Voices of the City : Lindsey Appolis | FUTURE CAPE TOWN

 

---

I am definitely inspired  by the people of Cape Town. I think there are so many untold stories from parts of the city and it’s people that go unnoticed and undocumented. When I joined the The Real City of Cape Town (@therealcityofcapetown) collective, it was to try and showcase as many facets of the city and it’s people as possible.

I don’t think I have a ‘secret’ place but even as long as I’ve lived in Cape Town, I keep discovering new places and spaces. Especially as a photographer, I like to keep an eye out for interesting and unique spaces, and Cape Town has plenty!

The ‘Noem My Skollie’ premiere at the Kyknet Silwerskerm Fees. It was so great to celebrate, and be involved in, such a uniquely Cape Townian film. A sliver of the Cape Town culture and community that I grew up in was portrayed with reverence on the big screen – that is a first that I proud to be a part of!

The are so many things that frustrate me, but I think all of these frustrations stem from the divisions within the city as well the inaccessibility of so many parts of the city to so many people. I think this is a city that cannot yet be enjoyed equally by all who live in it, and we still have a long way to go before it is.

My Grandmother, we had a very strong bond. My family lived with her for 5 years, from ages 2 to 7. I slept behind her back (I was a very small big spoon). So if there was a person I could have dinner with it be her, without question. I’d love to talk to her about all the adventures I’d been on and see her reaction to some of the trouble I’ve gotten into but mostly just to hear her voice and have her sneak me some sweets and a R10.

“The Act of photography does not captivate me. I had plenty of random jobs through high school and my first introduction to photography was working at a racecourse during a gap year.  The scheduled photographer failed to pitch and being the youngest guy there, they all assumed I would just know how to use a camera.  I somehow managed to get a few decent snaps and was featured in their weekly betting magazine. My first published work in a weekly R20 magazine. A decade later I quit my job at an investment firm and picked up a camera once again. With a camera in hand and an insatiable curiosity, I’ve never been happier waking up to go to ‘work’. I realized that photography had little to do with equipment and everything to do with heart.  Bracing for that moment when a dancer is in full flight or moving through markets in Tanzania, photography has landed me in moments that only last a second but are forever held still as I hear that click. The joy and at times sadness of a photograph, the places and faces I’ve met, and the thrill of knowing I will be doing this forever is what captivates me.”

1. Voices of the city: Funke Makinwa
2. Voices of the city: Boeta Phyf
3. Voices of the city: Zahira Asmal