New Year and the 2008 bonsai resolutions
Ok, so it’s the last day of the first month of 2008. How are your resolutions going? We hope you’ve thrown them out the window or that you never had any in the first place? And to those of you who have gallantly stuck to them, bully to you big boots. Either way, take some comfort in the fact that most of us out here are fallible – errant, imperfect, human. Some of us accepted a long time ago that life is a real beyatch. Others are still in denial. On the bright side many of us are quite maleable and feisty: easy to adapt, ducking and diving, taking the blows, repositioning ourselves for the next round, fitting in here, readjusting there, getting on with it, pushing through, throwing out what we don’t want and trying to focus on what makes us feel good and happy. For isn’t that the point? To be happy. [Ed: See Below.] Or is there more? Suddenly some of us grow up, get dragged through an existential crisis backwards and realise that looks, materialism and the acquisition of more, bigger & better is just a passing high – that trying to outdo, show up or suppress is simply short-sighted and sad and that it’s just not possible to be happy all day or everyday. And then we ask ourselves what the point is anyway. And therein lies the big question. [Ed: And please DON’T MENTION “THE SECRET”. EVER.] We’ve given up scratching our heads at Represent and have thrown caution to the wind with the hope that love, laughter, the occasional big brawling night out entertained by the incredibly crazy and lekker chomees we have around us will get us through. Maybe. We asked our friend Dawn for her thoughts on New Years Resolutions. We like her thinking!: The Vision… 2008: a new year. Positive affirmations. Start afresh. Visualise your goals. Seize the day. Create your destiny. Think big. Push boundaries. Set new limits. Manifest success. Happiness. Strength. Authenticity. Wealth. Realise your dreams. Such lovely, positive phrases. The foundation of your New Year’s resolutions, the DNA of modern culture and business. The Secret. The Key to the Winner’s Circle. Strong inspiring words, all so nice to read (especially in a pretty font – personally, I recommend Tahoma, size 12. The shapes are soothing, and you won’t need to squint). The resolutions begin to form… Your heart and mind leap in response: of course! This is what you need…the Big Idea! Change yourself and your life. Join the ranks of the rich/famous/successful/enlightened/wise/thin/calm/hairy/notorious. Cue rampaging orchestral emotions, and the noble feeling of bold decision-making. It’s the...
Join this group in the name of love
Meet our lovelorn couple Tatiana and James, suffering from the realities of a long-distance relationship, they will do whatever it takes to bridge the distance and bring their worlds together so that they can be as one, at last…. But seriously, anyone that’s been in *long-distance* love understands just how tearfully hard separation can be and just how much time and money is invested in trying to bring your love together. We were recently introduced to the inventive couple on Facebook and were impressed with their cheeky approach at trying to be in the same space on Valentines day. They’ve started a group called Valentines Airlines in the hope that an airline will take pity on the lovers, see the huge PR value of making it happen, and offer them a free return flight. They need a shizer load of members to make it happen, so go on, even if you lived in Fourways and your partner in Alberton, share some love with long-distance lovers all over the world and join the Facebook group. In the name of love we implore you! Valentine Airlines Facebook Group We spoke to Tatiana to find out the whole sad story: Two lovers pine for each other on opposite sides of the globe. This group is an endeavor at receiving a free return flight from an airline company in order to relieve us of our love-pangs of missingness over the Valentines period if we attain 10 000 members or more. Join this group in the name of love… and tell all your friends! Dos amantes unidos por un profundo amor, pero separados por un continente. Este grupo es un intento para recibir un vuelo gratis de ida y vuelta de una compañía aérea por San Valentín. Necesitamos a 10.000 personas o más para realizar nuestro sueño y aliviarnos de nuestro dolor de amor propio de la distancia. Únete al grupo en nombre del amor y cuéntaselo a todos tus amigos!! Valentines Airlines is an idea we came up with last year. An attempt at creating enough noise about long distance love to encourage anyone who’s interested in helping us, to help. We need many more people to join and more importantly we need the public to be proactive in helping to get the idea to influential people. We need to make more of a noise about it. We’re working hard at finding contact details for Directors of the relevant airlines but I’m not convinced that they are the only people who could be interested. Ideally I’d like to speak with Richard Branson and or anyone who could gain from the publicity and who...
Get to Concerts for a Cause in CT
Spend a lazy Saturday Arvie in Cape Town in February supporting a good cause and enjoying local sounds. CONCERTS FOR A CAUSE kicks off with the first in their series of concerts at The Range in Tokai, on Sunday the 3rd of February 2008, with top SA acts Freshlyground, the Rudimentals, and Bed on Bricks. The concert series is aimed at raising funds for The Heart of Healing, an NGO committed to creating sustainable business solutions to social and environmental issues problems in South Africa. With a large portfolio, and diverse range of already developed solutions, the team of venture philanthropists now intend using a portion of the proceeds from each event towards the ongoing musical training and mentorship of disadvantaged, young artists, who will then be given the opportunity to showcase their talents alongside the bands headlining the events, providing visible feedback on how funds are channelled. Headlining next month’s laid back Sunday afternoon concert is MTV Award-winning Freshlyground, with their vivacious, catchy melodies and deeply introspective ballads. Their perfectly ultra catchy hit ‘Doo Be Doo’! is a favourite amongst a diverse spread of radio stations and their listeners, and the single, “I’d like”, also from their second album, the platinum-selling ‘Nomvula’, held the No.1 position on the 5fm charts for 3 consecutive weeks, and saw them playlisted on every station in the country. Freshlyground, made up of seven talented and diverse musicians from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is one of South Africa’s most successful young acts. They exude a live performance energy that has been the bedrock of their success, and seen them playing numerous music festivals including the Harare International Festival of the Arts, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Villa Celimontana Festival in Rome, the 2005 Expo in Japan, the Robben Island African Festival, and the big Oppikoppi ‘Wired’ festival. The band, who bridge historical divides and defy musical stereotypes, were also asked to play before President Thabo Mbeki at the opening of Parliament on the eve of celebrating 10 years of democracy in South Africa! Next up, The Rudimentals bring you their blend of Pan African Ska, dance-hall rap, dope Reggae Rhythm and vintage Ska – with a dash of Jazz and the Blues. Their live shows have captured the imagination of everyone who has seen them, blurring age, taste and social group boundaries – from the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, to UB40, Vortex trance parties, and everywhere in between! They thrive on the fact that they defy musical genre categorization and are proud to carry the “unique” label. Having spent a considerable amount of time at the top of the SA...
