Meet the Design Futures Lab 2023 Creatives

Apr 24, 2023 | News, Community

This year a musicians, artisanal fashion designers, culture activists and artists join cutting-edge photographers, filmmakers and creative technologists for the second edition of Design Futures Lab. After considerable deliberation, six Zimbabweans and six South Africans will participate in a four-day workshop from 9 to 12 May in Cape Town, before they create an immersive sustainable fashion prototype,“Year two of the Design Futures Lab brings with it a new cohort of talented creatives and technologists committed to sustainability and we can’t wait to support their experimentation in the XR futures of fashion and design,” says Electric South’s Antoinette Engel. The creatives will work in six teams of two. Each team receives a grant of R60 000.00 to develop their concepts. The digital lab (including a one-day workshop about sustainable fashion) will train and inspire the participants in preparation for their projects. The deadline to submit their final prototypes is in August.

Multi-disciplinary artist, Larah Fischer (aka Luh’ra) who will be working with Keith Dliwayo, says, “We feel honoured to be selected and so excited about expanding our current skills set, learning news skills, and having some fun!” The Design Futures Lab is a collaborative project aimed at promoting young talent through driving innovation. Design Futures Lab invites artisans to explore the connection between extended reality and sustainable fashion.“We are delighted to welcome twelve creatives to join us this year to hear from experts about the latest developments in sustainable fashion,” says Jackie May, founder of Twyg. The Project Partners are Electric South, Twyg, Korokoza, Crossover Labs and is supported by the British Council. Tawanada Mudonga of Korokoza, the lab’s new partner, says, “We are so proud to be a part of this groundbreaking collaboration and excited about an initiative which is sure to change the digital technologist landscape in Southern Africa.”

Final selection of creatives ///

Tarryn Tippens (aka Bambi) and Larnelle Bakala

/// Tarryn Tippens | Artist and Designer
 Tarryn Tippens is an artist and designer based in Johannesburg/Cape Town, South Africa. Creating under the pseudonym ‘Bambi’, her label of the same name is rooted firmly in small scale, handmade garments; with an emphasis on knitwear and handcrafting. Using natural fibres and local fibres, her design practice is bound by her commitment to eco-dyeing with natural dyes, repurposing and up-cycling – weaving together a vision for a more intimate relationship between garments and the wearer. Tarryn believes in energetically imbuing her clothing intention and seeks to create in line with a critically aware perspective of human and planetary health. Incorporating an exploration into crystal healing practices in the design process, alongside research and application of textiles as an intangible, healing component for the body, Tarryn’s work exists at the intersection of cultural, social and ecological evolution beyond the dire “fast fashion” system. 

Follow Tarry Tippens on Instagram @bambi.com

/// Larnelle Bakala | Filmmaker, Director and Photographer
Larnelle Bakala is a 25-year- old filmmaker, director and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Bakala has worked with musicians such as Uncle Waffles and brands such as Nike, to create films that help African youth tell stories about their unique experiences in the creative industry. Bakala is inspired by community and by bringing people together through storytelling, as he believes this promotes learning and growth by leaning on each other. 

Follow Larnelle Bakala on Instagram @lordnelle

Tarryn Tippens / BAMBI
Larnelle Bakala

Siza Mukwedini and Plot Mhako

/// Siza Mukwedini | New Media Content Producer
Siza is a Film and New Media Content Producer based in Zimbabwe. To Siza, storytelling is the oldest form of communication and that is the medium we choose to tell stories that are ever-changing. She has committed her life to staying knowledgeable about new media and new technologies. An IT specialist and technology fanatic, Siza has produced a wide array of content, from AR pieces, photo and surface-based, 360 filming and photography, VR world building, and animation. She is the founder of Matamba Film Labs for Women. The labs train women on new media storytelling tools and connect them to opportunities. In 2015, Siza was selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders for her role in using film as a tool for social engagement. She has produced various award-winning current affairs and documentary features on women and development issues for renowned broadcasters such as the BBC, Al Jazeera and VOA. 

Follow Siza Mukwedini on Instagram @SizaMukwedini

/// Plot Mhako | Creative Director, Journalist, Digital creator and Youth Culture Activist
Plot Mhako is a creative director, journalist, digital creator and youth culture activist from Zimbabwe. He is co-founder of Jibilika Dance Trust, a youth culture incubator, and digital creator and founder of the award winning earGROUND Digital Media. Plot documents and amplifies creative voices. He is also co-curator of Amplifaya festival and the Creative Business Conference, as well as the co-artistic director of Mafuwe International Festival of Dance. He is also co-founder of Kuenda Productions a multi-disciplinarian, and intercultural production company working in Dance, Theatre, Music, visual art and management operating in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Germany; co-organiser of the Zimbabwe Hip Hop Summit, Zimdancehall Summit; co-founder and organiser of SKATE ZIMBABWE which works to empower youths in communities. Plot is a fellow with the Mandela Washington Fellowship (Young Africa Leadership Initiative) YALI 2015, International Society For Performing Arts (ISPA) 2016 and 2020, International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) Hip Hop and Civic Engagement Fellow (2012) 

Follow Plot Mhako on Instagram @plotmhako

Siza Mukwedini
Plot Mhako

Larah Fischer (aka Luh’ra ) and Keith Dliwayo (aka Keith Virgo)

/// Larah Fischer | Artist:
 Luh’ra is a Cape Town based artist who expresses herself through music. With a degree in architecture and a background in numerous creative fields, Luh’ra is a well-rounded artist who encompasses music, art, photography, film, food, events and fashion. Her skill sets have led her to work in leading companies within these fields. Following her architecture degree, she interned with architecture firm URBA. Within the contemporary art space, she worked with blank projects gallery working closely with some of the country’s leading artists. Behind the music scenes, she has worked with artist management and booking agency, Black Major representing forward-thinking musicians as as well as managing press and media for experimental music festival Search. Within the film Luh’ra has directed music videos for artists locally and internationally. She has also collaborated with various local fashion brands in various capacities. As a musician Luh’ra has released 2 EP’s and performed on acclaimed stages across South Africa with some of the country’s best up-and-coming and established musicians. Her music has reached international audiences through various playlists, airing on radio stations such as Worldwide FM and NTS, as well as live performances on global platforms such as Sofar.

Follow Larah Fischer on Instagram @luh.ra

/// Keith Dliwayo | Multidisciplinary Artist: 
Keith Sphiwe Mpumelelo Dliwayo better known by his artist’s name Keith Virgo, is a multidisciplinary artist from Johannesburg and is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa. He works in various mediums of arts which stems from his love of storytelling. His work varies from photography, visual arts and hand knitting crafts as well as handmade jewellery. He has exhibited his works in Cape Town, Amsterdam and New York.

