Silang Mabele II
The Container, Sierre
2005
Visitors were individually invited inside a shipping container to share an orange whilst seated at a table. The spectators arrived to find me seated on a chair, peeling and eating bits of orange whilst continuously whistling the tune of a childhood folk song “Silang mabele”. Whilst peeling, dividing, and sharing oranges with each person seated in front of me, I entered into an unpredicted rhythm of tears and smiles. The work became about contamination, and left the majority of participants within this event either affected by the level of emotion or imitating and transferring the tune of the whistled song.
In contrast to the experience inside the container, a live projection of only the hands on the table is left visible to those outside of the container. This is seen at a distance as a graceful series of gestures of exchange and sharing, accompanied by sound. The work therefore offers two realities at the same time, witnessed and experienced from different distances and perspectives.
Photo documentation by Abrie Fourie
© Donna Kukama, 2005
