A familiar name appears in a surprising place in the 2006 programme! Former Artistic Advisor, Roy Sargaent appears in a new capacity – as director of Artscape’s The Boy Who Fell From the Roof.

Another familiar name should be Churchill Madikida, the 2006 Young Artist for Visual Arts. His exhibition Like Father Like Son? was a bold exploration of a difficult subject, which remains hauntingly relevant in our societies today:

“It is widely acknowledged that children need structure, security, stability and attachment to develop and flourish. Issues such as high divorce rates, new family structures, increased mobility, women’s liberation etc. are very common in society. Churchill grew up without his biological father, and this exhibition sets out to explore what happens to sons who grow up without their fathers.

Fathers are cited more than mothers in issues such as psychological maladjustment, substance abuse, depression and behavioural problems, according to research done by Ronald Rohner, Director of the Centre for the Study of Parental Acceptance and Rejection in the School of Family Studies at the University of Connecticut, and his colleague Robert Veneziano. They also found that a father’s love helps prevent the development of these problems and can also contribute to a child’s good physical health.

Drawing from his own personal experience, the works on exhibition engage with Churchill’s complex family history. The exhibition explores the differences and commonalities with members of Churchill’s family, and especially his father, who he recently met for the first time in 32 years. The artworks provide an insight into his struggle with understanding how growing up without his biological father may have shaped his sense of being, his relationships and even his perception of the world.”