Red Eye returns to Durban
Art lovers are in for a special treat when Durban's popular creative feast Red Eye returns to Durban next month.
SUZY Bell, the initiator and creative director of Red Eye Durban, is bringing back Red Eye to Durban on 7 November, and thereafter the first Friday of every month. The new venue is situated at the cultural precinct of Khuzimpi Shezi “Williams” Road in Umbilo at The Bakery and it kicks off next Friday, 7 November.
“There is a beautiful big fat building on the top floor of a bakery, just across the road from acclaimed artist, Andries Botha’s art studios and opposite the iconic Sugar Terminals on Durban’s harbour in downtown Umbilo. This historic building was home to the Durban Rickshaw Pullers where they originally set-up shop in the early 1900s and the original traditional Zulu Beer Hall is in nearby Dalton Road. It’s a culturally historical and wonderful culturally-diverse community for Red Eye Durban,” said Bell, cultural activist and creative director of the revival of this highly successful multi-media art-soaked project.
Bell has called the venue The Bakery as they literally bake bread below and, “above on the top floor we will be cooking up an art night of crunching live original bands, fashion, graphic art, comics, live graff-bombing, jewellery, poetry, digital films, performance art, fire art and installations as Red Eye Durban.”
Red Eye, a legendary arts project born in Durban, originally took place at the Durban Art Gallery back in 1998 and attracted record crowd. It is now returning to Durban as #REDEYEDURBAN every first Friday of the month from 6pm to midnight. Bookings are via Facebook on Webtickets.co.za or at the door at R100 a pop and R80 for students, children 12 and under enjoy free entrance.
“I am loving that a five-year-old Durban child who came with his dad (poet, Leon Pillay) to Red Eye back then in its original heyday, just contacted me on Facebook to say how thrilled he is that Red Eye has returned. That five-year-old, Taze Pillay, is now 19 and was so inspired by Red Eye back then, that he went on to study art. I have just booked him to perform a gender binary performance piece for December 5 Red Eye Durban,” enthused Bell.
“The aim is to stimulate Durban’s creative community. In 2015 we want to run creative and arts marketing workshops under Red Eye mentors and then create a Red Eye App as a tool to market ourselves professionally,” she added.
