THE LAKE #005 by THE LAKE MAGAZINE

BULLION Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow

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01 THE LAKE

THE LAKE WE ARE FOOLISHLY Ambitious

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DONT EAT THE YELLOW SNOW “We are living in a culture entirely hypnotized by the illusion of time, in which the so-called present moment is felt as nothing but an infintesimal hairline between an all-powerfully causative past and an absorbingly important future. We have no present. Our consciousness is almost completely preoccupied with memory and expectation. We do not realize that there never was, is, nor will be any other experience than present experience. We are therefore out of touch with reality.” - Alan W. Watts

CONTENTS REGULARS:

PUBLISHER

News 04 Print Run 56 Fashion Mens 58 Fashion Ladies 60 Plimsoll 62 ART: 19 43

13 24 37 55

MUSIC: Abstraction Salt & Thunder Vuma Lavin Wax Junkie

11 15 31 53

LIFESTYLE: The Clinic Inner City Life Psychotherapy

33 49 50

The views and opinions expressed within the editorial and advertisements of THE LAKE do not necessarily reflect those of its staff, nor any of its associates.THE LAKE and anything contained within is copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, copied or stored electronically without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Stefan Naude’ stefan@thelake.co Existential ADVISOR Brendan Body brendan@thelake.co

PHOTOGRAPHY: Stalker Dream on Empire Quick Fix

Editor / Art Direction

COVER Oliver Kruger Photography Laura Windvogel Bananarama Kristi Vlok Art Direction / Styling Jonny Barber Joel Hair Studio The Ground Floor Studio Lighting Big Time Studios Retouching Frances van Jaarsveldt photographers

FASHION

Hayden Phipps Oliver Kruger Jacqui Van Staden My Sony Likes To Party SIpho Mpongo Wikus De Wet Sean Metelerkamp Dirk Steenkamp Roy Potterhill Pieter Vosloo Tyler B. Murphy Louis Vorster

Kristi Vlok kristi@thelake.co

CONTENTS PHOTO

Illana Welman lani@thelake.co

Jansen Van Staden 2015 - ‘ANC Rally’

Contributors Ruan Scott Rick De La Ray Lani Spice Calum Macnaughton Shane De Lange Gerrit Strydom Jacques Van Embden Jonathan Liebman Rashiq Fataar Simone Schultz Xavier Nagel Khanyisile Mbongwa

Advertising / MARKETING Brett Bellairs brett@thelake.co Brendan Body brendan@thelake.co INTERN

COPY EDITING Christine Stewart ONLINE / SOCIAL thelake.co.za Submissions info@thelake.co PRINTING PAARLMEDIA Paarl Media Group Tel: +27 21 550 2500 Email: info@paarlmedia.co.za

www.notaboutthephotographer.tumblr.com

Asha Zero Lady Skollie

THE LAKE MAGAZINE PTY LTD info@thelake.co

THE LAKE

NEWS adidas Originals by Pharrell Williams – Supershell After captivating the world with the ground breaking Supercolor release in April, Pharrell Williams is back for FW15 with Supershell. The Supershell project sees Pharrell hand-pick friends and creatives from around the world to completely reinvent the shoe’s Shelltoe for the very first time, evolving the Superstar into a canvas for creation. The Superstar’s Shelltoe comes alive with signature graphic artworks and designs from NYC contemporary artist Todd James, American photographer-director Cass Bird and contemporary Japanese artist Mr.. The artists’ designs are then joined by six of Pharrell’s very own artworks that explore life force and energy and its relationship with colour. INFO: www.adidas.com #superstar

FUJI FINEPIX X100S - SILVER

Carlo Mombelli - Stories

The FujiFilm X100S, brings passion back to photography. The new X100s features the latest APS-C 16.3 Megapixel CMOS II image sensor and the company’s EXR II processor for enhanced image quality. The EXR II processor enables use of higher ISO with reduced noise resulting in image quality beyond the cameras sensor size. The X100s features Intelligent Hybrid Auto Focus which automatically switches between phase detection and contrast AF. The camera features an advanced Hybrid Viewfinder for optical clarity and detailed shooting information. Instantly switch from Optical to Electronic mode by moving an external switch allowing for confirmation of focus, exposure, white balance and depth of field before capturing the shot.

Roastin’ Records, Angry Africa and Permanent Record did a collaborative vinyl release of Carlo Mombelli’s emotive album titled STORIES. ‘STORIES’ is a really personal record for Mombelli: an opportunity to pay respect to the people that matter in his life – his wife, his children and his musical teachers. The final product reaffirms that Mombelli, now in his early 50s, is still very much in rude creative health. He is still pushing the limits of sound and writing challenging beautiful work. Mombelli, a lecturer in composition and jazz at the University of the Witwatersrand, is a South African jazz and experimental music institution, and a mentor and educator to many young music students through his Wednesday-night jam sessions.

INFO : www.exposuregallery.co.za

INFO: www.carlomombelli.com

L’MAD Collection

L’MAD Collection is a South African fashion brand that creates limited edition collections that promote local artists and designers. The ethos behind L’MAD is to remain in constant dialogue with contemporary African art. As a result the collections are reverential in their beauty yet thoroughly contemporary in design. The collections are curated by Director, Lucy MacGarry. INFO : www.lmadcollection.com

Michael Taylor

Michael MacGarry

Jan-Henri Booyens

Von Zipper Wooster

BEATS – SOLO HD 2.0

VonZipper F.C.G. Wooster sunglasses are crafted from hand-tooled Mazzucchelli acetate with heat tempered wire injected temples and held together with stainless steel optical hinges. The base 6 impact resistant CR-39 lenses will protect your eyes with 100% UV protection.Von Zipper has made it its business to promote your unique personality through its premium quality sunglasses. Von Zipper is popular for its innovative and novel designs, which allow you to wear your individuality front and center for everyone to see. Von Zipper outfits you in unique style while still protecting your eyes, so you can pursue your daytime endeavors and need only worry about where your next adventure will lead you.

The Solo2 has arrived. Beats’ most popular headphone has been redesigned from the inside out. With updated and improved acoustics, the Solo2 lets you feel your music with a wider range of sound and enhanced clarity. Streamlined, lightweight, and durable, this compact headphone is more comfortable than ever. Take your music with you wherever you go, with the Solo2.

INFO: www.swindle.co.za

INFO: www.ashift8.com THE LAKE

As the successor of the Solo HD, the Solo 2 have an improved audio quality and share the same slick design language and a more resilient build quality of the Studio 2 headphones, but with a smaller and lighter portable on-ear style form factor. - R 2,849.99

THE LAKE

DOUBT

EVERY THING...FIND

YOUR

OWN

LIGHT...

NEWS CORNER STORE The dude’s at Young and Lazy, 2bop and SolSol Menswear shared a desire to control the physical contact point between their brands and consumers, both to allow loyal customers and friends to fully experience their visions in a retaill space, and to force new potential consumers to gain a deeper understanding of the brands on first contact, without the experience being filtered through the vision of a third party. Corner store, or rather corner store with a small ‘c’ - a name that pays homage to a local phenomenon and at the same time creates a sense of place, accentuating the importance of the fact that all three brands are local - is a new space that has popped up on a corner in Woodstock that is dear in the hearts of anybody who has immersed themselves in South African clothing culture. 103 Sir Lowry, once home to Smith & Abraha-

ms (RIP), is now home to a clean gallery type space that acts as a flagship store for three of the finest brands to ever arise out of South Africa’s energetic urban culture. The new space is the polar opposite of the cluttered nostalgia that first gave character to the corner, while maintaining the warmth and easy going vibe that has become an important part of each of the brands’ respective identities. While each brand is in control of its own section, a strong aesthetic runs through the entire store, symbolising the shared sentiments and allowing that the garments become the focal point and the main speakers in the respective brands separate stories. INFO: www.facebook.com/cornerstorecpt

K-SWISS / COURTSTYLE 2015 K-Swiss and its iconic shield logo have stood for top-level performance on-and-off the tennis court since 1966, and now its identity has come full circle. The American tennis brand continue their core court programme firmly into the Spring/Summer 2015 collection. This season the product is split into several product themes richly characterised by the brands tennis heritage. These are as follows; Americana Tennis, Cool Canvas, Pastel Paradise and SW19. The Spring Collection offers an expansion of exclusively available styles delivered in a Classic Americana package in the K-Swiss brand colours, white, red and blue. INFO: www.kswiss.com

ONE FOR THE BIRDS

QUIKSILVER

One for the Birds is a new South African brand of sterling silver, brass and leather jewellery, designed by Capetonian Illustrator and creative, Carmen Ziervogel. Keep an eye out for the new Goddess range coming out soon.

Quiksilver got some new shorts out in the form of the men’s Trucker Town elasticated walk short and the Street Trunk walk shorts. INFO: www.boardriders.co.za

INFO: www.oneforthebirds.net

Mi-Pac

ASICS GEL-LYTE III

Born in the summer of 2012, British bag brand MiPac are already one of the UK’s leading accessory brands, is now available in South Africa. By combining fashion and function, they are re- defining the way we buy the backpack.

ASICS presents new color-blocked colorways of its GEL-Lyte III and GEL-Lyte V silhouettes. The former’s toe box is dipped in dark purple while the other sports a vibrant, summery turquoise along the front. These pairs feature a dual leather/suede construction with perforations throughout, and sit atop of a crisp white midsole and an outsole that corresponds to the two-tone scheme seen on the upper. Priced around R1300, these are available in South Africa at selected retailers including Sportscene and Cross Trainer.

The initial concept behind the was to take a staple item and add an innovative twist, turning the classic backpack into an affordable, fashion accessory. The bags themselves are available in an array of different colours and a multitude of custom patterns, prints and designs. Mi-Pac continues to experiment with the materials and finishes using garment fabric to keep ahead of the fast moving high street trends. INFO: www.mi-pac.com 06

INFO: www.asics.co.za THE LAKE

THE LAKE

NEWS Billabong Boa Backpack 2015 sees the introduction of one of Billabong’s most impressive products; the Apex Boa Pack. The outdoor backpack boasts features and functionality so remarkable it has not only impressed customers, but also been selected as the gold medalist in the Outdoor Backpacks category at this year’s leading international trade fair for sporting goods (ISPO). It is a versatile, multi-use travel piece, designed to be used in three different formats, donning features such as a stowaway rain cover, detachable and drainable wetsuit- storage system, laptop and passport sleeves, fin storage, welded waterproof pocketing and reputable CORDURA® fabrication. Above all, the pack sports a world- first innovation in its incorporation of the BOA® brand

closure system – A patented military-grade proprietary closure system made up of steel lace, nylon guides and a mechanical spool. Billabong is so satisfied with the effectiveness of the BOA® closure system in their Apex BOA pack, that they have also applied the technology to their most premium cold-water wetsuit franchise, the Furnace Carbon, giving birth to another exciting, world-first innovation in Wetsuit closure technology. Billabong is particularly excited about the application of the BOA® system in it’s wetsuit booties. The Apex Boa Pack retails at R2999,95 and is available at Billabong stores. INFO: www.swindle.co.za

ADIDAS / SUCIU Honoring the otherworldly talents and accomplishments of one of its marquee pro riders, adidas Skateboarding and Mark Suciu proudly release the Suciu ADV – the brand’s first signature shoe designed from top to bottom by pro Mark Suciu. Inspired by the 23-year-old’s passion for history and academia coupled with his refined, detail-oriented approach to street skating, the Suciu ADV’s timeless silhouette reflects an informed worldview both on-and-off the board.The Suciu ADV is offered in four colorways of Collegiate Navy/Collegiate Burgundy, Collegiate Burgundy/White/Gold Metallic, Black/White/Gold Metallic, and Mesa/White. INFO: www.adidas.com

Lomo Instant Havana Edition Introducing the new Lomo’Instant Havana Edition Package that is going to change the way you look at summer photography forever! The Havana Edition Package includes the brand new Lomo’Instant Splitzer, along with Close-Up, Fisheye and Portrait lens attachments. Light and trendy, you’ll never miss the shot again, whether it’s at the beach or exploring the island on a bike. Suitable for both beginners and experts, the Lomo’Instant Splitzer is equipped with easy to use features, and it lets you play with creative options like unlimited multiple and infinite long exposures. Plus, the package comes with four colour flash gels (red, blue, purple and yellow), allowing you to really push your art cells. INFO: www.exposuregallery.co.za

