the bioscope: an eclectic spot.

Robyn

Last night my fellow sub editor Natalie Egling and I braved downtown Jo’burg traffic and one-ways to watch an intimate screening of a documentary at The Bioscope. This little treasure of a place is nestled in the heart of the eastern side of Jo’burg’s city centre, which is quickly becoming a trendy hot spot for artists, musicians and culturists alike to hang out and be interesting. 

The Bioscope forms part of the ground level of a renovated 1970s industrial building called Main Street Life, a project developed by Jonathan Liebmann to rejuvenate the inner city, making it an attractive place to live and invest in. Main Street Life is still a work in progress, but residential studios, a boutique hotel, retail shops and a rooftop events venue will make up the rest of this unique place. So, move over Greenside! 

Back to the The Bioscope. Co-founders Darrel Els and Russell Grant started this independent art house and cultural cinema to showcase a mixture of content for SA movie-goers. It’s all about developing local audiences for locally and internationally produced cinema.  And, you can hire it out as a venue, too! Go a little further and open the doors to the Chalkboard Collaboration Café next door – a cosy restaurant that has chalkboard table tops, where you can exhibit your personal art or inspirational quotes for the day.  

I’ve actually been to this artsy-fartsy spot before, but last night it was to see a documentary on childbirth called The Business of Being Born, produced by Ricki Lake (remember her?) and directed by Abby Epstein. It’s a fascinating take on how a woman’s choice in her experience of giving the right of passage is being stolen from her in a world of ‘designer births’, i.e caesareans, and quick turnaround times in hospitals. 

For info on a viewing, call the Genesis Clinic on 011 646 3923 or visit their website Genesisclinic.co.za.  Check out Thebioscope.co.za to see the latest film and documentary screenings.