Follow Keith Dliwayo on Instagram @iamkeithvirgo

Larah Fisher
Keith Virgo

Chipo Mapondera and Sabina Mutsvati

/// Chipo Mapondera | Software Developer
Chipo Mapondera has worked for top fashion companies including VOGUE, ELLE, CHANEL, and the NET-A-PORTER Group for over a decade. Her experience and expertise encompass fashion editorial, marketing and technology. Her current role as a software developer allows her to explore new technologies that engage consumers and help fashion brands reach their audiences.

Follow Chipo Mapondera on Instagram @chipomapondera_

/// Sabina Mutsvati | Multidisciplinary Artist: 
Sabina Mutsvati graduated from Harare Polytechnic College with a Diploma in Fine Art and a National Certificate in Art and Design. Sabina is also a film wardrobe and costume designer trained by Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe. She has taught Basic Design as a Project lecturer at the Zimbabwe Institute of Visual Arts. Passionate about art, Sabina’s aim is to share her creative ideas with all those who are open to receiving them. Her designs are inspired by the never-ending roles of women in her Shona culture. Working with a variety of materials to help tell these women’s stories. She makes use of recycled materials while bringing in familiar elements and giving them new metaphorical meaning and purpose.

Follow Sabina Mutsvati on Instagram @sabinam71

Chipo Mapondera
Sabina Mutsvati

Rufaro Magara and Ryan Harvey

/// Rufaro Magara | Unity Developer and XR Enthusiast
 Rufaro Magara is a Zimbabwean-raised, South African-based Unity Developer and XR Enthusiast. He studied Game Design and Electrical Engineering at Wits University but later moved to the University of South Africa to study for a Bachelor of Science in Informatics. Currently in his final year at UNISA while freelancing as a Unity Developer based in Johannesburg. He holds a Unity (C#) Game Development Certificate awarded by Treehouse in addition to his creative practices in the technology space using software such as Unity(C#) Game Engine, Blender, and Spark AR being the tools. He is experienced in Augmented Reality within Unity using ARCore and Vuforia and in designing Instagram and Meta AR effects/filters allowing him to gain strong hands-on analytical and articulate viewpoint skills over the years. His latest achievement has been being selected to be a part of Africa Games Week 2022 in Cape Town at the Me and The Machine Interactive Art Exhibition in which an interactive piece of AR he created in Unity was part of the exhibition.

Follow Rufaro Magara on Instagram @justrmag

/// Ryan Harvey | Multi-disciplinary artist
 Ryan Harvey (b. 2000, Durban) is a trans-masc multi-disciplinary artist working across various mediums including animation, illustration, painting, photography, sound design, and videography to create worlds that conjure up complicated feelings within an audience. As an autistic artist, Ryan is attracted to uncomfortable art as a tool to help other people explore his complex emotions and make them confront the difficult truths about being autistic. Drawn to darker subject matter, Ryan seeks to challenge the notion of aesthetic merit opting instead for uneasy imagery that confronts the complacency of the art world and society more widely. 

Follow Ryan Harvey on Instagram @uglycryan

Rufaro Magara
Ryan Harvey

Jackson Chifamba and Joel Chandauka

/// Jackson Chifamba | Fashion Designer, Stylist, Software Engineering Student
Currently based in Harare, Jackson is a self-taught fashion designer, stylist, thrift collector and software engineering student. He is the founder of a 100% upcycled and handmade clothing brand that specialises in denim conceptualism, deconstruction and reconstruction. In 2021 Jackson showcased the first one of one collection at the Skeyi and Strobo Fabrik Party, and did so again the following year with his second denim collection Rotation of The Earth. Jackson has also collaborated with photographers on character concepts while continuing to create street style content using his background as a software engineering student to infuse his passions. 

Follow Jackson Chifamba on Instagram @jaxxongram

/// Joel Chandauka | Digital Creative Technologist
Joel Chandauka is a digital creative technologist specialising in 3D design and animation. Growing up, Joel was always fascinated by how cartoons were made, and as a result discovered 2D and 3D programs such as Blender and Adobe Animate. He is self-taught and always striving to improve. He believes that the limitations of his country have held back a lot of people who have similar interests and so he feels inclined to tackle these hardships and give hope to those who are giving up. 

Follow Joel Chandauka on Instagram @joel_zw

Jackson Chifamba
Joel Chandauka

/// DFL Project Partners

Electric South has an award-winning track record in producing storytelling expressed in an immersive format. We run labs and workshops for creators, demonstrating cutting edge work and growing their practical skill set. We provide ongoing creative and technical mentorship to our artists in production. We regularly exhibit work and give talks at local and international festivals and events to evangelise new digital immersive media. Through our digital platforms, we share knowledge, tools and resources. Our aim is to grow the ecosystem of artists using new immersive technologies for storytelling in Africa and to facilitate collaborative information exchanges on the African continent. For the Design Futures Lab 2023 Electric South, a non-profit providing support and mentorship to digital visual storytellers, will implement a 3-day in-person lab in Cape Town. The focus will be on developing digital prototype/proof of concept ideas inspired by Twyg’s sustainable fashion workshops taking place at the top of the lab. Electric South will explore a number of different creative approaches including 360 filmmaking, volumetric capture, world-building, avatar creation, and augmented reality.

Twyg is a not-for-profit media platform using storytelling, experiences and campaigns to promote a way of being that is sustainable, circular and ethical. One of its projects, the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards is a first-of-its-kind annual event that strive to celebrate and support South African designers, creators, thought-leaders, and innovators who use best practices to help change fashion. For the Design Futures Lab, Twyg is designing a series of virtual workshops about sustainability, decoloniality and regeneration as it relates to growing, making, wearing and wasting fashion in Africa. By challenging the participants to reflect on the fashion industry, Twyg will introduce ideas that will germinate stories about the future of fashion. Korokoza is a creative media organisation focused on providing skills development, networking, and market access for artists, designers, writers, and technologists in Zimbabwe.

Crossover Labs are immersive media specialists, experts in the curation and creation of cutting-edge projects that combine technical innovation and storytelling.  We like to collaborate with artists and technologists to present immersive, interactive work that will resonate with audiences around the world. Our series of eight live cinema documentaries combine stunning archive footage from the past century with contemporary soundtracks composed by popular musicians. In our Labs, Crossover works with top industry mentors, incorporating design thinking and bespoke methodologies in order to encourage meaningful collaborations between different creative artists and technologists. We run workshops on Immersive Media development, VR and 360 video production and photogrammetry. Our workshops focus on the development of project ideas centred on story and audience development and routes to market. Crossover Labs will facilitate market access and feedback. All selected concepts will gain access to South Africa and UK markets with a keen focus on grants, funding and festival strategies.

