Will Andrea Riseborough lose her Academy Award nomination?

Jan 31, 2023 | News, Art

The Academy Awards (known colloquially as ‘The Oscars’) is the most prestigious awards show in film – and winning an award (even simply having a nomination) can catapult a film’s box-office earnings, while offering the actors, actresses and various other winning roles higher-paid salaries, notoriety, and film offers. Winning an Oscar, without question, is one of the most coveted landmarks for anyone in the film industry. 

Last week, during nominations week, the lists were announced for the 95th Academy Awards. Tevya Turok Shapiro wrote an incredibly concise roadmap of the nominations for Daily Maverick, found here. With the awards itself taking place on March 12th, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, there is now a window period in which nominees can prepare and process for a potentially life-changing win. Many of the biggest hits of 2022 received nods – with outstanding films like Everything, Everywhere, All At Once receiving 11 nominations in total (such as Michelle Yeoh for Best Lead Actress and Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor) and box-office behemoths like Avatar : The Way of Water and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis for Best Picture. So, how come, among the best and known films of 2022 – a tiny, independent film ‘To Leslie’  found a spot, with its lead actress Andrea Riseborough receiving a nomination? Unknown and unheard of, and for a film grossing just $27 000 at the box office, how could this happen?

It is currently believed across the media circuit that Mary McCormack, the wife of the film’s director, Michael Morris, led a blatant lobbying campaign to bring the film to the attention of the voting committee: the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences. Such lobbying is expressly forbidden, and entirely against the stringent rules held sacrosanct by the commitment for nearly a century. One of the first to report on the ‘shocking nomination, Puck’s Matthew Belloni wrote that McCormack and others “emailed and called tons of members of the Academy’s actors branch, begging them to see the little-watched alcoholic drama and post online about Riseborough’s searing performance.” 

Image 1: Andrea Riseborough on the red carpet by Steve Granitz
Image 2: 'To Leslie' Film Poster via imdb.com

Whether Riseborough’s performance is noteworthy or not – the Academy is again under-fire for blatant perpetuation of white-washing the nominations – a reputation it is both responsible for and continues to contend with. Belloni wrote, “Riseborough seemingly pushed out Viola Davis (The Woman King) and Danielle Deadwyler (Till), two Black actresses of that were backed by well-funded campaigns by Sony and MGM/Amazon, respectively, and were widely predicted to score honors, yet presumably do not have access to a network of powerful (and, let’s be honest, white) friends in the Academy to campaign for Oscars on their behalf. To some, it was the worst kind of racially-tinged cronyism, where the connections outshined the work.”

With this year’s nominations making history for the most Asian nominees – why does it appear that The Academy continues to exclude and include simultaneously? With a review process now underway – it is hoped that Riseborough’s nomination will be rescinded, or at the very least – explained. 

This is a developing story.


Featured Image: Oscar Statues by Matt Sayles 

Written by: Holly Beaton

Published: 31 January 2023

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

How to survive a festival over the age of 30

Jan 30, 2023 | Lifestyle

It’s no secret that a hangover in your 30’s slaps you harder than a ton of bricks. Honestly – I think back to my party years in my early 20’s – when I was in my self proclaimed Paris Hilton era, wearing white sky-high stilettos and 50cm hair extensions, and I had the resilience of a cockroach. I could drink fifteen Brutal Fruits in a row (they were cheap and I had not yet developed a taste for finer alcohol), down Patron shots, dance for hours in shoes that could pass as scaffolding, only to get home at 4am, sleep with my shoes on, drink no water and still arrive at work bright and breezy the next day at 8am. Albeit, with a slight headache. 

Now, in my 30’s (35 to be exact) if I make the crucial mistake of mixing two different types of red wine at dinner, it’s very likely that I wake up the next morning feeling like I’ve just had a lobotomy. Nevermind the fact that if I don’t get eight hours of sleep, my skin dehydrates to Kalahari state, I somehow age another 10 years and my mood channels something along the lines of having my period, during a full moon, when it’s mercury retrograde. 

This may sound dramatic, but it’s my reality and thus heading to a festival nowadays means that for optimal enjoyment, there are some necessary measures to be taken. 

I’m aware that most adults have more resilience than I do, so try not judge my fragility in this regard and rather welcome this friendly advice to amplify your experiences.

Image 1: Nick Fancher, Warp
Image 2: Marlen Stahlhuth, Chaotic Beauty

Attending Oppi Koppi in 2015 was easy. I welcomed dust, didn’t sleep, drank from morning till night and had the time of my life. However, attending a New Year’s festival recently showed me that my grit isn’t quite what it used to be. I had the best time, but I can safely say that without considering many of the following; that wouldn’t have been the case. 

It’s critical that you stay hydrated, drink fucking water man. Be as mountain-chic as possible and fill up your hydroflask with cold water as often as you can. Go the extra mile and pack yourself some Rehydrate as well, these are small packets of gold that will replenish electrolytes and hug you from the inside. If you’re camping; your best bet is to go with people as equipped as possible – I’m lean in this area and own a tent, a mattress and a lamp but the little luxuries go a long way; fairy lights, portable lamps, a gas burner, coffee maker, carpets/mats and groundsheets, a gazebo, chairs etc. these are all essential. 

