Arts and Creative Industries / Digital Arts / Futures_Past project teams move into exhibition production

Futures_Past project teams move into exhibition production

Arts and Creative Industries
SHARE
THIS:
8 July

The six creative teams participating in Futures_Past: Amplifying Memory with Immersive Technologies are making progress as they move from research and co-creation into exhibition production. Bringing together artists, producers and archival institutions across South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, the two-year programme explores new ways of engaging with historical collections through immersive technologies, including virtual reality, interactive installations and projection mapping.

In May, the team behind We Are What Remains, developed in collaboration with the !Khwa ttu San Culture & Education Centre, held a workshop with San artists whose original linocuts form the basis of the immersive exhibition. The workshop provided an opportunity to deepen the team’s understanding of the artworks, present the exhibition concept to the community and continue the project’s collaborative approach before moving into full production.

Meanwhile, the Lucid Dreams of Sweet Water for All team continued site visits and technical experimentation with Iziko Museums of South Africa as work progresses on an interactive projection-mapped installation inspired by Cape Town’s ecological and cultural relationship with water.

The team developing To All Who Live In It, based on archival films preserved by the National Film, Video and Sound Archives, has completed filming for its hybrid theatrical film production and is now in post-production.

In Lesotho, the creators of Kings of Lesotho: The Succession Story recently presented a draft edit of their 360° virtual reality experience to representatives of the Royal Archives, Museum and Information Centre, with further edits planned this month.

These milestones bring the programme a step closer to its public exhibitions, which will be presented across South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi from September to December 2026.

Stay tuned for further project updates on Dzulo Latho in Malawi with the Music Crossroads archive, and Acts of Care in South Africa with the Gala Queer archive, coming soon!

Futures_Past: Amplifying Memory with Immersive Technologies is an initiative of the Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), implemented in partnership with Electric South and funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Read more about each project here. 

 

Picture credit – Top left: The We Are What Remains team works with San artists at !Khwa ttu to discuss the original linocuts that inspired the immersive exhibition. Top right: The To All Who Live In It team completes filming for its immersive theatrical film production, now entering post-production. Bottom left: The Kings of Lesotho: The Succession Story team captures 360° footage for its virtual reality experience with the Lesotho Royal Archives. Bottom right: The Lucid Dreams of Sweet Water for All team develops and tests interactive visuals for its immersive installation in collaboration with Iziko Museums of South Africa. Pictures: Supplied

You might also like

Johannesburg as Imaginarium: Discussing public art and placemaking in the city

On 11 March 2026, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg hosted a public discussion...

Kidi Bebey tour in Southern Africa: 23 February to 16 March 2026

As part of Francophonie Month 2026, the Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, in partnership with...

France and South Africa join forces to protect biodiversity in South Africa and on Reunion Island, with the support of AFD

A bipartite agreement between South African National Parks (SANParks – the public institution managing South Africa’s national parks) and...

EDF Pulse Africa Tour Celebrates Sustainability Innovations in Southern Africa

In an event held on October 18, 2023, the EDF Pulse Africa Tour’s Southern African stage concluded with great...

Let's get social
This message is only visible to admins.
Problem displaying Facebook posts.
Click to show error
Error: Server configuration issue
Twitter feed is not available at the moment.
On 29 March 2026, Fête de la Musique was presented in Cape Town for the first time, as part of Bree Street Sundays. Organised by the French Embassy and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), the event brought free live music into the public space, transforming Bree Street into an open-air platform for performance and exchange. Fête de la Musique Cape Town was implemented, supported and funded in partnership with Bassline, TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa, the Alliance Française of Cape Town, Young Urbanists through Street Experiment SA, Bridges for Music, the City of Cape Town, Mission for Inner City Cape Town and Jazz in the City.
Jean Spiri, directeur de l'IFAS, s'entretient avec Georges Lory et Daphnée Breytenbach à l'occasion de leur tournée littéraire en Afrique du Sud. Pour plus d'informations sur les événements publics, veuillez consulter le site web de l'IFAS: https://frenchinstitute.org.za/arts-and-creative-industries/literature/french-south-african-literature-conversations-tour-daphnee-breytenbach-georges-lory/.
The Création Africa Top 50 is a true reflection of the depth and diversity of the cultural and creative industries! #CreationAfrica2 #FrenchInstituteSA
🎉 Meet the selected Top 50 entrepreneurs for the second edition of Création Africa, from South Africa. Lesotho and Malawi 🎉 Congratulations as they begin a seven-week mentorship journey with UVU Africa and its digital skills and innovation division CAPACITI. 👏
A conversation exploring the impact of the 2025 funding cuts for the HIV response, especially for at risk and LGBTQIA+ communities. The panel will consist of leading experts in the field, both within health research and operating directly on the ground with affected groups.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, this film turns to Lesotho to spotlight artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation initiatives supported by IFAS. Shot across the Mountain Kingdom, it features voices that have helped define the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, a visit to Malawi captured the stories of artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation projects supported by IFAS. From Lilongwe to Blantyre, the film brings together voices that have contributed to the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
Join us for a special talk by Justice Edwin Cameron and Sohela Surajpal, two of the authors of the new book 'Behind Prison Walls'. Their talk will bring together Michel Foucault's reflections on the systems of discipline and South Africa's experience of incarceration, offering an original analysis: how prisons, far from serving as tools of rehabilitation, become instruments of social control and the perpetuation of inequality.
Launched in 2022 under the France 2030 initiative, the ICC Immersion programme supports French entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) as they expand into global markets. Implemented in South Africa by Institut français in Paris, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), Business France, and Business France South Africa and Southern Africa, the initiative connects French companies with key players in South Africa’s dynamic creative sector. This year’s cohort featured nine innovative CCI companies—Allegria, Atrack (Beam for Music), Agence Culturelle PLUS (Reunion Island), Culturespaces, Fabrik & Moi (Reunion Island), France Muséums Développement, Jakob + MacFarlane, Memorist, and Sound Birth—representing fields from architecture and immersive technology to museum development, cultural consultancy, and music innovation. Altogether, the South African edition fostered meaningful exchange between French and South African cultural leaders, opening the door to future collaborations across the two countries.  Special thank you to the featured sites: Constitution Hill Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation Spier Wine Farm, TRACE Studios Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct Wesgro Wits Digital Dome Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa ----- ICC Immersion is coordinated by the Secrétariat Général pour l'Investissement (SGPI) and driven by the Institut Français and Business France, with support from the Banque des territoires, the French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The 2025 edition is implemented by IFAS and Business France in Johannesburg.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), this documentary film brings together nearly 50 voices who have been part of IFAS’s journey over the past three decades. From its beginnings in Newtown to its current home in Braamfontein, IFAS has helped shape South Africa’s cultural and creative landscape through collaboration, exchange, and long-term partnerships. Director: Adam Heyns Producer: Lali van Zuydam Music: NØ FØRMAT! Records
For 30 years IFAS has nurtured a vibrant space for dialogue, experimentation, and creative growth. It has helped tell untold stories, amplify diverse voices, and build platforms for both emerging and established talents to shine. Now, as we mark 30 years of impact and memory, we look back at three remarkable decades of collaboration, co-creation, and cultural connection. And in the words of the legendary filmmaker Ramadan Suleman, here's to the end of Episode 1—and the beginning of many more episodes in the eclectic, ever-evolving series that is IFAS. Video Production and Editing: Adam Heyns Music: NØ FØRMAT! Records
Subscribe
© 2026 frenchinstitute.org.za. All rights reserved. Site design by Nicework.
View our Data Policy and Terms.