RESUME

THE TRINITY SESSION – COMPANY PROFILE

The Trinity Session was formed in 2001, as a collective response to a dwindling creative economy in Johannesburg and lack of museum and gallery infrastructure. In time our practice grew from participation in international electronic arts festivals and cultural mapping in the SADC region, to securing bids for large scale public art programmes. Through our various public art programmes, we had access to communities and people and were actively involved in shifting thinking at city level, around artistic and cultural production in the public domain. This in turn had a significant impact on our approach to co-authorship and production within the Trinity Session.

By 2006 Hobbs/Neustetter was formed in direct response to the plethora of thoughts and ideas that emerged from city projects that due to the % for public art policy, at the time emphasized permanent, long standing, pieces of work.

Hobbs/Neustetter was concerned with a more ephemeral and agile approach testing new ideas through experimental methods and activities manifesting as site specific performances, installations, and interventions, on the continent and abroad.

Directors Stephen Hobbs and Marcus Neustetter based between Johannesburg and Vienna, Austria respectively, in collaboration with a range of project managers, designers and researchers provide a variety of turnkey solutions in public art installations, multimedia-performances and, placemaking through art. Our approach to project creation, development and implementation is informed by intensive context and place specific social and cultural research, which governs our collaborative and participatory methods of co-production and shared authorship. Because of South Africa’s multi-racial, multilingual, and multi-cultural society we prioritise a multi-disciplinary approach to thinking and doing. The main drivers of our practice include public art, participatory design, early childhood development and greening and growing practices.

PUBLIC ART

The Trinity Session has provided curator/coordinator services for the City of Johannesburg (2005 – pres.) and The Nelson Mandela Bay Development Agency, (2009 – 2017). Many of these multi-year contracts have concentrated on the procurement of public art in relation to urban renewal and place making programmes, typically ranging from three to five years, and have provided the time and focus to develop co-production eco-systems which function through a relational approach with all stake holders: city departments, local community leadership, civil society, local residents, professional teams, the media and so on. Our consultation in this arena extends to facilitation, skills development for project participants – residents, creatives and artists, the establishment of delivery mechanisms and quality control in various urban conditions, procurement and implementation strategies, policy development, client support in the field and research, writing and conceptualization.

PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

The realization of a commissioned sculptural and often beyond life size artwork can require the technical expertise of urban designers, architects, engineers, fabricators, project managers and installation teams, the artist(s) of course and the client. With so many chains of communication in play original artistic intent can be lost in translation. To this extent the Trinity Session has developed methods for holding this space for the artist, the community, the client, and the experts consulting to the design and installation process. In our experience the identification of a golden thread that galvinises the creative intent and outcome provides clarity and coherence towards final completion. With our extensive work in townships where the authors of the artwork amount to numerous voices (from children to senior citizens), it is important to recognise and manage the convergence of different ideas, attitudes, and approaches, in this sense a co-authored storyline not only coheres the trajectory of the artwork but produces dynamic conditions for more impactful outcomes, a greater sense of ownership, collective identity, etc.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

A group of concerned experts in the fields of spatial planning and design development, child-orientated policy development and children’s participation in civic processes have compiled a practice note in response to the question: How does children’s participation in spatial planning and design development processes help shape the future form of our towns and cities? ThinkChild+PlanChild which offers practical guidelines for thinking of the future of our cities and towns with children and the adults they might become in mind. The practice note makes the case for considering children in planning and design and considers the different degrees to which children’s participation might be facilitated in these processes. It compiles a host of international examples of child-orientated planning and design programmes and provides a summary and analysis of initiatives local to South Africa. The practice note concludes with a toolkit of resources for actioning child-friendly planning and design. This resource is aimed at government officials and private sector professionals in the built environment sector and its authors hope to see it widely shared and put to practical use. This category in our website is also host to a variety of similarly aligned projects.

GREENING AND GROWING

Since 2018, The Trinity Session has operated from The Orchards Project, in Orange Grove, a location laden with rich social, cultural, and environmental histories of Johannesburg. And much of our work for the City of Johannesburg’s ArtMyJozi Place Making Through Art Programme (2017 – 2022) has been conducted from these premises. With the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic in March 2020, the national lockdowns that followed and witnessing the protests and looting that took place in July 2021; food security for average citizens came into sharp focus, highlighting a whole range of concerns, around basic nutrition, accessibility, affordability, quality and so on. The establishment of our Green Projects Programme, 2020-2022 evolved as an umbrella project combining a variety of practices in greening, growing, education, wellness, and mental health.

