Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg, is delighted to announce the launch of a dedicated website for its specially curated programme of arts and culture events, “Art on the Hill.”
Since last year, when the Four Seasons Hotel presented its first “Jazz on the Hill” event, the hotel’s arts and cultural programme has expanded and diversified to the point where it now constitutes a full calendar of events deserving of its own dedicated web portal. The website, www.artonthehill.co.za, includes not just full details of the programme, but also a simple, accessible and convenient way for hotel guests and Johannesburg residents to book their place at the events of their choice.

With the advent of “Art on the Hill”, the hotel’s beautiful premises on Westcliff Ridge, with some of the most spectacular views of Johannesburg, have become more than a beacon of luxury and the high point in Johannesburg hospitality. Now, it is also an experiential cultural and artistic destination – the home of a unique new engagement with the city’s artistic and cultural life, as well as with select international performers.

Art on the Hill’s programme includes classical music and jazz performances, art, visual and photographic exhibitions, ballet, fashion events, art talks and other bespoke events held at various settings throughout the hotel.

“First and foremost, it’s all about making people feel welcome,” says Sebastien Carre, Regional Vice President and General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg. These events are designed to create unique touch points which provide guests with an enhanced experience of their destination or their home, in this case joburg residents, in a way that has never existed before.

In some instances, this is achieved by presenting the performances and events with an intimacy and proximity to the artist not available anywhere else. David Barillot, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, says that he sees the programme as having a disruptive element, too. “Don’t expect it all to be chandeliers and champagne,” he says. The programme’s inaugural photography exhibition was a gritty affair conceived as an avant-garde pop-up gallery in a temporarily converted basement parking area.

The objective is to focus on the work of the artist and to create immersive experiences, connecting guests’ interaction with the art, rather than simply functioning as the backdrop for social occasions. Events will help guests forge meaningful connections with the hotel and the city beyond.

By envisioning Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff as a destination for art, music and performance, the hotel not only reinvents itself and its offering, but welcomes the local community with a unique new way of experiencing the rich local artistic life of their city, while also providing access to international artists in a way that cannot be experienced anywhere else.

Barillot adds that, more broadly, the hotel’s vision includes transforming its public and social spaces into a constantly morphing exhibition of contemporary local and regional art. While on display, these works will infuse the hotel with a uniquely engaging atmosphere and foster a sense of connection and understanding of Johannesburg’s spirit of place and of its contemporary moment through a celebration of its creative arts.

www.artonthehill.co.za goes live on 27 June 2018 and will include full details of upcoming events. The website will also include easy-to-use online booking facilities. The first event available for booking through the new platform is July’s “Jazz on the Hill” performance by Trio Grande on 29 July for R795 including a gourmet buffet.