PUMA SWASH LONDON COLAB PUMA x SWASH footwear collection demonstrates the playful and artistic theme of this collaboration, taking classic designs and filling them with a newfound life. The Blaze of Glory, an icon, known for its athletic construction, is given the trademark SWASH treatment. Their Blaze of Glory is made bolder and brighter with fascinating and beautifully coloured prints. As well as this, the XT2+ Trinomic undergoes a similar reinvention taking on bold and intricate patterns true to SWASH London’s design ethos. PUMA x SWASH can be found at PUMA SELECT stores in Cape Town, Bree Street and Johannesburg, Braamfontein, as well as X–Trend and Shelflife from 6 August 2015. INFO: www.pumaselect.co.za 08

THE LAKE

abstraction CARLO MOMBELLI INTERVIEW - RUAN SCOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY - REZA KHOTA

“I didn’t face many obstacles – my black musician friend faced the obstacles. I remember when I was working in Johnny Fourie’s band, Duke Makazi who played incredible tenor sax, often didn’t arrive at the gig because he was arrested as they thought he had stolen his saxophone.” WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF BEING EXPOSED TO MUSIC AND WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WANTED TO DO THIS FOR A LIVING AND MAKE YOUR OWN COMPOSITIONS? My mother took me to the Ballet when I was eight years old. It was Swan Lake with music by Tchaikovsky. I remember the violin melody in the 4th movement pierced me and at that moment I wanted to play music. WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL INTEREST IN THE BASS GUITAR AND WHICH OTHER INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY? My parents were not interested in me becoming a musician. My father was an Italian chef and wanted me to be a cook. I played piano whenever I found one but it was at Pretoria Boys High school that I enrolled for music as a subject without my parents’ consent and got the teacher to explain to my parents that I had a very good ear for music. I studied classical piano, loved Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, as well as Led Zeppelin, The Police, Bob Marley and Pink Floyd. When I was 16 I heard Weather Report and the bassist Jaco Pastorious for the first time. I had the same experience when I heard Jaco play as I did when I heard Swan Lake, and convinced my mother to buy me a R60 Epiphone bass. I then taught myself how to play it. YOU WERE A MUSICIAN DURING THE TURBULENT YEARS OF SOUTH AFRICA IN THE 80s. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE OBSTACLES YOU FACED IN A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK MUSIC SCENE? I didn’t face many obstacles – my black musician friend faced the obstacles. I remember when I was working in Johnny Fourie’s band, Duke Makazi who played incredible tenor sax, often didn’t arrive at the gig because he was arrested as they thought he had stolen his saxophone. CAN YOU RECALL SOME OF YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES DURING THOSE YEARS? The eighties were bad times in our history but we managed to play original music at least three times a week around Jo’burg, I had a regular gig with my band Abstractions every Thursday night downtown at a place called Jamesons. Here we would listen to the Jazz Pioneers play, all the way to the Afrikaans rock scene that protested against the National Party and bands like the Cherry Faced Lurchers that were my neighbors in Yeoville. I would practice 10 hours during the day and they would party next door. Then there was Kippies, a fantastic club outside the Market Theatre, that’s before they made it bigger, and the Jam sessions in Yeoville at a club called Rumours. I also had a regular midnight gig every Friday where I played a solo bass session at a place in Berea called the Midnight Sun. There were many places to play. Even the Market theatre had jazz concerts every Saturday afternoon in the main auditorium. It was a very creative time. MOMBELLI IS A VERY INTERSETING SURNAME. ITS SOUNDS AFRICAN BUT IT SEEMS IT’S ITALIAN. WHERE DOES YOUR FAMILY ORIGINALLY COME FROM?

My father is Italian, came to South Africa when he was 17 and I was a mistake. He is back in Europe. Strangely I also left home when I was 17.

EDUCATION IN MUSIC IS SOMETHING CLOSE TO YOUR HEART, WHERE ARE YOU TEACHING AT THE MOMENT?

YOUR FIRST BAND WAS CALLED ‘ABSTRACTIONS’ IN 1987. WHAT DO YOU FEEL HAS LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR PARTICULAR SOUND SINCE THEN?

I teach at Wits University in Johannesburg and I love it. I never studied how to teach. It was natural for me to teach myself and through the years of experience it’s good to share this. I started teaching at the Richard Strauss conservatoire in Munich, Germany in 1998 and since then I have given workshops and taught all over the world including Berklee College of music in the USA, and in Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and many more. I also wrote a bass book which was released internationally by Hal Leonard.

I was totally (and still am) in love with the ECM sound. Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner, Egberto Gismonti etc. Besides being a self-taught bassist, I also am a self-taught composer. I used to always want to play music with that ECM sound and I used to transcribe the music of ECM from my LPs to imitate the sound. So my early compositions all have that sound. My band Abstractions was also all about that sound. Besides learning music from listening and transcribing I used to go into the surrounding forests at Pretoria Boys High in the breaks when everyone else went off to play soccer. I loved to listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, the insects and the orchestration of birds. I was fascinated by the natural reverb that nature has and I have always tried to add that to my playing. I learnt a lot about composing music from these listening sessions. Thirty years later I have finally come to a point where I don’t try and compose music to imitate any sound. I just compose what comes out of me and I feel I have arrived at Carlo Mombelli. Besides my compositions I want my bass playing to have a earthy raw feel but at the same time I want to use it as my brush to paint sound. A LOT OF YOUR ALBUM COVERS FEATURE FINE ART PAINTINGS ON THEM, TWO OF WICH WERE DONE BY NORMAN CATHERINE. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT FINDING AN IMAGE FOR THE ALBUM COVERS AND HOW DID THE COLLABORATION WITH NORMAN HAPPEN? I have always loved art. My wife Sandra introduced me to the works of the great masters and we have travelled the world visiting all the great art galleries. I find that art like music tells a story and it really has influenced and inspired my compositions. My entire recording called Bats in the Belfry is inspired by one painting, by Norman Catherine, I met him many years ago when I was asked to compose music for a project about Fook Island, the imaginary place. I wrote a piece called The Procession March of King Ferd the Third and we have been friends ever since. I also own a few of his works, which makes my home very colorful. YOU HAVE TRAVELLED THE WORLD AS A MUSICIAN PLAYING AT SOME MAJOR EVENTS WITH A VARIETY OF ARTISTS. WHICH ONE OF THESE EVENTS WOULD YOU SEE AS THE PINNACLE OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

‘RIGHTS OF SPRING’ FROM THE ALBUM ‘I STARED INTO MY HEAD’ IS A VERY ERRATIC SONG REMINISCENT OF AFRICAN STORY TELLING CULTURE AND INTERPRETIVE DANCING, WHILE ‘DOWN THE GUTTER PIPE’ FROM YOUR 2008 ALBUM ‘THEORY’ REMINDS ME OF TRADITIONAL ISLAMIC PRAYER SOUNDS. WHAT ALLOWS A CERTAIN TYPE OF CULTURE TO INFLUENCE YOUR COMPOSITIONS? I have really traveled and seen amazing places, and experienced ancient traditions. I have been on St. Peters Square in the Vatican in Rome where I was blessed by the Pope, I have been to Jerusalem and have visited the Wailing Wall, a holy place to the Jews, as well as the Dome of the Rock, holy to the Muslims. I have traveled up the Himalayas with my wife and have visited the ancient Buddhist monasteries; I have been to Varanasi in India, a 5000-year-old city on the banks of the Ganges River and a holy place for the Hindus. So off course besides Africa, all of these places have inspired my music. And I build instruments that help me to create sounds that I want to hear. HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE COMPOSITIONS WITHIN YOUR SONGS, DO YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF FORMULA OR WHERE DO YOU GATHER YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?

YOUR LATEST ALBUM ‘STORIES’, AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, IS AN INTIMATE ACCOUNT OF SOME INCIDENTS AND EVENTS IN YOUR LIFE. COULD YOU SHARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS WITH US? This last album is quite a personal one, as it really has come out of events that have happened. For example, my daughter was in a terrible car accident where she lost her friend and we nearly lost her. It was on the road past Nieu-Bethesda. I wrote a piece for that and a composition called Salvation as a thank you that she is still with us. The Little window in the Kitchen is about my memory of sitting in the hotel dining room as a boy and seeing my father check up on us through the little round window in the door. I recorded his voice off my answering machine where he says he loves me. Song for Sandra is for my wife of 34 years and it’s still as if we are on honeymoon. So each piece has a meaning for me. ‘STORIES’ WAS RELEASED ON VINYL IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SWISS ARTS COUNCIL AND THREE INDEPENDENT LOCAL RECORD LABELS. WHAT LED TO THE VINYL PROJECT AND DO YOU FEEL THAT INDEPENDENT RELEASES SUCH AS THIS ARE STILL VIABLE IN TODAY’S MUSIC MARKET? The music I make is really for a specialized market and it is at my gigs that I sell my music. The return of the vinyl is starting to gather momentum and I want to be there as it takes off. My first serious project Abstractions was recorded and released on Vinyl by Shifty records in 1986 so its nice to go back to Vinyl. This Stories production was recorded with vintage mics from the 40s and mastered on tape machines, hence the hiss on the CD, so its perfect for the Vinyl format. INFO : www.carlomombelli.com

cARLO MOMBELLI - ‘STORIES’ carlo mombelli stories 2015

My compositions do not start off as compositions. They develop from improvisations that come from inspirations and stories. Once I have the sketch, the seed, then I can water it and develop it into the composition.

Permanent Record Angry Africa Roastin Records

influential ALBUMS Avishai Cohen Aurora 2009 Blue Note

Paul Motian I Have the Room Above Her

2004 ECM

Jaco Pastorius Jaco Pastorius 1976

Pat Metheny Offramp 1982

Marc Johnson

Epic/Legacy

ECM

JMT

Right Brain Patrol

1992

The most exciting festival that I played at was the Moers festival in Germany. Terje Rypdal played before us and Bill Frisell after us. The sound was amazing, it was packed and the audience went crazy for our band ‘The Prisoners of Strange’. Then off course recording with Egberto Gismonti was a magical moment for me. THE LAKE

THE LAKE

STALKER DANIELLE CLOUGH INTERVIEW - LANI SPICE

PHOTOGRAPHY - DANIELLE CLOUGH

“Its almost like having your memories recited to you in a different voice. I think that is what intrigues me the most, being able to create something and then experience it later.” You have a reputation for being a "Jack of all trades" and in your rare case "Master of them all." You are known for many crafts one of them being your photographs. What's your story and how did you get introduced to analogue photography? I was introduced to a site called Pijin.net around the time I had been given a very basic digital camera. I think I was about 15. It was a social network, before Facebook, revolving around photography. You had briefs and people rated your photos which got me thinking about taking photos in a different way. It wasn't just about smiling pictures of friends. Not long after that I discovered Lomography cameras. They were cutesy and fun. My curiosity about how the images would turn out became a bit obsessive and I found that I was learning more from shooting with film. From then on I just found myself gravitating more and more towards analogue photography. I guess I went about it backwards, digital first, film after. What film do you enjoy using the most? I go through phases, I really enjoy cross-processing slide film, I think mainly because it's so unpredictable and that's part of the beauty of analogue. It's always fun to experiment getting black and white film and then push-processing it. I often forget what film I have in what camera and just hope for the best. What intrigues you the most about shooting on analogue? You'll take the photo and you construct it as best you can in terms of your composition, exposure and all the variables, but by the time it gets processed and it’s in your hands, you are completely removed from that moment and the image can tell a totally different story. It’s almost like having your memories recited to you in a different voice. I think that is what intrigues me the most; being able to create something and then experience it later.

PORTRAIT - TYLER B. MURPHY

I know you have a love for both mediums of digital and film, however recently I heard a phrase where somebody said there's not enough mystery in digital, would you agree? How do you feel about the two? Film is different to digital as it often rewards mistakes. Seldom in life do we get to experience that anomaly. I use digital for different reasons and see it as a different tool completely. I use it much more commercially when I have to have a quick turnaround time, for example when I shoot my embroideries or events. There is a lot to be said about that instantaneous aspect of digital but I personally find the process a little less rewarding. Perhaps that is because I am more sentimental about film. What cameras are you currently using and what's been your best so far? Rollei 35, Canon A1 underwater, Zeiss Ikon Nettar, Kodak Retinette, Nikon FM2

You've also explored different disciplines of photography such as portrait, fashion, documentary etc. What would you say is your favourite? I love portraiture and I think that carries through in a lot of the things that I do such as the embroideries. I really enjoy documentary style photography too. Nearly 10 years ago, when I first started getting really passionate about capturing people I started documenting parties for a personal project called 'Fuck off I’m Raving'. It was the raw, sweaty side of night life. My kickback from the Thunder.coms. It got me into parties and into trouble. I used to climb on stages and people thought I was crew because honestly, I didn't know any better. I learnt a lot in this time and it opened a lot of doors for me. The idea of documenting the environment around me has stuck with me since then. What seems to be a constant in your work is very delicate moments you experience in your surroundings and in your life. What would you say personally makes a subject or environment beautiful - what's your motivation when capturing this? That’s a tough question. I’m not out hunting for a certain aesthetic and I don't know what makes something beautiful, but I do like an image to ask more questions than it answers. A big part of that comes in the selection. I don't think the selection process is emphasised enough. I’ve been noticing this a lot lately with digital. The majority of people have access to some form of image capturing device, and people are more visually literate, but don't take the time to consider what they shoot and share. Despite the mass appreciation for film, people still talk of it being a dying art. How do you feel about that? The perception that it is dying is because it's not industry standard anymore. It has become a different form of the craft, and will occupy a different space. This happens with so many professions as technology grows; signage, tailoring, print, carpentry etc. But look at artisanal industries such as craft beer or jewellery. They are growing because people have a respect for things that are considered and made with skill. Brands like Lomography are making film more accessible to the main stream, and I have faith that film is going to grow in popularity as more and more people realise that the joy is in the process and not just the outcome.

