Public art and the Infecting the City festival

I first started to appreciate public art while walking the streets of Paris on vacation in 2006. It seemed that everywhere we looked there was at least one piece of art on display with the gardens and parks seeming to be gathering places for statues and sculptures of all kind. I realised then that in some way art (and perhaps sculpture in particular) conjures up the humanity in those who see it. In some way it draws us from our day-to-day race and reminds us that we're human; not robots made to mechanically step through life.

Although Cape Town has it's fair share of statues, they're mostly political in nature and weren't placed in the public domain for reasons of artistic appreciation (I don't think). However, there appears to have been a gradual move towards public art displays - with the most notable one being the scuptures of girls and butterflies along the Sea Point promenade.

The Infecting the City public art festival is set to take place from 21 February until 26 February in Cape Town. (Here's a schedule). While the main hub will be located on the square outside the Cape Town Station the displays and performances will be spread all over the CBD area. If you're not normally in the city, make a plan to visit - there's going to be plenty to see and admire!