For the uninitiatited what is Matjiesfontein Show & Tell?
“Show ’n tell” is a platform for everyone’s creative explorations. The aim is for everyone to contribute in the old fashioned way: perform, play and present in the tiny town of Matjiesfontein over a weekend.
Matjiesfontein is a Victorian “edelgesteente” (gemstone) located in the semi-desert Karoo. In prehistoric times, it was an inland sea, where strange reptiles and fish. In its colonial heyday, the town attracted dandies, damsels and plain old roughnecks. It is one street long, belongs to one man and consist of a victorian hotel filled with real antiques.
How does it work?
Everyone that comes to the weekend has to come up with a creative contribution to present. You could sing a song, bake a cake, juggle grapefruit during breakfast, play chopsticks on the bar piano, dj, recite poetry, challenge a rabbit on the tennis court, exhibit you favorite things or tell a ghost story … “Show ’n’ tell” is not a commercial undertaking - all participants are responsible for costs, logistics and technical requirements of their contributions. There is no added charge to see any of the shows.
What kind of person does it attract - do most people contribute something?
The mix of people who come are generally from within various creative fields - designers, poets, actors, photographers, musicians, writers , architects - but the idea is not for it to be exclusive to professional artists only - we believe everyone has some creativity in them and Show 'n Tell wants to challenge people to express their creativity in an informal situation. People have to state their contributions to book accommodation, so yes, everyone contributes in some way.
Why Matjiesfontein?
The town is a declared heritage site - it has a rich history of entertainment, murder, mayhem and magic and one can feel the magic tapestry of gallantry, ghosts fact and fiction. 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 - it is the perfect place to have a weekend of play and escapism.
interview between Dan Pinch and myself, 2007
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