In this interview on The Logros Show – in association with The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce – Lee Dinsdale talks to Linda and Suzy from the famous Las Dalias about Market Stalls and African Art.
How to Interview with Suzy & Linda of Las Dalias – The Real Sound of the City.
Interview with Suzanne Karakashian, Zenzele Art – The Logros Show
Lee: Good afternoon this is Unity Radio the Real Sound of The City and we are broadcasting live here from Las Dalias in Ibiza. We now have Suzy and we are looking at a range of different objects which have been put on the table. Suzy I will let you describe what those are.
Suzy: Basically it is a collection of interesting pieces, all of them made in Africa by African artists and all made with recycled materials. Basically it is a project that I am doing and I have a stall here selling the work with this concept of recycled art from Africa. Basically it is a street art made by poor people in Africa and it is not being promoted and given the credit that it should be so this is like a personal project of mine. I am from South Africa so it is my personal little mention to give some space for these artists basically.
Lee: So whereabouts in South Africa are you from?
Suzy: Originally from Johannesburg but I was brought up really by hippies in Johannesburg, international family we travelled a lot. I’m not a typically South African let’s say, but my heart is in Africa and the artists that I’m working with are really close to my heart because that’s where I was brought up. For me it’s like a personal mission on that level as well.
Lee: How long have you been in Ibiza for?
Suzy: Literally the first time I came here I was twelve but I’ve been living here for the last seventeen years. I came to Ibiza seventeen years ago and thought yes, let’s give it a go and see how Ibiza’s doing. I did a trip to South Africa and my mother, who has always been a real fan of this kind of art was always saying to me, oh you should bring these artists to Europe. I brought a few of the pieces to Juanito here and said what do you think about this stuff? He said, no, impossible there are no spaces and no stalls and in the parking or in the middle of the market I basically sold all of my samples. I thought, this can work. Since then I’ve been working with these artists, bringing more stuff and obviously at some point I was given a stall.
Lee: How did you get into these projects?
Suzy: Basically I am an artist and have always worked with creative projects. I’m interested in art in terms of what makes us live and what drives us. I’m always interested in projects, working with people and helping people. That’s not necessarily business generating money but in a more community way of helping education. So somehow this project came to me. I’ve done other similar projects in different areas but this is the kind of project that I like because I’m working directly with street artists from the heart of where I am from in South Africa. It’s a real African art. It talks a lot about Africa and the African mentality. It talks about modern day life and recycling trash and addressing the really important good issues for me. I’m working with waste products. I’ve got recycled flip flops from projects in Tanzania. I’m taking distinctive products from all over Africa and distinctive artists from all over Africa and choosing it for the merit of the product. I’ve got recycled flip flops made into amazing Massai head sculptures. I’ve got pvc tubing recycled water pipe jewellery handcrafted in the desert in Namibia which are just insane but recycled old water pipes. I’ve got old car parts made into beautiful animal heads. I’ve got recycled headphones from the tourist tour bus in Cape Town actually which are thrown away after the tour, so rather than throwing them away in the rubbish this cool artist is making really nice animals out of them.
Interview with Linda Sjokvist – The Logros Show
Lee: Good afternoon this is Unity Radio the Real Sound of The City and we are broadcasting live here from Las Dalias which is in the North East of Ibiza. Las Dalias will be celebrating sixty five years in existence. It started off as a bar on the side of the road with a dance floor and is becoming an iconic place to visit now in Ibiza. Now I am I’m delighted that we have Linda who is from Sweden and Linda has a stall here in Las Dalias. Can you tell us about yourself and how did you end up in Ibiza?
Linda: So my name is Linda Sjokvist and I am from Sweden. I left Sweden a long time ago and I travelled to many countries before I arrived in Ibiza. I haven’t moved since I arrived here, Ibiza is my ultimate place.
Lee: Your ultimate place, your final destination?
Linda: Well who knows but I love it.
Lee: You have a stall here at Las Dalias. What is it that you are currently selling and making?
Linda: I have my own brand, Lindaibiza where I am working with leather. I’m producing everything in my house in my workshop in Ibiza and I’m selling my things here in Las Dalias.
Lee: How long does it take you to make some of the things here that we are looking at on the table and can you describe what they are?
Linda: I mostly work with bags. Sometimes I make a simple mobile bag that takes me some hours and sometimes I make some really elaborate things that I can work on for a day or two. It depends on how big and much details that I put into it.
Lee: What is it like being a stall holder here at Las Dalias market? How long have you been here?
Linda: I came to Las Dalias to work with another girl in the beginning around 2005. After some years I got my own stall which was my biggest dream actually. This is what I really wanted and I’m very happy to be a member of Las Dalias.
Lee: I was reading that in order to get a stall here at Las Dalias you have to submit your products and make sure they are of a particular standard. Is that right?
Linda: Yes and I think that they get more and more picky because there is no more space. So if you want to have a stall here you better have some really good stuff. It’s a high quality market.
Article Transcription by Terry Capostagno
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