King George St; Twist St, Joubert Park

Jo Ractliffe’s panoramic photograph captures a busy urban intersection in Joubert Park, Johannesburg, using the distinctive low-fidelity aesthetic of a Holga camera. Composed of six stitched frames, the image features heavy vignetting, colorful light leaks, and motion blur that conveys the constant activity of inner-city streets.

The scene depicts multi-story buildings, street furniture, pedestrians, and cars, including a yellow taxi on the far left, highlighting the central role of informal transport in the daily life of the inner city. Panels three and four show scattered debris; a plastic bag and other small objects, grounding the view in the material reality of the streets while contributing to the photograph’s textured, lived-in quality.

Joubert Park itself is a historically and socially significant site: a public space in the heart of Johannesburg that has long been a hub for recreation, commerce, informal gatherings, and urban transit. By situating the streets adjacent to the park, Ractliffe emphasizes the interplay of public space, daily life, and urban movement. Taken during the Joubert Park Public Art Project, the work challenges stereotypes of inner-city decay, portraying streets and public spaces as dynamic, lived-in environments shaped by human activity, spatial planning, and ongoing social change.