Our new intern is Adrienne Tarver from Chicago (USA).  She’s a visual artist and holds a BFA from Boston University, with a Painting major, an Art History minor and a Printmaking concentration.   After the first couple of weeks of her 3-month internship period, which ends on the 10^th of June, Adrienne has already adapted to the spiritual and creative space of Caversham and enthusiastically looks forward to being part of the upcoming Succession Residency which begins this week.  Many exciting ‘creACTtive’ engagements are brewing from this multi- talented and generous character.  Watch this space!   

 Adrienne’s internship follows that of Marshall Walker Lee’s; whose presence we cherished and to whom we became very attached.  His substantial input, creative intellect combined with an endless sense of humour will be hard to replicate.The 6 weeks he spent at Caversham Centre brought about not only enlightenment with regard to our continuing attempts to articulate and make sense of the creative collaborative process, but helping to expand potential connections and partnerships.Much gratitude for his wholehearted commitment and may the remainder of his journey in South Africa and beyond be a safe, successful and enjoyable one.       Witty Nyide             

 As carriers of feelings, actions, symphony and mostly the socio-cultural complexities, words drove and navigated the process as the writers and publishers from Time of the Writer International Festival program visited Caversham yesterday, namely; Breyten Breytenbach, Paul Brickhill, Henry Chakava, Mbulelo Mzamane, Shailja Patel and Irene Staunton.  

Relations and spiritual connections were cultivated and established as the group drank tea on the veranda before experiencing the Ulwazi CreACTive Centre at Jabula Combined School.  Ulwazi, as an echo of Caversham’s ethos, was born through Gabisile Nkosi’s generous spirit in 2002 and has since been expanding as a cocoon of self-transformation and affirmation. 

Having glimpsed the varied forms of expression exhibited by the Ulwazi kids, the group headed back to Caversham. A rich dialogue was sparked as Malcolm gave a tour around the studio, evoking individual viewpoints on the broad extent and role of writers as society’s antennae and documenters of heritage.This process stretched into lunchtime, after which Shailja Patel shared a poem entitled  For the Woman of Project Pride. Shailja composed this poem as a tribute to the women for whom she facilitated a series of Creative Arts Workshops at Project Pride in West Oakland,USA. Through her poignant world of passionate verbal imagery, she rapturously transported the audience to a state of hyper-alertness, spreading the inclusive spirit of sharing in order to inspire, evoke, captivate and awaken the collective essential need to probe into and acknowledge individual and communal existence in order to take ownership and cultivate affirmative attitude in the self. Mbulelo Mzamane reciprocated with a reading from the cream of his creative crop, which was an avowing highlight, specifically provoked by his constant dislocation in terms of space and place , the ‘home away from home’ fate brought by his profession.

Both Mzamane and Patel’s performance sealed this rich experience which Breyten Breytenbach described as “re-energizing and refreshing”.      

Witty Nyide

The beginning of last week saw Marshall, Gabi and Witty headed to Umtubatuba’s Nkodibe and Silethukukhanya High Schools.  This 4-day initiative was a continuation of the creative writing workshop that began at Rorke’s Drift the previous week.  With the strong awareness of self as inspirational contributor and of creativity as a flexible mind-mapping tool and a vital ingredient for effective communication , the process   was stimulating and  a further learning curve for both the facilitators and the learners. As Marshall say: “We tried to develop workshops with content specifically relevant to the area.  Because we only had one day to work with each group of students we focused as much as possible on helping the kids to produce a finished product that combined drawing and writing while teaching the students the basic structure of a “story” told either visually or with words”.  Mtubatuba experience was not only confined to the school environment, it stretched further to Isipho CreACTive Centre, one of the tangible impacts of Caversham’s Hourglass Program. The interaction with the elderly of Isipho became an invaluable experience as their creative energy poured into their meticulously embroidered pieces. 

Much gratitude to Isipho’s Khululiwe Maphanga and her group, Nkodibe’s Memorial Mnguni, Silethukukhanya‘s Bongani Motau and all the learners involved for their cooperative attitude.      

