Peace Kidd (PK)
Peace Kidd is flipping out on the mobile as i joke with him that the bus I am on on the way to his place has broken down so those day-into-night shots that we were discussing getting for this "Night Out with Peace Kidd" project will probably not happen. I burst out laughing as i see the sigh of relief on his face as i walk through his door just as he's about to respond to me on his mobile. The thing about this kind of project in Cape Town is that the weather can be very unpredictable. Especially for the winds we experience at this time of the year, the planning for this documentation project had to be spot on. Just ask any street artist who's had to battle with the elements to express their preferred artform.
In Peace Kidd's case he's also having to contend with the strange doings and goings of the nightcrawlers on the Cape Flats! As we rock up to the first spot we are greeted by the scene of a group of Muslim men crouching in a circle sharing a meal as the sun is setting. This is not unbeknownst in this area of the Cape Flats as the religious demographic is almost split halfway between Muslims and Christians, with small groups of Hindus. Allowing for the respective groups to practice their faith unbothered. PK goes about choosing the appropriate posters for this spot, and in 2 minutes we are on our way again.
The next spot proves to be a bit more interesting. What could a man be doing stomach down on his lowered passenger seat in a dark parking lot? Myself and Peace Kidd look at the scene, then to each other, and burst out laughing. Not wanting to break up a possible romantic evening for two, we park our car as far away as possible. PK's also using this session as a testing session for some new paper he's been stencilling on, and this spot, with it's many dark corners and different textures is the perfect testing ground. There's a small routine round by our friends in blue, but they see the camera in my hand and deem us safe.
The next spot is more public, and is really a hit-and -go spot. Known as an area for illegal street drag racing, the police presence is at it's highest in this well-lit side-street with it's rows of Eastern spice and fabric stores.
En route to our main destination of a secluded subway tunnel Peace Kidd's found, we hit up some spots, trying to not attract any unwanted attention that could easily put an end to our night as well as result in us being slapped with hefty fines for public property defacement.
The subway sees Peace Kidd take street art back to it's roots. As he starts pasting up his posters, we realise that this is a spot we could spend hours in unbothered. This gives Peace Kidd time to put up the rest of the posters and even make a trip back to the car to get the last posters he has in the car. A telling moment that sums up the message of PK's art is when a passerby exclaims "keep up the peace brothers", taking heed of the word "Peace" in PK's signature. We joke that this feels like his own personal gallery, where he doesn't have to pay the standard 50% in charges for displaying his art. We spend about 30 minutes beautifying this well-lit subway. We exit the subway, having to walk it's entire length to view all the posters that Peace Kidd has had the time to put up.
There is a common feeling between us that the subway was a perfect climax of what would have been an interesting and exciting night out for some, but just another night in the life of prolific street artist Peace Kidd.
