I’ve been in Cape Town for three weeks now; three weeks of frustration punctuated by moments of inspiration.
We’ve been waiting for Telkom to connect our phone/internet for over a month, each time a technician comes to our house he finds another obscure technical fault that needs repair before we can be connected to the grid.At first I was furious, but now I just laugh.What will the technician say today, I wonder?How ridiculous will it be this time?
Life here is a bundle of contradictions, which makes me ask: What is Cape Town?Cape Town is a non sequitor.
The biggest contradiction is probably the clash between the two oceans – the warm Indian and cold Atlantic – over the various mountain ranges makes for interesting and unpredictable weather.It can be cold and cloudy on one side of Table Mountain, and warm and balmy on the other.The wind can blow with gale force speeds in one borough, and whisper gently in others, all depending on the oceans and the mountains.
But there is also a conflict of society, culture, affluence…Every opposition serves to make this place more fascinating.
How many contradictions can I think of?
Windy/calm
Hot/cold
Clean/dirty
Affluent/poor
Wise/foolish
Stylish/grungy
Expensive/cheap
Traditional/irreverent
Beguiling/infuriating
And, there are so many more.
But what I realized, as I was contemplating these differences, that Cape Town can’t be defined by its attributes… rather, the city somehow defines you by how it makes you feel.
Maybe, after all, Cape Town is just a bundle of feelings.
N.B. I haven't been able to post any recent drawings, so above is a little piece of experimental typography.