The Noordhoek Art Point Gallery will be hosting monthly literary events with publishing veteran Helen Moffett.
Book enthusiasts will be able to attend monthly literary events thanks to a collaboration between Noordhoek Art Point Gallery and publishing veteran Helen Moffett.
Salon Hecate, a monthly gathering celebrating prose and poetry alongside the visual arts, will launch on Friday December 9, at 5.30pm, at Noordhoek Art Point.
Thereafter the event will be held on the first Monday evening of every month.
Ms Moffett said the name, “Salon Hecate”, started out as a joke but stuck.
“Salon Hecate draws on the centuries-old practice of holding literary or creative discussions in a room (’salon’). Hecate has been part of my email address for 25 years. Hecate was the Greek goddess associated with magic, crossroads and midwifery, all of which are good metaphors for my career as an author, editor and mentor.”
Ms Moffett said the events would foster collaboration, inspiration, and fun among different creative forms.
“There's a huge need for joy and colour in our daily lives, something inspiring as we move forward anxiously in an economy and society gutted by Covid, load shedding and the increasingly ominous effects of climate change. The idea is to create and hold a space that doesn't ignore these issues but responds to them creatively and positively.”
According to Ms Moffett, who curates the artists with the gallery's assistance, the gallery has already selected themes for 2023.
“We're interested in environmental themes and aim to boost books that were swallowed by the pandemic, along with other backlisted books. At the moment, we're inundated with requests to perform and are already booked up for much of next year but are always open to ideas.”
Aimee Kruger, general manager at Noordhoek Art Point, said: “In addition to having visual art in the gallery, I always dreamed of integrating some of the other arts as well. When we met at one of our gallery openings, I told Ms Moffett I would like to host literary events like poetry readings. That's how Salon Hecate was born.”
The opening will feature a line-up of local authors and poets reading short pieces that pay homage to the ocean, fynbos, birds and wildlife, Ms Kruger said.
The programme includes authors, performers and environmental writers Diane Awerbuck, Lesley Green, Sindiwe Magona, Margaret Clough, Rachel Zadok, Sindiswe Busuku, Stephen Symons, Bongani Kona, Lester Walbrugh, Nondwe Mpuma, Melissa Volker, Jacques Coetzee and more. Books will be on sale.
“This is just the launch of something far bigger and we hope that Salon Hecate brings people together that wouldn't normally come together,” said Ms Kruger.
Entry to the launch is free, but RSVP to info@noordhoekartpoint.co.za