When the gallery becomes a stage

For one night in October, Bahle Gallery will trade its usual visual focus for live sound as they  welcome a performance built around poetry, acoustic music and the work of a young South African artist finding her own musical language.

‘Poetry & Acoustics’  presented by Bahle Gallery and Umsamo we Culture, is scheduled for 29 October and will feature South African flautist, composer and vocalist Vuyo Viwe.

The 25-year-old Johannesburg-based musician, whose birth name is Vuyo Tshwele, works across several musical influences rather than settling neatly into one category.

Her work draws from South African traditional music, folk, alternative sounds and electronic textures, while classical instrumentation and rhythms associated with uhadi and ngoma remain part of the foundation.

Her flute is central to that sound, but Viwe is not simply approaching the instrument from a classical perspective. 

She also uses her voice and compositions to build performances that move between different musical traditions and contemporary arrangements.

That range has already taken her beyond the usual small-stage circuit. Viwe has performed alongside artists including Kujenga, Internet Athi and Sisonke Xonti, while a three-day residency at Nirox Sculpture Park added another dimension to her growing performance history. 

She also sold out her solo debut at Mamakashaka and Friends. Her work has extended into film and commissioned projects as well.

She contributed flute and vocals to recordings by Internet Athi and composed the score for the documentary Ode to Sara, which reportedly screened at the Labia Theatre and received a Best Documentary Short Film award. 

She has also curated commissioned music for the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.

Earlier this year, another significant opportunity came through the Sankofa Heritage Festival, where Viwe won the Opening Act Competition after being selected from 250 applicants. 

The prize placed her on a bill with Thandiswa Mazwai, an artist Viwe has previously identified as one of her early musical influences.

Her latest single, Geza, offers another look at the direction she is taking.

The song begins with strings and keys before Viwe’s vocals and chants become more prominent.

Its central phrase, “Gez’ izandla zami,” meaning “cleanse my hands,” gives the recording a spiritual and ceremonial quality without making the arrangement feel crowded.

The track features a small ensemble of guitar, keys, drums, trombone and alto saxophone, allowing the different instruments to sit alongside her flute and voice rather than competing for attention.

That kind of intimate arrangement could translate particularly well to Bahle Gallery. The venue is primarily known as an art and framing space, with a coffee offering adding another layer to its creative identity. 

Bringing live performance into that environment changes the purpose of the room for the evening. Instead of simply viewing work on the walls, audiences will be able to experience music and poetry within the same space.

For Umsamo we Culture, the collaboration also fits into a wider interest in creating spaces where different forms of culture can meet. 

Poetry & Acoustics therefore sits somewhere between a conventional concert and a creative gathering, bringing musicians, poets, artists and audiences into the same room.

The decision to keep the event in a gallery rather than move into a conventional entertainment venue is also significant. 

A smaller setting allows the audience to experience the details of a live performance more closely, particularly when the music relies on acoustic instruments and the interaction between voice, flute and ensemble.

Viwe’s performance will be at the centre of the evening, but the programme is built around more than one form of expression. 

Poetry and acoustic music will share the stage, giving the event a deliberately stripped-back character.

For Mbabane’s creative community, it is another example of how existing spaces can be used differently to bring audiences into contact with artists from across the region.

Poetry & Acoustics  takes place at Bahle Gallery on 29 October. Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at E300 and available through Howler.

For anyone interested in contemporary African music, poetry or simply seeing what happens when a gallery becomes a performance space for the evening, this is one of the city’s October cultural events to keep an eye on.

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