The British Council’s Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Arts programme works in the diverse and varied countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and the U.K. Individually, each country and art sector has much to offer and exchange – collectively they tell multi-layered stories of 7 contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa and the U.K. Our arts programmes are underpinned by research, focused on young people, and are committed to; Supporting the creation of new art and sharing this art to audiences both online and in-person, sharing skills and knowledge between creative communities in the countries of SSA and the U.K and Creating new connections between young people. Our programmes are delivered by partners (artists, arts professionals, arts organisations, collectives, hubs) who have the vision and understanding of their creative communities and are best placed to lead and tell the stories of their local art sectors. With our partners, we stimulate new ways of connecting with and understanding each other through the arts. Design Futures Lab 2023 forms part of our Creative Economy programme in South Africa and aims to support young creatives with skills, opportunities, and knowledge that they need to build sustainable creative enterprises, build rich and provocative digital content and facilitate greater access to Markets.

The sustainable fashion workshop, hosted by Twyg, takes place on 9 May 2023 in Cape Town.
The digital lab, hosted by Electric South, and Korokoza takes place in-person from 10 -12 May in Cape Town.

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

The Spellbinding Sustainability of Alexa Schempers’ label ‘Rethread’

Apr 23, 2023 | Interviews, Fashion

Alexa Schempers was always meant to be in fashion. Design as a pathway into the industry is usually set on a course laid out by traditional education models of : moodboard, illustration, pattern-making and garment construction, so on and so forth. Usually, it attracts a particular person, with a particular kind of creative hunger; and while Alexa certainly has this ‘hunger’, it would be business and commerce that would be her segue in fashion. This, I believe, lends to the demonstrable success of Alexa’s brand Rethread; a cult-favourite label that has taken South Africa by storm, and then some. It’s not just the recent moment of seeing Rethread being adored by Julia Fox f or their 38.5k followers on TikTok – those are, in fact, by-products of the deep dedication Alexa has built her brand from, comprising of a three-part design category structure that enables sustainability to be, in every way possible, the beating heart of the Rethread vision. This is not neutral-tone, flaxseed sustainability – no – this is sustainability as sexy, sustainability as spell-binding & as earnest as it gets. I argue that Alexa is part of a wave of young designers and entrepreneurs around the world to showcase the power of building a small-scale fashion brand, from the ground up, with an uncompromising commitment to doing things differently.

Having grown up with her expressly chic mother in the tranquil town of Knysna – it was her joy to travel with her on shopping trips down to Cape Town, to be immersed in the city with shops and style abound. When it was time for Alexa to study, however – she pursued a business degree with a focus on marketing. In our conversation, she expresses how she knew in her heart that fashion was her true calling; so when she made her way to the Netherlands, embarking on a Masters in ‘Fashion Enterprise Creation’ at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. Reflecting, Alexa says, “It was a two year program, and the whole idea of the course was to plan and test a sustainable fashion business under the mentorship of the lectures, so it was a really amazing space to be in. The Netherlands is quite ahead of the curve, and they are very focused on sustainability and recycling – not just in the fashion and textiles industries. I had access to examples of sustainability and circularity not just as a theory, but also directly with people with working examples as career paths of functioning businesses. We broke down every aspect of a fashion business, and applied sustainability to each of those – how to include services and enhance a business model with as much in one’s toolbox.” For their final project, the students had to test, produce and market a fashion brand in partnership with students from the London College of Fashion; and the vision of upcycling became crystal-clear, as Aelxa explains, “Rethread was born in that incubator. Instinctively, I was drawn to the idea of using waste as resource – as someone who loves to shop, and loves fashion and experimenting with style – ‘re-fashion’, such as upcycling or resale, was the strongest forms of circularity that I wanted to test, as both an entrepreneur and a consumer.

Fast forward a few years (and a whole pandemic), and Rethread is a fully-fledged and active part of South Africa’s scene. I think those iconic suit sets will forever be imprinted in the minds of us fashion girlies – and the earliest indication of Rethread’s commitment to doing sustainability differently, like the ingenious restructuring of deadstock men’s blazers, with slashed hemlines and the signature Rethread burnt orange stitching. For Alexa, circularity has to be enacted across everything they do, and it’s for this reason that Rethread offers three ways of purchasing: a three-part design category of an upcycled collection, sustainably-made and pre-loved. This ensures that her Rethread community can find something across the whole business, while also showcasing the varying ways sustainability as a model is possible in fashion. On the challenges, Alexa says, “I think because we have three different categories – upcycling, ready-to-wear and vintage – it’s kind of like running three, micro-systems under one business. As a small business, figuring one thing out is difficult enough, so the variety is quite challenging. Zooming into each process offers its whole host of challenges, but I think upcycling is perhaps the most unique frontier to face in terms of production. We use vintage garments, taking them apart and re-designing them, and being able to offer this as a product hinges entirely on the availability of supply. There are not many people willing to work in that method because it’s non-traditional, and you’re required to almost think backwards. Then, being able to scale upcycled concepts and designs so that we can offer varying sizes, and not just make once off pieces.”

Alexa’s use of TikTok is something to behold, with many viral videos – from explaining why a price-tag of sustainable fashion differs from fast-fashion prices, or where she sources her vintage pieces. Then, there was Julia Fox expressing love for the brand – leading to Alexa reaching out and sending some custom pieces to her. With TikTok, there has been an increase in international traction and interest; and while customer conversion is not as simple as ‘someone likes a video, and then makes a purchase’, social media has offered Rethread a way to be seen in the world. This is thanks to Alexa’s personal presence – and the knowing by her community and customers – that Rethread is born straight from her heart, to theirs, “I want Rethread to be relatable and personal, so I am very front-facing in the way that I share who I am, what we do and the story behind our garments. I didn’t want to just have a brand out in the world without any context behind it, especially with something like circularity or sustainability which is a relatively new way of thinking in the fashion industry. I also am very open about what would be called ‘trade secrets’ and that there is a culture of secrecy around; like, I want people to know that this is what you can do as a consumer or starting a brand. We need as many people as possible to be looking at waste as a resource, or tackling these issues both socially and environmentally; as cool and stylish as upcycling can be, it is also a really important thing that shouldn’t be gatekept. We are the one-stop sustainability shop for the fashion it-girl, and we want to lean more into this as our concept.”

This year is has seen some challenges, and with her imminent move to Cape Town from Knysna ahead, Alexa ends of by explaining the vision ahead – one that we remain in awe to witness, “I’m in a place where I have to make some difficult decisions, you know, cutting what’s not working and focusing on what does work. The evolution of the brand has been a continuation of learning from its earliest start as part of my Masters degree, and I’ve been learning along the way, this whole time. This next growth phase is about elevating our up-cycled designs, and continuing to define what makes Rethread, its own. I always refer to Rethread as something that is made of a toolbox, and the next thing I want to develop is our branding, and textile design, so that we can create more signature elements that make us unique. I think it’s really exciting to be in fashion, because while we are presented with huge crises, it is also bringing about so much innovation, so our design-led circularity has much more to evolve into.”

