When: Sunday, 29th May 2011  @  11:00 - 18:00
Where: Rooftop, Revolution House, Corner Main Str and Kruger Str, Maboneng Precinct

Invisible Cities is a year-long music and arts festival in the form of 12 once-off monthly events set in the empty buildings soon to be part of Johannesburg’s Maboneng arts precinct, home to Arts on Main, Goethe on Main and Main Street Life.

The events will make use of transitional spaces – empty buildings that are no longer what they once were, and not yet what they will soon become. Rooftops, hallways, stairwells and facades will be transformed into snapshots of a possible Johannesburg.

There is a lot of talk about what Johannesburg is, what it was and what it is becoming. It is a city in, perhaps eternal, transition. This is a privilege for us, the people who call it ours. We can make Johannesburg whatever we want it to be. The city is here, asking us to shape it. While some look to European cities and envy their long established routines, venues and structures in the arts, there are those of us who see the blank canvas and embrace it. We see what we want our city to be, we see it’s place in the world, and we see the importance of our contributions. We have a dream and we want to make it reality.

Part one will feature performances by local acts The Frown and The Brother Moves On, who in collaboration with The Skeleton Crew, a multidisciplinary artist collective, will build installations and environments and transform spaces. They will step out of the expected limited role of stage performer to shape a one of a kind unforgettable experience, offering new perspectives of our city.

A curatorial approach is being taken to pairing the musicians for each event. They are not being paired for the sake of similarity or difference, but for the possibilities that could be realized by the meeting of personalities. They are being chosen for their uniqueness, open mindedness and commitment to the diversity of the Johannesburg cultural landscape. Johannesburg holds a number of artists who choose music as their main form of expression. These are the ones we’re interested in.

Map and directions at: http://www.artsonmain.co.za/locations.html

In partnership with the Goethe Institut, Maboneng Precinct, Vice Magazine, Sailor Jerry.