From 30 Sept 2021 • Vital Capacities website

Reverberation – Vital Capacities’ latest exhibition

Image represents four artists work, top left: a still image from Siphenathi Mayekiso’s film Echoes of Identity, which shows a man with bare chest and arms across his face against a blue sky; top right: a still image from Rebekah Ubuntu’s film Ecologies of Belonging (a Meditation in Progress), which shows a person standing in the centre of a sandy footpath with long grass either side, in the distance to the left if the sea and clouds in the sky; bottom right: a still image from Nadine Mckenzie’s film A Will, My Wheels and a Way, which shows a young woman sat in a wheelchair reflected in a mirror, a wall of windows shows buildings and blue sky outside; bottom left picture: a dirt track footpath leads into the distance through a field, the ground is a deep red, making the grass on the sides of the path almost black in colour, trees can be seen on the horizon in the distance with clouds and a little blue sky above.
All four artists’ work, beginning bottom right clockwise: Nadine Mckenzie, A Will, My Wheels and a Way, 2021; …kruse, Directionsgreat to Storyplace, 2021; Siphenathi Mayekiso, Echoes of Identity, 2021; artwork still, Ecologies of Belonging (a Meditation in Progress) by Rebekah Ubuntu, courtesy of the Artist. Find Rebekah online @rebekahubuntu.

In August 2021, we worked with four artists-in-residence on Vital Capacities, two from South Africa, Siphenathi Mayekiso and Nadine Mckenzie, and two from the UK, …kruse and Rebekah Ubuntu. All four artists were invited to research and explore ideas, and to share them during the residency. Each artist has produced work that resonates with the work they did throughout the residency, reflecting on memory, personal narratives, experience, and movement. See the exhibition: vitalcapacities.com

Siphenathi Mayekiso has created a poetic movement storytelling film, which takes the viewer on a journey, reflecting on our perception of what we think others see when they look at us. Echoes of Identity is a personal interrogation using the body to build a dialogue about the self.

Nadine Mckenzie’s film, A Will, My Wheels and a Way is a powerful personal narrative that reflects on the car accident which led to Mckenzie being paralysed. The film brings together memories, interviews with family and friends, and interpretive dance to portray Mckenzie’s close connection to her wheelchair.

…kruse’s residency resulted in two works, Stumpsoft to Hungerdream and Directionsgreat to Storyplace, which came out of …kruse’s investigation into her relationship with paths and walking. Both works contain what …kruse describes as word drawings, poetic wanderings and meanderings over old and new paths.

Rebekah Ubuntu decided to focus on reflecting and taking pause during their residency; reading and meditating on Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ book Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals. Ubuntu has created Ecologies of Belonging (a Meditation in Progress) in response to their time in residence.

August’s programme was delivered in partnership with Institute for Creative Arts – University of Cape Town and Wysing Arts Centre. With support from Arts Council England.

 

Vital Capacities is an accessible, purpose-built digital residency space, that supports artists’ practice while engaging audiences with their work.

Vital Capacities has been created by videoclub in consultation with artists, digital inclusion specialist Sarah Pickthall and website designer Oli Pyle.

       

 

Arts Council England funding logo (Lottery)