You are a visual artist in just about everything you do at the moment, such as being a successful VJ, a designer and an embroiderer. Does your photography influence any of these mediums? Definitely, they all merge together in a weird way. I'll use my photographs as references for my embroideries and shoot things for VJing or my design jobs. I like being able to be a part of all aspects of the creative process. It’s important today to have a selection of 'tools' in your skill set. They all inform each other. I'm sure this is the hardest question, but which form of art do you enjoy the most? It changes as I go through phases. There will be times where I just want to be a hermit, sew and watch Sopranos. Then there's days where all I wanna be is out and taking photos. I think the different mediums speak to different aspects of my personality. Sewing is very much intricate, personal and quiet whereas VJing is loud, intrusive and spontaneous. It’s by accident, but I have curated things so that I can be productive no matter what mood I am in.

Who else inspires you, are there any photographers or artists local or abroad? Lorraine Loots is a big inspiration to me, it's amazing to see what consistent hard work can bring you. I feel like it may be an obvious answer but she is magic. The people I am most encouraged by are the ones I have known for a while, and whose growth I been able to witness. Knowing where Lorraine, Anke Loots (photographer) and Jay Gordon (illustrator) started and where they are now keeps me motivated. Any exciting projects coming up? I’m exhibiting at The Space Between at the end of August in a group show, where I’m dabbling in some new embroidery ideas. I’ve also started a printmaking class which has opened me up to fresh techniques, so we will see where that goes!

Kodak - Retinette

In interviews you often talk of your gran being your biggest inspiration, why is that? Because of her kindness and openness to the world, and her ability to take anything on. She's 81 with two poetry books published despite being a scientist her whole life. She's got a blog and she's on Facebook. There are no real limitations to her and she is a constant reminder that I can live 100 lives if I stay pleasant and positive.

Zeiss - Ikon Nettar

TOP FIVES balkans balkans 2011

serengeti kenny dennis ep 2012

Phantom

Anticon

THE LAKE

The growlers are you in or are you out?

2009 Everloving

Sonny terry &

brownie mcghee

glass animals zaba

sonny brownie 1973 A & M label

2014 Harvest

Bassist Norman Muntemba of Salty Dog

THE LAKE

Salt & Thunder THE MIND-ALTERING ROCK OF 1970’S ZAMBIA WRITER - CALUM MACNAUGHTON

PHOTOGRAPHER - CALUM MACNAUGHTON ARCHIVE IMAGES - SALTY DOG / ZAMROCK.ORG

progressive mutations occurring in rock music the world over. The fact that it was African didn’t make it unique. Eastern Nigeria boasted an exuberant rock scene in tandem with their more famous Afrobeat brethren. South African jazz legends

tar stylings with a penchant for wah-wah and fuzz, exposing its link to the tradition of guitar wizardry started by Zambia’s mining town troubadours in the 1950s. Insomuch as it sought to engage the world of rock on its own terms, Zamrock was the

“For those who don’t know Africa much, we were not living in isolation here. The hippie time, the flowers, love and everything, Woodstock, we were part of that culture too. This was a country that had just gained independence and there was much more optimism in the air”. These are the words of Zambian music veteran Rikki Ililonga reflecting on the country’s swinging 60s, a decade that birthed the nation and set it on a course to formulating a national identity. Ililonga founded a rock group in 1972 and chose the name Musi-O-Tunya to represent the band’s Afro-global musical vision. While the image of smoke and thunder spoke to the group’s rock sensibilities, the implications of the band’s name reverberated on a deeper level. Picking the name Musi-O-Tunya was an articulation of the ethos at the centre of what would become known as the Zamrock scene, an Afrocentric rock movement that scattered a milieu of recorded artefacts, masterpieces and oddities across the country’s popular music landscape of the 1970s. “That era was influenced a lot by Western music, which was rock in those days, and bands used to do a lot of covers by rock groups in the UK”, says Musi-O-Tunya drummer Brian Chengala. “We used to listen to Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Cream so it was that kind of thing. But then slowly, musically, we drifted away from that. Not entirely though but just the realisation that there was this other music, our own music, which was kind of forgotten”. For a band that rose from the ashes of the Earthquakes and Crosstown Traffic, remembering their Zambian roots was what steered Musi-O-Tunya’s course. “Psychologically, you’re influenced by what you’re called so you create music that will suit that kind of name”. “As much as we wanted to play rock from the Western world, we are Africans”, says Jagari Chanda, vocalist of the band WITCH, a rock outfit whose acronym declared that ‘we intend to cause havoc’ and whose discography from 1972 to 1977 tracks the evolution of their Afrocentrism. “So the other part is from Africa – Zambia. So it’s Zambian type of rock – Zamrock”. Coined by Zambian DJ Manasseh Phiri, the term Zamrock was a meaningful affirmation but also just another word set adrift in the escalating lexicon that described

into the studio”, says Violet Kafula, female vocalist of the Crossbones at the time and now revered as the godmother of Zambian pop. While carving a place for women in the music industry, Kafula hit the mark with one of her contributions to the band’s sole release and proved that Zambia had an appetite for local pop. “I came up with ‘Mwebalume Bandi’ and in two weeks, it sold about 14 000 copies. Up to now, it’s still a hit. That’s what made me the first female artist in Zambia because there were no female musicians on the scene”. While the runaway hit affirmed Kaunda’s vision for music, the country’s economic policies buckled when the price of copper, the export upon which Zambia’s wealth was precariously balanced, took a nosedive in the mid-70s. Coupled with the alienating geopolitics of an ardent struggle supporter landlocked in liberation-era Southern Africa, Zambia plunged into hardship with Zamrock documenting the social ramifications of the economy’s demise. “It was tough. Life was hard and the country was young. We had gained independence but there were fewer schools and fewer jobs”, says Norman Muntemba, who played bass and shared vocal duties in the Zamrock three-piece Salty Dog. “The good part was that with our independence there was renewed faith in the fact that this was a country that would go on and that we are people who would go on. The music was just fantastic because it also helped us explore our sense of independence and our sense of reaching out”. Muntemba’s take on music as a social tool informed the group’s self-titled release of 1976, an eclectic Zamrock outing in which Salty Dog responded to the country’s battles with an album steeped in stoicism and hope.

Bassist Norman Muntemba of Salty Dog

Dudu Pukwana and Louis Moholo channelled African vibes through rock with Assagai, a group that released a pair of albums that rubbed shoulders with Black Sabbath on the UK’s Vertigo label. Zamrockers were aware and deeply inspired by the Pan-African juggernaut Osibisa, who proved that Africa’s contribution to rock could make waves internationally. What made Zamrock unique was that it was Zambian. Forged by a particular set of national circumstances, it channelled an idiosyncratic array of influences that set it apart from its African peers. It’s a sound that’s difficult to nail down, self-consciously nodding to rock’s progenitors while obscuring their influence with ardent subjectivity and bending rhythms to an immoveable Zambian feel. It was also characterised by fiercely innovative gui-

soundtrack of Kenneth Kaunda’s socialist ideology of Zambian Humanism. In fact, Zamrock owed much of its existence to the nation’s first president and founding father. A guitar-picker who took great pleasure in song, Kaunda was behind a policy that promoted local music via a quota system imposed on broadcasters. The legislation spurred entrepreneurs like Zambia Music Parlour’s Edward Khuzwayo into motion, sprouting a myriad of record labels and catapulting Zambian music into the industrial age. While popular music inhabited a live music circuit in hotels and bars in the 1960s and leant strongly on delivering covers, the 1970s marked the beginnings of a recorded music catalogue of truly Zambian originals with Zamrock as their template. “President Kaunda declared that he wanted mostly Zambian music to be played by our broadcasting services so we were pushed

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At the core of Salty Dog was the childhood friendship of Norman Muntemba and the late Jackie Mumba, an inseparable pair of creative spirits who were more than happy to entertain willing ears with their home-spun banjos. “People in the neighbourhood would gather and encourage us to come and sing to them”, says Muntemba, recalling a time when bands just sprouted up organically. “Eventually, word spread around that there were two nice young musicians and somebody would come along and offer to buy equipment. Once you started rehearsing, other people would hear there’s a band being formed and come along to offer their talents”. Muntemba (bass) and Mumba (guitar) cut their teeth on a variety of mutations that culminated in Way Out Impression with Alex Mwilwa on drums. The three-man unit provided the perfect vehicle for their heavy-metal leanings, dipping into the sounds of Led Zeppelin and modelled after the Jimi Hendrix Experience. When it came to record an album, the band toned down the rambunctious and did some soul searching. Confronted with Zambia’s post-independence hangover, they decided to craft a manifesto for the times and hang it on a new name. Salty Dog was neither nautical nor a nod to the 1969 album by England’s Procal Harum. Built on the band’s understanding that the phrase was 15

Ngozi Family - 45 000 Volts / Chris Editions / 1977

5 Revolutions - Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a Free Man / ZMPL / 1976

Ngozi Family - Day of Judgement / ZMPL / 1976

Musi-O-Tunya - Wings of Africa / M.O.T. Records / 1975

Born Free - Mukaziwa Chingoni / ZMPL / 1975

Broadway Quintet - Amalume / Teal | Zambezi / 1976

Amanaz - Africa / ZMPL / 1975

Chrissy Zebby Tembo - My Ancestors / Chris Editions / 1976

The Peace - Black Power / ZMPL / 1974

WITCH - Lukombo Vibes / Teal | Zambezi / 1976

Paul Ngozi - The Ghetto / Motaxis Music / 1977

Rikki Ililonga - Sunshine Love / Sepiso Records / 1976

THE Tinkles - Chalo Kuwama / ZMPL / 1974

Rikki Ililonga - Zambia / ZMPL / 1975

WITCH - Lazy Bones / Teal | Zambezi / 1975

Keith Mlevhu - Love and Freedom / Mac Bullet / 1976

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“We used to listen to Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Cream so it was that kind of thing. But then slowly, musically, we drifted away from that. Not entirely though but just the realisation that there was this other music, our own music, which was kind of forgotten” - Brian Chengala

INFO :www.strawberry-rain.com

AVAILABLE ON STRAWBERRY RAIN Salty Dog Salty Dog 1976 Strawberry Rain SR009

Salty Dog’s Norman Muntemba

“One of the most obscure albums of the Zamrock period, this self-titled psychedelic long-player from Zambia was recorded privately without any pressure from the record label. Modelled after the Jimi Hendrix Experience, with a name that is slang for “sperm,” the three-piece band recorded the album at dB Studios in Lusaka in 1976. Full of killer guitar, English vocals and great songwriting.” - Strawberry Rain Music

Brian Chengala of Musi-O-Tunya

Keith Mlevhu The Bad Will Die 1976 -1979 Strawberry Rain SR015

Harry Mwale Experience with Greg Miyanda 1978 Crossbones vocalist Violet Kafula

slang for sperm, Salty Dog was a substance capable of giving birth to new ideas that would develop and change the lives of people around them and a razor-sharp articulation of their new vision. Responding to the ubiquitous silhouette paintings found in African markets, Muntemba elicited the contribution of illustrator Trevor Ford for their self-titled album’s cover. So it was that a peeved mutt wearing a paisley tie and smoking a cigar graced the sleeve with an enormous solar orb licking the horizon in the background. “The band had a very wide range of music that we used to like and listen to”, says Muntemba. “If you listen to the album, you can find it represented many genres”. Examining how the album is bookended gives credence to Muntemba’s insight. The album opener “Fast” tethers psychedelic fuzz improvisations to bold bass loops with menacing intensity while “Lullaby” closes the set with just Mumba picking out a whimsical tune on electric guitar with sustain bathing the song in a meditative hum. What happens between these tracks unpacks the album’s substance via reggae, blues and folk. The standout track “See the Storm” conjures an eerie dystopian landscape in which Muntemba’s vocal calls for everybody to stay calm while the sun disappears and lightning strikes across the sky. “That’s on account of what we were passing through. In essence, we were saying that the storm is going to pass and we have to go and shine afterwards”.