When it comes to drugs, I’m a novice too – I don’t wear this as a badge of honour, in fact I think I’m probably missing out. I smoke weed and at my last festival, really re-visited my youth by sniffing some “Black Berlin Poppers” (I can honestly say this is probably the most damaging to your brain and I couldn’t feel my legs for ten minutes) but being well aware of the fact that Ketamine is the new black, I realised it would be critical to gain some insight from other festival goers;

 

 “Say yes to everything, but only in quarters”

– A happy festival goer 

 

“If there are showers at the festival, which there most certainly should be, I highly recommend showering high. Shower before you’re high, when you’re high and after you’re done being high. Take your 12 step routine with you, even better to have a shower buddy and have a time. Nothing beats feeling fresh as fuck at a festival”

– A glamourous festival goer

Images: Agustín Farias, Pride

With this being said, if you do indulge in said drug {Ketamine}, do so with both awareness and caution. The Cut’s November 2021 article  “Leave your body at the door; How Ketamine became the drug of choice for our disassociated moment” provides an in depth review of this party drug as well as the necessary facts one should refer to before deciding to partake. A key takeout from this piece being from Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) “Get the quantity right and it’s incredible. Get it wrong and you feel like you’re dying.” 

As we have established, I am no pro in this area, however the above considerations should be applied to anything you take, under any circumstance. Recreational and responsible drug use is a blurry line but as far as one’s personal choices go, at least be smart enough to know what you’re taking, don’t take too much of it, don’t trick anyone into taking it and don’t be stupid – you’re not invincible and engaging in dangerous activities doesn’t mean you’ll be safe because your brain is telling you that you’re a superhero. If you have any mental illness or addiction tendencies, think twice before indulging at all.

 

 “Valoid suppositories, eye mask, ear plugs and Alzam (for bedtime)”

– A pro festival goer

 

“If you bump into an ex, give their new spouse more conversational attention than them”

– A festival goer that bumped into their ex 

 

“Make sure your last medical aid debit order went off before your leave”

– A responsible festival goer

 

In summary, it’s harder to party when you’re older – but it’s generally worth it. My last few words of advice; pick your festivals wisely – go to the ones where you’ll feel comfortable with the crowd and enjoy the music, lineups are always available (don’t go to a trance party if you’re looking for disco). Make sure you go with your best friends, swim if you can, brush your teeth out of your tent if you need to but always brush them before sleeping, pick your poison and stick with it, remember to eat at some point, use protection (all kinds of protection, including sunscreen), forget about your phone, scream for the DJ and finally; rave like you’re 18 again.

Published: 31 January 2023

Written by: Candice Erasmus

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

Otsile Moumakoe on the cult-success of VTSEK. Studios

Jan 29, 2023 | Creatives, Community

VTSEK has taken South African social media by storm. Blending South African political and creative titans (Cyril as a Broke Boy??) with American icons in portrayals from Paris to the Spaza; founder Otsile Moumakoe is a young creativefast developing full-mastery over his digital medium. With nearly 14k followers, VTSEK is the kind of account that will continue to go viral; with its humorous and deep anecdotes alike. In our conversation, Otsile self-described as being raised on TV; like many of us growing up, pop culture, music videos and sitcoms were our first exposure to a bigger and wider world. 

CYRIL X BROKE
MR BEAN X GUCCI X ADI

“I think a lot of my interests come from TV as a kid. I was pretty average academically, so when I discovered hip-hop, I found my feet and that feeling of belonging. I used to rap, but then I started making the cover art for my music – I was introduced to Photoshop in high school, when I was grounded at home and I couldn’t watch TV. At a certain point, my cover art surpassed my rapping, and it became my main focus.” This natural progression reminds me of when I thought I was going to be a fashion designer; my whole life, it seemed like that was what the goal should be – but within various disciplines and creative industries, there are so many roles and so many different ways in which talent can be nurtured and expressed. With VTSEK, Otsile found a way to speak to the culture and create iconography for it outside of the formula of a verse and beat. Lockdown 2020 was the seed of VTSEK, “I was rapping at the time, but then shows were cancelled. I needed to find a way to express ideas that I couldn’t with music. I think the best way to describe how every South African felt at that time was ‘’voetsek!’’ – that phrase is just ingrained in all of us, especially facing the pandemic. People didn’t quite get it at first, but then my work was noticed and started getting reshares. I think the first big moment for VTSEK was when Scoop Makhathini reposted my work, which was exciting. It kept me going, and then reaching 10k was big.”

Kasi Michael Jackson
VIRGIL RIKY
MADIBA RIDDIM

The idea for VTSEK is to use the American culture machine and translate it through a South African lens. Otsile’s work speaks to this frontier we are rising to meet in the country – we have seen so many people refusing to be fed by the projections and ideals of the global north. Instead, we are rising to meet, engaged rather in  cross-cultural and cross-continental exchanges, with artists like Otsile shaping visual coding as nuanced and striking as the everyday experience in South Africa. Ostile speaks to his inspiration, “I think we were influenced by American TV, but I got tired of that – I got tired of hearing rappers just speak to the American experience, and the expectation that the whole world is supposed to relate. I started infusing a lot of South African stuff with the American stuff, and my aesthetic was born from there. I wanted to see all of these influences and people in the same spaces as each other – I think that’s the point of what we can do with digital art, we can create visual stories that are totally our own.” The political sentiments in VTSEK images were influenced by Otsile’s father, “My father reads a lot of political books, and our PVR had a lot of political documentaries – as I said, my first research is from TV – I would page through and see Steve Biko and Mandela, and I mean – those are our icons. Why shouldn’t they be hyped in the same way we would hype Tupac or Virgil?” 

MADIB VIRG
SARAFINA X GUCCI

The granular, vintage-esque design of VTSEK pieces are intentional; mimicking the grainy, pixelated era of VHS tapes, and knocking the TV to get the signal working, Otsile says “I want my work to look retro, like back in the day when TVs were boxes and there was somehow always that greenish colour lurking in the background. It also helps hide some of my mistakes, to be honest. I also want to bring together different timelines, and it feels like the best way to show the time we live in; it’s the past and future we always wanted, where rappers in America are rapping over Kwaito beats.” Now, Otsile is participating in a creative wave that is suited for his continued success – his art is the kind of work younger generations will reference in decades to come. Having just moved to Cape Town to study graphic design, while taking commissions for VTSEK; the aim is to move into merchandising, and get his works up in galleries and exhibitions. Only big things, next.

