STIL is a 48-hour, uninterrupted, sustained silent reading series by a collective of artists from the Free State, called Byl en Vuurpyl. This deeply intimate and disturbing digital work has never won any awards. Founder of Byl en Vuurpyl, Jaco Kotze, is also Chairperson of the Free State chapter of the International Dyslexia Association (FSIDA), and explains that the piece was inspired from his experience as a child at school. “One of my teachers tried to teach me to read silently by placing a pencil between my lips and forcing me to read by myself in an empty classroom. STIL aims to evoke that experience for the audience,” says Kotze. How? You’ll have to buy a ticket to find out.
UNFESTIVAL SA runs from26 May to 6 June 2020, and is a symbolic concept in aid of the UJ FADA Dean’s Bursary Fund and Business and Arts South Africa’s artist relief efforts. Visit www.arts.uj.ac.za or www.basa.co.za for full programme details. Bookings open on Monday 11 May 2020. Show your support by buying a ticket – but please don’t come.