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Franli Meintjies captures the sound waves of Pretoria Article Image

Franli Meintjies captures the sound waves of Pretoria

Posted on 29 September 2016

Pretoria artist Franli Meintjies' latest installation, The Noise We Make at the Association of Arts Pretoria features plaits of various shades of purple fabric creating an image that will resembles that of a sound wave.

Meintjies meticulously threaded fabric through the entire width of Association's fence. The installation, part of the Cool Capital initiative in the city, is based on an actual sound recording she took while standing in the city centre. Through recording the sound of the city, she aims to capture the heartbeat, life and essence of the people of Tshwane.

Meintjes works primarily with mixed media often using embroidery as her medium of choice. Her work has been selected in various prestigious art competitions including, most recently, the Top 100 of the Absa L' Atelier and Sasol New Signatures art competitions in 2015. She has exhibited in various exhibitions throughout South Africa including the Absa KKNK Group Exhibition: Post-Colonial Africa and the Re-working the Still group exhibition at the Vryfees in Bloemfontein. Meintjes is a participating member of Found Collective.

"It is more about the act of listening and experiencing the space in relation to the sound. Our ears rejoice in the sound of modern life, rich in all sorts of noises. Noise accompanies every manifestation of our life. Noise is familiar to us. Noise has the power to unite us together and injects new life into us. The rhythmic movements of noise are infinite," says Meinjies.