Jay Pather is a curator, choreographer and academic. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Cape Town and directs the Institute for Creative Arts. His artistic work deploys site-specific, interdisciplinary, and intercultural strategies to frame postcolonial imaginaries, decolonisation and matters of social justice.

He curates Infecting the City, the ICA Live Art Festival and Afrovibes in several cities in the Netherlands. He co-curated the French Season Africa 2020/21 and Spielart in Munich.

Pather has edited two books: Acts of Transgressions, Live Art in South Africa and Restless Infections, Public Art for a Transforming City. A monograph, Jay Pather and Spatial Politics, by Ketu Katrak was recently published.  

He served as juror for the International Award for Public Art, as Fellow at University of London, and was made Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government. He conceptualised and curated a Live Art Series for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art titled the earth still shakes.

Vaughn Sadie is a Cape Town-based conceptual artist, researcher and educator exploring the role of public infrastructure in shaping urban experience. His interdisciplinary practice engages choreographers, theatre makers, and communities to develop alternative ways of interacting with the built environment. He co-founded Karoo Kaarte (2021) with Neil Coppen and has co-curated Spier Light Art since 2018.

As a researcher, Sadie has worked at the African Centre for Cities, investigating community-led cultural programming through a nodal governance framework. His work examines how public infrastructure influences social engagement and spatial perception. He has presented his research internationally, including in Croatia and China.

Sadie has also worked as a project manager and researcher for institutions such as the Visual Arts Network of South Africa and the South African History Archive, supporting public art initiatives and archival projects that engage with social and spatial transformation.

Tiffani Kayler Dlamini is a theatre maker with a vast background in theatre technical management and training. She is the production and front of house manager at the Adam Small theatre Complex’s Venue and is also part of the creative team for the performance and conservation project Turning into Flowers.

With a deep interest in storytelling and development of the South African Coloured identity, Dlamini co-owns a company called She of the Fire, which is focused on theatre for women by women, education, and the healing power of the arts.

Dlamini has also been an associate producer on fine art and film exhibitions and project manager at Spier Light Art.

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Alexander Brits is a theatre maker and designer with many years of combined experience in theatre, events, and marketing. He specialises in the technical aspects of theatre and design, having worked for Stellenbosch University, Woordfees, and Bok Radio.

Skilled in time management, creative thinking, and problem-solving, Alexander has managed various projects and events, ranging from theatre productions to networking events and has most recently joined the Spier Light Art team as Assistant Project Manager.

Riyaaz Payne is the owner of ALPHA BESPOKE WORKS and has been involved in the construction industry for more than 15 years. He specialises in the fabrication of various projects and possesses a diverse skill set, ranging from construction to electrical work. For the past five years, Payne has collaborated with professional artists as an assistant and fabricator, and joined Spier Light Art in 2021 as a technician to support their projects.

Gita Pather’s career is multifaceted, spanning performing arts, film and television, arts policy, tertiary education, and marketing and communications strategy. She has served in executive leadership capacities for more than 30 years at some of South Africa’s leading institutions including PACT, the Windybrow Theatre, The Playhouse Company, The Market Theatre and Wits Theatre.

Her work has been instrumental in shaping official arts policy in South Africa since 1994. In addition, Pather has worked in cultural development in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mauritius and Tanzania.

She is known for her groundbreaking projects that have had a formative influence in shaping contemporary arts and culture programming in SA including pioneering the use of Transnet trucks as mobile theatres, the South African Women’s Arts Festival (now in its 28th year) and the first full-time Arts Management Training Programme.

Her creative and business skills allowed her to steer three national through-the-line agencies in media, marketing and advertising. A highly accomplished business executive with a strong understanding of legislation around government-funded institutions, Pather is a passionate advocate for arts and culture as a medium to promote understanding, tolerance and the values of the constitution.

She currently works as an independent consultant/producer and curator in arts and business management.