Donkin Downhill Dash

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i don’t do posters.

it’s not that i’ve got anything against those that do, but i’m very aware of my limitations as an artist, and one of the biggest ones is the fact that my process can, at times, be painstakingly slow, which doesn’t work when it comes to the poster world. it’s all quick turnaround.

so when my friends from n_mb city asked me to do the artwork for last year’s annual Donkin Downhill Dash (downhill skating) event i said yes. why? cause like i said, they’re my friends, silly.

every year the event takes place on Donkin Hill, which is placed in Central. Central is at the heart of the cbd. it has been described as port elizabeth’s ‘hillbrow’ because of how many north and western african immigrants the place has. also because xenophobia. mostly xenophobia. all xenophobia actually. so i was looking at the previous year’s artwork for the event and although they are all really good in their own way, i wanted to use the art as an opportunity to kind of address, acknowledge and elevate the fact that this event, which will be mostly comprised of middle-class white skater dudes is hosted in one of the most detested parts of the city. if it’s good enough to bomb hills down, then surely it’s good enough to support and invest in. note i said, “support”, not “gentrify”. god, please not gentrify. it’s one of, if not my favourite part of the city. there’s vibrance, life, laughter and humanity there. yes, there are drugs too. but let’s be fucking honest, there are drugs everywhere in port elizabeth. can we not use drugs as an excuse to propel our bigotry against an entire community of people who, for the most part are just trying to make an honest living?

so yeah, i LOVE central. as grimey and uncouth as it is, i love it. there’s just so much beauty to it. i wanted to portray that juxtaposition, so i chose one of central’s most oldest inhabitants - pigeons, and gave them a wreath of roses around their neck. at one stage i considered using rats too, but that felt like overkill. and skulls, because, well… skulls.

this is an homage to central. the place where i went to primary school, where i got my first library card, where i first got drunk, first got high, and first had sex.

thanks for the gig, n_mb city.
love,
p