Written by: Holly Beaton

Published: 30 January 2023

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

Copenhagen Fashion Week is back for AW23

Jan 27, 2023 | News, Fashion

Fashion’s cool, sustainable younger sister is back for the Autumn / Winter season – Copenhagen Fashion Week. Challenging the holy trinity of Paris, Milan and London, CPHFW is fast-becoming an essential mainstay, at least not for their unbridled commitment to sustainable and ethical values. What is usually murmured and recognized for the appearance of ‘care’ in traditional and established industry – CPHFW takes sustainability so seriously that if designers do not meet certain standards: they simply will not be allowed to show. This kind of industry incentive and encouragement is a brilliant, holistic approach by the system itself, led by Copenhagen Fashion Week’s CEO Cecilie Thorsmark.  

So what’s ahead? From Tuesday, 31st January to Thursday, 2nd February; CPHFW will host 28 brands – please find the schedule list here. We can expect to see the city of Copenhagen come alive (from our screens) as the event platforms a myriad of events, street-parties and of course – street style that will light up Pinterest and cool-girl IG feeds from the moment they’re uploaded. This season is the first pilot of CPHFW strict 18 minimum standards for every label or designer applying to showcase; some of these include label’s that do not destroy unsold clothing after collections, who use at least 50% of materials used are recycled, up-cycled, deadstock or certified organic and regenerative textiles (that are traceable), zero waste set design and show production and prioritising inclusivity and diversity particularly within managerial and leadership roles, within the applicant brand’s business structure. Please read the rest of the Minimum Standards, here.

In short? When viewing Copenhagen Fashion Week from next week Tuesday, you are guaranteed to be watching only an array of sustainable designers and labels; they will have had to meet all of the standards, and will be unequivocally vetted and structured internally, externally and at fashion week itself to comply with all these aspects. This is not about contrived pledges (heard them all before) or targets: these standards have to be pre-existing and an integrated way in which the brands function from season to season. This is how we action systemic change; by doing it. 

For Chapter 08 of our monthly fashion column, Interlude, I made a case for the parallels between our emerging fashion market in South Africa, and Denmark; “The home of the ‘Ganni Girl’ and coined term ‘Copencore’ – arising out of the minimalist palette of their sister country, Sweden – Danish fashion has risen out of such shadows to become synonymous with vivid colours and textures – playfulness, joy and a deliberate emphasis on apparel and everyday wear. Slightly different from “ready-to-wear”, I use the term everyday wear to describe the sincerity of Danish fashion – that it seems to actually reflect, directly and effortlessly, the sartorial choices of our generation; many of us working as creatives, many of us thrifting and interpreting trends with less rigidity and rules than before. Danish fashion seems to show the lived lifestyles of fashion-conscious people around the world; and as such, Copenhagen Fashion Week is as much a coveted affair as it is an event that feels accessible and relatable. The wild part of this – particularly the fervour for which CPHFW is becoming an essential fixture in the industry – is that it is still considered a very young, emerging fashion market. Sound familiar?” Copenhagen Fashion Week gives me hope, and I hope it can for you too. 

All images courtesy of : Copenhagen Fashion Week’s Digital Showroom

Written by: Holly Beaton

Published: 27 January 2023

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

Chapter 12 | Menswear & Masculine Fashion in Africa

Jan 26, 2023 | Fashion, Interlude

Paris & Milan Menswear FW23 has been and gone – somehow, it always feels like it’s fashion week. In recent decades, menswear has been the complementary force for womenswear; masculine dressing relegated to an accompanying act – while womenswear is always shifting, updating and available in a myriad of styles, silhouettes, textures and hues. That is changing, though; hard and fast, and according to european analytics giant, Euromonitor, “menswear is expanding at a faster rate than womenswear in some key markets. Social media trends such as streetwear and sportswear are changing how both luxury and fast-fashion brands approach menswear, as social media lifts taboos, changes mentalities and allows for men to explore individuality outside of the constructs of traditional masculinity.” We are witnessing a challenge to the normative expression of gender across the board; and the often stifling way in which relegating certain forms of clothing to ‘men’ or ‘women’ can impose limitations on design. Many of the shows in Paris and Milan cast both men and women for their ‘menswear’ shows; gender and its relationship to fashion is revealing of the nuanced, social shifts taking shape in collective culture.

I hesitate to make statements about ‘Africa’ – relegating a vastly complex and rich continent to any kind of homogenous framework. What the title of this month’s Interlude intends to do, is situate the eight brands on the continent that are carrying forth the expression and expansion of masculine dressing. From a historical perspective – the crisp, white shirts and loafers introduced to men from South Africa to Nigeria, generally by colonisers, have gone on to become a source of reclaimed, sartorial pride. Tanatswa Amisi, Interlude’s first collaborator from Chapter 11, said this of Wanda Lepotho’s collab with Dakotas, “I remember Wanda posting an image a month or so before announcing this collab, and it was an image of a man in apartheid South Africa, dressed in this crisp, smart-casual way as a lot of Black men dressed in townships. This collaboration was paying homage to a very specific sartorial coding within South African culture and history. I struggle to find the words to describe it – but it’s the way my grandfather dresses, the way our father’s dressed back in the day. The loafer is the central symbol to this, and it’s significant – I know my dad and grandfather polished and cleaned their loafers with great pride. Wanda and Dakotas coming together to really honour this, was so meaningful. I think it should have gotten a lot more attention than it did.”  In this way, dressing is often inherently political; and designers today are inclined to collate a vast array of references that stretch across memory, ancestry and contemporary culture. I am of the school of thinking that puts Africa and indigenous cultures as the original reference and seat of creative power; across the diaspora and the globe, defined by craftsmanship and community roles (tailoring), from the market stalls on the street to the runways of Virgil’s LV; and then some. Here in South Africa, we are home to the innate sensibility of Coloured, Malay & Muslim dressing, too; something designers like Imran Mohamed of ASA SADAN continues to archive, and Mario Oogle and Eden Myrrh now at the helm of TWOBOP. The power of story-telling and the importance of preserving and updating sartorial lineages make Africa, and this country of South Africa, vital to a future of fashion in the world. 

