Zach Taljaard

The chain of events which became South Africa’s history left all its inhabitants alienated from their culture and dislocated from place. This feeling of alienation combined with dislocation was the core inspiration for the work entitled: “Bubble people” It explores the ways in which people from different walks of life are forced to create a personal bubble to adapt to changes in their immediate environment. This “bubble” can be seen as a physical space for example retrieving to our homes or it could be interpreted as our personal emotional space. With this bubble we encapsulate and cushion ourselves from the outside world. We lock ourselves away not only inside physical but also emotional borders and by doing so become more estranged from each other.

The work playfully deals with these feelings of dislocation as the balls float around without being grounded. Through the windows we see silhouettes of everyday people we pass in the street, voyeuristically observing but never getting to know.