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Be Cautious, It’s Cuffing Season

Apr 20, 2023 | Navigating Reality, Lifestyle

As the time for summer seltzers, sticky sunblock, and sand-covered toes rudely comes to an all too abrupt end, and mornings grow nothing but colder, darker and downright more inhospitable anywhere outside of the warm embrace of our duvets – we’re spending more time inside, more time in pyjamas (nothing wrong with that), but that, unfortunately for many of us, means we have more time to develop feelings of loneliness. So what does any sane, socially adjusted (in the most dystopian of terms) person do? Fix those frigid fingers on your phone and swipe away, looking for another warm body to brave the big bad winter with. I officially declare cuffing season is open, so let’s all  be a bit cautious.

Now I thought the term quite colloquial, but it came to my attention that it may not be as idiomatic as I thought, so here’s a little breakdown. Cuffing season refers to “a period of time where single people begin looking for short-term partnerships to pass the colder months of the year. Cuffing season usually begins.” A couple of things to take stock of. That definition was from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and I always find it slightly amusing when archaic institutes tackle contemporary slang, great linguists of the past must be rolling in their graves. Secondly and more importantly, due to the very American origin of the dictionary, the timeframe for cuffing season varies. I have to hand it to Northern Hemisphere ‘cuffers’ who seem to hit some major milestones in their situationships; the Christmas break, family responsibilities, getting inebriated beyond belief on New Year’s all in time for the guy to royally fuck it up, scrambling for a tasteless and frankly shit bracelet outside Pandora just before Valentine’s, as illustrated by nearly every Christmas rom-com blockbuster. That’s a lot, and let’s just say that my commitment issues could never. In the South African context, we could probably place the start of the cuffing season around the beginning of autumn, which means all of April and the multitude of public holidays that accompany it. That means more time for those overly romantic weekends away, more cuddling and more time for the end of cuffing season and the start of hot boy/girl summer to hurt all the more. How beautifully toxic of us.

Is there any science behind this, or is it all simply a socially constructed phenomenon that makes us think we can get away with potentially breaking someone’s heart? Well, sex researcher Justin Lehmiller tries to get to the bottom of this. In a 2018 article for Vice, he wrote that although the term seemed to be widely accepted and acknowledged by most of us, the term had not yet made it into academic literature. Although as he mentions, that doesn’t mean the phenomenon doesn’t exist, as researchers have spent years studying seasonal fluctuations in partner-seeking behaviour. A Study in 2013 found that usage of online dating platforms spiked in the winter months, and even our lizard overlords at Meta show statistics that more people change their relationship status to coupled on the platform during the winter months. Relationship counsellor Kim Kromwijk-Lub points to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as a possible reason we desperately seek companionship during winter, as the shorter, colder days wreak havoc on the circadian rhythm and the production of serotonin in some people. 

DTS, Daniel-Farò, Intimacy.

Michelle Couto, a Toronto psychotherapist, is a firm defender of cuffing season, stating that we may see cuffing season as our mating period. “There’s no [specific] human mating seasons [like other mammals,] whereas women—we’re fertile all year long. If there was a mating season, you could call it cuffing season—more people are lonely in the colder weather, and more people want to mate consistently.” This is a somewhat simple conjecture, but Lehmiller slightly backs up this statement with his findings, saying ”so while people do seem more interested in sex and love in the winter, it’s not necessarily the case that they’re more interested now than any other season. It seems that people are actually most likely to look for mates in the summer, which tells us that cuffing season occurs more than once annually. These summer and winter peaks in dating interest, however, may very well be driven by different factors, and there’s a fair amount of research to suggest that the winter cuffing season may have more to do with our biology. Some studies have found that testosterone levels fluctuate seasonally in men, peaking in the winter months.” There seem to be many factors driving us towards finding a mate to spend the cold, lonely winter months with, but until the academic evidence is there, I hold off on taking it too seriously. What we should be doing seriously, though, is looking at the possible implications and effects cuffing season may have not only on us but on the partners often left by the wayside. 

Often and I mean very often, the scope of the cuffing season relationship is unspoken. As a result, many cuffed couples delay difficult conversations around the nature of their relationship to avoid any conflict that may arise from it. Laura Pitcher wrote for i-D that cuffing season was cancelled, and I kind of agree. I have nothing against hookups, but still, I think we need to look at how we seemingly have determined people in a sexual and dating sense are inherently replaceable, even if this shift happened subconsciously. Gabes Torres, a psychotherapist and artist, thinks we are currently reexamining the culture of searching for temporary love. “Are we looking for love when unconsciously, we’re looking for someone to solely use (rather than have a connection with) in order to get through the colder season?” Gabes asks. She beautifully adds, “Am I also locking myself to the idea that I should be looking for a significant other during such a season? For as long as policing is infused with intimacy, then I don’t see how it can build mutual, accountable connections.”

DTS, Daniel-Farò, Intimacy.

I’d like to end with the fact that the term cuffing season isn’t the problem, but rather that, if we’re being honest, most people are terrible at having hard conversations. I’d also go as far to say that most people aren’t very good communicators at all, and the consequences of not clearly communicating your needs, desires and intentions in cuffing season relationships that are often ambiguous can be soul-crushing. You know, that experience when one person thinks the relationship is going to be a long-term thing, and the other is just waiting for the sun to come earlier in the mornings and the festival line-ups start getting released again? That kind of confusion caused by miscommunication is the crux of cuffing season. Pitcher really puts it beautifully, ”Terms like “cuffing season” or “ghosting” aren’t the problem, but rather a reflection of a dating culture that encourages us to view others as disposable, which is further emphasised by unlimited swiping on the apps. With this in mind, it’s less about abandoning specific words than it is about shifting our perspective on modern dating entirely.” So with cuffing season here and it seemingly going nowhere, remember to be kind, be cautious and, for the love of all that is holy: communicate.

Written by: Casey Delport

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Vans South Africa release their film ‘Briberies’ featuring their South African skateboarding team

Apr 18, 2023 | News, Community

Vans South Africa is excited to release Briberies – the latest video from our South African Skateboarding team. 

Briberies focuses on three friends who grew up skateboarding together, who persevered through many obstacles to become some of the most talented and hardest working skateboarders in South Africa right now. Street skating in South Africa is not an easy task – rough spots, crime and life in general makes it challenging to get footage, let alone 13 minutes of it.