I will never cease saying what I know and what many of the incredible creators I interview regularly say; Africa’s time is now, and the brands detailed in the next part of Chapter 12 are but a taste of the magnifying fashion realm being built on the continent today.

 

RICHMANSKYF /// South Africa

I continue to be totally intrigued by RICHMANSKYF – the brain-child brand of designers Sabelo Shabalala and Sithelo Mlhongo, both alumni of Durban University of Technology. Along with CPUT, I believe DUT produces some of the strongest Fashion & Textiles experts in the country; think REFUSE Clothing and Phuti Styles. Shabalala and Mhlongo’s brand errs effortlessly between streetwear and the makings of luxury; with RICHMANSKYF a translation of cultural codes and contemporary sensibility of menswear in South Africa, today. Blending both Zulu and Xhosa references, the brand feels destined to be housed on racks alongside A-COLD-WALL* on a global level, and at Duck Duck Goose, locally.

Images 1 + 2 : @tatendachidora
Images 3 + 4 : @imraanchristian

Kente Gentlemen /// Côte d’Ivoire

Ethical care and consideration maketh the man – this is the life-force behind Abidjan based brand, Kente Gentlemen. Founded by Aristide Loua, the label defines itself as ‘Sartorial Poetry’ (perfection) and all pieces are handmade, with a vision for ethical consumption. Colour is exceptionally injected across Loua’s collections; masculinity expressed as a liberated yet sharp energy to yield playfully and without inhibition. Aristide’s note says it best, “The essence of the brand is to mould a sustainable balance of colour, poetry, and culture as we remain consistent in the continuing research, discovery, (re)design, and use of handwoven textiles. Among the myriad of wax print designs and fabrics, which have effectively been marketed and sold across the African continent for decades now, it’s easy for anyone to get lost into what is perceived to be African fashion. There’s surely a lot of misconceptions out there about what is meant by “African Fashion”. What even qualifies a style, a trend, a fashion, to legitimately be called African? “African Fashion” is for all of us to discover; it is too expansive to narrowly be defined, and it doesn’t need to be. Fashion in Africa encompasses a multitude of traditions, cultures, textures, forms, techniques and philosophies, all together, and so is far removed from the confines of a single story. Its plurality, interwoven by a seamless mystery makes it all truly poetic, colourful, and enchanting.”

 

Image 1 : @angnm_
Image 2 : @anagandara 
Image 3 : @jorispaterson 
Image 4 : @marcposso

Forge Studios /// South Africa

I was pointed to Chad-lee van Wyk’s work by friend and fellow writer Luci Dordley, and to say I was moved would be an understatement. South African fashion (no, world fashion!) is sleeping on Forge Studios – a love-letter to fashion, queerness and up-cycling straight from the heart of Ocean View, in the deep south of the Cape Peninsula. In his latest collection, van Wyk’s ‘Kwa Amani’ menswear takes masculine dressing and turns it entirely on its head. With tailoring, knitwear and dresses – the model, David, is an illuminated vision of the highest order – and Forge’s IG alone is a stunning portrait of references, curated so that the essence of the brand is difficult to articulate. I think, rather, Forge’s essence is meant to be felt. I won’t say too much more – until I get to speak to Chad-lee directly about his work and story. Wow.

Images : @chadleevanwyk

Tokyo James /// Britain & Nigeria

Iniye Tokyo James’ brand, Tokyo James, is a masterful orchestration of glamour and sex, depth and meaning. While designers often tend to pursue either poignancy or playfulness; James does both, everytime. Steff Yotka’s coverage for Tokyo James SS22 reads, “James’s warmth and heart translate to his garments. This season he started thinking about the Osu caste system used by the Igbo people of eastern Nigeria. Osu—or outcasts—are shunned by society and looked down on; James saw them as representative of outcasts around the world. A collection that wafts through ideas of lightness and porousness was his solution; something gentler and kinder. He made use of beautiful white and pink/red lace for collar shirts, blazers, and trousers and created similarly perforated white jackets from cord. Underneath, there are James’s first boxer shorts with a bold logo tag; there is also a cheeky graphic tee that reads “Tokyo Fucking James.” It’s delivered as a saucy message of self-preservation.”

As an LVMH finalist for 2022; Tokyo James is a label on the rise – yet, with a cult-like following already, the kind of successful trajectory of Nigerian cultural command (Burna Boy, Skepta) in the world has only just begun.

Images : courtesy of @tokyojames via Vogue.com

Wanda Lephoto /// South Africa

To me, Wanda Lephoto forms part of a quartet of luxury designers that has led South Africa into a new era – the other three are Lukhanyo Mdingi, Thebe Magugu and Rich Mnisi. Showing in Milan last year, and with a recent showroom in Paris (literally, last week) – Lephoto’s label is a case study on dapper African sensibility, cultural dialogue, and just so effortlessly cool : with each garment from the label expressed as achingly thoughtful and stirring. Wanda is a master at story-telling and campaigns that edify South Africa’s sartorial, visual language. Past collection, ‘Black Renaissance’, may have been a single title; but this description is precisely where Lephoto’s lands – in the heart of an era that is taking the world by storm.

