FEATURE CONTRIBUTOR: Adriaan Bester
twitter: aibester
Ignoring the bouncing (non-connected) dot on my iPhone for a moment, my primordial desire for artistic muse pulled me off the tourists patch of Istanbul recently and into a building that, had it been in Cape Town, would probably be declared unsafe (and mothballed).
Not charged to enter, nor to sign any indemnity of responsibility, I entered the sacred space of a local artist who chose a building that bordered the ancient walls which protected this piece of Turkey from foreign invasion many centuries ago, with dancing creatures and ethereal characters that sang in unison to me a tune of welcoming comfort.
And the tear on my left cheek was not for the presence of the spirits I suspected nor for the gift of isolation in a city occupied by millions that made be feel individual. It was for the memory of the vandalised art on the Sea Point promenade and the efforts that often go unnoticed by artists and authorities to introduce the value of artistic expression into our daily lives. My own lack of showing enough appreciation too.
So I committed to finding a way of sharing this moment – and saying thank you for the girl and the dragonfly and the white horses and the company garden statues and the burning man events once a year and the many other projects that need our support in the City of Cape Town. The truth is, we need more to remind us of the role you play in shaping our views of the world around us, #methinks.