Issey Miyake Creative Director @Design Indaba
We believe Design Indaba is up there on the list of ‘top must attend‘ design events UNIVERSALLY… much desired by designers and creatives the world over, although we’re sure the lovely city of Cape Town helps the whip appeal. Bravo to the team behind it for flying the South African flag so high and shaping an event of such high global standards (not that it’s not expected!), we hope it continues. This years exciting news is the announcement that Issey Miyake’s creative director will be presenting… now not only is this Editorista’s favourite perfume *hint hint*, but she was also lucky enough to lap up their flagship shop in Tokyo last year and was totally blown away. So start nagging your bosses and get booking so you can take advantage of early bird discounts for this years Design Indaba – more info below: Just last year, Dai Fujiwara unleashed his debut collection as creative director for Issey Miyake on the Paris runway. Of course, Issey Miyake addicts would have been following the rise of this young textile engineer since at least 1998, upon the launch of the award-winning A-Poc series. A-Poc is an acronym for “a piece of cloth” and describes Fujiwara’s proprietary software-driven design process, which weaves entire pieces of clothing with no sewing necessary. The technique represents a whole new creative, technological and ecological rapid prototyping proposition to the fashion industry. And don’t even get us started on Fujiwara’s design wedding project that saw some of the world’s most renowned design companies get involved in the big day of an ordinary Finnish couple… Rather come hear Dai Fujiwara tell you about that himself at Design Indaba 2009. Book before 12 December 2008 to make use of the Early Bird and Alumni discounts. Click here to...
A Riot coming up in Jozi
It’s a sweet soulful summertime line up including our favourites UJU, 340ml, Tumi and Papercut and DJ Khenzero, but taking us even higher, you get to lap up DJ Questlove from the one and only The Roots… NICE! Make sure to join in the manifestation at Joburg Riot on the 12th December at Carfax. Represent! Click here or on the flyer for more info or read below. 7venlox in association with Nike AIR, Sportscene and Imago Entertainment CC bring to you a RIOT, with the Quest to spread as much Love this festive season as possible. With a line up filled with brilliantly capable musicians by the likes of the unmistakable member of the Legendary Roots Crew and Grammy award winning musician and Dj Questlove; Tumi and his Dj Papercut; the elemental sounds of those 4 Mozambiquen’s known as 340ML; South Western townships Pro formally known as Prokid; the great UJU; Kabomo the man; Richard the 3rd need I say more; Dj C-Live and of course our man Dj Kenny Kenzhero this is undeniably going to be one of the greatest shows to end the year of 2008 off with. And all of this will be taking place on the 12th of December 2008 at an enormously complimenting venue known as Carfax, residing at 39 Pim Street Newtown. Tickets will be sold at the door at a merry R120 and doors will open at 9:00pm. Presale tickets will be available at R100 each, for more information, contact Candace Allan at nonnaallan@gmail.com. Presale tickets will be closed on the 10th of December at 12:00 PM so make sure you book them in advance. For more information on the selected artists and hyperlinks to their websites check out: www.theriot.blogspot.com or...
When Life Happens: HIV and AIDS Arts & Culture Festival
We’re warmed by the notion behind the term ‘When life Happens’, specifically with regards to HIV and AIDS, it takes away the stigma, negativity and fear that cloud the disease, demystifying it into something that does happen, has happened and can happen, to thousands of people around us. In support of those millions of people to whom ‘life happened’ and who are living with HIV and AIDS, make sure to get down to Arts and Culture Festival in Newtown the first week of December, featuring some of SA’s most intriguing cultural artists like choreographers Gregory Maqoma and PJ Sabbagha, DJ Khenzero, singer Fifi and lots lots more… When Life Happens: HIV and AIDS focused Arts and Culture Festival 3rd to 14 December 2008 Newtown, Johannesburg Program follows: VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION 10am to 5pm daily @ Museum Africa from 3rd to 14th December An exciting exhibition by a group of talented emerging artists, who have each been specially commissioned to create several new works for the 2008 Festival. Artists exhibiting include Phumzile Buthelezi, Happy Dlame, Michel Mhlungu, Yvonne Harvey, Vusi Mfupi, Themba Mofekeng and Mandla Manana. The commissioned artists were invited to contribute new works with the intention of exploring, investigating and communicating their thoughts and perspectives on the current HIV and AIDS situation in South Africa. MURAL In creation from 4th December @ the corner of Miriam Makeba Street and Carr Street, Newtown The visual arts curators for the 2008 When Life Happens Festival, Mandla Manana and Themba Mofekeng, will be creating a new HIV and AIDS-focused wall mural from Thursday, 4th December. Each year, When Life Happens has made a contribution to the growing collection of murals in Newtown. This year, the area’s street children will participate in the mural project. MASS ART INSTALLATION/INTERVENTION 5th and 6th December @ Mary Fitzgerald Square, through the day Bronwyn Lace and a team of performers and artists from the Bag Factory will be creating an exciting and provocative outdoor performance intervention and mass installation artwork. A first for Newtown, this commissioned, site-specific land art installation will unfold and unravel over the course of two days on Mary Fitzgerald Square. Watch that space! PERFORMANCE POETRY AND MUSIC Thursday, 4th December @ The Bassline from 7.30pm till 11pm Over the past four years, this event has grown into one of the highlights of the festival programme, attracting maximum-capacity audiences of free-thinking and spirited revelers and activists. This year will be no different: an insightful, provocative and entertaining party with a message. The musicians, DJs, poets and wordsmiths throwing themselves and their art behind the cause include DJ Khenzero, Fifi, Pokah, Nomsa Mazwai, Ntsiki...