Rikki Ililonga (Musi-O-Tunya) with Jagari Chanda (WITCH)

The album’s single was less veiled in metaphor, evoking the type of belt-tightening that would have been experienced by most Zambians with the country mired in a debt crisis. “’Down in my Shoes’ is about a guy who was not getting paid much money and he’s talking about 50 kwacha”, says Muntemba, emphasising the absurdity of the wage. “He recognises his lot but he’s resolved that he has to carry on and get through. That’s the beauty of it. We weren’t talking about these hardships in a negative way. He had to feed a family and the landlord was always knocking on his door because he was late with the rent. Those were the realities and we were saying that we have to get up and fight and move on until we sort these things out”. Norman Muntemba and I spend an afternoon together at the offices of Goman Advertising, the marketing and communications agency in Lusaka that he presides over. Muntemba’s work as a graphic artist produced a string of memorable Zamrock album covers for his musical peers and I detect the same mind behind a company banner in the lobby with the image of two ants carrying an enormous purple apple. As the information age dusts the neglected corners of global rock, Salty Dog’s album has found its way into the hands of Canadian LP and CD reissue label Strawberry Rain Music. It’s a fortuitous home for a rock nugget as label-owner Jason Connoy ardently pursues audio and artwork fidelity and has rooted his enterprise in the ethics of legitimate licensing and fair deals.

There’s even a partnership with 70s label Zambia Music Parlour (ZMPL), whose vaults have yielded a treasure of analogue reels on the verge of extinction. While I puzzle together the story of Zamrock in word and film, Strawberry Rain is restoring and archiving its soundtrack. With releases by Salty Dog, Harry Mwale Experience and Keith Mlevhu in circulation and with Crossbones, Blackfoot and a documentary on their heels, Zamrock has another storm brewing. I meet Norman Muntemba, Rikki Ililonga, Brian Chengala, Jagari Chanda and Violet Kafula in a Zambia of developing-nation contrastss. It’s a travel destination of backpackers and exclusive wilderness retreats and little in-between. Shopping malls have mushroomed on the fringes of the nation’s capital and draw swanky SUVs into attendance. Yet, with over 60% of the nation living below the poverty line, the type of rock that Salty Dog produced in the 1970s has much to address about the country’s present circumstances. “I’ve got my guitar and I play at home quietly to myself but I do intend to give some of my songs to young artists to record”, says Muntemba, eager to pass the Zamrock mantle to a younger generation. “We’ll see where we get with that. Veterans never die so I’m still around”.

Strawberry Rain SR018

COMING SOON Crossbones Wise Man 1976 Strawberry Rain

Blackfoot Millie 1976 Strawberry Rain

Blackfoot The Foot Steps 1978 Strawberry Rain

INFO : www.zamrock.org

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ASHA ZERO The Day I Became an Intertextual Chimera ARTICLE - SHANE DE LANGE

PORTRAIT - JACQUI VAN STADEN

“Copying, splicing and pasting of cultural information, appropriating bits and pieces of narrative are commonplace today. It plays a role in linking various systems, so much so that our way of expressing and communicating through a mixture of sources becomes the norm.” I have been writing about the work of Asha Zero for a while now, and our dialogue remains ongoing. There is no simple way to describe this conversation. Abbreviated, Asha Zero makes art that explores the affect that technological progress, contemporary media and communication networks has on traditional forms of representation and language. This investigation currently employs the medium of painting, grafted onto conceptual processes that have historically been connected to collage. These paintings exist within shifting frameworks, depicting the ubiquitousness of the present day, particularly within the context of digital, mediated and virtual spaces. All this whilst adding to established narratives, actively engaging with the rubric of Modernism. Fragmented and scrambled imagery speaks to the historic flow of art starting with Realism, flirting with Dada and Pop Art, briefly visiting Lettrism and New Realism, ending with elements of Urban Art. Asha Zero’s paintings are composite images fused with various ideological foundations, amalgamating diverse offshoots of Modernity, Postmodernity and Posthumanism. These contrasting, synthesised surfaces document the everyday spectacle of the Human Condition through combined and juxtaposed source material appropriated from the urban landscape and the present mediasphere. Given this inquiry we are still left with some interesting questions. Continuing our dialogue, the artist and I sat down for yet another chat.

Yes, kind of. It was a mix-match in the beginning, probably better described as paintings or drawings with collaged bits; typical mixed media stuff. We have established that painting is your primary medium, but where does your interest in collage originate from?

interesting juxtapositions. The clash of discordant scenes, languages and seemingly incompatible ideas - sounds, images, textures, surfaces, platforms - create interesting hybrids. Also, technology now plays a major role in transmitting these conceptual memes and the influence can be seen in the paintings. It influences the range of

So, networked culture is one of the departure points for the work? Yes, so much is sourced and transmitted via interactive networks; media that communicates in multiple directions with complex ideas that are formed by the overlap of various technologies. These paintings are hyper realistic images because they occupy positions within crossover zones where the virtual and the physical interchange. The integration of digital networks leaves a viral trace on contemporary art production. Would you say that the overlapping of various technologies influences perception to such an extent that Abstraction and Realism become one and the same thing?

It is interesting to see how a person’s engagement with the work changes once this realisation is made. All of a sudden something that was perceived as a loose and messy construction is read as a considered and methodically executed artwork. Two opposing sensibilities become one, connecting two different readings, tying a seemingly quick and easy process with a difficult time consuming process. I think it’s a bit like trying to read in opposite directions.

A: It started in a very playful way after art school, and slowly developed from there. I had produced some collage work as an art student and found it a useful and fun way to develop ideas. At some point the thought crossed my mind to render some of the collages in the tradition of trompe l'oeil, which were convincing as ‘collages’ and in many cases pleasantly surprised people. So I stumbled into it. So you did start your process with actual collage, and then moved onto painting later?

Are your images informed by the notion that contemporary expression is a kind of collage of offline and online, analog and digital, real and virtual? I think so. Mass produced and technologically manipulated images are hybrid memes. If you consider the techniques employed in the production of the paintings, as well as the sourced images, you can notice a cross-pollination of digital modes of production with traditional media, such as pigment on board. There is an interesting interplay between translations of the ‘online’ and the ‘offline’, between pixel and pigment.

Your artworks are commonly perceived as collage. However, they are in actual fact hand rendered paintings. Do you think this misreading affects the manner in which audiences read your work?

Why did you choose the medium of painting, as opposed to the traditional approach and simply use collage?

plays a role in linking various systems, so much so that our way of expressing and communicating through a mixture of sources becomes the norm. The paintings are the result of these types of inputs and processes.

That is a tough question. Yes, it influences the way we observe things. It makes you wonder whether we see more or whether we see less. If so much of it is process driven, are we observing the underlying patterns, regardless of the surface? This is partly the reason why I find images derived from highly mediated source material interesting. Is this the reason why you fragment the human form?

BYCTRRRM / 2012 - Acrylic on Board 80.5 x 70 cm

My interest in collage comes from a mixture of sources, specifically the work of Modernist figures - Dada, Surrealist and Pop artists - and the prevalence of their varying approaches to mainstream culture. Things like band posters, punk inspired DIY zines and so on. I was also drawn to the amalgamation of different contexts and the way that collage sets up jumps in logic. In what way did Dada specifically influence your work? The influence lies in the way that content can be stumbled upon accidentally and shaped organically. Our environments continually present

techniques employed in producing the images. Has digital culture facilitated a broader participation in creative expression, and how does this influence your image making? Within the context of traditional media and the historical trajectory of Modernism in art, particularly the overlapping offshoots of Pop Art, one can easily notice how technological advances in communication impacted upon these modes of art production. Copying, splicing and pasting of cultural information, appropriating bits and pieces of narrative are commonplace today. It

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The fragmentation has to do with what we discussed earlier about technology as an integral part of our existence and the relationship it has with language. It’s not so much about the human form being subject to fragmentation; it's about the effect on content as it is carried by a medium. Whatever the medium may be, a crisscross through various translations leads to distortions; iterations of the underlying patterns. Sort of like the Exquisite Corpse game blended with a machine aesthetic? In a way, it may involve a machine aesthetic but it is a game of various aesthetics. Your reference 19

PBX / 2015 - Acrylic on Board 100x120x5cm

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“As the scale of the work increased so the game between collage and painting changed. That is when Urban Art elements such as graphic stickers, graffiti tags and wheat pasted posters were incorporated into the work. ”

smedective and friends / 2011 - acrylic on board 48 x 35 cm

to the exquisite corpse game forms a nice link to the philosophical concept of “machinic assemblages”, which are combinations of mechanical and organic elements. So these paintings are the result of an engagement with different modes of production as well as materials and concepts that, like the exquisite corpse, approach authorship in a playful manner. Your most recent work exhibits a marked departure from your earlier figurative depictions. What is the reason for this move towards abstraction? There is a bit of a departure but it’s not really a move towards abstraction because the materials that the paintings are based on are complex fabrications of figure and non-figure; of absence and presence. Your recent paintings also resemble the work of the Lettrists and New Realists, particularly Jacques Villeglé. Did this influence you? Yes, but only superficially. Our approach to and use of appropriation is different. Simply put, there is an inversion of conceptual thinking between his work and mine. Jacques Villeglé deals with collage as painting, and Asha Zero uses painting as collage.

TSOK / 2013 - acrylic on board 48 x 35 cm

It seems that the Urban Art phenomenon is a symptom of the circumstances that you describe. How would this fall within your artistic practice? The early paintings were small-scale haphazard portraits. The reference images were idealised body parts taken from magazine cut-outs. As the scale of the work increased so the game between collage and painting changed. That is when Urban Art elements such as graphic stickers, graffiti tags and wheat pasted posters were incorporated into the work. So the larger paintings started to resemble scenes that one would commonly find in urban settings, torn posters on highway pillars, weathered stickers on street poles and messy electricity boxes. I think a lot of the tactics Urban artists use somehow fall into the cross-over zones that we have discussed. How do you see your work evolving?

I’m going to go with Brick Tamland on this: “I Love Lamp”. From this brief insight into my conversation with the artist, a few things can be concluded. Although it may seem somewhat dystopic, Asha Zero’s work is simultaneously dystopic and utopic, multiple and singular. This is because the world does not function according to simplified, archaic binary oppositions and ideological hierarchies anymore. Hence language is not fixed or static anymore. The original now exists in a feedback loop; re-represented,

in-between, superimposed, remixed and juxtaposed. Surfaces are scrambled, traces of the original screen, continually disassembled and reprogrammed. If a clear message can be drawn from all this it is that distinctions between the authentic and inauthentic, inside and outside, then and now; all are obsolete. INFO : www.ashazero.com INFO : www.smacgallery.com

STUDIO HITS Pavement Westing 1993

Phoenicia Brownout 2000

Loscil Endless Falls 2010

Autechre LP5 1998

Domino

Schematic

Kranky

Warp

Plaid

Rest proof clockwork

1999 Warp

It’s difficult to say, depends on where the process leads. I have dabbled in other media and mediums. I don’t see it all locked into painting. So, given all this deep shit, I am obliged to ask you, what is your favourite colour? THE LAKE

pluzz / 2012 - acrylic on board 80 cm

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shout engineerr / 2008 - acrylic on board 30 x 40 cm

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Sipho Mpongo

DREAM ON a journey to explore South Africa TEXT - COMMUNE.1

PHOTOGRAPHY - Sipho Mpongo Sean MetelerkamP Wikus de Wet

In 2014, South Africa entered its twenty years of Democracy, this moment coincided with the recent death of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the birth of Economic Freedom Fighters and the National Elections. In the advent of The Rainbow Nation, three photographers travelled 24000 kilometers over seven months throughout South Africa in a motorhome to feel the pulse of the country.

Sipho Mpongo, focused on the Born Frees, the first generation growing up out of apartheid rule. Asking: will they allow themselves to be defined by the scars of apartheid, or will they embrace freedom, choice and opportunity? Wikus de Wet, investigates the cultural, historical and commercial value of Land and the relationship it has to the people who inhabit the space. While Sean Metelerkamp, explores ‘Idiosyncrasies’ highlighting the absurdity of life in this magnificently puzzled country. He attempts to capture an unwilling moment, an unwarranted time and an unforgiving historical present. This photographic series is the result of the photographer’s search for the country’s pulse, the search for The New South Africa. - Curated by Khanyisile Mbongwa

Sipho Mpongo - ‘born frees’

Sipho Mpongo

“The ‘born frees’ make up about 40 percent of the population, and the critics among older South Africans contend that they are apathetic and apolitical, unaware of the history of the struggle that made their lives better. Will they allow themselves to be defined by the scars of apartheid, or will they embrace freedom, choice and opportunity? Taking responsibility for being exactly where you are gives you the power to be exactly where you want to be. They are the future. I will focus on the future.”

