Fire Walker is a public sculpture collaboration between South African artists William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx, commissioned by the City of Johannesburg and installed in 2009 in Newtown, on the fringe of the inner city. This book features a collection of essays, each of which uses Fire Walker to explore a range of themes relating to the meaning and use of public space in the city of Johannesburg.
In the buildup to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Johannesburg saw large amounts of public money fed into the regeneration of the inner city. The public artworks programme that resulted - of which Fire Walker is the culmination - reflects the zeitgeist of this period. This book - itself a collaboration on many levels - captures this spirit and offers insight into a particular moment in the unfolding story of Johannesburg.
In addition to the essays, the book includes both visual archival resources and an extensive, full-colour photographic essay of the creative process, from the first studio sketches and the construction of the Fire Walker maquette to installation and the transformation of the site in Newtown.
The deluxe edition of the book will include a signed and numbered limited-edition print from both Kentridge and Marx. The book will be hand bound and presented in a special portfolio box with the prints.
Contributors:
Alex Dodd
Jonathan Cane
Mark Gevisser
Bronwyn Law-Viljoen
Mpho Matsipa
Zen Marie
Photography:
John Hodgkiss
Editions:
William Kentridge
Gerhard Marx |