 Witty Nyide  

This week’s focus was beyond Caversham at Rorke’s Drift, where Marshall Walker Lee led two workshops for groups from Oscarsberg Primary and Shiyane High School pupils. Reflecting on the experience, Marshall voiced his viewpoint : “The key to the success of these workshops was the co-operative effort of Gabi, Witty, and myself. By working together to create a program that would engage the learners on both a theoretical and practical level, we established one possible model for a dynamic workshop program that could easily be reshaped to fit the needs and interests of students in other communities. It was important to me that the process be open and flexible in order to give each individual learner the greatest chance of finding a means of engaging personally with the exercise, and by varying the activity slightly to fit each child’s personal interest in storytelling, drawing, or reporting we were able to connect with nearly all of the primary and high school learners.” Thanks to both Oscarsberg Primary and Shiyane High School (Mr and Mrs Zulu) principals’ and learners’ generous spirits and cooperation.

Witty Nyide

Marked by the ‘farewell’ dinner on the main house’s veranda, Friday (8th) was the end of the residency. Preceding this last day, Thursday’s tea was drunk over reminiscences of memorable moments and meals shared together. Amidst the large amount of dedication poured into the creative process, Ros’s high-quality cooking became the highlight of the conversation as it lessened some of the Fellows’ enthusiasm to leave Caversham!

Cherished feelings of inclusion, cultural exchange and the learning curve provided by the process of creating has had a constructive impact on each Fellow. In various ways, each became a source of contribution and inspiration to one another, culminating in a spiritual, conceptual and visual manifestation of the continuous journey.This journey renders itself a springboard to cultivate the contagious notion of self- belief through self expression. Judging from gratitude expressed, this has undeniably been an experience to treasure that will stay engraved in the participants’ memories.

During the residency, much interaction occurred beyond Caversham. One such occasion was the invitation of two Fellows (Gregor Turk and Fahamu Pecou) by Vulindlela Nyoni to conduct presentations on their work for senior graduate Art students at UKZN (PMB campus). Afterwards Gregor and Fahamu had a tour of the art facilities and conversations with some of the students about their own work, opening much room for skill and passion sharing. This initiative was a result of Nyoni’s visit to Caversham on the 29th, where he had tea, networked and viewed everyone’s work in the studio.

Taking home

The transition made by the Fellows during the last three weeks is evidenced by their impressions of the residency, particularly its impact in terms of their typical modes of expression. Highlighting his viewpoint, Marshall Walker Lee said:
“During my residency at Caversham I focused on using collaborative projects to explore new modes of expression. The work I produced while at Caversham was strengthened by the openness of the process and the level of experimentation encouraged by collaboration”.

Whilst this openness and flexibility obliterated the lines between individual in comparison to communal expression, the idea of the artist as a loner was intensely questioned.
Considering the dynamic nature of the group, Colbert Mashile enthused on the impact of the residency, pointing out that the collective and reflective structure of the process compelled him to view his own work as “a process rather than a product”. Recognizing a shift in terms of expectations in navigating the hourglass process since his first residency, Mashile articulated that whilst “the first one was life changing”, this was a unique and yet continuous affirmation that has further reinforced his ambitions.

Further communicating his account of the hourglass process, Fahamu Pecou said;
“To take a pause, enjoy the silence and then allow creativity to manifest, the voices in my head is not ambient noise, but instead a symphony of potential. I’ve learned to trust those sounds and move in time to its rhythm”.

As a first-time collaborator, Kobus Moolman also “learned to resolve the tension between the spiritual and physical self”. Mixing with people of like mind has enriched his understanding of himself, thus bringing forth enormous change.
This common thread echoed in Gregor Turk’s words as he described the residency as “wonderful, refreshing and well- structured”.
Undoubtedly, each Fellow’s mental, spiritual, physical and intellectual satchel has reaped substantial replenishment.

Witty Nyide

Enjoy these poems by Kobus Moolman

     CAVERSHAM

 Three ghosts of trees
 swim on a hillside
 in the mist. Left behind
 the light of the moon
 shines a snail’s trail –

 The invisible river
 prints its stencil of sound
 large across blank air –
 
 Three ghosts of trees
 wait for hanging 
 three messages upon          

Now that my mouth is closed
 I start to hear things I had not heard before:
 the sound of my blood being poured
 from my tongue into my hand
 and back again.

 Monday (4^th) was Gabi’s birthday.  She     invited everyone to her home for a scrumptious Nguni traditional meal.  Despite a brief power cut, umngqushu, ujeqe, amadumbe, ubhatata etc. was enjoyed in her artistically adorned lounge.  Thank you Gabi, may your year ahead be filled with many successes! 

Last week (week 2) the sole aim was to put the images on paper, undoubtedly, the visual elements begun to take a life of its own. Accompanying this continuous process was much tension as the collective quest to reach resolution heightened.
Moreover, during such a process, one’s usual mode of expression is challenged. In many ways, this compels the self to widen space for re-contextualisation.