Devandre Galant, Briberies, Nslide by Grant and swfs360 by shiffman.
Ethan Cairns, Briberies, Bs Wallride by Grant.
Alex Williams, Briberies, Wallie and shuv crooks by Grant.

Briberies is about motivating each other to overcome these obstacles, whatever it takes to keep the spirits high when the struggles get overwhelming. It’s been an amazing journey for the whole team to witness these dudes grow into themselves and into their respective styles, on their skateboards and in life.

It took three years of relentlessly destroying every spot in Cape Town to get this video done. We proudly present to you the three sons of South African skateboarding – Ethan Cairns, Alex Williams and Devandre Galant.

Briberies is also available to watch now on VANS YouTube Channel. Follow @vansskate and @vans_za on Instagram to learn more about the Vans skate team.

Vans, “Off The Wall” Since ’66
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For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Nic Preen releases latest single ‘Jitterbug’ ahead of his anticipated solo EP ‘Scraps’

Apr 18, 2023 | New Release, Music

Nic Preen is a musician and songwriter who hails from Cape Town, South Africa. He was involuntarily thrust into following a dream of music from a young age, after making his father cry during a rendition of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) at his mothers ‘Mamma Mia’ themed 40th birthday party. He’d be pushed into joining several bands and perform at local venues around Cape Town, most notably becoming the frontman of one of South Africa’s biggest Indie-Pop exports; Al Bairre. In 2018, he co-founded the band The World Of Birds, which quickly gained a following and became a staple of the Cape Town music scene and gave Preen an audience on the international stage, a band in which he still resides with more birds music set to be released in 2023.

After years of touring and recording in bands, Nic made the bold decision to move to London after receiving an endorsement from the UK Arts Council and signing with the record label, Platoon. In his time working between Cape Town and London, he has devoted some of his songwriting to this personal project. Inspired by his new surroundings, and in search of ideas for more music, he began writing and recording as much new material as possible, only to find he’d already had a collection of finished material in a forgotten library deep in his desktop. Tracks found have culminated in what is to be an upcoming EP titled ‘Scraps’. A collection of songs written over the past few years in mind for other projects but now finding a happy home within his solo music, an impatient preen itching to showcase his eclectic style and ability to blend various genres, from indie rock to electronic music. Furthermore after hearing Damon Albarn’s quote that ‘artists are sometimes too precious and there are many forgotten songs that would be hits’, the surfer-songwriter has made it his mission to double his discography in 2023. This current discography can be heard via ‘Preen’s Playlist’ on all streaming platforms.

‘Jitterbug’ is the first single from Scraps demonstrating Nic’s versatility as a songwriter and lyricist. It is a poignant tribute to the late George Michael. 

 

This song found its origin in a The World Of Birds writing session, with bandmates and producers Ben & Conor McCarthy. Nic being a huge fan of the lyrical masterpiece ‘Raphael’ by Beatenberg wanted to write a similar tribute song, where the lyrics were dedicated to another he admired, as is Rafael to both the tennis player and painter. Being a huge fan of the pop icon George Michael and devastated by his sudden passing on Christmas Day in 2016, ‘Jitterbug’ was born – a nostalgic and heartfelt song that captures the sense of loss felt by fans all over the world. Interwoven with references and adulation to his incredible career, the chorus can be applied to anyone dealing with loss and is a reminder that when someone is gone they are not forgotten. The song is possibly one of Preen’s biggest collaborative efforts to date, calling on friends and heroes for further collaboration, ultimately featuring Matthew Field and Ross Dorkin, of the band Beatenberg, making the original inspiration for the track come full circle.

‘Scraps’ is a very meaningful episode in Preen’s musical career and seems a perfect palate cleanser for what is to be a considerable turning point in the artist’s sonic journey. 

Stream Nic Preen’s ‘Jitterbug’ HERE

South Africa announces curators for 18th International Architecture Exhibition at Venice Biennale

Apr 17, 2023 | News, Creatives

South Africa announces curators for 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia May 20- November 26 2023

The South African Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and Ms Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile, The South African Ambassador to the Italian Republic, who also serves as a Commissioner for the South African Pavilion at Biennale Architettura 2023, have announced three curators for the South African Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia:  Dr Sechaba Maape, Dr Emmanuel Nkambule and Mr Stephen Steyn. They will be supported by 2BLN, Spies Architects and Breinstorm Brand Architects.

Dr Sechaba Maape
Dr Emmanuel Nkambule
Mr Stephen Steyn

Scattered over ten thousand square kilometres of grassland in Mpumalanga, about two hundred kilometres east of Johannesburg, lay the ruins of a vast civilization known as the Bokoni. Of particular architectural interest at this site is a large number of low-relief rock carvings depicting building plans. It is widely agreed that the plans were not intended for construction, but constitute a theoretical architectural representation, demonstrating that Bokoni herdsmen made drawings of social structures as they are represented by architectural plans.   

It is with this tradition in mind that the South African Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia is themed around the architectural representation of existing and speculative social structures. The exhibition, titled The Structure of a People, will engage contemporary conditions such as ecological change and inequality. The inclusion of formerly peripheral value systems relies heavily on the appreciation of pre-colonial values, through the study of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and their role in the reimagining of our contemporary human settlements, institutions, and communities into the future.  

The theme chosen for the Biennale Architettura 2023, which will be held from May 20th to November 26th 2023 (pre-opening May 18th and 19th) in the Giardini, at the Arsenale, and at various sites around Venice, is The Laboratory of the Future.

The South African Pavilion was conceptualised with this theme in mind, and it is explored through three cohesive exhibitions in the Pavilion. The first being The Past is the Laboratory of the Future, an exploration of the Bokoni site and its various representations, including an augmented reality of a Bokoni homestead ruin. Here, the Bokoni rock engraving is displayed, alongside a woven installation in which visitors can have an immersive experience of a digital replica of the original site of the Bokoni. There is also a commentary on Southern African indigenous architectural forms and spaces in this section of the exhibition. Based on Joseph Kosuth’s One and Three Chairs (1965) art installation, the commentary is an interplay of a model of a folly, photos and text. 

The second exhibition, The Council of Beings, features research-practice drawings by Dr Sechaba Maape inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre and Frantz Fanon’s critique of Negritude, as well as Leopold Senghor’s ideas of African Philosophy, especially the notion of vitality. The drawings point to a future in which non-western, and Pan African traditions of thought are introduced to the epistemological realm of architecture. Political Animals, the third exhibition, features the results of an architectural design competition for South African students. The competition invites students to develop architectural models and artefacts that represent the social structures around them. Six student models or artefacts will be exhibited.

