about the team – It’s my city

Lead Artist: Alex Rinsler (www.alexrinsler.com)

Baby Giraffe:
Lead Artist: Marius Jansen Van Vuuren
Artistic Team: Tashrika Adams, Gerrit Hattingh, Lehlohonolo Lepheana, Aaron Sindile, Luyolo Mzamo
Mother Tree:
Lead Artists: Tshiamo Art and Crafts Development (Loki Maselwane, Itumeleng Moamogwa, Tshegofatso Marogoa)
Artistic Team: Sabata Ramatiisa, Joseph Flietor, Nelson Mahloana, Tsholofela Moragoa, Tefo Mokhobo

Toy Windmill:
Lead Artist: Minè Kleynhans
Artistic Team: Ndukenhle Mpanza, Amy Wheeler, Andrew Harris

Performance Director: Nieke Lombard
Cast: Palesa Joy Pereko, Ntu Lutho Nwasa, Joalane Mahloane, Thamsanqa Sekoko, Orapeleng Monnqoula, Louis Fourie, Prudence Mahlaba, Refiloe, Lerato Charlton, Tebogo Kgati, Boipelo Booysen, Khumo

Curator: Angela de Jesus
Production Manager: Corneli van den Berg

Production Assistant: Thabiso Isaac Titi
PIAD Co-ordinator: Bongani Njalo
Community Engagement: Tessa Ndlovu, Rev Billyboy Ramahlele
Project Advisors: Jako Olivier, Andre Rose
Branding: Johannes Deetlefs and Silverrocket Creative Design
Photography: Xany Jansen Van Vuuren
Structural Drawings: Hannes Venter, Jaco Willemse, Tanya Kleynhans, Christoff Steyn
Structural Engineer: Henning Brisley
Quantity Surveyor: Elré van der Walt and Emmie Hoffman
Health and Safety Consultant: Willem Butler

Vrystaat Arts Festival:
Ricardo Peach, Atie Kamper and Roxanne Konco

Municipal Support:
Cllr Thabo Manyoni, Thankiso Mea and the Mayco committee
Esther E.H. Radebe, Bukelwa Henama, Dipuo Machogo, William Porotlwane, Chris Lamprecht and Christo Nel
Fire Department: Theuns van der Westhuizen, Braam van Zyl, and Malcolm Riddle
Centlec: Leon Kritzinger
Caleb Motshabi Centre: Mpho Moloi

Motheo TVET College:
Dipiloane Phutsisi, Anica Labuschagne, Susannie Odendaal, Gerrit Hattingh, Department of Visual Art and Design

UFS:
Jonathan Jansen, Nicky Morgan, Choice Makhetha, Ria Deysel, Gerard Hoogendoorn, Daniel Alexander, Wilson Pongwane, Nico Jansen Van Rensburg, Thato John Block, Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery, Department of Fine Arts, Henry Pretorius and the Department of Architecture

Batho Location: Cllrs Jacobs and Mdamane

Free State Provincial Heritage Resources Authority

Partners:
Schauman Builder’s: Kenny Jampies
ECC Construction: Niel Symington
Creative Kilowatt: Stefan van Biljon
Rooistoel: Evert Kleynhans
McDonalds: Arno and Helene Bakkes
Eksteen’s DIY: Cobus Louw, Laurie de Wet, and Cindy Hibbert
Elite Tents: Martin Nienaber
Special FX and Events: Pierre Rossouw
Conquest Paper: Nikola Mettler
Shadeport Africa: Marieta and Barnie Mostert
CBS Financial Planning: Theoniel MacDonald
Rubicon: Jobert Buys
Oliewenhuis Art Museum: Ester le Roux and team
Media24: Elretha Britz

And generous support from:
Alex McClure, Shannon Riley, Ed Williams, Kelli McCluskey and Steve Bull, James and Marlowe Rinsler, Ann and Steve Rinsler, Dr and Prof. M. Rinsler, Yuli Levtov, Caoimhe Nic Fhogartaigh, Bella Kirk, Bronya Gorney, Nathan Curry, Elyse Chardonnay Walker, Felicity Hilton, Ricardo Peach, Matt Nightingale, Bella Mostyn-Williams, Anna Mostyn-Williams, Georgia Kokkini, Anna Gaskell, Laura Wells, Clauida Wyss-Biasci, Sarah Perks and Zoe Pither

With particular thanks to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (mellon.org)

Part 1 – until 8^th July 2016

Three giant sculptures are emerging in different parts of Bloemfontein.

