Matjiesfontein, a small town about four hours into the semi-desert Karoo from Cape Town recently played host to the gloriously odd ball Show ‘n Tell weekend. With a maximum capacity of 100 (that’s the most Matjiesfontein can accommodate) and a marketing plan of word of mouth and a blog it is a distinctly under-the-radar event. Part music festival, part art happening, part picnic but mostly a celebration of the deeply eccentric, the event is built entirely by the people that attend it (everyone is asked to make a creative contribution). A large part of the appeal is the town itself which is actually not more than a battered Victorian-era hotel (where not only the decor but the staff are antique) and a couple of out buildings at a railway siding in the middle of nowhere. Incidentally the hotel, once the playground of Victorian dandies taking the air, is supposed to be one of the most haunted buildings in the country. I asked local photographer Inge Prins (who describes herself as the events “conductor”) to explain what went down:
So for the un-initiated what is the event?
The aim is for everyone to contribute in the old fashioned way: perform, play and present in the tiny town of Matjiesfontein over a long weekend. Everyone that comes to the weekend has to come up with a creative contribution to present. It’s not a commercial undertaking – all participants are responsible for costs, logistics and technical requirements of their contributions but there is no charge to see any of the shows. The mix of people who came this year were from within various creative fields – designers, actors, photographers, musicians, writers, architects – but the idea is not for it to be exclusive to professional artists only
What were the highlights from this year?
The self service photostudio in one of the antique lounges of the Lord Milner Hotel was popular! Almost everyone present at the weekend came to take their photographs after Sunday evening’s vintage dress up dinner. Both nights had live bands and musicians performing. There was a massive open-air cinema in the garden, slideshows in a weird coffee house, French social games were played, a wishing tree, homemade short film screenings, landscape art , dj’s and lots of other events around town.
Why Matjiesfontein?
The town is a declared heritage site – it has a rich history of entertainment, murder, mayhem and magic. The Victorian buildings and antiques are well preserved and feels like a magic set waiting for something to happen. It’s isolated and forgotten in the semi desert – so I felt it is the perfect place to have a weekend of play and escapism.
And next year?
Show ‘n Tell falls over the South African public holiday of National Heritage Day. Heritage Day is the end of September – spring time in South Africa. Watch the blog for more details of next year’s event.
[via The Popular Front]
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