DAKARAPIDE
Channel: Zen Marie
Date: 2012-02-14

www.dakarapide.tumblr.com

Caught by Traffic is a project by South African artist, Zen Marie who is in residence at Raw Material Company (RMC) from January 2 to February 14, 2012. 

This multi-city project is based on a series of collaborative, process driven interactions that seek to reimagine the city from the perspective of the people who are involved with public transport on a daily basis. The aim is to develop alternative narratives of urbanity through these views that are integral to the city, its operation and life. 

The series is in its 3rd episode and was first staged in Durban South Africa, then in Bangalore India. Some of the components from those stages can be seen in this installation. 

The Dakar episode focuses on collaborations with painters and drivers of the car rapide. Central to this episode is the re-painting of a car-rapide (the one outside of RMC on the street). The re-painting is the result of a conversation between three artists, Youssou, Ada and Docta, as well as with two drivers, Ali and Aya. Through the re-painting the artists and drivers ask questions about what forms and content the car rapide designs can take. The process is experimental and the results speculative. The painting will continue during the project and will reach a climax by the finessage on Saturday. 

The project space operates as a kind of visual mapping or constellation of images that explores the car rapide system of transport in a non-linear way, non-reductive way. During the week there will be conversations, interactions and interventions that will add to and develop the idea of viewing the city through the lens of the car rapide, its aesthetics and the people involved with it.