Local artists are making them with their communities to represent their relationship to this city. Mine Kleynhans is creating a Toy Windmill on the rag farm of the University of the Free State (UFS). Marius Jansen van Vuuren is creating a Baby Giraffe at Motheo TVET College. And the T’shiamo Arts and Crafts Collective (Tshegofatso Marogoa, Loki Maselwane and Itumeleng Moamogwa) are creating a Mother Tree at the Caleb Mothsabi community centre in Batho location.

The sculptures are very large.

Part 2 – 8^th – 15 July

The sculptures will become a place for everyone to express their hopes and wishes for the future.

They will stand for a week on three of the city’s oldest squares: Mapikela Square, Hoffman Square and the Red Square, Main Campus, University of the Free State. Our hope is that you will add your hopes and wishes for the future: which can be for yourself, your family and friends, for the city or for all of humanity. Your wishes will complete the works.

Part 3 – 16^th July

After one week, the sculptures will come to life. At 12pm they will travel to meet each other at Macufe Village. At 5pm there will be a public ceremony, to say goodbye to the sculptures. We will dismantle them in a spectacular way, with graceful fire and pyrotechnics, so they can return to the dust from where they came. At the ceremony we will be all together. Please come with your families to witness a moment of togetherness.

Toy Windmill – Miné Kleynhans

Universities can be seen as gatekeepers that allow entry to some and not to others. Gate turnstiles manifest this system of access. Toy Windmill transforms a turnstile from the University of the Free State into an object that’s part toy part creature: open, familiar and playful. The giant windmill is colorfully animated with 10,000 smaller windmills, capturing individuals’ hopes and dreams.

Miné Kleynhans is student at the University of the Free state completing her Masters degree in Fine Art. She is also a sculptor and an art educator.

Baby Giraffe – Marius Van Vuuren

African giraffes are residents in Bloemfontein, on Naval Hill and elsewhere. Baby Giraffe brings this gentle giant into the heart of the city. With its long neck the giraffe represents Bloemfontein’s skyscrapers; its movement echoes the city’s rhythmic beat.

Baby Giraffe, like our city, is a vulnerable creature that needs to be nurtured and cared for.

Marius Jansen van Vuuren completed his B-Tech: Fine Arts degree at the Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein and has since exhibited original works throughout South Africa. He lectures Fine Art, Drawing and Print Making at Motheo College, where has worked since 2010.

Mother Tree – T’shiamo Art and Craft Development

Mother Tree symbolises the spirit of the mother, who provides teachings for the next generation. It remembers the trees that used to stand on Mapikela Square, offering shade and a naturally beautiful meeting place (Lekgotla) for Batho residents. Mother Tree connects with the stories and histories from Batho location, through its colours and materials.

T’shiamo Arts and Crafts Collective (Tshegofatso Marogoa, Loki Maselwane and Itumeleng Moamogwa) have worked together in Bloemfontein since 2002, creating sculptures, mosaics, jewellery and crafts that you see in many places around the city.

Bloemfontein/Mangaung is a city of many communities: people who live side by side but rarely meet.

It’s My City is an attempt to bring people together through art: a story in three parts. It is a large-scale artwork conceived by UK-based public artist Alex Rinsler, presented by the University of the Free State, the Vrystaat Arts Festival and the Municipality of Mangaung, enabled with the generosity of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Three giant sculptures will emerge in different parts of the city. The story starts here, learn about the works and find out how you can get involved.