 

Images 1 - 3 : @kentandreasan 
Image 4 : @paulshiakallis

 

Orange Culture /// Nigeria

Adebayo Oke-Lawal’s label Orange Culture is somewhat of a veteran, if we are to think of the pace at which fashion moves. Since 2011, the label has done everything from the LVMH prize (2015 finalist) to London and Lagos Fashion Week, to being stocked globally from Hollywood to Kenya (and in between) – as said, “The label is more than a clothing line, Adebayo insists. It is a “movement” that covers universal silhouettes with an African touch to a creative class of men, translating into a heady mixture of Nigerian inspired print fabrics, colour and contemporary urban street wear. The garments answer to just about anyone who’s interested in telling a story with the way they present themselves. All pieces are manufactured in Lagos, from ethically-sourced fabrics from local Nigerian fabric makers. Orange Culture takes their staff through rigorous training processes and offers them the opportunity to attend skill acquisition initiatives.”

Image 1 + 2 : @percigothasauce 
Image 3 + 4 : courtesy of @orangecultureng

 

UNI FORM /// South Africa

Luke Radloff’s UNI FORM is the definition of clean and precise. Muted tones are the mainstay of the label’s DNA; with silhouettes sharply tailored, or billowing, to form a literal uniform of luxury essentials for every occasion. Self-stated as ‘Emotional Tailoring’, UNI FORM is prose written out of Johannesburg; with Radloff a Margiela-esque figure in terms of discretion. In a fashion landscape in which we believe everything has to be wild and outrageous all the time: UNI FORM’s trousers and symmetrical shirts outrage in their serene perfection. Radloff himself is part of a vanguard of fashion creatives aiming to establish Johannesburg as a fashion capital;  Essential, critical, mastery.

Images : @retang_sebeka

Kenneth Ize /// Nigeria

Kenneth Ize’s eponymous label debuted in Paris in 2020 – and then the pandemic hit. Not one to concede to challenge, the lockdown period offered Ize time to create a capsule collection for Maison Karl Lagerfeld, closely with France’s (much cooler) Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld. Since Kenneth has built a factory in Ilorin, Nigeria – where most of his fabrics are woven. News struck at the end of last year that Ize has parted with his investor; rumours abound as to the reason, but I imagine it has to do with the usual story – financiers stifling the creative vision and autonomy of designers with big dreams, and an even bigger purpose to do it differently than the harsh ways in which fashion labels have been taught to ‘succeed’. We wait patiently for Kenneth Ize’s full return – recently, his show in Lagos ‘Forward Ever, Backward Never’ marked the designer’s new chapter. Free, and future-heading.

Image 1 + 2 : @joshuawoods 
Image 3 : @wurlidaps
Image 4 : @iamdanielobasi

 

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton
Published: 27 January 2023

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

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys release second single ‘Burning Building’ off their forthcoming album

Jan 25, 2023 | New Release, Music

“Burning Building” is the second single from Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys’ upcoming album. The song is a chaotic and cathartic doomsday monologue, switching its tone, sound, and subject matter multiple times within its short existence. The opening groove, which feels like a dark cheerleading anthem, is soon subsumed by a doom-like rumble over which Lucy spits a stream of consciousness. 

There is a schizophrenic quality to the song, as if it’s been captured within the wrong groove and has to rush to find itself, or to escape, hopefully spilling some moments of truth along the way. The first line in the second verse ‘I’m catwalking out of a Burning Building’ brings up the feeling of masquerading in a situation that would be better suited to running. 

With Burning Building, Lucy & The Lost Boys have created a spiky post-punk anthem for the time that is both more playful and more intense than their previous work – a foreteller of what’s to come on the new album, which will be out through Unique Records in April 2023.

The lyric video is a collaboration between the Cape Town film, animation and illustration collective, Cult Wife, and Berlin based artists, Julia Schimautz / DTAN. The lyrics were animated by Cult Wife and set against a visual loop which  Julia and DTAN created by riso printing and re- assembling individual frames from a video Franics Broek filmed.

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys are an art pop ambient noise band based in Berlin. The group, fronted by South African born artist, Lucy Kruger, create music that is full of atmosphere and intensity. The band has been touring the albums throughout Germany and Europe over the last year, performing at the likes of Rheeperbahn, Fusion, Maifeld Derby, Wave-Gotik Treffen, South of Silence, Immergut, Left of The Dial, and Synästhesie.

After releasing the third and final album in the ‘Tapes Trilogy’ in April 2022 and touring the albums extensively through the summer, the band are shifting attention to their upcoming album which will be released on 7 April 2023. The range of material and storytelling captured in the trilogy, and the addition of new material from the upcoming album have given the group a chance to explore a live set that drifts between introverted and ecstatic.

They have announced the upcoming album launch, which will take place at Lido in Berlin on the 5th of May along with a Spring 2023 European Tour.

///
Listen to ‘Burning Building’ HERE
Watch the lyrics video HERE

 

Lyric animation: Cult Wife @cult_wife_

Video: DTAN Studio (Francis Broek/Julia Schimautz) @dtan.studio

 

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys social Media Links: Instagram | Youtube | Website | Facebook | Linktree 

Released by Unique Records

For more info contact [email protected]

Are We Inferior? How Artificial Intelligence is eerily closing in on our creativity

Jan 24, 2023 | Lifestyle

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has been nothing short of a revolution. From self-driving cars to virtual personal assistants, the capabilities of AI models have been expanding rapidly in recent years. But perhaps one of the most visible impacts of AI has been in the realm of social media, where viral videos and images showcasing the capabilities of AI models have become a regular occurrence. Need a new cover letter? Well, there’s an AI model for that. Need a section of code written but just don’t have the time? Well, there’s a model for that. Need some 3D design elements? There’s a model for that. And it’s not just administrative work being generated and regenerated on some inconceivable scale. There’s a whole world of AI-generated art and music, even eerily convincing deepfake videos. It’s safe to say that the things that AI models can do have become increasingly impressive, if not somewhat concerning. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Instagram, have played a crucial role in making these AI-generated creations more accessible to a wider audience. It takes a quick glance at some of the view counts to see just how popular this kind of content is and that it’s likely to grow in popularity. It’s a trend that has captured the public’s imagination which has, in turn, sparked a practically inescapable conversation around AI, ethics and what it truly means to create. 