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Sean Metelerkamp - ‘IDIOSYNCRASIES’

Sean Metelerkamp

“I am South African; I retain the good, the bad, the weird and the wonderful within my blood and I see the hope, superstition, desire, regret, persistence and anger of this nation. My first ten years of existence moving up and down the beautiful coastline of this country was under white rule. I recognize the problematic nature of racial realities that afflict all South Africans and have been a part of the change, before and after. Attuned to new experiences, alien to the values of the dominant society I use my tools and skills to evoke the absurdity of life in this magnificently puzzled country. ”

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Wikus de Wet

Wikus de Wet - ‘LAND’

Wikus de Wet

“A plan was set in place at the birth of democracy to repossess land, and return it to those from whom it was taken, but it doesn’t seem that anything has been done about it. Land is still a contentious issue amongst most South Africans. My goal is to understand the relationship land has to the people who occupy it. Cultural and historical value to land in South Africa will come to the foreground.”

TWENTY JOURNEY: BORN FREES / LAND / IDIOSYNCRASIES INFO : www.twentyjourney.com INFO : www.commune1.com THE LAKE

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VUMA LEVIN Imagination, Politics and Other Spectacles WRITER - GERRIT STRYDOM

PHOTOGRAPHY - My Sony Likes To Party

Vuma Levin is an artist who finds himself simultaneously at the end of history, and in the middle of it. Amsterdam and Joburg serve as the respective locations of these two historical positions – Amsterdam at the end, and Joburg in the middle. The Spectacle of an Other, Levin’s debut album, is a musical exploration of this curious dual position. The artist was raised among the sights and sounds of a hardly post-apartheid Joburg, but has spent the past five years studying and creating music in Amsterdam. Northern European countries such as the Netherlands consider themselves a part of the “developed” world. Unlike the present-continuous “developing”, “developed” signifies something that is complete, done. The developed is the mature or the adult. The adult world is one that has reached its teleological end, and that end seems to be liberal democracy. The struggle is over, ideology is settled, and consumerism is the life jacket that keeps society afloat as it rides the wave of the spoils of its violent past. In a cultural landscape padded to the teeth in post-postmodernist irony, the artist needs to go inwards, to impossible depths and at great psycho-emotional risk, to find a shred of single-entendre sincerity.

their brilliance. Levin’s facility on the instrument, his creativity and harmonic range as an improviser, as well as his warm but clear tone, all set him apart as a guitarist on the South African jazz landscape – a guitarist whom, on this album, I would have liked to hear more of. The guitar is an odd character on the peripheries of the South African jazz discography, and it is an

Mr Fuzzy Slipperz) to the song titles and the liner notes, it’s clear that this album is unapologetically political. Themes of history and identity are explored in what Professor Lewis Gordon calls (in the liner notes) the “original language of affect and motion”. Without the violence of words, the music is able to stride unscathed through the vicious intersection of politics and morality.

As the caricature spills over into cultural symbols, African music is lobotomised by its essentialisation. Since it has to serve as the binary against which Western intelligence, order and sanity can be defined, African music is granted excitement but not discipline; energy is allowed, but not intelligence. The Spectacle of an Other is an attempt to disrupt the fetishisation of African identity in art by adding nuance, contradiction and a choir of voices – past and present- to the one-sided African story.

IMAGES - www.facebook.com/mysonylikestoparty

Joburg, on the other hand, belongs to the “developing” world right in the middle of history, where every cultural symbol burns with highly politicised outward meaning. There is no consensus of who is human, how we should live or where we are going. The smallest artistic gesture is alive and restless with social significance. The musical experience of being divided between these two worlds is illustrated in The Spectacle of an Other, predominantly in the way they bleed and blur into each other. Amorous harmonic progressions, the sound of the bow on the double bass and electric swells on the guitar draw up images of the individual, of self-preoccupation, and of existential angst à la Portishead or early Radiohead, but these images are interrupted by a subtle, unpretentious thread of homage and community that runs through most of the compositions. Tribute is paid to the masters and the stories from back home. Feya Faku, Afrika Mkhize, Bheki Mseleku and Abdullah Ibrahim – to name just a few – are all acknowledged through subtle intimations that upset the possibility of a solipsistic inward dive. With this album, Levin establishes himself not only as a young jazz guitarist to be noticed, but as an exceptional composer, arranger and artist. The explosive musicality of Levin’s band is guided by his invisible hand into the contours of a multifaceted narrative about celebration, war, love, loss and identity. The album is beautiful and satisfying to listen to, without ever being gluttonous. Compositions sound like they were carefully, thoughtfully sculpted over time. Restraint, discipline and patience are palpable ingredients in the work that make possible the sincerity in the tenderness, the believability in the drama, and the catharsis in the rare moments of climatic indulgence. They are the difference between a truly compelling story and a collection of good ideas stitched together in the name of “hipness”. The massive success of Levin the composer and arranger does, however, run the risk of eclipsing the rare and refined talent that is Levin the guitarist. The few extended guitar solos on the album are so well structured within themselves, and so well integrated with the bigger ideas of the compositions in which they feature, that it is easy to overlook

unconventional choice for a young and relentlessly ambitious South African jazz musician. Despite the instrument’s relatively insipid presence in local jazz, the jazz guitar makes a lot of sense in Levin’s hands. Within his accent on the instrument lie traces of not only his discipline and perfectionism, but also of some of his more unexpected musical influences. The mark that albums like Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief and Coldplay’s Parachutes have left on Levin’s musical aesthetic is made evident in his sparse use of electronic effects to float around the margins of the lush, deceptive harmonies made popular by British rock bands when he was a teenager in the suburbs of Joburg. This influence is most obvious around the middle of the album, where there is a heartbreakingly sweet, then progressively darker account of letting go. In After Her, Levin the romantic is betrayed by his telling of the oldest story in the world. Levin’s vocabulary as an improviser often lends a surreal sense of optimism to what is generally rather dark subject matter. A contemporary vocabulary of wide triadic movement superimposed on a blueprint of traditional running 8th bebop lines lends Levin’s music a feel that is at once open and forward moving. This is demonstrated best in The Lingering Past Empowered, where guitar and tenor saxophone snake through each other in unison, each harmony countering the other, and culminate in conversation on top of the slowly building rhythmic tidal wave of drums, bass and piano.From the album art (by Lisolomzi Pikoli, aka

of Europe’s colonial heyday of unprecedented growth and slavery. The black face of poverty, the black face of deviance, the black face of menial labour, and of course, the blackface of Zwarte Piet all reinforce the two-dimensional space occupied by the spectacle of the African “other” in the European imagination.

A few weeks back, during the first gig of his quintet’s South African tour at Afrikan Freedom Station in Westdene, Joburg, Levin told the audience how one of his teachers at the conservatory where he studies asked him to “bring where he comes from into his music”. He jokingly said that he is pretty sure his Dutch teacher was hinting that he should “start sporting a dashiki and hitting a big drum”. The audience was amused by the story, but their jokes about Levin in a dashiki could hardly mask the sinister point behind the joke – the injustice of the way in which African music is regarded by the Western gaze. The caricature of the African musician is perhaps a symptom of the unconfronted past lingering in Europe’s streets and universities alike. In Amsterdam, for example, there are constant reminders

Levin, with his band (comprising Bernard van Rossum, Xavi Torres, Marco Zenini and Jeroen Batterink), Gordon and Pikoli have produced an exceptional cultural document – romantic, political, exciting, gentle and cerebral. In just eight tracks, The Spectacle of an Other manages simultaneously to find post-ironic sincerity in the world at the end of history, embrace the life-or-death politics of the world at the middle of history, and mediate the communication between the two worlds in a language that equalises their terms of communication. This album stands out, not only by virtue of the technical triumphs in everything from musicianship to the recording quality, but also because of the nuance and poignancy of its message elegantly delivered in a hybrid aesthetic of head and heart thinking as one. AS PUBLISHED ONLINE: www.theconmag.co.za INFO : www.vumalevin.com

ALBUM OUT NOW VUMA LEVIN QUINTET The Spectacle of an-Other 2015 independant release

in the vein of vuma Radiohead Hail to the Thief 2003

John Coltrane A Love Supreme 1965

Marcus Wyatt

Parlophone

Impulse!

Sheer Sound

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Pink Floyd

The Dark Side of the

Afrika Mkhize

Africans in Space

2006

Moon

Rainmakers

1973 Harvest

2014 Unit Records

Bänz Oester & The

DAM-kassena-horseman

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The Clinic DOKTER AND MISSES INTERVIEW - RICK DE LA RAY

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“Creatively we’re pretty much on the same page and we design together with either of us taking the lead depending on the project. We have clearly defined roles centred on our strengths so as to maximise productivity and avoid stepping on each other’s toes.” YOUR WORK SEEMS TO BE A FINE LINE BETWEEN DESIGN AND FUNCTIONAL ART. WHERE DO YOU FEEL THE LINE IS DRAWN BETWEEN ART AND DESIGN, DO YOU FEEL THEY CO EXIST ON ONE PLATFORM OR SHOULD THEY BE CATEGORIZED AS TWO SEPARATE ENTITIES?

ects we were working on. Our first collaboration was a range of cardboard handbags where Adriaan designed the forms and Katy applied screen printed graphics to the exterior. We made it official when we started the business in 2007.

Our business is separated into two distinct lines; they are standard products and limited-edition work. Both sides of the business are equally rewarding and important to us. The biggest difference is in how and why they are produced. We separate the two because the markets are different; people buy standard products for different reasons to why they buy limited-edition work and we approach the manufacture of the two lines very differently.

Difficulties arise when we’re under pressure, we’re both tired and we’re both stressed out – but generally it’s all good.

HOW DOES IT WORK WITH THE POWDER COAT COLOR CHART ON YOUR WEBSITE, CAN A CLIENT COMPLETELY CHOOSE THEIR OWN COLOR WAY INCLUDING MIXING AND MATCHING WITH THE AFRICAN PATTERNS OR DO YOU HELP TO ADVISE THEM ON WHAT YOU FEEL WORKS BEST WITH A CERTAIN PRODUCT? The powder coat colour chart on our website applies to our standard product range. If a product is powder coated one can pick a colour from the chart and we’ll make it for them. Offering limited customisation on standard products makes it possible for clients to enjoy being able to be somewhat involved in the production, the work becomes more personal for them but doesn’t affect the price of the product. We enjoy it because we get to play and produce the same product in different colours over time. If a client was to commission a limited-edition hand-painted piece they would advise us on what colours they would prefer and we would design a special piece just for them. We use paint on these pieces and so the colour choice is not limited to the powder coat chart. YOU BOTH CAME FROM SIMILAR YET OPPOSITE BACKGROUNDS. WHAT DO YOU FEEL BROUGHT THE DESIRE FORWARD FOR YOU TWO TO COLLABORATE TOGETHER?

IMAGE - PIETER VOSLOO

We trained in different design fields; Katy in Graphic Design and Adriaan in Industrial Design so our work is often about the interplay between 2 and 3 dimensions. New projects are often centred on a new production process or material or a client’s brief. Since we’re always together, collaborations happen whenever and wherever.

Creatively we’re pretty much on the same page and we design together with either of us taking the lead depending on the project. We have clearly defined roles centred on our strengths so as to maximise productivity and avoid stepping on each other’s toes. Adriaan resolves products technically so that they are production-ready and manages the production team while Katy heads up sales, marketing, and general paper-pushing.

WHERE DO THE CONCEPTS FOR THE PATTERNS AND DESIGN FOR YOUR POPULAR KASSENA SERIES COME FROM AND HOW MUCH DID YOU ADAPT IT TO YOUR CURRENT RANGE? The Kassena series takes its inspiration from the intricately painted adobe homes of the Kassena people of northern Ghana and Burkina Faso. It started with the Kassena server – based on a basic Kassena structure with a single window. Over the years we experimented with colour and later form: a tall cupboard, a bench and a cabinet-light combo for KASSENA TOWN.

WHERE DO YOU FEEL YOUR WORK WAS FIRST NOTICED AND WHAT LED TO THE FINAL BREAKTHROUGH THAT LED TO YOUR WORK BEING NOTICED ON AN INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM?

For the most recent Kassena – Brick Juice we inverted the pallet using Walnut instead of Ash and developed our own Kassena pattern drawing iconography from our personal lives: brick walls, fried eggs, palm trees and padlocks.

Back in 2007 there were no physical or online platforms for new, small-run, batch-produced products so we opened a store in order to sell and promote our work – 16 square meters at 44 Stanley, Millpark. This helped to make the work accessible; the local press wrote about us and the international press tours during the 2010 World Cup led to international press exposure.