Drawing from his experience of Caversham, one of the previous resident artists, Themba Shibase shares these affirming words with the fellows;
“To move away from our comfort zone is painful but necessary process if we wish to begin to understand who we are. Of course for creative beings this sentiment extends to the question why do we do what we do”
Indeed, much self- realization, affirmation and belief has been unlocked during the process.

Thursday ended with a pizza evening where two Michaelhouse teachers, Ian Guthrie and Joy Price, and Ardmore’s Fée Halsted- Berning, Wiseman Ndlovu and Happiness Sibisi, shared a meal with the Caversham family. This social engagement was not only a sharing of bodily sustenance, but extended to the replenishment of the soul when Kobus and Marshall performed their poetry.

Permitted by the beautiful weather, Saturday was spent outside the studio as everyone headed up to the Berg to experience Giants Castle, particularly to view the rock paintings. To experience the history of expression was beyond recreational terms. In many ways, it became a means to affirm the residency’s present process of image making. Furthermore, this harbours resonance with Caversham’s fusion of visual imagery and the spiritual journey that becomes a legacy for generations to come. Thank you Caversham for the invaluable experience!

Sunday (3rd), the fellows ran a combined workshop for the Ulwazi CreACTive Centre students. The core content of this interactive workshop was designed to elicit the physical and mental occurrence of each student’s very first encounter/s of the day as self portraiture. Each learner was given a task to visually/ literally map these, thus challenging and exploring the five senses. Transcending the outcome of this exercise, one student included a theatrical component to further trace his routine.

Within this dynamic group, the emotional release and common spirit in terms of lifestyle was particularly captivating. The zooming of the daily experience through these young selves’ spectacles carried the residency to its last week.

Witty Nyide

At the close of my second week at Caversham, I find myself struggling to deal with the realization of the impending end of this amazing experience. In many ways, I am hoping to prolong the experience by journaling about it now… Maybe if I type real slow, it will decrease the speed in which these lifelong memories are occurring. The staff has been nothing short of amazing. The Hourglass process has proven to be a fruitful method and introduced me to new ways of communicating and thinking about my work. It is an honor to work with Malcolm, and Gabisile. Truly they are not only masters of their craft, but of bringing out the best creatively in all who work with them. I must admit, in the beginning, looking at the caliber of work produced here over the years, I was a bit intimidated. I no long carry any trepidations about where my work will factor into the history of Caversham, as I now realize that it is truly the work of Malcolm, Gabi, Simon and the entire staff at Caversham that drives and inspires artists to move far beyond their own expectations and abilities. It is equally momentous to share this experience with amazing artists like; Witty Nyide, Colbert Mashile and Kobus Moolman as well as with my fellow American artists Gregor Turk and Marshall Walker Lee. We all seemed to bond together like old friends from the moment we met and it has been riotous laughter, bonding and creative growing together ever since. Apparently, no matter how slow I type, this experience will ultimately come to a close. However, I am happy to know that at the close new doors open and new adventures begin as life-long friendships have been made, life-altering experiences have been had and life-changing creative growth has occurred. To Malcolm, Gabi, Ros, Jabu , Witty and all the staff at Caversham as well as everyone at Fulton County Arts Council in Atlanta, GA I thank you sincerely for this experience!!! Ngiyabonga!!!

Fahamu Pecou

I am certain that our readers are wondering about the writer of our beautifully evocative posts, A Journey of Inspiration and Engaging the Spirit, so here is a brief introduction to Witty Nonhlanhla Nyide. Witty grew up and was educated in the beautiful rural KZN area of Bulwer, and was never without pencil and paper for both drawing and writing. Having studied commerce at senior school, Witty felt sure she was destined for other things. She followed her dream and approached Anthea Martin, director of the African Arts Centre. Recognising her creative potential, Anthea invited Witty to join Velobala Visual Arts Course, which was conducted on Saturdays. Here Witty found her niche, encouraged and inspired by the staff. It was during this time that Witty assembled a portfolio which was the basis for her acceptance by the Fine Arts Department at DUT. DUT staff were responsible for Witty’s introduction to Caversham when she was sent on a leadership residency in August of 2006.Witty completed her studies in 2007, and is now doing a three-month internship at Caversham, where she is also a fully involved participant in the current residency. She plans to utilize the remainder of her internship to explore potential career paths as well as her vision of providing a CreActive Centre in her home area to inspire and empower other young people. Before she goes off to do that, we hope to enjoy a lot more of her writing!