OSTRICH-EGG BEADING WORKSHOP
January 1994

 

At this time weaver, Sam Ntshangase, formed a small business with Niël Jonker, hence the FLAT became the site for a kind of ‘workshop/commercial venture’. Jonker was one of the FLAT occupants and the son of an ostrich farmer from Oudtshoorn. Ntshangase was a teacher and weaver who we had originally met through Andries Botha in l991, when he conducted weaving workshops at the Natal Technikon.
A prolific art-school teacher, instructing in three schools at the same time, Ntshangase had come not only to teach, but also to study art at the Technikon in 1992. With no permanent residence in Durban central, Ntshangase would often stay over at the FLAT, and so in a sense, became a semi‑permanent flat-mate. Often he would come in after a full days work at the Technikon, sleep for a few hours and then leave at 3 am to drive to one of his schools down the South Coast. Well connected in the Zulu Royalty, he seemed to know everyone in both political and artistic circles, and these included a number of weavers in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
According to the business plan developed by Jonker and Ntshangase, Jonker would get box-loads of empty ostrich eggs from his father in Oudtshoorn, and Ntshangase would then find beaders to decorate these eggs. These would then be marketed either through international export or local shops. They approached the FLAT Gallery about using the space to make the eggs, and when all agreed, the production of these crafted items began. Three women came with their children one day to work and used the FLAT space rent-free for a weekend. As a result of these events, the FLAT operated not only as a residence and an exhibition/performance space, but also became a temporary community workshop site. It was our policy that anyone could use the space for anything, and so this included non‑exhibition activities.