"Art is an act of the soul, not the intellect.
When we are dealing with people's dreams - their visions, really - we are in the realm of the scared.
We are involved with forces and energies larger than our won.
We are engaged in a sacred transaction of which we know only a little:
the shadow, not the shape.

For these reasons, it is mandatory that any gathering of artist be in the spirit of a sacred trust.
We invoke the Great Creator when we invoke our own creativity, and that creative force has the power to alter lives, fulfull destinies, answer our dreams. "

The Artist Way
Julia Cameron

show 'n tell spreads it's wings

Hi 
wanted to tell you that we liked Matjiesfontein so much that we took the idea back to England! We hired a country pile in Devon (which even had a little hall, which used to be the village hall) and invited 31 friends for the weekend, asking everyone to make a contribution. We're quite a debaucherous lot, so not all the activities happened, but most of them did.

We had a Mad Hatter's tea party, a game of rounders where you had to run with a silly hat while balancing a tea cup and saucer, hula hooping, wine tasting, a pub quiz in the village hall, life drawing (was supposed to be a naked life drawing of our exhibitionistic friend, but it ended up being done informally around the braai), a country ramble, a memory wall, then an Oscars Award Ceremony where we all had to dress as Hollywood characters. Awards were given for people based on films - for example, Andy was 'The Big Baranowski', I was 'Dude, Where's My Drugs?" , my friend was 'Dude, Where's My Bag?" as she loses things, our friend who loves to eat was nominated for several James Bond awards - 'The Pie Who Loved Me', Casino Royale with Extra Cheese', 'Goldenfingerlickin' Good' - you get the picture.

It was a fabulous weekend (I'm still buzzing!) and everyone kept telling me what a brilliant idea it was… and I did give you guys credit and say I'd got the idea from an event in South Africa!

We're going to make it an annual event - come next year!!!!

And thanks again!

Oh and before I forget, Andy and his friend Rick did an intervention during the Oscars afterparty - they came into the hall dressed in Mexican wrestler outfits and did some staged wrestling. Photos may surface later - I didn't take any.


- claire

**matjies I miss you**

"To drop your stuff and take hold of a story.  To do something outside of yourself.  To dance a lot and co-create. To hang about in history. To be part of something else.  It is a new possibility and in a way has only just begun. " lyall sprong

"It is indeed very sad to say goodbye to such an upwelling of creativity but as you imply it will pop out somewhere else (like larva). I’m sure.

Best,
Andrea Weiss
MANAGING EDITOR Weg/go!

Farewell Show ‘n Tell

A long time ago now, next to the N1 highway that cuts through the country, two friends enjoyed some tea and scones in a tiny Victorian coffee house with creaky wooden floors.

The framework of time melted into another world and another era. In the flicker of shadow and light the empty town was full of playful characters. Someone was juggling balls on the veranda, a song was being sung in the smoking room, a make-shift theatre production was on at the train station. A poetry performance by the fountain; the antique statues were dancing. The air was alive with laughter, with the sound of play. There was an energy that could not be ignored. It was all there and the dots just had to be connected.

I now understand how, living in his tiny town of Matjiesfontein, the magical David Rawdon spun a theatre of dreams around the town he bought and lovingly restored over 40 years.  His huge imagination, his powerful dream machine, lit up a creative bubble of bright energy that hung over the town like a celestial dome. The mischievous, playful David Rawdon hosted picnics in the Karoo veld wearing a top hat and tails. He told stories with a glint in his eyes and made his guests feel like they were his friends, everyone laughing with delight.

In 2006 a troup of like-minded souls arrived and booked out his town for a weekend and Show ‘n Tell was born. I found myself dancing in the Lairds Arm bar; smiling faces and the mirror ball’s lights circling around and around.  I realised that I was inside the vision we’d had over a cup of tea on that sunny afternoon, that the dream had become reality. Show ‘n Tell brought many people together, from those behind the scenes who orchestrated the event with love, to all the Matjies who came to a one-street town to give life to Show ‘n Tell. Suddenly we had a safe space to play, to share, to let our creative inner children out.  It opened our hearts and changed so many lives. I know that it changed mine.

We relearned the simplest, most important things.

How to play again, without the pressure of having to earn anything in return, without having to involve our egos, without having to impress anyone.

How to share, whether it was sharing a joke or sharing our magic selves with each other.

The intimacy of creatively contributing and not being judged, because we all did it – we all showed and told.

The joy of creating with no expectations, of having no expectations about what might happen, about what we might feel. Every year was magic and every year Show ‘n Tell was different.

Show ‘n Tell had no shape – it was made up by the unique collection of those who came to the village to experience it. It was made up by all those beings of the village; seen and unseen - from the ghosts of Boer war soldiers and Victorian dandies, to the town children with new dreams, the women who turned our beds and those who make the Lord Milner Hotel run daily.

Now Show ‘n Tell is shape-shifting and it’s time to move on, away from routine and formula.  The fire has burned bigger and brighter and the sparks have lit up our hearts, calling for new fires to be started. Let’s create new platforms for play and sharing. We will not experience it in the way we did before, but Matjies Magic* does not end here... Let us keep our hearts open and ready – it’s happening all around us already and it belongs to all of us.

“All my hotels have been important, exciting and different, but Matjiesfontein is special and closest to my heart.  I hope it will go on forever.” David Rawdon 1925 -2010

"Most people believe that you have to have your eyes closed to dream, that you have to distance yourself from reality. But the opposite is true. The best dreams are the ones you have with your eyes open. You call them dreams but they’re really ideas, projects and visions. They have the same consistency as life." (fabrica)

photo's: james seigel

matjies magic*
you will always be in my heart
thank you for the incredible journey

The Clown, the Porter and the Tin Foil Skull

The karoo camera club presents:

yay... the film shot in Matjiesfontein made by Matjies will be screened at the Labia on 4 Dec..
it be nice to see you!

