Brenda Atkinson Multimedia
The world of William Kentridge is one of considerable public profile, prolific artistic production, and enigmatic private symbolism. South Africa’s most acclaimed artist, his conceptual and aesthetic sensibilities have brought him growing critical kudos over the decades.
But despite his international ubiquity, Kentridge remains something of a dark horse. Reserved in interviews and largely disinclined to either political declarations or personal confessions, he remains an intriguing figure whose calm makes you wonder just how his brain works.
Fortunately for both fans and the uninitiated, a good deal of Kentridge’s abundant imaginative world has been made available through a CD-ROM publication that both informs and captures the fluid, often radiant quality of his work.
Published by David Krut, William Kentridge provides an extensive overview and catalogue of the artist’s works, biographical information, and wide- ranging insight into the pleasures and uncertainties he pulls through his own process.
The interactive nature and animation capabilities of the CD-ROM medium are well fitted to their subject. Its obvious benefits for viewing animation and film clips apply equally to the two- dimensional presentation of content.
The visuals, created by Andrew Macklin and Michele Cook of the CityVarsity Multimedia Department in Cape Town, are true to the spirit of Kentridge’s style. Characteristic elements of his work – leaping fish, loudspeakers, eyes reflected in a car rear-view mirror -are used as hyperlinks, and are set against the lyrical backdrop of the artist’s familiar urban landscapes.
Within each category, the designers have created innovative visual platforms, particularly for the theatre and animation clips.
The hyperlink options cover the full range of Kentridge’s work, from his first solo exhibition (titled Exhibition) in 1979, to his contemporary print, animation, and theatre work. An Info link on each page offers the interactive adventurer appropriate background to the relevant work in text form, and if you click on the loudspeaker icon, you can hear Kentridge himself talking about the work.
Recorded in-studio in Cape Town, Kentridge’s monologue is an articulate and economical explanation of his training (in Johannesburg and Paris), influences (Bill Ainslie, Goya), technical method (printmaking, animation), and the development of his body of work. Helpfully archived in text form, the voice-over – which allows unique first-person access – can be printed from the CD.
Kentridge has a great sense of irony and his moments of self-deprecation come as a relief: there are not many world- renowned artists who would confess that their student work was “spectacularly incompetent”, or admit to the “terror” of losing the direction of a drawing.
Although the CD-ROM medium might not be second-nature to everyone, in certain respects it has an edge over print, and this project in particular should be snapped up by educators – its primary target market – countrywide. Krut will also e-mail buyers a user-guide that explains the ins and outs of the production. Although there are a few frustrating moments – you cannot, for example, decide randomly to exit a video clip while it’s still playing – Krut’s publication offers an innovative and absorbing way to approach Kentridge’s work, and suggests that digital media might well be the way forward in raising South Africa’s lamentable lack of visual literacy.
The William Kentridge CD-ROMcan be obtained from Exclusive Books and Facts and Fiction. Further information: [email protected]