RESUME

Current and Recent projects:

  • We The People Museum, Constitution Hill. Artwork Curation and Coordination. (Constitution Hill Trust)
  • Residency and Exhibition Project, House of Arts, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic.
  • James Hall Transport Museum, restoration of 12 historical transport assets (City of Johannesburg)
  • Custodian of Courage Sculpture Kingsmead College, curation, and implementation (Kingsmead College)
  • St Johns School 125th Anniversary – Lighting and Video Projection Performance, Directed by Marcus Neustetter
  • Mimosa Pre-School Alleyways Project

Public Art Commissions – City of Johannesburg (2002-2021)  

  • New Council Chambers Totems Artworks, Johannesburg Central 
  • Doornfontein Public Environment Upgrade, Johannesburg Central
  • Braamfontein Alleyways Upgrade Artworks Programme, Johannesburg Central
  • Westgate Public Art & Heritage Programme, Johannesburg Central
  • Vilakazi Street Precinct Public Artworks Programme, Orlando West, Soweto
  • Pageview Vrededorp Fordsburg Public Art Project, Johannesburg Central
  • Rea Vaya, Bus Rapid Transit Public Art Programme, Johannesburg, and Soweto
  • Hillbrow, Berea, Yeoville Public Artworks Programme, Johannesburg Central
  • Baragwanath Taxi Rank Public Art, Diepkloof, Soweto
  • Braamfontein Gateway and Juta Street Public Artworks, Johannesburg Central
  • Faraday Station Transport Hub and Traditional Healers Market Public Artworks Program, Johannesburg Central

Public Art Curator/Co-ordinator Contracts:

  • #ArtMyJozi -Transit Oriented Development Corridors Placemaking Through Art (2017-2021)
  • Inner City and Soweto Urban Upgrades (2011-2013)
  • Nelson Mandela Bay – Route 67, Inner City, Baakens River, Singapi Public Art Programme (2010-2017)
  • Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square Artworks Programme, City of Tshwane, (2014-2016)
  • Kareedouw Library Public Artwork Program, Kareedouw, Eastern Cape (2017)
  • Ekurhuleni Rapid Transit Bus System Artworks Programme (2015-2016)
  • Savanna City Public Park Project. Mid Vaal, Gauteng (2014-2016)

Public Art Research and Strategy Proposals (2006-20012) 

  • City of Tshwane Strategy for Art in Public Spaces, Tshwane, Gauteng
  • Evaton Urban Upgrade Public Art Strategy, Sebokeng, Gauteng
  • Solomon Mahlangu Memorial Square Public Art Strategy, Mamelodi, Tshwane
  • Sandton Central Public Art Programme, Sandton
  • Cultural Arc Public Art Strategy, Johannesburg
  • June 16 Heritage Park & Trail Public Art Strategy
  • Fashion District Public Art Strategy

Select Art Industry and Creative Development Projects

  • Partner in the The Responsive Placemaking Consortium, founding members of the EIT Creative and Culture programme, EU (since 2022)
  • Beyond the Radar – Plotting New Cultural Eco Systems, pilot project in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape, supported by the National Arts Council South Africa (2020-2021)
  • Visualisation Studio developing, hosting, and facilitating future city virtual visualisation research sessions in 9 cities across South Africa in collaboration with Ilifindo and commissioned by the South African Cities Network (2020)
  • The Leonardo Hotel Art Programme. Legacy Property Holdings, Sandton (2018-2020)
  • ISEA2018 Durban International Symposium on Electronic Art, in partnership with the Convention Bureau, Ethekwini Municipality and Durban University of Technology, Durban. (2016-2018)
  • RED BULL AMAPHIKO SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS’ ACADEMY Soweto, Johannesburg, Langa CapeTown, Mamelodi, City of Tshwane,  City of Ethekwini, Durban (2014-2019)
  • Airports Company South Africa, Legacy project arts program O.R. Tambo International Airport. (2013-2014)
  • Africa Network Meeting ISEA2004 (Inter-Society of Electronic Arts) coordinators and facilitators of digital network meeting by participants from different regions in Africa and Helsinki (2004)
  • Broadcast Quality Curators of Art of Big Brother II, Johannesburg (2002)
    SME Development and Employment in the Cultural Sector in the SADC Region: The Visual Art and Craft Industries research report prepared for the International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva (2002-2003)
  • Convergence & Co-operative Work workshops and with MA (Science of New Media) students, International School of New Media, Lübeck, Germany (2003)
  • Cell C for The City Artists Billboard Project consultation, Johannesburg (2003)
  • Search project at Ars Electronica Festival 2002, Linz, Austria (2002)
  • Apartheid Museum research and installation solutions (2001), Gold Reef City, Johannesburg
  • Red Bull Creativity Contest (2001), in conjunction with JMC Melnicks for Spark Gallery, Johannesburg
  • VISA Olympics of the Imagination school workshops, competition and exhibition. Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town (2008)
  • Africa Remix/Johannesburg Art Gallery CD-ROM website & Digital Africa panel discussion, development, and production (2007)
  • Spier Estate Public Realm Consultant Stellenbosch, Cape Town (2003-2004)
  • UNESCO Digi-Arts Africa programme and network development (2005-2006)
  • The Creative Inner City Initiative commercial training program in the arts including Regeneration: inner city artists magazine (developmental project in journalism, design, and reportage training) (2003-2005)

