Get ready for Interpret Durban

The fourth edition of Interpret Durban takes over the City Hall on Saturday night. It’s an art, music and culture mash-up and promises to be one of the most exciting parties in the city this year.

 

We caught up with one of the organisers, Jonas Barausse, to find out what to expect. 

 

What is Interpret Durban? 

Through the month of August there’s been a multi-discipline art competition that’s been going across photography, film, open-art categories and graphic design. The Interpret Durban theme is always something that revolves around Durban; it’s an interpretation of Durban, the way you see Durban. While it was started as something that was for Durban by Durban, it has since spread out and we are more and more asking South Africans to look at this particular part of the country and give their opinion. We’re trying to see it through as many different lenses as we can; what this melting pot is. 

 

What can Interpret Durban novices expect?

The theme for this year’s Interpret Durban is ‘The Concrete Circus’. I think that’s something that’s really going to come through. The venue itself is phenomenal: the 103-year-old City Hall. It’s a piece of amazing architecture and it’s not often that the youth really get to make it theirs, but it’s our city hall. It’s so often used for other amazing things; the ballet, the orchestra, council meetings – but it’s very seldom that we get to step in there and have it as ours. And it really is ours so it’s important for us to do that. It’s also in the city centre, so it’s kind of claiming back the city for one night. There are a lot of negative connotations about the Durban city centre at night; people are a bit spooked out by it. But it really is a beautiful, beautiful place to be.

On the night you can expect an incredible line-up of both local and national artists, ranging from reggae to hip-hop to electro to some really slamming rock ‘n roll acts. It’s an eclectic line-up. You also have the exhibition side, which includes photography, graphic design, film and open art. I think it’s going to be something that blows people’s minds. 

 

Felix Laband is one of the headline acts. Tell us more. 

We’re absolutely thrilled with our line-up. Felix Laband is definitely one of the highlights of it. He’s a KZN boy who has been doing very well for himself. He’s been off the local scene quite a bit, but he is coming back in a very big way. He recently got back from a tour in South America that went crazy for … We’re just over the moon to have someone of that calibre at the event. Having chatted to him once or twice he’s really excited about playing in Durban again. I think he’s got something extra special planned – and I think people have got a lot to look forward to. 

 

*Tickets are R70 at the door or R50 through Computicket. A free shuttle will run between the KZNSA, The Cube on Innes Road and the City Hall on the hour. More details here. 

 

- Hannah Keal