What if I told you that the introduction you just read was predominantly AI-generated? Well, that’s correct; and all it took was the simplest of prompts and the click of a button. With practice, and a greater understanding of how to use prompts properly, this means that I may be able to get the model to write a paragraph in a style that so closely resembles my own – that the result would be practically indiscernible from the rest of my portfolio. Admittedly the introduction to this piece is a bit bland and soulless; still, you have to admit that it kind of reads like the intro to one of those criminally formulaic clickbaity articles that get shat out on a regular basis by some news conglomerate desperately trying to stay relevant. In fact, the content excreted by the cold claws of viral AI text model ChatGPT at least doesn’t contain regular spelling errors, so I guess there’s that?

Photos: Elmo Mistiaen /// AI Generated

Here’s the thing: the sheer speed at which these AI models are improving, and the scope of tasks they are now able to complete is frankly as astounding as it is frightening. It doesn’t feel like all that long ago that talking to a chatbot felt so unbelievably obvious and immensely infuriating, which makes the serviceable intro of this article all the more mind-boggling.  

AI and its application to the arts but the impact it has on our society’s very structures and conventions, is a fiercely debated topic. Some herald AI models as the great next technological frontier, the most logical manner in which humanity can advance forward. In contrast, others predict that this is the beginning of the end or that it may already be too late. Here on this ethically grey spectrum, particularly when it comes to the arts, I fall somewhere in the middle. 

I can see how it could benefit creatives, particularly as they navigate an industry that is often underfunded and gatekept. As my AI overlord programmed in Silicon Valley assures me, “Another benefit of AI in the arts is that it can make the creative process more efficient and cost-effective. For example, AI-powered tools can help artists and designers to quickly generate new designs, layouts or even entire films without the need for expensive equipment or human labour. This can be especially useful for independent artists and small production companies that lack the resources of larger studios. Furthermore, AI can be a great help in automating some of the repetitive and time-consuming tasks of the creative process, such as colour correction, animation, and sound design.”

Photos: Elmo Mistiaen /// AI Generated

Ok,  I know that I just quoted a chatbot, but there is a lot of truth to what is being said there but, and it’s a massive but, the reception towards AI and its place in the arts has widely been met with criticism and for good reason. Simply put, the manner in which these AI bots are fed information is well unethical at best. As you may have recently seen, many artists publicly came out with statements about their work being fed to AI models in order to train them without their knowledge or consent.  You may think that some of these smaller, independent artists are overreacting, but when you take into consideration that Stable Diffusion, an open-source text-to-image model made use of 5.8 billion images, yes, billion images, you may want to go and see if any of your photos or artworks got nabbed. The problem was so bad that artist collective Spawning created a tool called Have I Been Trained to see if your work has been used and to make opting out far easier. 

Now, there is no way that I can settle this debate within the confines of a single article. This would need some Slavoj Žižek level of internal and external investigation and philosophising, and we may still disagree at the end of it. However, it is inherently linked to the ever-evolving, burgeoning, profoundly philosophical question of what it means to be human and what it means to be machine. We may look at artworks like Can’t Help Myself as an example of where this line is already becoming increasingly blurred. We are humans with increasingly complex relationships with our machine extensions. Let me phrase it like this. Do I fear AI? No (maybe stupidly so). Do I think we need to prepare in some way, shape, or form? Most certainly. Here I don’t mean some Skynet, Schwarzenegger Terminator type of reality – but rather to look at some of the problems we have already encountered. It’s evident that the legalities surrounding these programs and what they are and aren’t allowed to be fed should be a priority. Also, as many of you may have also seen, it seems far too easy to bypass the supposed safety features and get ChatGBT to give you some really unethical information that we shouldn’t necessarily be privy to. 

Photo1: Koooooos & Midjourney /// Prince Harry as a mouse during a party at Buckingham Palace 
Photo2: Koooooos & Midjourney /// Trying to copy another famous artist using Midjourney to see how this all works. Penguins in Northface puffer jackets.

In conclusion, models like these pose a major, and I mean major, threat to legitimacy. As the amount of content being generated by AI continues to grow and the quality of this content becomes more and more indistinguishable, what stops students from simply AI-generating essays? Journalists and novelists not using their given talents and generating a potential best seller in a matter of minutes. Will we find the next Basquiat, or will the most famous artworks of the future simply be attributed to some Silicon Valley tech corp and their undeniably impressive AI model?

Let me leave you with this as food for thought; I ran the intro of this article through a detection model that is supposed to recognise AI-generated content. The model was convinced a human had carefully considered every word, bringing that paragraph into being. I also ran the intro to an article I wrote last year through the same test, and it deemed it to be AI-generated. It seems I’m more of a machine than man.

Photos: Koooooos & Midjourney /// Andy Warhol dancing with factory workers. Desaturated and soft focus.

Published: 25 January 2023

Written by: Casey Delport

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

Schiaparelli Kicked Off Couture Week – dividing and mesmerising viewers alike

Jan 24, 2023 | News, Fashion

Daniel Roseberry has re-catapulted the house of Schiaparelli to new couture heights in the last few years. The historic brand, founded by Elsa Schiaparelli in 1927, was only recently resurrected; once a rival of Coco Chanel, Elsa would never live to see the brand as it is today; herself having closed its doors in 1954. Schiaparelli is steeped in Parisian fashion lore – not least by its designation as a ‘haute couture’ house, which is a titled only provided by law, specifically The French Couture Federation; no brand may use this epitaph or title in describing their work, and its tenets include immaculate craftsmanship, specific use of techniques, and individual design and tailoring to clientele.  

