteen restaurant and the Centre For The Less Good Idea, this is a must-visit spot in Maboneng. Here, you can also find the David Krut Bookstore, Love Jozi and i was shot in Joburg!
David Krut Bookstore
The David Krut Bookstore stocks one of the most diverse collections of art books in Joburg. If you have any interest in visual art, print medium, film, theatre or design, then this is the bookstore for you. Adjacent to the David Krut Gallery at Arts on Main, the bookstore is the ideal place to start your shopping journey.
Visit the David Krut Bookstore.
Love Jozi
Love Jozi is a t-shirt design company that specialises in local flair and unique everyday fashion wear. Using the Joburg skyline as inspiration for almost everything they create, Love Jozi should definitely be on your Maboneng shopping list.
i was shot in Joburg
i was shot in Joburg is a community project, started in 2009 with the intention of teaching children living in and around the inner city how to use photography as a means of changing perspectives on Joburg. They now sell photo prints, notebooks, postcards and fridge magnets. They also sell awesome custom t-shirts, canvas bags and cushions. This is a great place to pick up gifts and mementoes from your time spent in Maboneng.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit Arts on Main and get your hands on proudly local literature, prints, t-shirts and touristy mugs, and much more. Visit them from Tuesday to Sunday between 09:00 - 17:00.
Details: 264 Fox St (Cnr Berea Rd), Maboneng Precinct, City and Suburban, Johannesburg | [email protected]
Shopping In Maboneng: Market on Main
Market on Main is the centre of action over weekends, when the precinct sees its most visitors. Also housed within the old Arts on Main warehouse parking lot, this foodie market is one of the most popular in the city, offering culinary explorers a wide array of tasty street-side dishes and sweet treats. Once you have filled your belly, head outside onto the bustling Fox Street. Meander through the multitude of craft stalls, pavement exhibitions and thrift store displays. Be prepared to haggle for a bargain here.
Market on Main takes place every Sunday from 10:00 - 15:00.
Details: 082 868 1335 | [email protected]
Herbert Evans Art
Your favourite art supplies and craft store, Herbert Evans, opened a store on Fox Street in February 2019. This is the perfect place to pick up your basic drawing, painting and sculpting tools. Their stationery is to die for as well, so get ready to shop till you drop. Visit them this Black Friday, 29 November 2019, for 25% off all items in store! It's sure to be a mad dash, so get there early.
Details: 264 Fox Street, Maboneng Precinct, City and Suburban, Johannesburg | 011 614 0000 | [email protected]
Bridge Books
Bridge Books are proud supporters of African authors. Their store in Maboneng is located at the Cosmopolitan building on Albrecht Street. This Victorian-style club meets art gallery also houses a restaurant and bar, so you can sit back and relax with your new collection of books. Bridge Books also host regular events for African literature enthusiasts, including the Underground Booksellers Tour, which takes you on a walking of the inner city's informal book trade. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for upcoming events.
Details: 24 Albrecht Street, Jeppestown, Johannesburg | +27 79 708 4461 | [email protected]
Vintage Zionist
Your final stop on this epic Maboneng shopping adventure should be Vintage Zionist. The precinct boasts a number of quirky boutiques, selling thrift items and custom-designed African traditional wear. However, Vintage Zionist is undoubtedly the coolest fashion brand in Maboneng. Using up-cycled leather and suede to produce edgy street fashion, this local initiative is well worth supporting. Check them out the next time you go on the hunt for amazing shopping deals in Maboneng.
Details: Commissioner St & Albrecht St, Jeppestown, Johannesburg.
Do you have any favourite shopping spree hot spots in Maboneng? Let us know about them!
What Is It?
The Centre For The Less Good Idea presents 'Moments of Making' - an exhibition showcasing the centre's work over the last five seasons.
The 'Moments of Making' exhibition highlights the interdisciplinary practice that takes place at the Centre For The Less Good Idea in Maboneng. Visual artists, videographers, musicians, choreographers, dancers, theatre practitioners, writers, composers, beatboxers, and digital practitioners come together each season in the processes of creating new work.
Photographs and video footage of the centre's last three years of collaborative making will be on display. So, come and experience what goes on behind the stage curtains.
When Is It?
The exhibition opens on Wednesday, 11 September 2019 at 19:00. It then runs until Friday, 20 September 2019.
Where Is It?
The Centre For The Less Good Idea, 245 Main Street, Unit 11 Arts on Main, Maboneng, Johannesburg.
How Much Is It?
Entrance is free, but you must reserve your ticket.
Click here to book yours.
