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The Unlimited Global Alchemy project is a collaboration
between myself and six members of the Bambanani Group of Khayelitsha Township.
The Bambanani Group formed in about 2001.
They were all extremely ill, suffering from *** and AIDS,
and they were the first group to receive the free antiretroviral treatment
that came in through Medecins Sans Frontieres
to create a treatment programme for people who had *** and AIDS.
And I saw a painting in Cambridge about two years ago.
And when I saw the picture - it was a body map -
I somehow knew that whoever had painted this painting
had some sort of sensibility that I had.
It just sort of spoke to me, and I came away from the exhibition
and I decided that I was going to find that person.
So I went on this long sort of trawl around the world through Google,
getting a catalogue from Australia.
About four months later I received this email,
having emailed hundreds of people,
to say, "I'm Nondumiso Hlwele, and I've been told you're looking for me."
And that's who I'm collaborating with.
And Nondumiso is the lead member of the Bambanani Group.
My name is Nondumiso, and I'm living with ***,
and I'm on antiretrovirals.
I have ten years on medication.
My story that I'm gonna tell is about me being very ill.
The Unlimited programme has had the most extraordinary effect
on my artistic career,
and on my work as well.
It's given me an opportunity to collaborate for the first time
with international artists,
to try and create a commission
that goes as far as I could ever believe my artwork could go.
It has actually been extraordinary,
and it's given me an opportunity to have a vision
that I never believed I'd be able to have.
But the main thing it's opened up for me...
My work is always about people.
I'm interested in the human condition.
I collaborate with other people quite often.
It has given me a platform of knowing who I am better,
and helped me by giving me a platform to send a message out there
that being people with *** or living with this disability,
it is not the end of the road.
It has given me that platform to send out that message.
And the Unlimited commission, when I first read the objective of it,
it sort of said, "Go for something that you'd never normally do."
So I decided that I would go and work with a choreographer properly.
I would create a big performance piece. There would be films.
It was almost the opportunity to just do everything that I've always wanted to do
and bring it together under one umbrella.
And she's a very comfortable person to work with.
She's not an artist from the UK any more.
She's more our friend.
My favourite part's definitely working with the Bambanani Group,
definitely sharing cultural differences,
going to South Africa - it's a beautiful country apart from anything else -
but going to South Africa to actually witness how other people live.
Everybody has a right to medical treatment around the world,
and should have a right to it.
They don't.
So I really hope it makes people understand
that if you do give people treatment,
and you do treat people in a humane way,
there's the possibility to stay alive, be alive,
and do work like the Bambanani and I are doing.
It's a really, really important message.
Also, *** and AIDS, it's still a massive problem around the world,
and I hope anything that draws attention to this subject
means that more people will live fulfilling lives in the future.
Captions by internetsubtitling.com