“I don’t trash talk” says Frances Goodman with a mischievous look in her eye, “but I think its better to be here”.
We’re standing in her garden, at the opening of her peripheral event, the Goodman Garage. All the way in Westdene.
On the weekend of the fair you wouldn’t expect to be hijacked outside the Sandton Convention Centre. But nevertheless, shuttles, slyly operated by innocent looking knaves handing out pamphlets, did just that.
This is hijack advertising of the worse kind. It works on an easy principle. Wait for a mainstream event to attract a large audience. Then, displaying acts of using devious and cunning, place a ‘shuttle’ outside the entrance offering unsuspecting visitors a lift to and from your peripheral event.
The malicious intent described in this opening gambit wasn’t real that evident however. Rather, Frances Goodman was being, well, sneaky, but also playful, and we can never blame anyone for that!
Goodman is of course, and perhaps not so coincidentally, represented by a gallery of her namesake. Her intention of hosting the Goodman Garage, literally garage sale of her remaining work that hasn’t been sold on her previous exhibitions says something about the relationship of commerce of events on the fringe as opposed to their commercial counterparts.
Among the detritus that nobody wants, there was in fact some staggering installations. Her sound piece titled ‘You II’ whose companion ‘You’, a bound book full of statements of a lover addressing the object of her affection. The voice of the lover is a woman Goodman says she met in Antwerp.
There is something macabre in this work from 2003. The voice is distinctly sad. The utterances to have the pain of a relationship where the mutuality is one sided. A withdrawn longing leaving a crevice in the pit of your soul.
If you can find these shuttles in time, hop on, take a trip. The magic of the mystery tour is worth it.