“We have a key opportunity with this Pavilion to present previously unseen artefacts and thinking that is deeply entrenched in vital Indigenous Knowledge Systems in South Africa – and show how the past can truly be the laboratory of the future and help us to rethink critical issues that we face as a global society,” say Maape, Nkambule and Steyn, Curators of the South African Pavilion. 

Acting Director General (DG) of The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Vusithemba Ndima outlined that South Africa had been participating in this exhibition since 2011. The Department obtained a permanent exhibition space in 2012 for a period of 20 years in the Arsenale building in Venice. Every two years, the Department participates in the architecture exhibition and in the alternative years, SA practitioners participate in the visual arts exhibition. 

South African participation at the Biennale Architettura 2023 is exceptional. In addition to the South African Pavilion, curated by Dr Sechaba Maape, Dr Emmanuel Nkambule and Mr Stephen Steyn, the following South African architects have been invited to participate by Prof Lesley Lokko: Sumayya Valley (Force Majeure), Huda Tayob (Dangerous Liaisons), Kate Otten Architects – Kate Otten (Dangerous Liaisons), MMA Design Studio – Mphethi Morojele (Dangerous Liaisons), Office 24/7 Architecture and Lemmon Pebble Architects – Nabeel Essa and Tanzeem Razak (Dangerous Liaisons), Wolff Architects – Heinrich and Ilze Wolff (Dangerous Liaisons), Mareli Stolp and Clare Loveday (Gender & Geography, alongside Caroline Wanjiku Kihato from Kenya), Gugulethu Sibonelelo Mthembu (Gender & Geography) and Craig McClenaghan (Mnemonic). Philippa Tumubweinee, Sarah de Villiers and Thireshen Govender will serve on a panel of 15 international tutors who will work with 50 students, early career practitioners and academics from around the world as part of the Biennale College Architettura.

South African architecture showcased at the Biennale Architettura is selected by the Department via a tender process. This enables local architectural practitioners to exhibit cutting-edge thought and concepts works to an international audience.

Head here to learn more about Biennale Architettura 2023

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Uncle Waffles and Kyle Watson Really Just Played at Coachella

Apr 17, 2023 | News, Music

Coachella Music & Arts Festival is one of the most prolific events in the world; spanning two weeks in Palm Springs, California – the line-up archives of its 25-year history consolidate some of the biggest names ever in the industry; with the festival itself serving as a nexus of celebrity culture, fashion, music and events. With a brief pandemic-break during 2020 and 2021, Coachella has come back with vengeance; this year with moments like Blink 182 reuniting since frontman Mark Hoppus’ recovery from stage 4 lymphatic cancer, or and Nigerian sensation Burna Boy’s acapella led performance. *That* poster lineup by Coachella, showcases the festival’s commitment to talent across all spectrums of established and emerging,  and lest we forget that ‘festival fashion’ as we know it, finds some of its origin in the time-capsule paparazzi pictures synonymous with Coachella’s cultural impact- as perfectly penned by Harper’s Bazaar in this retrospective. 

So, imagine the delight it continues to be a Southern African when we had two of our own stratospheric performers take the stage this past weekend! Uncle Waffles AKA Lungelihle Zwane has taken the world by storm – with her Amapiano-led skills fully on display, first wearing an iconic crochet set by local brand Crochet Couture, with the evening’s performance in a custom pink outfit by ‘Its Rigby’, affectionately known as the Super Star Tailor. Living her best life, Uncle Waffles had the crowd in a frenzy with the sounds of Mzansi and her home of Eswatini. Then, Jozi’s favourite deep-house DJ, Kyle Watson, also made his Coachella debut – which he was set to do in 2020, until the cancellation of both 2020 and 2021. Performing to a crowd of thousands in the dusty desert of California – it’s another reminder that South Africa is turning up – we keep telling you! 

Uncle Waffles wears Crochet Couture (courtesy of her IG).

Rich Fury Getty Images for Coachella and Courtesy of Coachella Calder.
Kyle Watson in Palm Springs (courtesy of his IG).

Written by: Holly Beaton

Vans Presents ‘This is Off The Wall’ Global Campaign, Empowering Creative Individuality and Self-Exploration

Apr 13, 2023 | News, Fashion

Vans, the original action sports brand and global champion of creative exploration, is proud to announce its 2023 brand campaign, “This is Off The Wall,” celebrating individuality and self-exploration from the perspective of Vans’ most beloved ambassadors on a journey to find their most authentic selves. Supported by captivating, beautifully distorted visuals and bold color schemes, the campaign aims to empower a new generation of creative voyagers as they embark on their own path of self discovery.

To bring this campaign to life, Vans highlights the distinctive style of some of the brand’s most passionate and inclusive brand ambassadors and creatives, including Little Simz, Beatrice Domond, Felipe Nunes, Irene Kim, Cocona Hiraka, Arthur Bray and Salome Agbaroji. These creative voyagers are fashion disruptors, global action sports athletes and masters of music, seeking authenticity in themselves, their relationships and the world, while propelling culture forward. They are more than a moment – they are passionate representatives of their communities and a brilliant look at their generation’s bright future.

BRAND CLASSIC, Beatrice, KNUSKOOL.

“We’re excited to unveil the first global campaign under our new brand foundation that empowers everyone to use creativity to discover themselves, creating a world where anyone can be their unique self,” said Vans Vice President of Global Brand Management, Carly Gomez. “During the pandemic, consumers’ idea of creative expression shifted away from ‘this thing that you do for external validation’ toward a journey of self-discovery. We are speaking to our new muse, the creative voyager, with the idea that life is an ongoing work of art, because ultimately, the most ‘Off The Wall’ thing you can do is be yourself as you move through the world.”

“Consumers are ready and wanting us to show up in a fresh yet authentic way,” said Vans Vice President of Global Creative, Rob Teague. “This campaign is a bold swing at stopping people in their tracks, forcing reconsideration, and injecting a renewed energy for our brand. It connects the dots between what our brand values, and the iconic products we make that have represented that ethos for decades. It’s something larger and more holistic than we’ve done as a brand in the past.” 

BRAND CLASSIC,IRENE, KNUSKOOL.

“We’re excited to unveil the first global campaign under our new brand foundation that empowers everyone to use creativity to discover themselves, creating a world where anyone can be their unique self,” said Vans Vice President of Global Brand Management, Carly Gomez. “During the pandemic, consumers’ idea of creative expression shifted away from ‘this thing that you do for external validation’ toward a journey of self-discovery. We are speaking to our new muse, the creative voyager, with the idea that life is an ongoing work of art, because ultimately, the most ‘Off The Wall’ thing you can do is be yourself as you move through the world.”

