David Southwood

In the late 90s I was employed by the University of Cape Town to teach ‘street photographers’: freelance photographers working in the townships in Cape Town. After a while we split from the institution and formed UMLILO, the first non-profit organisation for ‘street photographers’ in the Cape Province. This organisation provided a hub from which a previously disorganised fraternity could mobilise itself. The core of Umlilo has since gone on to form Impilo Yethu whose activities are represented in many places on the net.

Through my friendship with various studio photographers I gained access to their places of work which are situated in the townships, mainly in small tin shacks.

This end of this gallery also features work by my friend Dumile Mbebe.

My photographs of studios have been shown at the Michael Stevenson Gallery, they are in the permanent collection of the South African National Gallery and they have been included on other shows outside SA as well, including Olvida quien soy [Erase me from who I am] at the Centro Atlantico de Art Moderno, Canary Islands, in 2006.

http://www.stevenson.info/exhibitions/realities/realities.htm

http://www.stevenson.info/exhibitions/realities/posing/posing.htm

http://mg.co.za/printformat/single/2004-05-07-portraits-of-the-personal-shift/

http://www.photocentre.org.za/education.htm (click on EDUCATION please)

COLORS 58: Photo Studio