This book is the culmination of 10 years of documenting life in the Cape Flats African and Coloured townships of Cape Town by one of South Africa’s most talented, but least recognized, documentary photographers. Ledochowski’s painstaking and brilliant photographs document the wall decorations and murals drawn by artists in these townships. The essay of 250 images speaks about hopes, dreams, rituals and social comment by Cape Town’s poor. First Published by SAHO & Unisa Press, 2003, the book sold out. Due to popular demand, a re-print and update of the book was done for the International bookfair in Cape Town (June 2008).
A collection of remarkable work brought to us by a man of extraordinary spirit, courage, fragility, tenacity, complexity and eye. The photography is pervaded by a sense of fine discernment and passionate concern for the subject. There are no cheap shots here and no facile concessions to popular, political or artistic correctness
- David Goldblatt
Cape Flats Detail is an extraordinary and rare collection of high quality photographs taken by Chris Ledochowski over a period of 25 years. His work has taken him across the cultural, racial and class boundaries of the Cape Flats townships. The title embraces deeper issues and relationships that he attempted to convey through the medium of photography.