Very Real Time is based in Cape Town, South Africa. We use artmaking projects to address the social and cultural residues of the apartheid era which continue to demarcate the city. Very Real Time is a registered non-profit organisation.
FAR OUT - Atlantis
Since 2018, Very Real Time has been focused in Atlantis, a satellite town 50 km from Cape Town. FAR OUT - Atlantis is an engagement with community dance groups in the town whose main purpose is to protect youth from problems on the streets. Through this collaboration between youth, activists, local church bodies, Cape Town-based artists and dance companies, the objective is to connect dance initiatives in Atlantis and build their capacities. Skills and employment are created through the development of professional dance productions and junior teaching programs. Finally, we are building a Youth Centre and dance studio to house these projects.
Residency program
Between 2003 and 2015, Very Real Time was primarily a 1 month residency for 5 - 7 artists, privileging the production of performative/ephemeral engagements with the city. Artists were lodged with local residents so as to quickly develop personal immersion and overcome the shock of being an outsider to the social imbalances which Cape Town presents. Collaborations frequently developed with hosts. 22 artists projects were produced by artists including : Sung Hwan Kim, Jimmy Robert, Cinthia Marcelle, Bridget Baker and Milena Bonilla. Originally conceived as part of the RAIN Network at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (Amsterdam)