“Consumers are ready and wanting us to show up in a fresh yet authentic way,” said Vans Vice President of Global Creative, Rob Teague. “This campaign is a bold swing at stopping people in their tracks, forcing reconsideration, and injecting a renewed energy for our brand. It connects the dots between what our brand values, and the iconic products we make that have represented that ethos for decades. It’s something larger and more holistic than we’ve done as a brand in the past.”

BRAND CLASSIC, FELIPE, KNUSKOOL.

In lockstep with the global launch of “This is Off The Wall” comes the Vans Knu Skool, a refresh of the classic Old Skool™ silhouette. Inspired by the past and built for today, this modern interpretation of a ‘90s low top is designed with a puffed-up tongue and ankle collar, sturdy suede uppers, signature rubber waffle outsoles and a re-envisioned diamond beveled Sidestripe™. With a chunky, oversized look and feel reminiscent of iconic skate shoes from decades past, the Knu Skool silhouette features an exaggerated look that plays off the original Old Skool with the addition of heel pulls, offering easy in and out access. Vans Knu Skool will be available soon at Vans retail locations and at Vans.co.za.

For more information on Vans and “This is Off The Wall,” visit Vans.co.za. 

Join the conversation and share your individual creative journey of self expression using #OffTheWall on social media.

/// Vans, “Off The Wall” Since ’66
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Follow Vans on Spotify Here!

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

The Licence To Kokota – An Ode To The True Authors Of Amapiano And Ilockdrum

Apr 12, 2023 | Music, Community

“If you knock and it doesn’t open, it’s simply not your door.” This is one of my personal favourite pieces of advice I’ve ever received in this life, followed painstakingly by Oscar Wide’s definition of a pessimist ‘… somebody who complains about the noise when opportunity knocks’. 

From umkhukhu to iventure, to isiyaya onto the quantum heading to town all the way to Times Square via kaapstad – submerged beneath the residue of intoxicants, mayhem of the 012 and entrenched deeply into the wise walls of Mzansi’s wild nightclubs and taverns lay the memories, effects and a foreshadowing of what Mugwanti wa Pitori has been silently cooking up for the world : Amapiano.  

See, everyone and their grandmother want their shot ukh’kokotha. 

Do you blame them? With the genre racking in a daily minimum of over 100 million listeners, who are you not to take a second listen? After all, everyone wants their chance outside the door of their dreams, a moment to plead their case, and flex what a broken key can do. That greatness can not be denied regardless of its background. That you don’t need the fancy resources or schooling, everyone is simply trying to even the playing field and get their shot. 

So, who the hell are we to police and traffic ipiano and put restraints on modern-day Beethovens and Nina Simone at the expense of a beautifully crafted history? 

The first time I heard the knock, the sound that exemplifies the essence of Amapiano, I wasn’t even ready, but I knew I was in the presence of something great, something was brewing. I’d describe it like being at your own surprise party where everyone around you is gleaming in anticipation and you’re working off of muscle memory from previous social events. And suddenly in a room filled with smiles slowly grooving – the lockdrum ushers us into a new dimension – with its distinctly erupting howls into the night, I was taken. The progression on this reminded me of everything sweet about living. Unlike Gqom which is a literal jump off the cusp, Amapiano hypnotises you with it’s soulful jazzy deep house we all know and love before literally locking you in with ilockdrum, the instrument that sets in motion the percussions and synths that define the genre itself.

Images by @pixelkollective

Amapiano hails all the way from Pitori Mahlanyeng, affectionately known as the training ground for all professional groovists as far back as you can remember. Listen, everyone* knows you haven’t really partied unless you’ve turned up in the 012. With the city’s audience being famously known to not be easily impressed, it’s the perfect boot camp for any up-and-coming musician, your Black Coffees and Oskidos alike…hell, our National Anthem originated there.

So years later when the capital city gave birth to the ever-viral amapiano it was to no man’s surprise. Much like their equally expressive and contagious musical cousin Hip-hop who was created in south Bronx block parties during the 1970s, during what was otherwise deemed as the winter of people of colour in the Americas, ipiano peaked during covid-19 through quarantine sessions from hip-hop producers Major League.  

Wait but, how could you possibly be drawing parallels between amapiano and hip-hop you ask? Well, one word – Mapanta. A Spitori word for belts but in our case a genre of straight hits. Say…what do broken cords, a shanty shack, ingrained rhythm and a strong mantra create? Exactly that. MA-PAN-TA! If you don’t believe me, ask any former Jsquad enthusiasts turned producers and now modern-day amapiano royals. Much like our hood cousin, the kasi-born genre was a means to an end; an end of being silenced, an end of economic abuse, an end to dark days. Considering the genre peaked during national lockdown many lyrics of the early releases were somewhat prophetic. Helping everyday South Africans visualise what a post-covid reality looks like. 

fonCity by @pixelkollective 
4 dbn Gogo by @mini_photography
Image by @rik.maan

With the below prophecy ushering us into the post-covid piano era at 11 million views: 

Asihlaseleni siyolwel’ lempilo emnandi
Kunini sabawela kuyoze kufike nak’sasa
Angeke bayi vale yonke iminyango
Ayi nami ayang’biza amathou-

Loosely translated to – “Let’s fight for a good life, how much longer shall we yearn? They can’t possibly close all the doors. The thousands are also calling me”

As the great blueprint once said ‘Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t’ And whether you’re calling it ipiano, amapiano, or the yanos let’s be honest you’re merely just one of millions of voices in a new now global conversation raving about a sound we can all agree is simply beyond the fire.’ You could argue the conversions are simply a discussion on the degree of fuego, a discourse easily shut down by filling up The 02 arenas. In terms of what this means for the African music industry, well to put things into perspective this is not 2015,  honey, we talking big baller business kinda big, a huge contrast to our beloved stars who are very young, both in age and in the business. 

One can’t help but think that Dilo dichengitse was for real – there is absolutely no doubt about that however, but at what cost and to whose benefit? With major labels not being able to help themselves either and the parallel reality of the ongoing half a century old battle between the state of hip-hop and industry giants. These young stars couldn’t possibly be paying as much attention to the copyright laws as they are in meticulously curating the lyrics of a life-changing hit and publishers and distributors know that. The conversation around protection over artists’ literary and artistic expression is important to prevent economic exploitation by the holders of copyright and related rights to the artist’s creations, with most copyright life spans lasting for 50 years since the work was first broadcasted.

Image at the O2 by @Artvillain 
Image by @pixelkollective

This is where it gets tricky because in a country of 11 official languages, a failing educational system, how are corporations allowed to draft deals on behalf of the young maestros? And with her fast yet contagious progression, when do we get to differentiate the originators vs the innovators? Who really has the licence to knock and who is here to help and echo the noise? See, the kids kinda got it right this time, the licence to succeed does indeed belong to everyone. I guess that’s why they move as a community as opposed to solo. The ubuntu way. It’s about opening your own doors, entering rooms, and having a fighting chance to earn your seat at tables that have long banned people who look and speak like you. 