YOUR WORK ETHIC SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MAKING ONLY ONE OF THE BIGGER PIECES AT A TIME, DO YOU STILL WORK LIKE THAT AT THE MOMENT?

The real international breakthrough happened when Southern Guild showed our work overseas in early 2013. The work was incredibly graphic – almost loud; it received a great deal of attention. That year and all through 2014 the Kassena server and LALA Shwantla were shown in Dubai, Basel, New York, Miami and London. In March 2015 we showed Kassena Town on a group show, Grains of Paradise, at R & Company in New York. The show was a collaboration between the gallery and Southern Guild.

Working collaboratively allows us to use our individual strengths to reach our ultimate goal. We are able to support one another and can achieve more together than individually. We share the highs and the lows. Sure, there are frustrations but having a partner in crime far outweighs the odd rough patch we might have to go through.

YOU HAVE SOME VERY INTERESTING NAMES FOR SOME OF YOUR PIECES. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT NAMING THEM?

YOU ARE A HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM. HOW DID YOU MEET AND WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES THAT YOU FIND WITH WORKING TOGETHER?

YOUR COMPANY MOVED INTO THE BRAAMFONTEIN AREA QUITE A FEW YEARS BEFORE IT BECAME WHAT IT IS NOW. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START YOUR BUSINESS THERE AND DID YOU EXPECT IT TO GROW INTO WHAT IT IS NOW? At that time Braamfontein was exactly what we need-

We were introduced by a mutual friend in 2003 while at university and started sharing ideas about the proj-

ed. Affordable space that was accessible to the public. Up until then we had been manufacturing out of our garden flat in Brixton and we needed space to grow. Did we expect it to become what it is now? It was really quiet back in 2009, we hosted events to get people to come to us – over time the potential of the area became clear. Its location is ideal, urban development was on the rise with areas like Maboneng starting up and when the Neighbourgoods market opened, it blew up.

They come from all over: colleagues, friends, suppliers, places, production methods, materials, feelings. There aren’t any rules.

Producing our limited-edition work is labour- and time-intensive and so we produce one, or a few at a time. Each piece is unique – a labour of love; some are commissions where clients can choose colour and so it makes sense to produce them over time rather than all in one go. WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO TAKE ON THE “CONTROVERSIAL” TASK OF MAKING SUCH AN ART PIECE OF THE

COMMON SOUTH AFRICAN BRAAI? – DOES ADRIAAN FIRE UP ONE OF THOSE BAD BOYS IN THE BACKYARD ON WEEKENDS…? Katy can’t take credit for that – it was a collaboration between Adriaan and artist Zander Blom. It’s become a well-travelled piece and hopefully we can make a braai on it when it gets back to Jo’burg. DO YOU MANUFACTURE SOME OF THE MORE POPULAR PIECES IN ADVANCE OR IS IT STRICTLY ON AN ORDER ONLY BASIS? Yes. We manufacture in small batches and try to keep stock of the best-sellers from our standard range. We also offer the option to customise colours and finishes of certain products so that clients can have the best of both worlds: instant gratification or personal customisation. HOW BIG IS YOUR TEAM AND WORKSPACE AT THE MOMENT, WHAT WOULD BE A TYPICAL DAY AT THE OFFICE? Ten people in total. The design team is the two of us plus a junior designer; one full-time and one part-time person in sales and five in the workshop. Up until now we’ve had the luxury of the design studio, manufacture and sales department being under one roof in Braamfontein. It did a lot to integrate the company and built a team that understood one another’s roles. It’s great that we could do it for so long but our production team needs more space and Braamfontein is getting busy making manufacture more difficult. We have just moved our production workshop to bigger premises in Jeppestown while the showroom remains in Braamfontein. It’s going to be a learning curve but ultimately for the best WHO REPRESENTS YOU AT THE MOMENT INTERNATIONALLY AND WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE COMPANY IN THE NEAR FUTURE? We sell our standard product directly to the public while Southern Guild represents our limited-edition work. INFO : www.dokterandmisses.com

WHAT THE DOKTER ORDERED New Order Get Ready 2001

Givan Lötz Easy Now 2010

London

Bandcamp

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The Strokes

First Impressions of Earth

2006 RCA

Felix Laband

Talking Heads

Thin Shoes In June

Speaking in Tongues

2001

1983

African Dope

Sire

DAM-kassena-sleep

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EMPIRE DAMN THE MAN STYLIST - KRISTI VLOK

PHOTOGRAPHY - STAN KAPLAN

HAIR & MAKEUP- MARCHET TERBLANCHE THE LAKE

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MODELS - CATHERINE @ BOSS MODELS / MARI @ VISION MODELS WORKSHOP - EMPIRE RIDING CO / WOODSTOCK In association with Jack Daniel’s South Africa. Explore more at Jackdaniels.co.za Instagram: @JackDaniels_SA | twitter: @JackdanielsSA | Facebook: JackdanielsSA THE LAKE

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LADY SKOLLIE laura windvogel WRITER - RUAN SCOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY - OLIVER KRUGER

Art, much like fruit, differs in taste from person to person. Everyone can attest to this. This is the beauty of thousands of years of evolution and cultural development, which makes us human. Not everyone wants, needs or likes the same things. It’s what sets us apart in the animal kingdom. Or does it? This is a gross simplification of how humans obtained their intellectual capacity, but essentially we are all empathetically bound through these shared experiences and desires. No matter how apathetic you want to be about it. It’s in these differences that the art of Lady Skollie has become contested. It pisses some off, turns others on, shocks us as consumers and arouses questions about the originality of her content and impact of the shock value she creates.

feeling of the leash, and the feeling of ‘big-girl’ it gave me. So I guess it’s a bit of childhood nostalgia perversely paired with a bondage penchant”. Lady Skollie is the alter ego of Laura Windvogel. The pseudonym has commanded many creative ventures in the past. Fashion blogging and photography to radio host and now visual art.

write for money when I have a chance. Reinvention is the key to relevance. I’ve always wanted to be an artist. My weakness is procrastination, but as a pseudo snob, I enjoy the finer things in life, thus I needed to weed out those bad habits early on. I also have a problem with authority, so working for myself, and more importantly, earning a living doing what I love, has always been the only option.”

“As a woman you think of gender more often, I’m sure of it. We’re expected to play many roles, no questions asked.” It’s this argument of gender roles that can be attributed as the main artery throughout her body of work.

Lady Skollie: “Art is there to make you feel uncomfortable. Or at least push you to places in your own experiences where you can relate. Judging by social media and current media, actually putting clothes on might be the next shock value movement. I think it covers the uncertainty of being in your late 20s, the challenges of becoming an adult. Fears and anxiety associated with becoming your own person.”

I first took note of you when you released the ‘zine ‘Kaapstad Kinsey’ in 2013 (the named based on the Kinsey Scale of sexuality). A confessional piece of street literature where people spoke about their sex- and dating lives. Some anonymous entries, some not. “It shows the varying degrees of comfortability people in society have with their own sexuality. Her dating and love advice to a teenage Lady Skollie?

Lady Skollie is in the business of painting dicks and vaginas. Not necessarily better than others she says but her context is more thought provoking. According to her, her parents try hard to understand her art. I think copious numbers of people try to understand and relate to her art. But what is so mentally daunting about her work she currently produces as a visual artist?

“Stay as sassy as you are. But don’t get so comfortable in these relationships; these men play no part in your future glory. So nip it in the bud.” At face value her art seems smitten with promiscuity. Something considered contradictory as she is in a steady relationship.

Well, it’s not the easiest thing to swallow when you are confronted by obscure sex scenes and images of evocative females licking a banana-penis protruding from a sea of leaves shaped like vaginas. Or, this same female image fanned across a bed of bananas while being sexually stimulated by the fruit.

Does she feel that a singularity like a homogeneous relationship is untrue to what she is depicting?

However, Lady Skollie’s work undoubtedly compels us to look, think, question, critique and then blush. One is left with a sense of juvenile fear when confronted with her work. Fear to acknowledge those primal instincts and urges we have. And fear to fill those urges and desires with sexual fantasies. A self portrait of her wearing a dog collar at her recent solo exhibition (PVA paint on Fabriano, 2015) at Black Box Gallery in Cape Town aims to shed some light on her and her work. “I was a very hyperactive child, with parents that were averse to things like Ritalin. There are photographs of me as a 4 year-old, dressed with a pretty leather harness and leash. It might seem bad to some, but to me, I always enjoyed the

as is to highlight the fear I have inside relating to my unrealistic expectations of sexual and romantic encounters between men and woman.” Not that this makes much sense to me or de-hazes the nebulous nature of the themes in her art. Am I emotionally inept as a male to grasp these complex topics of gender roles in society depicted by her art?

She created it some time ago to explore subject matters like sex, relationships, lust and greed through art. She says: “Art was there before all of those things. Exploring different facets of what you love enables you to gradually edit out the ones that you are weaker in. I still do freelance content production (basically giving publications ideas on what to write about), do some voice-over work and

Lady Skollie is indeed a sassy and street-smart individual who might just be using sex to sell her name. As she says: “It’s business with a layer of art.” Words painted alongside the murals she did in early 2015 on the walls of the entrance hall in the Stevenson gallery read: “The only reason why I predominantly paint papayas and banan-

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“This question in itself is problematic” she says. “It shows why sexually liberated women face so many struggles from media and society. My art promotes self-sexual knowledge, placing emphasis on knowing yourself sexually, putting your own needs first and cutting the bullshit. If a rapper is talking about all the pussies he’s been popping in da klerb, we don’t ask him questions about promiscuity. We ask him how he’s dealing with all life’s cheap distractions. When sexual liberation is perceived with a woman in control it is seen as promiscuous”. This brings me to her view on the relevance of art in this modern age: “It isn’t. Art isn’t relevant in the 21st century. The digital age has taken over, with us scrolling distracted and endlessly into nothingness. We need art to remind us of other methods of distraction.” Does she feel undermined, disrespected, or neglected as a female and a female artist in South Africa? 43

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We need to define what sexual liberation means to us as the individual. To her it means: “knowing what you want and familiarizing yourself with your own desire”

“I think as a woman, you often feel all those things; not only in South Africa, or as an artist.” Is she using her art to hide something or process certain emotions coupled with sex and sexuality? “All of the above. Sometimes if I paint a picture I don’t really need to experience it in reality, right..?” She claims her disliking for the conventional fine art structure has brought her to where she is today. She says she has always represented herself outside of the gallery structure, thus allowing her the freedom to collaborate and participate in any kind of project deemed suitable. Working outside of this structure also means it’s easy to create one’s own platforms according to her. Motivated by the fear of disappointing herself and amused by people who know themselves, Lady Skollie makes and expresses herself and her message through visual art often using the medium water colour on fabriano. Delicate and soft colours are masterfully blended within images that transcend her take on her own sexual fan-

tasies and desires. And even if you are offended, aroused and intrigued by her content you can easily appreciate her craft as an artist with a fine command of the paintbrush. Seeing Lady Skollie it is clear that she has a different fashion sense, always on the forefront of street styles and local alternative wear. She attributes this to “meeting different people, experiencing life and definitely shaking her 25 year-old ignorance”. Are we on the cusp of a sexual liberation as a group of twenty-plussers mediated by the Art of Lady Skollie? Who knows? We need to define what sexual liberation means to us as the individual. To her it means: “knowing what you want and familiarizing yourself with your own desire”. Is sex still relevant in our generation’s perception of art? She answers: “Whether it’s in art or anything else, sex will always be relevant. Sex and eating are the two acts that remind us that at the end of the day, we’re animals. So it’ll always be relevant. INFO : www.tumblr.com/tagged/lady-skollie

TOP FIVE Kanye West

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

2010 Roc-A-Fella

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Kanye West Yeezus 2013 Def Jam

Frank Ocean 2012

Madonna Ray of Light 1998

Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill 1995

Def Jam

Maverick

Channel Orange

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INNER CITY LIFE URBANISM WRITERS - van Embden / Liebman / Fataar

IMAGES - SUPPLIED

“From Accra to Lagos to Helsinki to Amsterdam, we are seeing the rise of movements and groups who are bringing new perspectives to urban planning - and impacting the way citizens can engage with the plan of a city.” Urbanism in Cape Town and South Africa Jacques van Embden The past two decades of rapid urbanization, specifically the movement towards primary cities, has created a new urban context. We have worked, walked and interacted with this new space and are finally a little more experienced. As a global culture, we are coming to terms with our new urban environment and understanding both the cities we live in and ourselves as urban citizens, a little better. This experience and confidence is driving us to challenge the status quo and to reclaim the concrete jungle for ourselves.

transport and services. Public space all of a sudden becomes a part of daily life and this means a platform to meet people of diverse backgrounds and for a confluence of cultures to emerge. basic building blocks Rashiq Fataar What is it that most fascinates you about people and their interaction with their city spaces? In the South African context, the most fascinating aspect is that this interaction or culture of interaction is still developing and can still be shaped. For

We are sucked into our urban centres through opportunity - the opportunity to educate ourselves, to gain employment and to interact in a dynamic and competitive marketplace. However, what it has previously lacked is a scale / sensitivity we can inhabit and a community we could interact with. The renewed energy to develop a sense of community in our cities to unlock the freedom to interact with people, to develop intimate knowledge of ourselves and the spaces around us, has been unleashed. This results in our desire to know the butcher, the baker and the flat white maker.

can be used elsewhere across Cape Town and South Africa. Why were you originally drawn to urbanism as a career? As an 8 year-old I was completely engrossed and captivated by Cape Town’s bid for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. The plans and overall vision which aimed to design a more equitable city resonated with me, and started a now two-decade journey of informal research, exploration and learning. South African cities are the most unequal in the world in economic terms, spatial terms, and various others. The basic building blocks would be to explore new methods and frameworks for building our economy such that it is more inclusive. Alongside this, the spatial reconfiguration of Cape Town requires fresh thinking about how and where we develop housing, transport and other infrastructure. The above however requires a commitment to supporting the integration of people, and deconstructing the physical and notional barriers, which would make our cities free, open and welcoming. From Accra to Lagos to Helsinki to Amsterdam, we are seeing the rise of movements and groups who are bringing new perspectives to urban planning - and impacting the way citizens can engage with the plan of a city. The platforms are often berthed from very different circumstances, but have in common that they are started by passionate individuals frustrated with the disconnection between urban planning and people.