Afrika burns:”There is no time. There is no money.”
Feel like something out of this world that involves community participation, arts and pop-up culture? Tired of money money money work work work and bling bling [bling]? Go get amongst the GIFT ECONOMY at Afrika Burns this year and get away from it all. Thanks to Horn for the inspiring words and pics… Afrika Burns was held for the 1st time in Africa from the 22-25 November 2007 in Tankwa town, Karoo. There is actually no town there at all. It is halfway down the most remote road in SA. Tankwa Town is 113 km down the longest road in SA that has no town on it. In the desert This is an art Festival….no ordinary art festival- It is totally participant created. There is nothing there to begin with and each camp creates something , whether it’s an art installation, a camp or just getting involved and volunteering. Afrikaburns….the regional event for the burning man festival- is an experiment in temporary community building. Every thing that is brought in must be taken away. It’s a haven for radical self expression, self reliance and non commercialism. Nothing can be bought or sold, and you have to bring everything that will allow you to survive, encouraging the culture of environmental mindfulness, which is leaving no matter out of place. Afrika burns is probably some of the most amazing 4 days you can have: building, creating, making friends, helping out, making a difference and going on missions. There is no time. There is no money , there are no things to buy or pay for. So what this all means is that you get together with a bunch of friends, colleagues, strangers and you plan and build a camp. There were 28 themed camps this year with each camp having a theme to add to the whole event: – “Camp Vuvuzela”, who were definitely the most organised, they put together a stage and a dance floor, with chill out areas, couches, pillows and all. They put on a myriad of tunes and acts on stage, from percussion to trance, they also had a mobile DJ mutant vehicle in the “vuvu van” (a mutant vehicle that was once a landrover that had decks, amps, speakers, adorned with orange and pink fur who’s sole purpose was to attended other camps events and add some tunes if needed. – Then there was the amazing Burning Mail – they erected a fully functioning post office in the middle of the desert , complete with typewriters, especially designed postcards and delivery anywhere in the world. They also delivered to the next camp (via bicycle) or if...
Represent Recommends: Mbongeni Buthelezi
Join Dr. Ralf Seippel and international artist Mbongeni Buthelezi for an evening engaging in artistic and social contemporary dialogue @ Seippel Gallery in downtown Jozi on December 11. Click on the flyer for more info. In Ubunthu be plastiki, Mbongeni lets go of the burdens of his childhood a series of paintings that illustrates the ambiguity and deep rooted emotions of an ordinary global, but specifically African childhood. “When I discovered who I was, I asked myself if my parents ever loved me, I was FREE! It was a journey of force that speaks the universal language of any childhood” he says. Stength and dignity characterise this work of mind and soul. The juxtaposition of a happy colourful childhood next to the real life black and white paintings captures emotion and drama of an ordinary child. It has the power to arouse curiosity. He goes on to say the process of painting these pieces was “like a gandaganda dig that made me feel closure and bid farewell to the burdens of my childhood.” Date: 11 December Time: 19h00 – 21h00 Venue: Seippel Gallery, 72 – 82 End street, Doornfontein Contact: hlengiwe@gmail.com/ qhakazalu@yahoo.com...
Visit Body Maps @ David Krut
We remind all Representers to continue to support the HIV/AIDS initiatives way after December the 1st in every way you can. Visit the David Krut Gallery for the BODY MAPS exhibtion: From 22 November David Krut Projects will show Body Maps by the Bambanani Women. The Bambanani Women were invited to tell their stories of living with HIV/AIDS through a community outreach program initiated by the AIDS and Society Research Unit of the University of Cape Town (ASRU) and Médecins Sans Frontières. This program sought to document the lives of this group of HIV+ women who were given access to drug therapies. The project was initially run by Jonathan Morgan with the help of Cape Town-based art therapist, Jane Solomon. Participants created Body Maps – life-size images that traced the contours of their bodies allowing each of them to ‘visualise’ the virus, how the drugs were protecting them from the virus and articulate their individual history. David Krut was approached to exhibit these works in New York for AIDS Day 2003. The exhibition continued at David Krut Projects New York and received a great deal of attention. Several academic institutions requested that the exhibition travel to their university art galleries. Long Life – Positive HIV Stories, a collaborative book based on the Body Maps project, profiles the lives of members of the Bambanani Women’s group and provides a context for these exhibitions. Body Maps became a touring exhibition that started at the Flaten Art Gallery, St. Olaf College, Minnesota in September 2004 and has since travelled widely in the United States. Johnson and Johnson, a company doing major research in AIDS drug research, adopted the exhibition and promoted it internationally as their cultural project for 2005. The World Food Programme has also adopted the imagery for use in their posters throughout the world. DAVID KRUT PROJECTS 142 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood. Tel: 011 447 3157, lucy@davidkrut.com http://www.davidkrutpublishing.com/ http://www.davidkrut.com/ Tue – Fri 09h00-17h00 Sat...
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