Schiaparelli joins just 15 others houses in being defined as haute couture, and allowed to participate in the sacral runway couture shows; Chanel, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Margiela, Giambattista Valli, Franck Sorbier, Adeline Andre, Alexandre Vauthier, Alexis Mabille, Maurizio Galante, Stephane Rolland and Yiqing Yin.

Since his appointment as creative director, Daniel Roseberry has exceeded expectation as to what a couturier may look like in the 21st century; and for someone who once considered joining the ministry as a priest, it has been said that he acts as a vessel for higher, divine ideals of dressing – or as I term it, ‘sartorial consciousness’. As so succinctly described by the house’s website, “During his tenure, Roseberry has become known for resurrecting some of the Maison’s most beloved and influential codes and iconography, while paying homage to its founder, Elsa Schiaparelli’s love of Surrealism; at the same time, he has subverted many of those same codes, contributing a new aesthetic vocabulary with his frequent use of gold jewellery and hardware, repurposed denim, and moulded leather and metal breastplates and body parts. Like Schiaparelli herself, who was known for her technical innovations, Roseberry is particularly interested in experimenting with new or unlikely fabrics, and exploding the idea of what couture can–or should–be.”

Yesterday, 23 January 2023, Schiaparelli shocked & delighted viewers from Paris with an allegorical exhibition of eerily-realistic wolves, lions and leopards draped around models & celebrities (Kylie in her Leo element) – crystals and tailoring depicting the ingenious craftsmanship sense of craftsmanship possessed by the house. Sending waves of adulation from fashion-devotees and attendees (it was certainly a sight to behold, even from my screen) – contrasted with comments on Instagram expressing sentiments of disgust or confusion regarding animal cruelty. Some took the comment sections of Schiaparelli’s post saying “this is glorifying poaching and animal cruelty” or “trophy hunting is not fashionable”  – and another saying, “there is a fine line between couture and costume” – or “what is the message behind this supposed to be?”. Other comments suggested that the collection showcased the possibility of replicating fur so exceptionally today, that animals should never have to be harmed again. The looks in question – bulging animal heads – made up a small portion of an otherwise demure, elegant showcase.

Couture is going to be polarising, particularly in this day and age; the very essence of this practice is rooted in decadence, detail and a price-tag that most of the world will never truly be able to access. In a wild performance of ‘nature’ as our greatest architect – Roseberry’s Schiaparelli continues to embody the role of couture as a stage for the most ludicrous and surreal dreams in fashion. However, in a world where dreams are pitted against violence, war, cost-of-living crisis – is there even space anymore for luxury fashion’s most bold fantasies? 

Images: Fillipo Fior for Gorunway.com

Written by: Holly Beaton

Published: 24 January 2023

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

Ashley Benn’s Creative Lineage: Embedded in Culture & Product

Jan 23, 2023 | Interviews, Creatives

Ashley Benn comes from a very specific lineage of Cape Town creativity; a figure who sometimes discreetly, and mostly inimitably, has been part of creating what the concept of a ‘creative career’ can be in South Africa in the last decade. From Shelflife to AndPeople, and now as the founder & creative director of Room Studio (noted as an ‘interdisciplinary creative consultancy at the intersection of ideas, product and people’) – Ashley originally studied a science degree; affirming of something I hear time and again from creatives at the top of their game : the most successful stories comes from people whose point of view originates from life rather than a relational degree in creativity. You can’t really be taught what needs to be done to fulfil your career vision inside a classroom or lecture hall; but you have to be ready to learn – from anyone and everything. Creative careers are driven by intelligence, curiosity and intuition.

“My creative career dates back to university. I had started a fashion label called ‘Upper Echelon’ which was mainly focused on creating technical outerwear, and that was my first creative outlet through fashion, which was something I had always wanted. The brand was quite successful – we showed at STR.CRD which was a festival that used to happen in Joburg and we stocked a few stores like Smith & Abrahams. When I started at Shelflife, that was more around product – and I was witnessing this new industry emerge, which is really around footwear and product. I was part of the team that started the Johannesburg store for Shelflife, overseeing the online store, and helping with some buying and product. That led me to the world of adidas – which is has been quite coincidental, as it turns out.“ Shelflife remains South Africa’s most premier purveyor of sneakers; the first to do it, in securing some of the most top-tier accounts with global brands like Nike and adidas. This time that Ashley speaks of, around 2016, is when the seeds of people before like Bradley Abrahams or brands like 2Bop began to germinate into what we see now; an upward trajectory of South African visual story-telling and cultural determination. Now, with Room Studios, Ashley leads the in-house & independent agency for adidas South Africa– more on that later, but it’s critical to note in understanding the story, “we were interacting with people from adidas, and getting to know people in marketing and product – because we were launching their top tier product, and we had Yeezy’s before adidas South Africa had Yeezy’s – and apparel, and through that I connected with Mike and Duncan at AndPeople. When a position opened up in brand strategy, I moved to AndPeople and adidas became my baby, with my experience in footwear and working with the brand already. That was my first venture into the creative agency world. I didn’t really know what a creative agency was or did, which was quite funny. I really winged it at the beginning and followed my instincts.”

With a background in product – perhaps the most critical school you can come from in marketing – I ask Ashley how being product-focused at the start of his career informed his creative advertising skill, “I think it was really everything. I really do believe that marketing and advertising is about selling perception; you’re selling the idea or feeling of a product, and I was really a student of the process and information behind all the products and brands I was exposed to. I am a geek for product – everything from a shoe, to a kettle – anything that works well. Key to that was being at Shelflife, who foundationally built and introduced the culture of ‘hype’ to South Africa, almost single handedly. That taught me how to follow the process of taking something to market through educating people. It shaped my way of thinking, and my understanding of what people want. I always say to the team – marketing is not rocket science, we don’t save lives, we have this amazing opportunity to come into work everyday and have fun, and to do what we love. I’ve never looked at it from a theoretical lens or studied marketing; being immersed in the culture and everything that surrounds it, that’s where you can derive the knowledge to create something and make it work.”

