Creating Breathing Spaces

The new exhibition ‘Breathing Spaces: Environmental Portraits of Durban’s lndustrial South’ is a photographic exploration of three Durban neighbourhoods which form part of the city’s residential-industrial hinterland. It runs at the Good Hope Gallery at the Castle of Good Hope from January 16 until March 1.

Images by Jenny Gordon of the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies, combined with the research material of Marijke du Toit of Historical Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, offer compelling insight into three neighbourhoods: Wentworth, Merebank and Lamontville Jenny’s panoramic landscape photographs and her portraits of South Durban residents provide powerful viewing and illustrate how individuals, despite living within highly challenging environments, succeed in creating personal ‘breathing spaces’ for themselves.

The exhibition also brings together very different photographic genres. Jenny’s photographs are juxtaposed with decades-old studio and other family photographs drawn from the personal collections of people living in the South Durban neighbourhoods. These are accompanied by images taken by residents - adults and teenagers - during photography workshops taught by Jenny.

Despite its rich local cultures and histories, these neighbourhoods have remained excluded from Durban’s visual identity as a city.

The exhibition includes extracts from interviews with those affected by these circumstances.

For further information about this exhibition contact: Esther Esmyol, tel. 021 464 1262 or email eesmyol@iziko.org.za.

The Gallery is open daily from 9.30am to 4pm.

See more information on this ‘Breathing Space’ Exhibition here.

Source: The Next 48 Hours, Friday 9 Jan 2009, Pg 5