Rat Western: Art of the Story

by Ismail Farouk

Rat Western’s art is the art of the story. Her stories are almost always beautifully entertaining, and her pursuit is the continual search for new ways to tell an old story. Western is an artist and designer working in the inner city of Johannesburg. Despite the limitations and perceived dangers of living in the inner city, Rat and I are both residents of Highlands, a suburb of Yeoville in the inner city of Johannesburg. We share a home on the last street along the ridge where a dramatic view of the inner city of is visible. It’s also the dark end of the street, at the very top, where activities range from religious to the not so religious. Here packs of dogs roam at night and thugs hide out on the hillside amongst the ever present African indigenous worshippers who seem to form a permanent part of this urban landscape.

Indeed both Western and I are part of an ever increasing network of artists living and working in the inner city of Johannesburg. The inner city offers an affordable alternative lifestyle to the mundane lifestyle offered by life in the suburbs and a greater sense of safety as most suburban resident’s fortress themselves behind high walls.

In many ways the inner city has come to resemble the epitome of white fear. It is a common sight to witness men and women urinating in public. Garbage piles accumulate on street corners as an inconsistent urban management system falters yet again. At night the street lights fail to operate and it is under this darkness which underground criminal networks are perceived to operate amidst a culture mistrust and fear.

The Dark end of the Street, 2006

It is within this inner city context where the stories Western tells come to life. ‘Hound’ (2005) is a graphic tale by Western, inspired by the pack of dogs that run through the suburbs of Yeoville and Bertrams at night. This mixed pack of canines – wild and domestic – can be heard barking and howling as they roam the deserted streets. According to Western, the work arose out of speculation as to what these animals may witness in their late night explorations. It’s a story about a man whose guilt and paranoia over an unnamed crime have led him to believe that the dogs are watching and judging him and that they will ultimately punish him for his actions.

Image from Hound (2006)

View Hound on flickr.com

Shooting images in the inner city of Johannesburg can be a daunting process the best of times. As an urban researcher, I have been photographing aspects of the city for a number of years now and the process never seems to get any easier. Over the years I have developed a range of strategies for safely shooting images in the inner city by becoming an unobtrusive part of the landscape. I photograph images from vantage points or shoot ‘from the hip’ on ground level. Either way, the process can be scary but at times my identity as a tall brown man aides my process as I can easily blend into a multitude of environments.

The inner city subject matter depicted by Western’s work poses a unique set of challenges for her. Being of an extremely reflective skin colour often makes stealth somewhat of a difficult task. Often, Western has little choice and has to resort to completely manufacturing images not only because of the limitations of her identity but because of the pressures at home and because of life style choices associated with responsible parenting.

However, it is exactly this limitation which always seems to give Western the edge in the highly competitive art world. In 2003, Western won the South African leg of the HP Photo competition with images from her series entitled, ‘Small repetitive Actions’ which went on to be exhibited at the international HP competition in Florence, Italy. She later developed this body of work for submission in completion of her Masters degree in digital media at Wits University.

This body of work dealt with every day memories still resonant in physical space and explored this relationship through a series of video works and manipulated photo light boxes which were originally installed in an old dilapidated house on the Wits University campus.

Light box from the ‘Small Repetitive Action’ (2003) series

My favourite image from the ‘Small Repetitive Actions’ series is shown above. The image depicts a seemingly awkward sideward view through a doorway. What I enjoy about the picture is the uncomfortable nature of the doorway. It seems to warp about mid-way along the door frame creating a distorted perspective. On closer inspection, join lines, are visible at this point alluding to the reconstruction. I have been looking at this image for years now and have never questioned its authenticity. Only recently have I found out that the image is a completely manufactured. The wall textures seen in the foreground are fake along with the staircase seen through the door way. What makes the image believable is the use light which seamlessly filters through the house.

More recently, In August 2006, Western won the runner up prize in the annual Sasol New Signatures Art competition. The competition attracts entries nationally and is generally viewed as the largest domestic art competition in South Africa . Western’s award confirmed her competitive edge in the local art scene. Her untitled video entry from the series ‘Nightwatch’ examined the alienation of urban living though the medium of digital animation which was shot from an isolated and voyeuristic perspective. Photographs were manipulated and animated to an original soundtrack also produced by the artist. The images bleed into one another with each new frame referencing something in the last - a TV becomes a street lamp, a car’s headlights melts into the light of a street corner brazier fire. Western’s resourcefulness is truly her best trait. I have personally witnessed the making of the ‘Nightwatch’ animation and the creation of believable night time scenes from completely unrelated day time shots.

In her latest work entitled ‘Waiting,’ Western explores an earlier theme dealing with isolated living in the inner city. ‘Waiting’ is a graphic tale which tells the story of the forgotten inner city pensioners. The graphic tale was recently exhibited at the experimental Parking Gallery in the inner city of Johannesburg.

Today, many parts of the inner city are inhibited by old white pensioners who did not move out of the city during the mass exodus to the Northern suburbs during the 1990’s mainly because of financial constraints. These pensioners live a fearful existence as they are easy targets and often only leave their homes when absolutely necessary. The old white pensioners in the inner city have been forgotten by their families in most cases and after a while they simply fade away with time.

Waiting (Detail) 2006

Waiting (Detail) 2006

View Waiting on flickr.com

Working and living with Western has certainly impacted on my worldview. Only now am I starting to realise the importance of personal stories in a time characterised by mistrust amongst urban residents. As little stories like the tale of ‘Waiting’ share the responsibility of bringing out an awareness of the plight of the inner city pensioners and make a small contribution to the achievement of social cohesion amongst the various communities of the inner city.

http://ratwestern.com/
http://inthemidnightkitchen.blogspot.com/