“banothando” by Rike Sitas (ZA) and Lilia Pérez (MX/NL)
Interactive installation. 2010
“banothando” is the isZulu word for the shared loving feeling of a
community. The title for this work came from one of the project
participants when describing what links the people of the Early
Morning market with each other.
“banothando” is a follow up of the collaboration between Mexican
artist Lilia Pérez and dala that started with the interactive
installation, Sawubona, produced in Amsterdam. It constitutes a series
of interactive portraits that use physical contact between people and
images of people as an interface to the stories gathered by Rike and
Lilia during the world cup and immediately after it when the general
enthusiasm mixed with uncertainty about the future of the market
traders’ livelihoods.
When the spectator approaches “banothando”, she will be confronted
with one of the market traders, observing her from the projected image
of their market stand surrounded by the merchandise they sell. From
this pose and the framing of the shot, the character seems to be
waiting for a customer. The character will carry on like this,
breathing and blinking, sometimes smiling until the spectator touches
the screen. As soon as contact is made, the character starts moving,
responding with the same gesture, placing her hand and gaze on the
user’s hand, following any route it follows. While the virtual and the
present hand touch, the spectator will be able to listen to the
trader’s stories about the market, life in general and the effect of
the world cup in their life and surroundings. When the contact stops,
the character will become silent again. Trapped in this small sequence
of gestures the character and the viewer meet one another in an
instant of simulated communion. Physical contact, so natural for the
market traders amongst each other, but so rare between the
predominantly Indian and Zulu traders, and the very often white
visitors of the gallery, becomes a condition for communication as well
as an ingredient for emphatic listening.