SA G.U.R.U - South Africa
Contact in South Africa
Chairperson : Matlhomola Digoamage
Tel : + 27 (0) 71 981 6452
Eléonore GODFROY
Cultural & Communications Officer
French Institute of South Africa
Cnr Margaret Mcingana Street & Gwigwi Mrwebi St
Newtown Cultural Precinct
PO Box 542, Newtown 2113
Johannesburg - Afrique du Sud
Tel. : + 27 (0) 11 836 05 61
Fax : + 27 (0) 11 836 58 50
Mail : comm.culture chez ifas.org.za
Contact en France
Les Grandes Personnes
77 rue des Cités
93 300 Aubervilliers
Tél. : 00 33 (0)1 43 52 19 84
mail chez lesgrandespersonnes.com
BACKGROUND
Under the artistic direction of the established French collective of artists Les GrandesPersonnes, a team of 7 artists and 7 craftsmen from Orange Farm created and produced four giant puppets featuring a mother, a father, a daughter and a son, a mask of a grand-mother and a baby puppet.
During the residency project which took place at the Orange Farm Multi Purpose Complex from Tuesday 12th of August 2008 to Wednesday 27th of August 2008, the collective also focused on staging, acting and handling the puppets ; this platform was the opportunity for skills transfer, cultural exchange, and ideas sharing.
To the delight of passerby, the family of giants measuring up to 4m high went on to parade in Orange Farm on Wednesday 27th of August 2008, in Cape Town as part of Out The Box Festival on Saturday 30th of August 2008, in Pretoria as part of the Capital Arts Festival on Friday 5th of September 2008 and in Johannesburg as part of the Gauging Carnival on Saturday 6th of September 2008.
This experience created such interest and enthusiasm amongst the South African artists that the group SA G.U.R.U. was born in August 2008 to take on the family of puppets to many more streets !
This residency project was funded by the French Embassy, the French Institute ofSouth Africa, Cultures France and the Gauteng Provincial Government.
