SHOOTING WITH STRANGERS
Sue de Groot talks to an Instawalker about reviving human interaction through art
IF you go down to a park today, you might be surprised by an enthusiastic crowd carrying cameras. These are not tourists, but Instawalkers. In Joburg, one of them might be Lebogang Tshidiso Tshetlo, aka Lebz Skywalker.
Tshetlo, a founder of MzansiPride, among other things, is the son of the late visual artist Nhlanhla Xaba. “I knew him for only a short while before he passed on,” says Tshetlo, “but through him I realised a strong patriotic spirit. I believe in human interaction and the collaborative spirit in art, so when I heard of Instawalks, I was fascinated.”
Instawalks and similar initiatives are, he believes, the true purpose of technol- ogy and social media. “For years I thought physical human interaction was on the verge of non-existence, until I went on my first Instawalk. This is the future: technology pushing humanity back towards each other.
“As an artist, one tends to shut the world out. This hermit-like behaviour sometimes produces incredible art, but it also creates monotony. For me, collaboration is vital to replenishing the creative spirit.”
He and his fellow Instawalkers start with a location. “Someone will post: ‘I saw a very interesting place in Soweto, can we meet and check it out?’ We post ‘flyers’ with photos from Instagrammers, and on the day of the walk we gather in the public place that has been chosen. It’s usually ‘Hey, are you here for the walk?’ that connects strangers.”
Tshetlo says Intagram has enabled him to meet strangers who he now calls friends. “I’ve met JayJay Gregory, a crazy photographer who loves Jozi passionately; Thabo, an amazing athlete and music producer; and Welile, a calm but powerful expressionist who uses an iPhone to create incredible works of art.
“Instagram broke rules and brought photography back to the forefront of art. Instawalks and meets are happening in cities around the world. These are exciting times we live in.”