ADRIAAN LOUW
Members of urban activist group motherlode and other volunteers jump from a stone gabion wall at Fountains Circle after their design intervention “You’re Welcome”.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
valued craftsmanship and creative participation as opposed to mass production. As such, the intention of the urban interventions was not to reform the face of the city but instead to revolutionize the way we think and interact with the city with a view towards social change. As Motherlode, the guerrilla artist group whose work is also featured in this catalogue, noted, ‘Urban interventions aim to foster positive transformation and a culture of active citizenry.’ Although it may be argued that many of these urban interventions were ephemeral in nature and may not have affected change, they certainly had the potential to disrupt the urban environment and in so doing encourage more critical thinking about the city and self. On a personal level, these urban interventions provided aesthetic experiences that may in turn have encouraged inhabitants to imagine and initiate alternative visions of the city. To this end, the examples in this catalogue are not merely a showcase of urban experimentation and explorations of creativity but a reference for future urban interventions. On a policy level, it is hoped that the interventions encourage local authorities to see the value of including professional creative agents such as designers, street artists, urban planners, public art practitioners and architects in planning and development projects in Pretoria not only for their skills to lend a creative hand but, more importantly, to lend an ear to the real needs of the community. Fatima Cassim holds a master’s degree in information design and works at the
Department of Visual Arts at the University of Pretoria. Chenette Swanepoel is an interdisciplinary designer and artist with a special interest
in design activities in the public and social sphere. Design Activism
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