Regarding his time at Shelflife, Ashley acknowledges the experience as a very specific era in which so much today is owed, “I don’t ever take for granted that I was there when this thing started. We had seen sneakers raffles, or blogs, overseas – and Shelflife were really pushing all of those things when it wasn’t mainstream culture. Sneaker culture is like pop culture, now – you can have anything at your doorstep within a week or two, it’s democratised now. We were witnessing this crest of the wave as it was happening, and we went from just seeing camp-outs and raffles online – and the first lightbulb for us was probably in 2015, when the first adidas Yeezy was released. I’ll never forget it – it was happening on Saturday, and we came into work on Wednesday, and people were chilling outside the store. We were like, what are you doing here? And they were like ‘we heard that the Yeezys are coming out, we are here for it.” That was literally like three days before. We took it as a joke at first, but each day leading up to the drop – the camp out line grew. It was crazy. That was definitely a turning moment – that was the start of hype here.”

When AndPeople closed, so too did the prolific agency’s long standing work with adidas. As Ashley puts it, “Room Studio was born from this functional need to fill a gap – and through a series of consulting work that I had been doing, the conversation started to develop into what might it look like if I could take on more, what would that require? I think adidas is a very different business to a lot of other brands, things are always changing – they need quite an agile and close-knit team. We started to conceptualise with the adidas team this idea of in-housing a creative function for their business, which is something that has been happening in Europe for a long time. I’m a very singular person, so if I can work on one brand, or one or two things at a time – and do it really well – then I’m more inclined to that. This is what Room Studios is, we have really been piloting this proof-of-concept for the last two years of creating an in-house creative function for adidas’, and across their varying units.” In cultivating a cohesive and locally contextualised expression of adidas in South Africa; Ashley and his team are wayshowers in the future how global brands can maximise their presence in a region with total authenticity. With stunning campaigns dosed with humour and sentiments wholly South African, Room Studio are behind works like The Office (featuring CEC’s gal Dee Koala) – with Ashley saying, “adidas recognises that our South African market is very nuanced with a mix of influences from europe, to a collective commitment to our own culture and its expression. We get to localise a lot of our content, which is a really good opportunity because of where South Africa and Africa is emerging on the world scene, so timing has been really perfect.” People like Ashley are setting the stage and tone for what lies ahead for South Africa’s continued autonomy, and the celebration of our local perspective as a powerful force for creativity, marketing and story-telling; this is the path ahead. We watch in anticipation.

Written by: Holly Beaton

Published: 24 January 2023

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

The sound of Zimbabwean Afrofuturism with Bantu Spaceship’s latest single

Jan 20, 2023 | Music

B a n t u S p a c e s h i p consists of Fulani Okandlovu (Vocalist/Songwriter/Artist) from Bulawayo and Joshua Chiundiza (DJ/Producer/Artist) from Harare. The duo presents a hybrid sound, merging electro, hip hop and rap, with mbaqanga, imbube, sungura, jit, chimurenga and other Bantu music styles. Specifically borrowing elements from their Ndebele and Shona Heritage, the duo blends two of Zimbabwe’s most dominant cultures into one foretelling and uncharted soundscape.

January 20th 2023 marked the launch date for ‘Bantu Electro Sungura’, the second single taken from their self-titled debut album.

Bantu Spaceship will have listeners embark on a journey. A journey that feels like you are being taken through a portal into another time: Afrofuturism. The rhythms give you a sense of the past, while you also sense the future with all the synth sounds. This track will have you playing it on repeat while you are travelling from town to village and vice versa. 

‘Bantu– Electro Sungura’ will awaken you to the future of Zimbabwean music. Ulenni’s harmonies, inspired by LMG Choir, bring a nostalgia that might touch certain emotions as the recollection rushes back, synthesised and charged with electro vibes. The dancing shoes are in full swing as the dusty village late afternoon sun meets the club night dance floor.

This is where the mark of Joshua Chiundiza, the main composer behind Bantu Spaceship, really shows up, unmasked, as he unveils what is possibly the future of authentic Zimbabwean music. The magic touch comes from contributing guitarist Sam Mabukwa – lead guitarist of Ngosimbi Crew, a band best known for their late 90s hit ‘Pamuchato WaTobias’. Mabukwa’s Sungura skills serenade the urban swag into a breathtaking sound that surely reaches other planetary lifeforms! Vocalist Ulenni Okandlovu makes a sincere plea to a lover to spare him the pain of a heartbreak. His delivery and vocal tone are reminiscent of the legendary Solomon Skuza, likely to cause a deja vu effect on those who have experienced the music of that era.

Chiundiza’s production sounds like something that was picked out of the archives of the mid-eighties Jit and Chimurenga music and then carefully blended with elements of Disco and Electronic sounds. His mix makes for a beautiful excursion through a landscape of memories lived and futures imagined. Ulenni Okandlovu, serves as the voice, the Captain of the ship, guiding us by way of Ndebele chants, laid back melodies and poetic verses. His calm nature enhances the experience as it sits comfortably on the music, creating the illusion that making music like this is an easy feat… It isn’t – uniqueness never is.

This album surely safeguards Zimbabwe’s original contemporary sounds and disrupts the conclusion that it may be swallowed in the ever changing world of music. Nyami Nyami Records have found another gem! Welcome to New Jit Wave- an adaptation of Jit music. Welcome to Bantu Spaceship. Prepare to be launched into a new paradigm. Thank goodness it’s only the beginning. 

Stream ‘Bantu Electro Sungura’ HERE

Record label: Nyami Nyami Records

Watch out for the album release: March 10th 2023 on vinyl and digital formats.