Select Commissions, Interventions and Exhibitions 

  • Dream Pressure Tester, public intervention in Douala with Doual’Arts, SUD Triennial, Cameroon (2017)
  • The Tramways, Nelson Mandela Bay Development Agency Artworks Commission, Port Elizabeth (2016)
  • Renaming the City, commissioned artwork for the Ars Electronica Festival, Linz Austria (2015)
  • Temporary But Permanent, Trinity Session Survey exhibition, The Athenaeum, Port Elizabeth (2014) and Museum of African Design, Johannesburg (2015)
  • Imaginary Corpse, Subtle Technologies Festival, participating artists, Toronto  (2014)
  • Superdream, Jeppestown, Temporary Art Intervention commissioned by British Council for the Connect ZA programme  (2014)
  • Streaming Museum, public screening interventions in Maboneng, featuring Bjork and Nordic Outbreak video art, Johannesburg (2013)
  • Platform 1 – Public intervention with the Swallows Foundation, GIFT Festival, Gateshead, UK  (2013)
  • Across the board: Public Space/ Public Sphere curated by Elvira Dyangani Ose, public intervention in Douala with Doual’Arts, Cameroon (2013)
  • Entracte, Rencontres Picha, Biennale de Lubumbashi, DRC  (2013) 
  • ATAYA, public performance France/South Africa Cultural Seasons in St Ouen and Paris, France (2013)
  • Fluid Stop, site-specific installation and public projection at Greenhouse, St Etienne, France (2013)
  • Planet Emergence, building projection and screening at Digitale Afrique, Marseille, France (2013) 
  • Context South Africa, Presentations, and lectures: Creative Summit by Creative Time, New York and Arts Culture and the Quality of Life, Ford Foundation, New York (2013)
  • ATAYA, public performance France/South Africa Cultural Seasons in Berea, Johannesburg (2012)
  • 10 Year Review Exhibition, Museum of African Design MOAD, Johannesburg (2012)
  • Temporary Museum of Art, video installation, Havana Biennial, Cuba (2012)
  • Hand/Machine, Bamako-Djenne, Mali (2011)
  • Living as Form, group exhibition by Creative Time, New York (2011)
  • St Pierre, Smoke and Building Projections: St Pierre and Fort de France, Martinique (2011)
  • Borderless, Alex-Zimbabwe-Mozambique, interventions in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Alexandra Township, supported by SDC programme of Pro Helvetia Cape Town  (2011)
  • Entracte (UrbaNet: Dakar II), Building Projection, Afropixel Festival, Dakar, Senegal (2010)
  • Rapid Thought Transport, Architect re-imagining Johannesburg Master class series devised by Sarah Calburn and the Gauteng Institute for Architects (2009)
  • 80+1 JHB Session, live broadcast session to Linz as part of the Ars Electronica’s 80+1 – a journey around the world, Linz, Austria (2009)
  • Documentation of Parade, a Project for Linz Kulturhauptstadt Europa by Peter Kuthan, Austria (2009)
  • Black Out, public intervention project for Travesia at the CAAM, Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno, Las Palmas, Canary Islands (2008)
  • A Rough-Cut through Alex, experimental documentary and screening event commissioned by the Austrian Embassy in South Africa, Alexandra (2008) 
  • The Art Fair Party, at the former Johannesburg Stock Exchange for the Joburg ArtFair (2008)
  • UrbaNET Hillbrow-Dakar-Hillbrow, art exhibition at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery (2007) 
  • UrbaNET Hillbrow-Dakar-Hillbrow, featured on THE COLOUR LINE curated by Odili Donald  Odita, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York (2007)
  • Joeys, artistic collaboration with Machfeld at the Kunstmedianlabor, Graz, Austria (2007)
  • Plausible Artworlds, exhibition and conference planning weekend with Basekamp Artists Group, Philadelphia (2006)
  • UrbaNET Hillbrow-Dakar-Hillbrow, art project at Kër Thiossane, Dakar and in Hillbrow (2006)
  • Lobby, large-scale artworks in the reception of the Raphael Penthouse Suites. Sandton (2005)
  • Tango City, locative media artwork. Johannesburg (2004)
  • Awaken The Dead, dead media installation and launch of the Enjin Museum of Dead Media (2005)
  • EMODM, Design Indaba installation, Cape Town (2005)
  • Station Mir residency, Second stage of artist exchange hosting Station Mir at The Premises, with
  • collaborative project for Playtime video festival, Johannesburg (2004)
  • Detours R Us, installation artwork for Learning From* Neue Geselshaft der Bildenden Kunst,
  • Berlin and Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna (2003)
  • Station Mir Residency, Hérouville St-Clair, Normandy, France (2003)
  • M.O.: Trinity Session Artministration, solo exhibition, Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg (2003)
  • Play Global! Transmediale.03, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany (2003)
  • SafeFood II: Mr Delivery, installation for “New Strategies”, World Summit on Sustainable Development exhibition programme, Johannesburg Art Gallery (2002)
  • SafeFood, at BIG Torino, Biennale for Young Art, Turin, Italy (2002)
  • Tricrotic, video installation for the 16th Rencontres Video et Art Plastique, Centre d’Art Contemporain de Basse-Normandie, Normandy, France (2002)
  • The Pseudo-Bureaucracy of the Network Neighbourhood, residency, and exhibition, Kunstraum, Linz, Austria (2002)
  • To Have and To Hold, Station Propeller experimental art space curated by Paula Paul, Linz, Austria (2002)