702 Talk Show host Jenny Crwys-Williams, had several conversations and interviews last week around the state of the Barbican building, a heritage resource in the Central CBD of Joburg.  Since leaving Wits University in 2005, where in my latter years I headed up a newly-established post-graduate division of Heritage, Tourism and Cultural Management Studies, (what a [...]

Kim Miller, assistant professor of women’s studies and art history at Wheaton College in the States, is currently researching visual representations of women political activists in South Africa both during and after the struggle against apartheid.  When in Johannesburg on her research trips, Kim stays at Liz at Lancaster Guest House.  Wanting to track down [...]

A visiting academic who is staying here at Liz at Lancaster referred this morning to Boekehuis as ‘Johannesburg’s Best Kept Secret’.  What a shame not to spread the word about such a gem of  a store. The title of Lucille Davie’s article (www.joburg.org. za  7 June 2006):  ‘Boekehuis one of the world’s 50 unique bookshops’, says it all.  [...]

The old Turbine Hall in Newtown,  previously derelict and dangerous, has undergone a remarkable succesful adaptation, to become Anglo Gold Ashanti’s headquarters. There are some spectacular architectural details inside ,with motifs from the old industrial building being picked up and repeated with an aesthetic elegance and power which is extraordinary. Accolades to Anglo Gold Ashanti for preserving in [...]

 
The Fire Walker by Kentridge and Marx
 Johannesburg is to have its own William Kentridge, a collaborative work with Gerhard Marx.  Part of the public arts programme, it will stand at the south end of Queen Elizabeth bridge. The sculpture has been funded by the Johannesburg Development Agency and the Goodman Gallery. Standing 12m high (8 [...]

 
Much of the talk on Radio 702 yesterday focused on the vuvuzelas at the Confederation Cup soccer games and it seems there are polarized opinions of them – people either love `em or hate `em.  FIFA’s initial concerns about the vuvuzela (probably influenced as much by their potential for competitive advertising, as by the loud cacophony [...]