BINNEKRING BLOG
THERE IS NO PLAN ~ The ongoing adventures of Solar Santa
“I’m afraid the grand plan has gone pie shaped”. The message is from the Oracle of the Tankwa. The visit to the Cape has been months in the making. Designed to stop me from going bosbevok from overexposure to lockdown. …More »
Light art at AfrikaBurn: Finding our sublime selves?
This is a summary of a paper presented at the 14th National Conference of the South African Journal of Art History, hosted virtually by Nelson Mandela University in September 2020. By John Steele, Walter Sisulu University; [email protected] Despite being off …More »
THE (VIRTUAL) ADVENTURES OF SOLAR SANTA 2020
(words and photos by Solar Santa aka Ronnie Jack) Has the virus pandemic left you huddled morosely gazing into your cup of soup? Lucky you. I’m old as Methuselah so don’t have the luxury of wasting what little time …More »
HomeBurn: a trilogy in four parts ~ Part 4: (Going) Live, the Universe and Everything
Words by Solar Santa with The Tim Doyle, May 2020 Photo by Stu Shapiro and featured image by Jan Verboom This HomeBurn story is writing itself. And like the real Burn it contains all the twists and turns that create …More »
HomeBurn: a trilogy in four parts ~ Part 3: So Long and Thanks for All the Art
Words by Solar Santa with Isa Marques, May 2020 Photos by Isa and Jade Holling (featured image by Carmel Ives) Solar Santa’s Burn boots continue their virtual journey into the heartland of HomeBurn 2020. This time we are in the …More »
HomeBurn: a trilogy in four parts ~ Part 2: The Phoenix at the End of the Pangolin
Words by Solar Santa with Nathan Victor Honey, May 2020 Photos by Nathan Honey except the one of himself (header image taken by Mark Thomas) Solar Santa continues on his dusty virtual journey into the heart of HomeBurn 2020. This …More »
HomeBurn: a trilogy in four parts ~ Part 1: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to HomeBurn
Words by Solar Santa with Scheepers de Bruin, May 2020 (featured image photo by Gita Claassen) It was my plan to complete a trilogy of Burn stories in 2020. Like so many Burn plans it crashed and burnt (symbolically) when …More »
Urban design and performing land art at AfrikaBurn: academic article by Dr John Steele
The article “Ephemeropolis: urban design and performing land art at AfrikaBurn 2019” by John Steele has just been published. It seems timeous to be reflecting on urban planning and curation of spaces, people and works since 2007, especially considering …More »
A DREAM COME TRUE
Reflections on the first Jozi Streetopia ~ words and most pictures by Solar Santa In 1886 Jozi was a dry and desolate place. A little like Tankwa Town with a bit more grass and a few trees. No river …More »
What did you do in the war, Daddy?
Text by Solar Santa (Ronnie Jack). Free pictures from Pixabay I grew up in the aftermath of World War 2. My father served in armoured cars in North Africa against Rommel’s Afrika Korps. As a child I would ask him …More »