It’s become quite evident that broken keys not only have the ability to make the prettiest sounds but also have the momentum to open any door the African kid is bold enough to seek out. The fact that music can in evidently boost African economies – with the South African music industry generating earnings of close to half a billion a year, every year. It is being projected to be worth over R1 billion by end of 2023 & to increase to 1.2 billion by 2027 yet African artists dying broke raises one burning question higher above the rest, Will they finally let you in and let you eat comfortably, now that you have knocked so nicely? 

/// For further reading:  
This is Amapiano 
How Amapiano took over the world: ‘You have to get up and move –  it’s contagious’ 
The Power and Business of Hip-Hop: A reading list on an American Art Form 
The Rise of Amapiano and its Appropriation

Featured Image by VTSEK

Written by: Thandiwe Magwaza

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Roger Ballen’s Inside Out Centre for the Arts launches with inaugural exhibition ‘End of the Game’

Apr 11, 2023 | News, Art

The Inside Out Centre for the Arts opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday 28 March 2023 with an exhibition that highlights the ecological crisis of the African continent.

Founded by internationally renowned artist-photographer Roger Ballen, the Inside Out Centre is set to become a significant landmark on the bustling Jan Smuts Avenue. Together with the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Museum and the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation, it forms part of a trio of cultural centres in the central suburb of Forest Town. This area is situated close to the historical landmark of Constitutional Hill and the gallery-dense, restaurant-rich area of Rosebank. 

The Inside Out Centre for the Arts is an art exhibition space and educational centre. It will present shows that explore issues related to the African continent from a distinctively aesthetic and psychological perspective. The Centre will also facilitate a dynamic programme of educational talks, panel discussions, masterclasses and presentations that reflect on the current exhibition and on topics relevant to arts and culture.

Inside Out Centre Entrance with Roaring Lion Installation.
Inside Out Passage to Administrative Area and Windows.
Exterior, Evening.

The opening of the Inside Out Centre for the Arts has been years in the making. The Roger Ballen Foundation, established in 2007 and renamed the Inside Out Trust Foundation, is dedicated to the advancement of education through the arts in South Africa. The Foundation has sponsored exhibitions in Johannesburg of notable international artists and brought guest lecturers to students in the city. After some time, Ballen felt that the Foundation needed a home so that shows and programmes could run on an ongoing basis. In January 2018, he finally found a property in an ideal location to bring his project to fruition. The Inside Out Centre was built on this piece of land.

The name ‘Inside Out’ reflects the idea that the Centre’s exhibitions will encourage introspection, and the design of the building itself is inspired by the same objective. Raw concrete is used on the interior and exterior surfaces of the building, the latter of which conceals the entrance that opens into a breath-taking, double-volume, naturally lit space. “I sometimes think that the building looks like it has been turned ‘inside out’,” comments Ballen, who worked closely with local architect Joe van Rooyen of JVR Architects to create a landmark building with presence and personality. 

The inaugural show, End of the Game, grapples with the decimation of wildlife in Africa through both an historical and artistic lens. Using documentary photographs, artefacts and film clips along with Ballen’s photographs and installations,  the exhibition attempts to record and highlight the historical significance and context of the ‘Golden Age’ of African hunting expeditions by colonialists and powerful Western figureheads — such as Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, King Edward VIII and Hemingway — which took place from the mid 1800s onwards. In true Ballenesque form, the artist’s approach delves into the deeper psychological relationship that man has to the natural world.

The exhibition chronicles the practice of unrestrained hunting which has resulted in the ecological devastation we face today. Poaching remains a significant threat to many African species, including elephants, rhinos and big cats. According to the World Wildlife Fund, in recent years, an estimated 20 000 elephants have been killed every year for their ivory, and 1 000 rhinos were killed in South Africa alone in 2020. Countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania continue to attract international trophy hunters despite concerns about animal welfare, sustainability and ethical issues associated with this practice. The illegal trade of wildlife continues. “This exhibition,” says Ballen, “encourages vital discussions about our treatment of animals, wildlife management, responsible tourism and environmental stewardship in our current world.”

Roger Ballen, Boy with guns Western Transvaal, 1993; Cat Catcher, 1998; Prospectors inside house, Western Transvaal, 1987.

Roger Ballen, Bonfire, 2020; Despondent, 2020.
Roger Ballen, Five Hands, 2006; Threat, 2010; Underworld, 2015.

Since the beginning of Ballen’s artistic career, the animal has been an important symbol in his work. The artworks in End of the Game are taken from various series from the mid-80s onwards, and comprise the mediums of photography, installation, painting and drawing. Portraits of gunmen have been selected from one of Ballen’s early photographic series, taken in the South African countryside and entitled Platteland: Images from Rural South Africa (1994). Some years after this series, Ballen began photographing on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The disappearance of the human subject, the emergence of the animal in various forms, and the presence of linear figures and drawings characterise his later series, most of which were published as books. These series, namely Outland (2001), Shadow Chamber (2005), Boarding House (2009),  Asylum of the Birds (2014) and Roger’s Rats (2017), demonstrate Ballen’s characteristic style, which can be described as theatrical, dark, dreamlike and absurd.  

Light boxes made from the Theatre of Apparitions (2016) images, shown at the Venice Biennale in 2022, also appear. For this series, Roger Ballen and Marguerite Rossouw painted and drew ghost-like figures on the windows of a Johannesburg warehouse and photographed these creations. The exhibition includes some of the artist’s latest coloured photographs, dating from 2017 onwards, marking his transition into colour after 50 years of working exclusively in black-and-white. 

Over the last decade, Ballen has been creating installations to accompany his photographs in various exhibitions. Most of these installations are made from found objects collected by the artist over the last 40 years. In this exhibition, the photographs and the three-dimensional artworks enhance the experience of what is now referred to as the distinctive style of the Ballenesque. Together, these pieces from Ballen’s oeuvre probe the complex relationship between human and animal through the artist’s aesthetic. In most cases, this relationship is adversarial, exploitative and destructive, and is reflective of a dystopian world in ecological crisis.

 “A central challenge in my career has been to locate the animal in the human being and the human being in the animal,” says Ballen, “and the rooms that I photograph represent the conflictual relationship between civilisation and nature, where opposites attract and break apart in a world built not on logic, but on irrationality. Delirium, mirage, dreams and nightmares coexist and cannot be categorised as light or dark.”

Visit insideoutcentreforthearts.com for more information on visiting.

Marguerite Rossouw, Funeral; Hunter; Hunters Room.
Marguerite Rossouw, Stereograph Image; Stereograph; Shack; Movie Posters.
For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za