Represent Review: MTV MAMA’s in Jozi
Sadly, we won’t make it all the way to Abuja, but we definitely made up for it at the pre-party in Johannesburg, with our man Reuben “the Matrix” Malema rocking up the VIP suite while shedding copious tears of joy at one of the most successful live HipHop events in South Africa to date. He loved it, and shares his night with us below – click here for Reuben’s partner in crime, Nkateko Siweya’s photostory of the bash…. It’s drizzling and my expectations are under strict check. The last American Hip-Hop “star” whose show I attended sucked big time, the crowd turn out was unimpressive and the songs performed were to a large extent very alien to us. This of cause was Keith Murray, but tonight I will be seeing The Game. Some Background The Game is as typical an American gangster as anybody can ever be: Fast cars, gold chains, a myriad of tattoos scattered all over the body, serial alcoholic, filthy rich negro and very generous philanthropist to the general public; a full on model Al Capone to the bitter end. As the story goes, it all started when Game was 12 years old; a poor Afro-American living in the notorious city of Compton on the west coast of the United States. On his way from school, Game and a couple of buddies came into contact with the godfather of the ogg-Pound, Snoop Dogg, riding around in a hydraulic jacked low ride American muscle vehicle with gin and weed clasped in both hands. The Dogg encourages Game to hold on to his dream of wanting to be a Hip-Hop super star and as they say…all else is history. The Event – All Roads lead to Jozi Upon approaching Ponte City it became apparent that The Game is indeed a much-loved Hip-Hop artist here in Jozi. The roads leading into the Standard Bank Arena were chocker blocked with scenes reminiscent of the motorway chaos in the movie Independence Day! We proceeded at a snail`s pace to the vip parking lot. The tempo rapidly rising, rain pouring down and our hearts violently beating against our rib cages; We have arrived. This one is the MAMA of all Hip-Hop gigs… The Who’s Who of Mzansi’s Hip-Hop scene came out in support of this inaugural concert leading to the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards (sponsored by ZAIN Telecom) to be held in Abuja Nigeria this November. South African nominees HHP, Cassette, The Parlotones and Jozi were the curtain raisers with Y-fm dj’s like Mc-G helping to pump up the mood with their house tunes. With no doubt my favourite performer...
I LOVE YOU wins for Mozambique
We are very pleased to announce that I Love You – a 3 minute film from Mozambique – has won the inaugural Africa in Motion (AIM) emerging film festival competition in 2008 thats taking place this week in Edinburgh, Scotland. You can watch the films (including the winning film) for a limited period at our you Tube channel here. The inaugural Africa in Motion (AiM) film festival, the shortlist of which consisted of eight short films by young and emerging African filmmakers, has been won by Rogério Manjate from Mozambique for his superb short film I Love You (2007). Read more about AIM here and click to read more below… The eight selected short films were all screened at the Africa in Motion film festival yesterday, and the winning film was announced by jury member and acclaimed filmmaker Gaston Kaboré at a special awards ceremony after the screening. Filmmaker Rogério Manjate will now receive £1,000 prize money to assist him in his filmmaking career. The winning film I Love You was selected by a jury consisting of acclaimed Burkinabe filmmaker Gaston Kaboré; writer, presenter and filmmaker Zina Saro-Wiwa; Director of the Scottish Documentary Institute Noe Mendelle; and high-profile film critic, writer and producer Mark Cousins. Zina Saro-Wiwa said of the winning film, “How much did I love this film?? I Love You is much sexier than is normally expected in African film, and was wonderfully directed, and I loved the timing and pace. The film was brief and confident with lots of heart. Daring but tender and sweet.” In praise of the film, jury member Noe Mendelle has added, “I Love You is a candid yet very moving drama, with outstanding cinematography”. AiM is also pleased to announce that the winner of the AiM 2008 Audience Choice Award is Tunisian filmmaker Anis Lassoued for The Magic Crop, a charming magic realist tale that has already won several awards at film festivals worldwide. Speaking about the competition as a whole, Mark Cousins said, “Short films are the spurts of life, the new shoots, of the film world. It is great that Africa in Motion is focusing on them. That’s where the discovery and vitality is. The short film competition, and its considerable prize, is a brilliant way of putting the festival’s money where its mouth is, and giving a fillip to the zingy and daring new African...
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