Imagine City Hall was born as an idea between the Africa Centre, Cape MIC, the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) and Cape Town Partnership's Creative Cape Town programme: organisations with a vision, audience base, resources and the critical support of various stakeholders to make the City Hall function as a dynamic project.
Since 1996, the Cape Town Partnership has been working on lobbying the government, carrying out research, developing a business plan and funding proposals, and establishing structures (with the support of former Mayor Helen Zille) to manage and redevelop the space as a dynamic cultural space suited for the 21st century. Now, after the Cape Town Library's move into the refurbished Drill Hall in 2009, the space it had occupied for close to 40 years is ready for an injection of new life.
The first glimpse of its possibilities will come when the Africa Centre uses the grand old spaces for the Spier Contemporary Art Exhibition from 13 March to 14 May, 2010. The exhibition is designed to use the space in a dynamic way to attract and engage both seasoned art critics and those who have never attended an art exhibition. For the duration of the exhibition, the venue will also house a cafe and a shop, as well as hosting regular events by outside initiatives as well as workshops for children.
The re-imagining of the space will take into account the important heritage of the building. The classic lines of the 1905 Italian Rennaissance building, juxtaposed with the exhibit of contemporary artworks, provide a natural focus for the Central City's cultural renaissance.
The partners have turned to social media to engage citizens in the project. A Facebook group has been set up at http://bit.ly/9WDKAR. There are already close to 500 fans, and their comments reflect their wide support for the project.
Further information about the project is at www.creativecapetown.net/imagine-city-hall-explained/.
You can also see a video at http://bit.ly/cnI8VI.
