Happening this week in Johannesburg, the inaugural Design Week South Africa, powered by Yoco, is popping up in and around the city from Thursday, 10 – 13 October and Cape Town from Thursday, 24 – 27 October. Expect an array of workshops, launches and exhibitions, collaborations, open studios and discussions – events and activations that promise to enrich your cultural landscape and encourage a local creative economy. 

Ahead of this week’s festivities in Johannesburg, Design Week South Africa, has released some new inclusions to the Johannesburg calendar, as well as a selection of Cape Town events coming up later this month (of which CEC will be a participant – keep your eyes out!).

Urbanist and member of the Design Week South Africa curatorial team, Roland Postma said, “Design Week South Africa, powered by Yoco, is not just another exhibition or talk shop, but rather intentional pop-ups situated in real spaces across the city, with real people to solve real problems – relevant to our struggles as an urbanised country.”

Image courtesy of Pina Jewels 

JOHANNESBURG CALENDAR :

Adding to the mix of Joburg-based brands and showrooms already listed as participants, Design Week South Africa, has added exciting additions to their calendar. 

Thursday, 10 October sees the addition of a ticketed dinner by Masterchef contestant, chef Tebogo Mabye, at 44 Stanley’s Bean There, a book presentation on ‘I Love You I Hate You’ by Bradley Kirshenbaum of Love Jozi, and Laurice Taitz-Buntman, of Johannesburg in Your Pocket, we well as an interactive open studio by internationally-renowned architects dhk.

On Friday, 11 October, Soweto-based Soulart Foundation will launch their free, two-day sustainable art and design workshop, while culinary design studio Borwa will showcase an exhibition and culinary experience at Victoria Yards. Jozi My Jozi will conduct a minibus tour of their incredible inner-city renewal projects, and Young Urbanists in conjunction with Rosebank Management District will be hosting an exciting street experiment at Bath Street in Rosebank.

House and Leisure, in collaboration with The Manor, will curate a panel discussion entitled, ‘The Eye’, featuring Trevor Stuurman, Charl Francois Edwards, Bielle Bellingham, Cassandra Twala, Nandi Dlepu and hosted by Design Week South Africa’s Zanele Kumalo.

Saturday, 12 October will feature a collaborative short film and interactive activation, ‘Daydreaming & Breaking Bread’ by Luke Radloff of UNI FORM and Annegret Affolderbach, an exhibition launch at Path Nomad entitled ‘African Zen’, and a Spring Collection launch at Asha Eleven’s Parkhurst store.

On Sunday, 13 October, ‘An Exploration of Joburg’s Alleyways’ tour, hosted by architects and urbanists Clare Chappel and Mark Schaerer will guide visitors (children also welcome) from Breezeblock Cafe in Brixton through some of the surrounding, forgotten alleyways, while Mamakashaka will host a discussion entitled, ‘Design in Bloom’ at their creative space in Braamfontein.

“For me, as a young South African and urbanist, Design Week South Africa, will continue the vital dialogue that the World Design Capital 2014 brought to our Mother City, helping us find solutions, cross-pollinate ideas, and cultivate our collective action,” shared Roland.

Image courtesy of UNI FORM

CAPE TOWN CALENDAR :

The first brands, showrooms and creatives to be released for the Cape Town calendar include design sectors ranging from architecture and urbanism; fashion, jewellery and accessories; art, product design and furniture; as well as film and music.

A pre-launch and dedicated store window reveal for Design Week South Africa, powered by Yoco, will happen at AKJP on Wednesday, 23 October – with the store’s extensive range of local products on display. Over the weekend, the concept store space will also be hosting Philip Kramer, as he spins some tunes from his newly launched turntable, as well as a brunch collection launch event by Pina Jewels.

Other product and collection launches will come from furniture brand N I S H, who will host an event at Nero Concepts, and ceramics brand HAN, who is collaborating with fashion label Selfi for an exciting collection.

Working in collaboration with creatives Mikhailia Petersen and Ben Mall, jewellery brand PICHULIK will exhibit a photographic installation entitled ‘Women of the Water’, with an accompanying video component set to be shown alongside two short-films, ‘Her Khaltsha’ by Robyn Phillips and ‘Mamas boy on board’ by Studio Bananaaa at The Labia Theatre. 

A host of exclusive guided tours around creative workspaces will be open for the public to attend, including a walkabout of exotic leather brand Cape Cobra’s expansive factory, outdoor furniture brand HALDANE’s new showroom and Wiid’s creative production space, with this tour including insight from the designer himself, Laurie Wiid van Heerden.

Architecture firm dhk will host a guided tour of the Cape Town city centre, highlighting past, ongoing and future projects by this internationally renowned firm.

The MAAK, Zayaah Khan and Kent Andreasen will show, ‘Clay, Library, Land Studies’, an incredible exhibition that reflects the creatives’ collective cross-disciplinary dialogue about District 6, through clay forms and photography. 

To find out more about these events, and to book tickets and free registration to each of these events, visit the Design Week South Africa, website here.

KEY DATES :

Johannesburg: Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th October 2024

Cape Town: Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th October 2024

BOOK TICKETS:

Book tickets and RSVP to the various Design Week South Africa events through this online portal. 

Press release courtesy of Design Week South Africa

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