Media coverage
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Why, what, how
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With the view that this project could be used as a case study, or replicated, all information to do with budget, contacts, and process will be detailed here for the use of any interested party.
Open Dialog Box was founded because of a need for such spaces, and will support any likeminded project.
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Background & Concept:
Open Dialog Box was a temporary, non-commercial project space comprising of a series of collaborative exhibitions which took place from the 17th October to the 25th November 2016. Each exhibition was conceptualised and developed through a partnership between individuals initially identified for their writing or art practice. Open Dialog Box was located in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Earlier in 2016, 7 writers and artists were approached and asked to select another artist/writer with whom they wished to work towards an exhibition. Planning then took place for a one-night-only event. Each partnership developed their own solution to the role of 'artist' and 'writer', and whether that was a rigid or flexible relationship.
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Open Dialog Box is, in IT terms, a field from which information is drawn, and into which information can be inserted. The Open Dialog Box of this project was a physical realisation of the virtual structure, an architectural framework to facilitate collaborative engagement and communication between artists and audiences.
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The exhibitions took place inside a shipping container designated as a vessel for information, site for production, and a hub for experimental presentation. The container as a project space is temporary and inexpensive, its form is universal, and it is a structure that can be reused in a variety of locations globally.
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Each show was accessible for one night only.
17 October - Jaco van Schalkwyk & Sinazo Chiya
24 October - Khanya Mashabela & Brett Charles Seiler
03 November - Jemma Kahn & Chad Rossouw
07 November - Miranda Moss & Marc Ricard
16 November - Thuli Gamedze & Keren Setton
21 November - Roxy Kawitzky & Marianne Thesen Law
25 November - Ed Young & Lwandile Fikeni
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Open Dialog Box was located in the parking lot on Buitenkant Street, directly opposite the gates of Rust en Vreugd (between the Kimberly Hotel and Perseverance Tavern), Cape Town.
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Budget
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R 3,055 Container transport (Big Box Containers)
R 978 Container rent / month (Big Box Containers)
R 5,000 Parking lot rent / 7 weeks (Private landlord)
R12,000 Participant fee (x12)
R 3,200 Production costs
R 800 Security (Private individual)
R 1,800 Generator (Tool Hire Solutions)