The cityscape itself is being re-interpreted. We are looking to reintroduce qualities of our village roots into our new urban settings. This means green lungs, shared open spaces for the community, and a softening of urban edges. Both micro businesses and local supply are beneficiaries of our redefined density. The need to bring local and natural back into our livelihood has added a qualitative layer to each community that allows it to stand apart and be identifiable whilst adding further layers to our sense of community.

What is the biggest challenge – and the greatest opportunity – for urban development in South Africa?

Showing the home doesn’t stop at the front door. Density creates energy Jonathan Liebman The impact of urbanism on African cities is more important now than ever before with city populations across the continent having multiplied exponentially over the last decade. Now - with people closer to each other in a more connected environment - opportunities will flow quicker and easier hopefully allowing for people with less to have better access to people who have more and ultimately an emergence of a much needed middle class. The urban environment introduces a mixed use approach to architecture and development, making businesses more supported and sustainable and making the lifestyles of residents and office workers more efficient and more cost effective with better access to

decades the interaction of all people with their city spaces was crafted, controlled and violently enforced. We can no longer model the engagement and relationship of people and space based on models and theories elsewhere, and so there is a deep learning process over the last two decades of how this has and can work. Today we are presented with new opportunities to re-imagine our spaces, and in the process work towards a more inclusive, vibrant and exciting civic culture. We are currently partnering with the place-making efforts of BLOK, who are investing in the areas in which they are developing property, through urban interventions. Their initiative means that we are able to collaborate to find new models, tools and approaches to support the development of sustainable public parks, squares and in-between spaces. In future, these insights and approaches

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The decades of apartheid planning, which sought to segregate people physically, socially, culturally and economically, has left deep scars in our cities. Cape Town is facing major pressures in terms of urban sprawl - and so, densification will be a key opportunity moving forward. Collaborations like the Density Syndicate which hosted three studios in Cape Town last year, brought together South African and Dutch architects, urbanists and designers, to reimagine three parts of Cape Town, through the lens of densification. I think therein lies our great opportunity - to see our city as a major and long-term design project, to face our challenges head on but to open up Cape Town, as a global urban laboratory seeking solutions to our challenges that could benefit the rest of Africa and the world. INFO : www.blok.co.za 49

Psychotherapy PSYCH NIGHT WRITER - Simone Schultz

PHOTOGRAPHY - DIRK STEENKAMP

Psych Night, a collective of mavericks that host regular events celebrating psychedelia in South Africa, is made up of Andre Leo (one half of dreamy psych band Medicine Boy), photographer Mark ‘Markie’ Reitz, interaction designer and former band manager Micah Donnoli, Palm Black Trading Company tattoo artist Raoul Goetze and One Horse Town illustrator Simon Berndt. It began in 2012 with the urge to finally create the kind of immersive party that they wanted to go to. According to the group, at that time the music scene in Cape Town was largely commercial, reliant on one ‘big band’ to fill the club, and tapering off with sub-par DJs. Raoul says, “There was no curation to the line-up of live bands,” and Micah echoes his sentiment, “parties made their line-up based on what bands were worth, without actually listening to the music, seeing what was out there and how it could work.” So after many casual discussions over beers and cigarettes, sharing their mutual frustrations, Psych Night began to take shape.

Following a pre-emptive event at The Waiting Room, featuring an exhibition of Markie’s photos from Austin Psych Fest (Texas) and a small line-up of bands, the first official Psych Night was held at LB’s – a carpeted dive bar on Long Street. The party, called ‘The Sound of Confusion,’ saw the boys DJ’ing the kind of music they wanted to introduce to the scene and, as Raoul recalls, even featured a hooker who paid her entrance fee and proceeded to give “an old, fat dude” a lap dance to the sounds of The Dirty Beaches. Born from their passion for Psychedelic music, and at a time when there wasn’t anything else like it lo-

cally, the Psych Night boys took advantage of what Simon calls “the Zeitgeist” rise of Psych music. They were on point, taking their cue from “the global resurgence of the genre as it sprung up across the world,” Markie observes. It was around this time that Bad Vibrations started in the UK, with the Liverpool Psych Fest following shortly after. Raoul ventures, “a lot of people were sceptical about it being another trend. I think we’re starting to prove them wrong, which is great.” In an interview two years ago, Andre foreshadowed their breakthrough: “One of the main goals is to bring top international acts that we want to see, and that

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a lot of people want to see, but are constantly overlooked for things seen as more commercially viable. Other promoters won’t even think of it… so we’ve got to do it.” With three international band tours under their belts, Markie humbly admits, “We could never have imagined even the Night Beats tour having happened, and so soon – that was a massive dream come true for us.” After the success of their first show, Psych Night have continued their upward trajectory, bringing to South Africa The Golden Animals and (most recently) The Allah-Las in the span of two short years.

Exuding the kind of populism inherent in any anti-mainstream culture, Psych Night embraces an overall democratic and supportive approach that positions them firmly as “an accessible platform for new bands we believe in, that could contribute to what we’re building,” according to Simon. While the group may be guilty of having their favourites – being a party run on what they themselves want to hear, see and dance to – Simon is correct when he says that Psych Night has “definitely brought more exposure to Psych music.” “There have definitely been newer bands who have seen a place for their music,” he continues, “more left field, but they can play it and get shows.” The boys have all experienced Psych music on an international level, each of them having travelled to Austin Psych Fest (now known as Levitation), Le Guess Who (Utrecht) or Primavera (Barcelona). Of these experiences, they all agree that they were most struck by the openness of the Psych scene, of the welcoming, communal nature of these events – and that audiences attend the festivals first and foremost for the love of the music. Raoul and Simon agree that the sense of community and lack of ego were remarkable, and the enthusiasm with which the boys emphasise this is testament to their integrity and passion for the genre. Markie comments on the fact that when he first went to Austin Psych Fest, foreigners would ask him about the Psych scene in South Africa, and he had to admit that there was a genuine lack of anything to report back on. Fast-forward three years and the boys are responsible for an altogether different and exciting report. Rob Fitzpatrick, producer of Levitation, attests to this success saying, “since we started our festival in 2008, ‘psych fests’ have started all over the world… it’s hard to keep up with them all. One that we actively support is Psych Night in Cape Town, [which] stands out due to both the quality of the programming and the great artwork they use to promote their shows – there’s an attention to detail that shows respect for the music, and we appreciate that. Psych Night was strong from the start and continues to set the bar higher with each event. I’m hoping to make it out there soon!” Of his experience, Andre adds “some people get off on the big crowd thing, but I feel proud that we offer a more intimate experience for the fans and I would love to keep it that way, even when we expand our numbers.”

Crowds or not (but, more than likely, crowds) Psych Night is dedicated to creating a truly immersive experience. From the posters (which Simon designs and illustrates) to the name, line-up, decor and visuals, Psych Night is committed to the full spectrum of what they have come to embody. Their annual Inner City Psych Fest is scheduled for September this year to “showcase the whole spectrum of the scene over one set period. Over four days there will be the art side with an exhibition featuring art work from Austin Psych Fest, the live performances which culminate in a showcase album launch and show at Assembly, [the result of a partnership between Future Now records, Red Bull, Psych Night and VANS], and an acoustic session on the Sunday,” Simon explains. The Future Now and Red Bull partnership Simon refers to is a recent development orchestrated by Pierre Coetzee, a partner of Psych Night, who is responsible for Future Now records. Red Bull, who are diverging from their purely electronic offering to “broaden their listener base and functionality of the studio,” approached Psych Night to collaborate, Simon says. Involving five bands – Caves, Mind Pool, Sol Gems, Psalms and The Plastics – the collaboration sees them recording for fifteen days to produce an online record and limited run of CDs. Jake Lipman, manager of Red Bull Studios Cape Town says, “we approached [Psych Night] because [they are] authentic, [they] love it and [they’ve] been doing it for a long time.” And who better to have approached than the boys who brought Psych to the city? From their first party, with only their friends in the crowd, to the Allah-Las sold-out Assembly show, the boys agree that the success of Psych Night is owed to the fact that it is first and foremost a passion project. Simon says, “The rewards of bringing these international bands [to the country] and standing [and] watching the shows that we’ve put together and made happen is way more rewarding than any kind of financial gain.” Micah agrees, “That’s our saving grace at the end of the day – we didn’t go into it to make money.” Simon emphasises the importance of music to each of them individually, saying, “The process of working together on something that we’re all equally passionate about has definitely brought us a lot closer.” Collectively, Psych Night are undeniably

humble, showing genuine surprise and gratitude to the scene, to their audience, to the bands and their supporters. Supported in the main by Vans (who approached them when the Night Beats Tour was announced), their relationship with the brand has developed to the extent that they jokingly refer to Vans brand manager Warren Talbot as ‘Dad.’ As their primary sponsor, the support of Vans has been instrumental in allowing Psych Night to expand as quickly as it has. Markie asserts the importance of such support, saying, “The people who help us really don’t have to, and that makes a big difference. People just want to help out, in any capacity they can. They don’t want to let it fall to pieces, they want to make sure it lasts because a lot of people are now getting a lot out of it, on a personal and experiential level,” adds Simon. The boys make special mention of their partners and supporters, including fellow party-makers The Golden Yolk and Park Acoustics, who helped take Psych Night to Jo’burg and Pretoria. Barry de Villiers creates the visual loops necessary to make Psych Night parties as immersive as possible, and he (under Roundabout Films) and Dirk Steenkamp (Everfelt Media) are responsible for documenting and producing the event and tour videos. Paul Bothner, Johnny Tex (ex-Future Primitives) and Audiopimps ensure that the international bands have the best equipment and sound available.

When asked about their plans for the next international show, the general atmosphere is wild excitement, albeit somewhat reserved (or secretive) – they can’t give away too much just yet. What we know for now is that if their previous shows are anything to go by, this one (pegged for later this year) won’t disappoint – musically, visually and for the love of the party. Looking into the future, the boys unanimously agree that their dream would be to bring Black Rebel Motorcycle Club back to South Africa – in fact, watching the band live in 2012 was part of the inspiration behind Psych Night. Alternative suggestions came from Simon, who would love to see the full orchestra of Spiritualized perform (to which they all agree), and Andre, true to his hairstyle and hero, dreams of bringing down Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. In terms of their next big dream, an outdoor festival is definitely on the cards. “We’ve had some very positive meetings earlier this year,” Simon says, but adds that they need to host one more city show before tackling the mammoth task of coordinating a festival. Raoul adds, “My dream is to have a leather tool belt, setting up a festival in PT shorts, with a walkie-talkie… PT shorts, fucking no shirt, a scrambler and a walkie-talkie.” And don’t be surprised if that’s exactly what we see happening. For Psych Night, it seems that dreams are goals – and with their integrity, passion and knack for making the right connections, goals are bound to become reality. “We just wanna make the fucking party happen,” says Raoul. And ‘fucking make the party happen’ they will.

