Very Real Time II Very Real Time 2 was a 1-month residency, taking place in Cape Town in March 2006. The project wanted to maintain the principle pursuits of the Very Real Time, but with an aim to having a critical approach to the results of the first project and also a more critical research into the personal and interpersonal realities of people in this City. Whereas the first project focused on non-object-based and performative projects, emphasising personal encounters on a meaningful level, Very Real Time 2 wanted to maintain the aspect of personal engagement but with a view to involving this experience in the development of a more sustained and more broadly based period of research. This also implied a more tangible presentation of the results of research and projects (web-site, curated discussions, book, as well as the artistic projects: video work, photo-series, performances etc.) The projects focussed on the use of observation and lived experience in the subjective and creative processes of the artists. The project showed a critical interest in the forces which influence personal relationships and intimacy in the city, examining the affects of such social factors as the high rate of violence and crime in the city, the prevalence of HIV and Aids, the remnants of the apartheid mentality, the affects of a society in a dramatic state of change.

 

Very Real Time was a one-month residency for 7 artists which took place in Cape Town during September, 2003. It involved both local and overseas artists, including Michael Blum (Rijksakademie), Cinthia Marcelle, Bridget Baker, Jo O' Connor, Thembinkosi Goniwe, James Beckett (Rijksakademie) and Gregg Smith. The focus in Very Real Time was on projects of a non-gallery and non-object based nature, preferring to concentrate on forms of exchange which are primarily social and personal.. Projects have been selected with the desire to promote art of a socially engaged nature without setting preconditions of large-scale inclusivity or overt moral, political or social relevance in the work. While these aspects were not discounted, it was hoped that projects would engage viewers and participants in their own personal reality in a way which would be insightful and challenging for both artist participant/spectator.