For more information
Visit the Centre's website for more information, or follow them on social media:
Facebook - facebook.com/lessgoodidea
Instagram - instagram.com/lessgoodidea
Twitter - twitter.com/lessgoodidea
Contact them on 083 245 1040 or via email at [email protected]
Virtual Reality meets Art
Visual art is often accused of being an antiquated form of expression, which is only accessible to educated upper classes. In a city as diverse and eclectic as Joburg, art must therefore address the needs and realities of the masses to stay relevant. In a rapidly changing world, art must also adapt to developing technologies. This is where the TMRW Gallery comes into the picture. A cutting-edge arts space in the city, the TMRW Gallery is where art and altered reality meet. Experiencing a painting or performance piece just became a whole lot more real than ever before.
TMRW Gallery
Established in 2018, the TMRW Gallery carves the way forward when it comes to integrating art, performance and mutlimedia and technology. As a mixed reality workshop space located along the Keyes Arts Mile in Rosebank, they host an array of mixed reality exhibitions, talks and interactive workshops. Their gallery is thus unlike any other art space in the city.
The TMRW Gallery's main initiative is therefore to make existing, immersive and interactive digital technology more accessible to artists and the general public. In this way, they hope to broaden artist's portfolios by giving them an additional medium with which to experiment. At the same time, art lovers are introduced to new technologies in a fun and interactive way.
Upcoming events
The TMRW Gallery are currently hosting the Invisible Exhibition II. This must-see exhibition features five virtual reality performances, and 10 augmented reality art works. The Invisible Exhibition was first curated as part of the Centre For The Less Good Idea's Season 5 showcase in collaboration with the TMRW Gallery. Artists such as William Kentridge (founder of the Centre For The Less Good Idea), created masterful art pieces using an online gaming app. You can view these artworks using an iPad. All you have to do is aim the screen at the nearest blank wall and the picture will come to life right in front of you!
The Invisible Exhibition also features five virtual reality performances. These performances are each 11 minute long epics. Written and directed by theatre practitioners and artists working with The Centre For The Less Good Idea. Audiences enter a 360° performance space, surrounded by the performance action. Wearing a virtual reality visor, audiences must move with the performers to catch all that is going on. Not only does this break spectator-performer boundaries, but it eclipses the single audience member as the most important viewer in the room. If you are looking to experience theatre in an entirely new way, visit the Invisible Exhibition in its improved second iteration at the TMRW Gallery.
Invisible Exhibition II - Dinner Table
The Invisible Exhibition will be on at the TMRW Gallery until Saturday, 6 July 2019. Find more information about the exhibition here.
For more information
Visit the TMRW Gallery's website for more information. Or, follow them on social media for exhibition updates:
Contact the gallery on 072 195 1676 or via email at [email protected]
Virtual Reality meets Art
Visual art is often accused of being an antiquated form of expression, which is only accessible to educated upper classes. In a city as diverse and eclectic as Joburg, art must therefore address the needs and realities of the masses to stay relevant. In a rapidly changing world, art must also adapt to developing technologies. This is where the TMRW Gallery comes into the picture. A cutting-edge arts space in the city, the TMRW Gallery is where art and altered reality meet. Experiencing a painting or performance piece just became a whole lot more real than ever before.
TMRW Gallery
Established in 2018, the TMRW Gallery carves the way forward when it comes to integrating art, performance and mutlimedia and technology. As a mixed reality workshop space located along the Keyes Arts Mile in Rosebank, they host an array of mixed reality exhibitions, talks and interactive workshops. Their gallery is thus unlike any other art space in the city.
The TMRW Gallery's main initiative is therefore to make existing, immersive and interactive digital technology more accessible to artists and the general public. In this way, they hope to broaden artist's portfolios by giving them an additional medium with which to experiment. At the same time, art lovers are introduced to new technologies in a fun and interactive way.
Upcoming events
The TMRW Gallery are currently hosting the Invisible Exhibition II. This must-see exhibition features five virtual reality performances, and 10 augmented reality art works. The Invisible Exhibition was first curated as part of the Centre For The Less Good Idea's Season 5 showcase in collaboration with the TMRW Gallery. Artists such as William Kentridge (founder of the Centre For The Less Good Idea), created masterful art pieces using an online gaming app. You can view these artworks using an iPad. All you have to do is aim the screen at the nearest blank wall and the picture will come to life right in front of you!
The Invisible Exhibition also features five virtual reality performances. These performances are each 11 minute long epics. Written and directed by theatre practitioners and artists working with The Centre For The Less Good Idea. Audiences are thus invited to enter a 360° performance space, where they are surrounded by the performance action. Wearing a virtual reality visor, audiences must move with the performers to catch all that is going on. Not only does this break spectator-performer boundaries, but it eclipses the single audience member as the most important viewer in the room. If you are looking to experience theatre in an entirely new way, visit the Invisible Exhibition in its improved second iteration at the TMRW Gallery.
Invisible Exhibition II - Dinner Table
The Invisible Exhibition will be on at the TMRW Gallery until Saturday, 6 July 2019. Find more information about the exhibition here.
For more information
Visit the TMRW Gallery's website for more information. Or, follow them on social media for exhibition updates:
Contact the gallery on 072 195 1676 or via email at [email protected]