"Ek wil net vir jou en jou span bedank vir julle deelname aan ons erfenis dag vieringe op Matjiesfontein. Baie dankie veral wat julle vir die kinders gedoen het. "
Oerson Herder
Community Development Worker - Matjiesfontein

pics by christina 

Jujuman & Roberto

Highly-acclaimed Director of cult classic "The clown, the porter and the tin foil skull" gives Show 'n Tell the thumbs-up

"Just a quick GREAT BIG WOW and THANK YOU for one of the most magical weekends. Well done, your effort was worth it.I'm sure others should receive this mail as well so please pass on my gratitude. Much Love,Craig."

"Only thing I have to put on blog is a headache and some empty bubbly
bottles...will read what others wrote with great glee! " Theo Nel

rocket science

"Just to say thanks to you for being so welcoming to us at this year’s event – even if we are getting a bit long in the tooth. Those eager little hands of the klein maatjies reaching out to take part in something, anything, outside the pink chapel will stay with me for a long time. 

Andrea (and Jonathan)"

thank you

What a big thing Show 'n Tell 2010 has been!
THANK you each and everyone who came and contributed and shared and made Matjies Magic* in this way..
so much care and effort and attention to detail and love and hours and logistics and sweat and hard work and heavy caring and setting up went into it all the contributions.. show 'n tell really IS made up by all who come

what a fantastic thing to be in one space with so many fucken amazing bright talented genius people!!

*

Please post your pics on the blog or share your comments or let us know if you want an invite to become a member of this blog.. Show 'n Tell is not on FB.. and we would like to see your pics.. pleeeeeaaase

"Big thanks to all the Maatjies for all your hard work and dedication and for once again creating the structure for a wonderful experience. My body is tired, but my heart is very happy this morning. Jeremy"

The final Program 2010

The Final Program has been updated on the blog!

Follow THE LINK to check it out

its one way or the highway to show 'n tell 2010

Some of you are coming by train and some by plane. Some of you are from Jozi and some are from China, china. Some of you will be masked and some will even be on the Cinematic Motion Picture Screen. But one thing’s for sure...we’re all maatjies (not matjies) and we’re all going one way. It’s been called everything from Mike’s Fountain to Mates Fonteen but there is only one.........Matjiesfontein.

Its 250 km from Cape Town,1 200 km from Johannesburg on the N1 national highway and 15 789 3764 km from China.

From Cape Town, take the N1 through Paarl, the Huguenot Tunnel, Worcester, Touws River and on towards Laingsberg which should take you 2 hrs 30 minutes. If you’re driving from Jozi, use a map, pal.

Now get those pens out and write down your ‘what to pack’ list. Why? Because you’ll never remember...so here goes:


- Dress-up for ‘wies jou oupagrootjie’ dinners. Come on, it’s Heritage Day...make it up!

- Raid that stationery draw for pens, pencils, crayons etc. for little maatjies events

- Bottled water - Lord Milner’s pipes are a little rusty, know whadda I mean?

- Cash (there are no ATMS’s or escalators for that matter)

- Snacks and drinks for lazy lawn sessions (there are no shops or panda bears for that matter but we’ve heard there are going to be owls... hoot! hoot!)

- Tennis, boule and soccer attire (if you’re on the show ‘n tell soccer team you are going to need a black AND a white shirt...we have no idea why so ask Adam Cooper when you see him)

- Swimming costumes for midnight synchronised swimming sessions

- Warm clothes for those c-c-c-cold, Karoo nights and mooooon gazing

- Musical instruments and your VuVuzelas (they count too, even if the English Premier League doesn’t think so)

- Cards, games and your poker face

- Your dancing shoes

- Whatever gear you need for your contributions

NB*

* Please settle all your bills (including that ridiculous bar tab you’ve run up over the course of the weekend – cards are accepted) and don’t forget to tip the hardworking staff of the Lord Milner
* If you are vegetarian, please tell the waiters that you would like something without eyes (that option is not on the menu)
* Self-catering peeps, if you are going to be having dinner in the hotel on any of the nights, please let reception know when you check in
* If you're lost, having a wardrobe crisis and need some advice, or just want to breathe heavily into your phone call Raffaella (082 3666 374) or Inge (083 2821283)

That's it from the Matjies Massive.
Over and Out.

p.s. This is a hula-hoop friendly event

oupa grootjie se klein en groot toontjie

see you all there! 

Show 'n Tell wills start TOMORROW ( hoorahh) at 6pm with the raising of the Matjies Show 'n Tell flag

lights cameras projectors - action

Photohire has agreed AGAIN to sponsor Show 'n Tell with technical equipment for main technical stuff we need to hire for this years 5th Show 'n Tell..

Wow we LOVE Lauren and Pieter !!
so much appreciated
xxx
how cool are they..???!!!
they are very very very coolist

Ask Dom to do something Fucking Amazing

"We know the rules of show 'n tell and we've internalized them. We have no doubt that lots of people will be doing fucking amazing things creatively. Dom on the other hand is fucking amazing. She is the thing in itself, the immanentization of fucking amazing. Therefore saying that she will contribute creatively by being Fucking Amazing is no small thing or an insignificant addition to the program. Nor is it a creative act of lesser order than architecture or taking a corner perfectly. We just reckon she's Fucking Amazing and stuff flows from that assertion.

She's already on your blog wearing a T-shirt reading "Ek wil vir Jaco+Z-dog naai". That's fucking amazing, and I can assure you neither Zander or myself are deluded enough to have made that line up.

I trust you'll have no qualms with accepting her contribution.

Sincerely,
Jaco van Schalkwyk"