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Graphoasis is a collaborative ephemeral installation initiated by Elgin Rust and Sandile Radebe. The piece was conceived to be erected at Afrika Burn ’14. Afrika

Burn is based in Tankwa town in the Karoo, a place that has no cell phone signal, no electricity or running water. For one week Burners meet at this place in order to ex-

press themselves within this climate and limited resourc-es. The harshness and scarcity of resources creates a

conducive climate for interdependency. As such there is a heightened awareness of others and their needs. This interdependence allows for the community engage with

each other and consequently the artworks.

This participatory environment is ideal to use as a mea-sure the extent that public art could engage the commu-nity and public. Graffiti is traditionally located in public

space and the essence of the installation was to make a graffiti tag in the space. Aesthetically the installation fo-

cuses on prime shapes and the raw use of a line in a tag. Graffiti is connoted by the use of spraypaint. The triangu-lar pieces of cardboard are arranged in a way that spells the letter trick, albeit in a very abstract fashion. Held to-

gether by a lattes that cross at one point and then strung by hessian rope , the cardboard pieces are clad onto it with a staple gun and in that manner the tag is created.

The cladding builds up enough pieces to cast a shadow, bigger at certain times of the day. The installation also

has water in it for passers-by and the viewers. In the heat of the Karoo, shade and water are highly sought after re-sources and this is how we wanted to engage the public.

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write up about burning the piece or something Elgin Bio Sandile Bio