Writing on one of the paintings of a photograph taken by a street photographer in Johannesburg (Joburg ArtCity project), Mike Alfred (Sunday Times Lifestyle, September 2002) comments:
Occupying three levels of the Kazerne parking exit of Queen Elizabeth Bridge, Karin Preller offers a grey canvas which shows two women family members Rienie and Petronella, Johannesburg 1950s. Fashionably dressed in the “new look”, as was customary then for a trip into “town”, they were probably shopping. The Lightbody’s (gentlemen’s outfitters) sign is clearly visible.
The painting uses as inspiration an old photo taken by a street photographer. He might possibly have been a rare downtown dark businessman. The two women shopped in a “protected” space in which other races were not absent, but largely invisible. Stuttafords, Ansteys, and John Orrs were exclusive, where haughty, formally costumed shop assistants looked down their narrow white noses. Black people heaved the goods behind the scenes. The picture exudes white nostalgia:
“Let’s take a tram into town this morning; we’ll shop and lunch and then take in a matinee at the Colosseum.” It depicts a world forever gone, certainly not recaptured in Joburg’s magnificent, laager-like, shopping malls. As does Schadeberg, Preller jolts us with remembered history.

Exciting Stuff.

http://www.gautengfilm.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=1167

http://www.joburgcentral.co.za/show_article.php?articleid=354


Kind Regards

SPACEatANSTEYS
Thoma Moldovanos & Brian McKechnie
www.spaceatansteys.com

Aagh! what is the deal with all of OPH buildings and this dam slate! it's EVERYWHERE! it's awful!
Does Geralds brother own a slate factory or something?? Yuk!

Very positive news though, the city is about to get its first Virgin Gym - so Renney Plitt of Afhco tells me! It will occupy 3 floors of the old Stuttafords Building, corner Pritchard and Rissik Streets. The remaining floors of Stuttafords will be refurbished as up market Residential. Robin Fee was going on about something very grand planned for the remainder of the palace site (opposite Stuttafords, the Barbican site) im not exactly sure what the plan was , but everybody seems very excited. Watch this space!

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Cities are about the unexpected, the gallery ‘discovered’ around the corner, the coffee shop with no name with the Ethiopian hostess who serves freshly brewed Ethipoian coffee to her family as well as her patrons, a rooftop party with a sweeping view of the city at an architects penthouse . This is an opportunity that I think much of the ‘regeneration’ in Johannesburg has missed. The redevelopment of the city has followed a pattern of large companies buying up old buildings and refurbishing them along similar generic lines of mass mid income rental housing stock. How is this model really any different from Paulshof or Midrand? Granted, the buildings in town are far prettier, but it’s the same concept. Development in the city should pioneer that nieche market that makes cities exciting, the city won’t ever compete with the malls of the suburbs it’s not mass market, that is where the appeal lies.