The Place of Shade
At first, the plan was simple – to be home by Christmas. To begin to view the very concept of home as built upon nostalgia. Imagining home is a pastime of any immigrant. If, as Breton suggests, ‘The imaginary is that which tends to become real,’ what were our imaginings bringing to life?
The Place of Shade is an exhibition of artistic research into contemporary Norwegian culture in South Africa. Norwegians, began operating within the British colonial framework from around 1840—the same period as the migration to America. Lutheran missions, whaling, farming, business and family characterise this almost 200 year Afri-Norge diasporic heritage. It has been almost entirely overlooked in visual culture, until now.
Following the depletion of Whales in the Nordic seas, Norwegian immigrants almost single-handedly established the whaling operations in Durban from 1908 onwards. Their legacy remains an integral component of both the city and indeed the province's socio-cultural fabric to this day. With this in mind, we sought out the ghosts of Larsen, Hermansen, Egeland and more from New Pier to Kwambonambi; we found them.
The project is an act of psychogeography, insofar as it hinges upon ‘the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals.’ The images, paintings, film and text that make up the exhibition are the culmination of this process. The attempt by a disparate group of individuals, at once insiders and outsiders, to understand how legacy takes shape and how it has reshaped our understanding of Home.
By living with and meeting Norwegian decedents on their farms and homesteads this project was possible. We thank all who were so kind and eager to connect again with their roots.
Anthony Morton (artistic research director)
Anthony Charles Morton is a visual artist and researcher based in Bergen, Norway. His work currently focuses on the nature of image making. His art has been exhibited in Bergen, Shanghai, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. In his practice, he makes art that tells stories with philosophical foundations. They tend to beg questions and he explores what can be drawn from them.
Ray Franz (writer and researcher)
Ray Franz is a writer based in Durban, South Africa and London, England. His work is centred on the legitimisation of imagined identities in a post-colonial context. The initial short stories in his forthcoming collection 'Myopia' have featured in New Contrast Literary Magazine and Kinda Weird Magazine respectively.
Jethro Westraad (documentary film maker)
Jethro Westraad is a filmmaker and lecturer from South Africa. His films deal with themes of home, memory, nostalgia and the family unit; exploring how domestic spaces reflect larger societal issues. While such topics may have serious undertones, Jethro is known for his distinctly humorous approach – rich with irony and satire – that relishes in the contradictions and complexities of modern day life.
Rupert Grantham (guide and researcher)
Rupert Grantham is a farmer and cultural expert based in Zululand, South Africa. Working in Vietnam for many years Rupert long had dreams of managing bands in South East Asia. Being the youngest of three sons, after an unexpected call, he returned to South Africa to take over the farm. His wish of working in the cultural field were fulfilled by the vibrancy of the fresh perspective he gained upon returning home.
