Anthony Bila: The man behind the lens
By Lindelwa R 1. Let’s pretend you’re not the creative genius we’re interviewing, what would be the one thing you can’t live without? Well you’re very generous for saying that, I would have to disagree though, I’m no creative genius. One thing I can’t live without? I think we should all be able to live without material tethers or anchors, they in themselves can trap us into certain ways of thinking, so besides food, water & shelter, I can’t think of a single thing I can’t live without, really. 2. What’s the book you’ve read which changed your life? The book is one that took approximately 1,600 years to write. The book had 66 different writers over that time period who wrote from different vantage points, they were from different walks of life and different social classes and countries even. Yet, this book is flawless, infallible even in the way that it carries the secret to true enlightenment, happiness and understanding our purpose. That book, of course is one inspired by a higher power, it’s the most published book in history despite many attempts to thwart its proliferation, and this book is the Bible. 3. This next question is a becoming a cliché but, how do you think art can encourage a revolutionary way of thinking, in the youth specifically? I think art, the truest form of it questions all our beliefs, and it interrogates them. One should always ask “why?” And asking “why” isn’t a sign of anything except curiosity and wanting to be more enlightened and gaining understanding to me. So yes, if art is there to express an emotion, to question a system or even to subvert it, art is often a catalyst for change. And art can take so many various forms, music, writing, painting, even the way one lives their lives can be art, it’s everything and anything that is done with a certain finesse, a certain je ne sais quoi. 4. What do you think us youths need more of from ourselves? We need to be honest enough to say what we really feel, unafraid and brave enough to voice our thoughts about everything and driven enough to act. All to often we as young people we just don’t take enough initiative to change the status quo. South Africa has a 52% population under the age of 23, and that means we are the future but if we do not demand better representation and opportunities of the system and of ourselves, nothing will change. We have to be revolutionaries, and assert change to benefit us since we are the ones that the future...
Run The World: An Instabition By David Tshabalala
Meet the contemporary graphic designer whose creativity stems from the gift of freedom. His artistic flair, buoyant and playful in expression becomes the medium through which he invites the audience to discuss identity and cultural associations. Meet David Tshabalala. A graphic designer Slaying Goliath. David introduces the birth of a revolutionary Women’s Month exhibition, Run The World: An Instabition By David Tshabalala. This groundbreaking concept will be run daily throughout the month of August on Instagram, featuring the profiles of 31 Great Young Women as perceived by the artist. David undertook the project with the passionate intention of commemorating the women of South Africa, by celebrating everyday young women; women who fight to inspire everyday lives. “I want to profile young South African women whom I consider to be the future thought leaders of South Africa. These are young women who may or may not be known under public spotlight, yet, in each of their creative disciplined passions, they illuminate a spirit of solidarity in power. Warrior women who will indeed inherit the...
Redefining branding with Ruramai Musekiwa.
Creatives, stand up and fight for your artistry to be recognised far beyond the forte’s of your stoep. Represent sat down with Ruramai “Rudo” Musekiwa, the creative director and brains behind BSN – the soon to be launched digital magazine. Here’s what she had to say. Who is Ruramai? Give us a short background of who you are and what you do for/at BSN? I’m a creative with a passion for the extraordinary. My background is graphic and web design, DTP , copywriting and fine art. I was born in Zim and spent a portion of my childhood in Australia before coming back to a vibrant and diverse SA, so my world view has been shaped by a colourful myriad of experiences. I am the Creative Director of BSN & Studio Rrr Design. I conceptualize and create everything related to BSN at the moment. How did BSN Magazine come about? Take us through the last 6 months of preparation? Brand Spankin’ N(YOU) has been a labour of love for the past 7 years. The idea to create a unique and inspiring publication was born in my internship days and it was quite a blurry concept back then. I would create random magazine cover designs and layouts conceptualizing a publication that changed shape and form over the years. I went through dozens of concepts, even had a Mxit interview with Zuko(our cover feature) in 2009 (laughs!), but I needed to fine-tune it further. I quit formal employment in July 2011 and my passion for brand architecture and the branding process grew. I think it was important to refine this concept from a cool artsy zine to what it is today; a fully matured magazine that is ready for take-off. The last six months have been interesting. A lot of late nights building the marketing strategy, designing teasers and promotional material, research, writing, reworking layout ideas, meetings, Sit-down and Skype interviews… It’s been a busy time and I think we all get to points where our passion and belief in what we’re doing is tested. I’m thankful for resilience and everything that reinforced my convictions and belief in this idea. Describe what is BSN? Brand Spankin’ N(YOU) is a movement driven by a passion for creative branding and telling inspirational stories about passion brands. Essentially BSN has two compartments; the publication (BSN magazine) and BSN Brand Architecture which encompasses brand coaching, branding workshops, creative solutions (graphic design, web design, illustration etc.) Who/ what inspired you for this project and what message do you wish to convey? It’s hard to pin-point one reference point of inspiration… I was and continue to be...
Call for Entry: Short films – Design Indaba Expo
Here’s your chance to get your short film seen by a global audience at the fabulous Design Indaba Expo (considered one of the top Design gatherings in the world by those in the know) taking place in Feb next year. Get your entries in by the end of October. All South African filmmakers, students and hobbyists are invited to submit their short films, music videos and animations for screening at the 2010 Design Indaba Expo. The curated film festival is open for viewing by all Design Indaba Expo visitors, from 26 to 28 February 2010, and is screened between the fashion shows at the fashion arena. Submissions must be less than 12 minutes in length and need to be in mini dv or high resolution QuickTime (uncompressed or pal). There is no fee for participation. Submission deadline: 31 October 2009 For more information and submissions please contact Kim Terblanche at kim@interactiveafrica.com or on 021 465...
(just more than) 2 weeks to enter Makhulu Polane
Editorista is emitting corruscating rays of cascading joy (for real!) now that Project Runway has FINALLY kicked off it’s new season (6) after a long drawn out waiting period… we love seeing talent being given a chance to SHINE SHINE SHINE – amazing what a bit of pressure can create. Well the good news is designers (my best Tim Gunn voice) you have a chance to create your own design masterpiece without pressure by entering your interpretation of the LOVE AFRICA theme in Big Blue’s Makhulu Polane t-shirt design competition. It’s open for entries until 15th Sep 09, so MAKE IT WORK: This local initiative was started by Big Blue in 2006 in a quest to discover and support fresh homegrown talent, and entries are received each year from graphic designers, fashionistas, daydreamers, students, illustrators and frustrated corporate workers who dream of design fame and winning the Makhulu Polane title. This year’s design theme is ‘Love-Africa’ and Big Blue is looking for designs that creatively celebrate Africa as a continent. Entries are open to anyone who feels they have an original t-shirt design that fits the design theme; the winning designer receives R20 000 in cash and their t-shirt will be sold in all Big Blue and Kitsch+Kool stores nationwide for two months. T-shirt designs do not need to be digitally created but they must be submitted via the Big Blue website www.bigblue.co.za , hand drawn illustrations can be scanned and uploaded. The award winning Makhulu Polane campaign is an original, annual event that encourages and celebrates South African design. Show us your Makhulu Polane and we’ll make you...
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