Market Photo Workshop

Johannesburg’s centre has been through a period of stagnation and degeneration. In the past few years a number of initiatives have started to reverse these trends. One of the most important is the Greater Newtown Development, home to the Market Photo Workshop. Portions of the facility have been adapted into heritage structures which commemorate its history. The Workshop also operates within new structures which respect the Newtown aesthetic and scale. An important component which tackles issues of Apartheid Colonial heritage is the form of the ‘SCHLOM HOUSE’ which is the only remaining example of migrant eating houses in South Africa. The Workshop has a high level of visibility which encourages public interaction and collaboration with the arts in the form of a library, dark rooms, photography archive, public gallery, courtyards, terraces and training facilities. By circulating through the hub, the building allows for moments of inspiration and chance meeting, integral to the creative process. The building facilitates multiple teaching opportunities in indoor and outdoor spaces.