Welcome to Making Lines. Inspired by the Ballerina Project
(New York) and the beautiful city of Durban, this project aims to revive an
almost forgotten art form at street level. Making Lines brings to the fore an
art form – ballet – that has a certain instability in the city of Durban. In
contrast to the “Ballerina project” (New York), which endeavours to highlight
the “heart and emotions” of ballet dancers, Making Lines has a more material
purpose: that is, to create a fleeting moment of the dancer in our everyday
surrounds. The dancer simultaneously becomes of the city and distinct, in an
attempt to re-energise a public that no longer enjoys a resident ballet
company. The images that create a photographic trail of dancers throughout
Durban, therefore, not only highlight the plight of young dancers in our city,
but also open a dynamic space in which we can re-conceptualise the dancer
within the city.
The title, ‘Making Lines’, refers to the
various ‘lines’ dancers create as a result of the correct positioning of their
body. This alignment includes not just the body, but the eyes, chin, and even the
fingertips. It is this same ‘line’ that also exudes feeling, thus creating
infinite lines of expression and affirmation of a dancer within the architectural
‘lines’ of the city. The dancer and the city are then connected through the
medium of photography.
With its rich history and diverse culture,
Durban is certainly the perfect playground for this project. This collaboration
of art forms brings new possibilities to people who, having carved their own
lines within the limits of the city, will discover infinite ‘lines’.
Pictured here: Nikita Koumantarakis (left) and Tayla Ross (right)
All images belong to the creators of Making Lines, Jann Esterhuizen and Melita Vurden.
For more information, or to purchase photographs, please contact makinglines@gmail.comCheck us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MakingLines
