In the play, A Delicate Balance (1966) by Edward Albee, the characters Harry and
Edna arrive unexpectedly at their friends Agnes and Tobias’s house, with a request
to stay for a while, as they need to escape an unnamed terror. In explaining this
terror, Harry and Edna state:
HARRY: There was nothing ... but we were very scared.
EDNA: We ... were ... terrified.
HARRY: We were scared. It was like being lost: very young again, with the dark,
and lost. There was no ... thing ... to be ... frightened of, but ...
EDNA: We were frightened … and there was nothing.
As a starting point, my exhibition draws inspiration from this quote. The theme
of the show explores the relationship between real and imagined fears. It considers
the extent to which we can sometimes feel controlled by invisible, unnamed terrors.
In mapping imaginary landscapes, the works aim to reflect upon the negotiations
and manoeuvres we make within the complex, at times disconcerting and chaotic space
of South Africa.
By uttering the fear and searching for ways to describe the phantoms, the works
endeavor to present a way to deal with the feelings such fears inspire. A sense
of play is used to confront these nameless terrors. With a spirit of mockery and
laughter, I hope to highlight an element of the absurd present in the strange worlds
of imagined fears.