By Richard Kilpert
Cape Town has many ‘best-kept secrets’. People in this storied part of the peninsula are well-supplied with treasures from the past. Observatory as a suburb is connected to the history of star-gazing and retains its image as a student digs and underground music venue, but during the day it bustles as a hub between the new Amazon HQ and Groote Schuur hospital.
Bang in the middle is an Art Deco cinema which in its heyday was a magnificent example of William Hood Grant’s architecture which opened in 1941. It ceased being operational as a movie house long before the 1995 plastic factory explosion and fire that ravaged much of the building.
The surviving structure was purchased by the blacksmith Conrad Hicks who has since chaperoned it as one of the leading studio hubs in this creative city. It already carries the legacy as the base for alma mater such as printmaker Judy Woodborne, kinetic art ensemble Odd Enjineers and Southern Guild star Justine Mahoney. Let us not forget its edgy moment as HQ for all manner of Afrikaburn mutant vehicles and events.
Enter Artroute. Not only have we brought commercial attention to the alchemic genius at its center, but in the post-pandemic world, we have hosted creative workshops and public talks in its epic studios. The latest project is a foyer-based project space that acts as a gallery for the artists who call the cinema home.
Obviously, the Tool Room and foundry in the old cinema gallery for the central activity, but the arrival of Loft Editions brings an air of professional practice to the smoke-scarred studios of Chris Denovan, Simone Verfaille, Chelsea Young, and Gerben Meiring. The artisanal angle is well covered by the master bicycle-maker Dave Mercer, the Local Baker, and SilverLight photographer Sean Wilson.
Added to the mix of regular events is the new work of local artists like Ndikumbule Ngqnambi, Theko Boshomane and Lindisipho Gulwa. Please contact Artroute for a personal tour of the spaces and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter:
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