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE NIGHT Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. 1972

BRMC Howl 2005

Rolling Stones

RCA

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Spiritualized

Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

1997 Dedicated

Spacemen 3 Performance 1988

Black Sabbath Vol. 4 1972

Glass

Vertigo

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WAX JUNKIE

IN Association WITH

JAN WELTER WRITER - JAN WELTER

PHOTOGRAPHY - HAYDEN PHIPPS

Thank you for the invitation to share a couple of favourites, I listen to a lot of music so it’s probably quite wise to pin me down to six records. Enjoy, maybe it will open some new musical doors. Elvis Presley From Elvis in Memphis 1969 / RCA

The Beach Boys Pet Sounds 1966 / Capitol

Steely Dan Aja 1977 / ABC Records

All roads lead to Elvis I reckon. I like all his stuff, those extraordinary early sides on Sun, the soundtracks like Viva Las Vegas, Moody Blue, the last record, everything. For me this is the one, it’s just so good; it’s like a soul record this. Suspicious Minds was from the same sessions if you need a reference. And no, there’s no kitsch/cool/irony crap going on here by the way; I can see how that maybe comes about, but I don’t go for that sort of thing.

I realise that this is a bit of an obvious one; a No. 1 record on all sorts of lists and dissected and bisected so many times that it’s difficult for me to add anything that other people have not said better. But if you listen to a lot of music there will come a time when you hear this and you realise why. Go and marvel at this: ‘Let’s go away for awhile’ and re-listen to the record with fresh ears.

Once this gets under your skin – and it may not the first time you hear it – it’ll be there for good. Suddenly for some reason a thought will pop into my head “mm, I need to listen to Aja” and I’m taken in all over again. I don’t tire of this LP, I don’t tire of any of the Steely Dan records actually, they’re all brilliant.

Martin Denny Quiet Village 1957 / Liberty Records

Sly and the Family Stone Fresh 1973 / Epic / CBS

The Mavericks In Time 2013 / Valory

Let me tell you a story: one of the Hinds Brothers was looking for some new music and I waxed lyrical about Martin Denny to him. He came back a week later whining saying that he didn’t like it and that he wanted his money back. Ah, sheesh man. At the risk of sounding like a politician, I’m very disappointed. But then maybe it’s only right, I guess music is a personal thing isn’t it? Do I have any of the Hinds Brothers cds? Um, actually no

Perhaps it’s more representative of the style that I chose this although Sly of course is great and this is the one I’m listening to at the moment. I could have picked any record by loads of artists though; The Five Royales, through Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, the Supremes, The Temptations, Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield, The O’Jays, the list goes on and on you know. Soul music is what it is

I love country music, I listen to it all the time; the rockabilly/ hillbilly stuff, bluegrass, contemporary, Seventies radio fare with lots of strings, the outlaw thing, pretty much all of it. Back to the record in question - I admit this doesn’t really fit the stereotype, they incorporate all sorts of styles into their sound and their singer, Raul Malo, has an absolutely fantastic voice, really the best of his generation.

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QUICK FIX ROY POTTERILL INTERVIEW - LANI SPICE

INSTAGRAM - ROY POTTERILLL

“Things have changed quite drastically in the past couple of years with Instagram opening the door to budding photographers around the globe - there are still purists, but why limit your creativity at all? I say experiment as much as you can, until you find your niche and what you love to shoot.” more attention to detail. Really enjoy getting lost in my tiny screen! You’re sitting on 133 000 followers, did you ever imagine that kind of support? Do you think your work has evolved as a result of the variety of people viewing it? I still struggle to believe that there is such an interest in my work, it’s humbling. It has most definitely forced me to be my best! Do you feel it necessary to plan the subject matter of your posts, or do you feel it’s better to take it as it comes? PORTRAIT - PIETER VOSLOO

Storytelling is an important part of photography and Instagram, everything from your caption to a series of photos, plays a role in telling that bigger story. In a nutshell, could you tell us about Mobile Media Mob, how did that come about?

When did this iphoneography journey begin for you? Way back at the beginning of 2011, a short few months after it was launched. Being an early adopter, I’ll give anything a go! PS: For the record, I prefer the term Mobile Photography - we are not limited by the device we shoot on. These days people upload images taken from other devices such as SLRs and even analogue cameras. What are your feelings about that? Do you feel people should rather stick to the availability and the capability of the particular phone they’re using? No, not at all! I used to be a purist in this regard, but over time I’ve learnt that you are only as good as your ability, or the opportunity you find yourself given; having said that, I only started posting DSLR photos on Instagram in the past 3 months. Taking into consideration all the effects and filters that come with photography apps these days, is there still such a thing as a “purist” within the Instagram community? Things have changed quite drastically in the past couple of years with Instagram opening the door to budding photographers around the globe - there are still purists, but why limit your creativity at all? I say experiment as much as you can, until you find your niche and what you love to shoot. Do you feel that you approach the composition of your work differently, simply because you have to fit it into a smaller viewing space? I find that editing photos on my phone, I pay far

Mobile Media Mob is a Content Agency, specialising in visual communication. We conceptualise, produce, and broadcast unique visual content for brands like Red Bull, South African Tourism and SAB. I first met my business partner, Thoban Jappie, through Instagram. We both share a similar outlook on the value of content and how people consume media. Your **Mobile Photography expanded so much that it seems to be taking you all over the world, what has been your most unexpected and exciting adventure so far? I’d say a trip I am about to do to New York City in August! But in the past 2 years I have travelled to San Francisco, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Germany and Kenya because of Instagram and all have been incredibly epic! Has the medium become a full-time job for you now? And if so, how much time do you dedicate to other projects? I wouldn’t say that, but it’s an integral part of my business now. I’ve never really wanted to Instagram for a living or money. You recently worked with Lumia on a project called #makeithappen where you said “I’ve decided to take my work to the street, making it accessible to real people outside of the digital space.” What inspired this project? Well, being an artist in the digital space, people outside of that world never get to experience what I do. I have also wanted to make art with my hands, so this was the perfect project to mix it up. Taking inspiration from Shepard Fairey’s massive wheat pastes, I did something similar using my photographs.

of the city that influence you the most? I love Jo’burg’s raw elements, its genuine people and broken streets, its authentic spaces and deep-rooted history. You’ve said “My Instagram started out as a way to simply share all my work with oth-

ers, but it’s turned into something so much more…” What direction do you imagine it going in the future? No idea, I’m still exploring the art of photography - I don’t want to ever stop learning, and exploring new landscapes for the first time.

TOP FIVES the bouncing souls hopeless romantics

the flatliners cavalcade 2010

1999 Epitaph

Fat Wreck Chords

flogging molly

rancid

2004 SideOneDummy

1995 Epitaph

within a mile from home

...And Out Come The Wolves

the slackers, chris murray slackness 2005 Ska in the World

Johannesburg in all its beauty and flaws seems to be your muse, what are the elements THE LAKE

print run REVIEWS - XAVIER NAGEL

SUPPLIED BY - BIBLIOPHILIA

Contemporary Design Africa

Pruimtwak & Skaduboksers (Tafelberg)

Die bekende digter en joernalis Danie Marais het onlangs Pruimtwak & Skaduboksers (Tafelberg) uitgegee. Die inhoud word opgedeel in rubrieke oor popkultuur en boekdinge, rubrieke oor randfigure en heildronke en nagedagtes. Marais dink diep oor goed wat ander mense as “vlak” sou beskryf maar dit is ‘n teken van sy talent dat hy die leser slimmer laat voel. “Hy wonder met speelse erns en entoesiasme wat geword het van Rock ‘n Roll en sy generasie X”. Op die flapteks van die boek, wat vir R210 verkoop word, word gevra: Hoe hou ‘n mens kop in die 21ste-eeuse virtuele warboel? Uit die inhoud kom die antwoord dudeilik: Make mine a double Danie Marais!

Up Against the Night (Bloomsbury) A new novel by South African born London based novelist Justin Cartwright is always cause for excitement and with his latest novel Up Against the Night (Bloomsbury), due towards the end of August 2015, there’s already a buzz in the book world. Described as his most personal novel to date it’s an “intimate exploration of one man’s relationship with South Africa and its turbulent history.” Set in South Africa, America and Great Britain, Cartwright’s latest will appeal to fans of Nabokov, McEwan, Philip Roth and William Boyd. Cartwright will be appearing at the Open Book Festival taking place at The Fugard in Cape Town in September 2015. See www.openbookfestival.co.za for more details.

(Thames & Hudson)

Elon Musk (Virgin) Apparently Robert Downey Jr based his portrayal of Tony Stark alias Iron Man on South African born Elon Musk (Virgin). In this R315 book by the veteran technology journalist Ashley Vance, we get an unprecedented look into the life of the man behind Paypal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity. Born in Pretoria in the early seventies it was only a question of time before Musk left the country for “the land of opportunity and the most likely stage for making the realization of his dreams possible.” Richard Branson said Musk “is a man after my own heart: a risk-taker undaunted by setbacks and ever driven to ensure a bright future for humanity.”

If your idea of design in Africa is “safari chic” or traditional craft you’re in for a surprise with Contemporary Design Africa (Thames & Hudson) by Tapiwa Matsinde. This R395 book focuses on interiors, furniture, textile, ceramics, basketry and lighting, “bringing together the work of respected designers, makers and organisations based on the African continent or part of the diaspora.” The more than fifty designers and crafters were selected for their “innovative approach to creating sophisticated products” and recycling and sustainability are often of the “utmost importance”. With more than 200 colour illustrations this pioneering book “preserves the traditions of the past by creating a record of the designs that are influencing the present…”

Craft Art in South Africa (PHAIDON) Richly illustrated with photographs that capture the 65 artists and their work Craft Art in South Africa (Jonathan Ball ) by Elbe Coetsee is a carefully curated coffee table book at R450 that provides a “timeless insight into contemporary craft art in South Africa.” Featuring a kaleidoscope of “tactile works created by hand through beading, basket weaving, ceramics, fibre art, glass sculpture, metal and wirework, recycling and woodcarving” the content of the book lives up to the author’s promise to “embrace our nation’s creative diversity and share some of the pieces that delight me. Craft Art in South Africa endeavours to inspire, encourage and bring joy.”

recommended

Just Kids

In Our OWN Skins: A Political History of the Coloured People

(Bloomsbury)

(Jonathan Ball)

According to Johnny Depp, the musician, poet and artist Patti Smith in Just Kids (Bloomsbury) “has graced us with a poetic masterpiece, a rare and privileged invitation to unlatch a treasure chest never before breached”. The book “begins as a love story and ends as an elegy” and offers an inside perspective of The Big Apple at the end of the sixties and seventies. Focusing on the relationship between Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe from the start of their respective careers, the book’s cast of “rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions” are so vividly drawn that you will want to keep reading slower to savour the scenes and the situations. The price is R190.

Europe and Africa collided at the Cape in 1652. In Our Skins: A Political History of the Coloured People (Jonathan Ball) is the “extraordinary record of the Coloured community” told through the eyes of the uncompromising insider Richard van der Ross. The R210 book examines how the Dutch and later the British formed uneasy alliances with the indigenous people, how the Coloured people of the Cape flicker to life with the first unions between settlers and locals. Some of the well-known characters that play a leading role in “pulling the Coloured people through the post-colonial morass that is South Africa up to 1994 and beyond” include Cissy Gool, Alex La Guma and `Allan Hendrickse.

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Making Art in Africa 1960 (Tafelberg) In Making Art in Africa 1960 – 2010 (Lund Humphries) by Polly Savage, sixty of the continent’s leading artists and curators give their take on what it means to work as an artist in Africa today. Focusing on a single artwork, each account considers a moment of art-making in Africa since the wave of liberation that transformed the continent.

THE GROUNDFLOOR The ideal, hassle-free studio for small shoots, castings, fittings and show & tells.

PHOTOGRAPHY - Louis Vorster

www.thegroundfloor.co.za

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ICONS Françoise Hardy

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6 5

1 woolworths - wide brim wool felt hat / 2 apc - mike shirt / 3 zara - palazzo pant / 4 lubitel -166+ / 5 trenery - short leather glove 6 Adriano Goldschmied - Ladies Sway Shirt / 7 dior - songe 62 / 8 freedom of movement - the ralph / 9 country road - treena metal loafer 10 l’mad x ben johnson - papaya whip scarf / 11 burberry - kensington / 12 record - Françoise Hardy ‘Tous les garçons et les filles’ 60

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vans / Era grey

ADIDAS - SUCIU MESA / WHITE / ORANGE

converse / one star black

onitsuka tiger / COLORADO 85 SAMSARA

K-Swiss cedar green irvine

vans / era red

ADIDAS - SUCIU BLACK / WHITE / GOLD

converse / one star egret

onitsuka tiger / COLORADO 85 SAMSARA BLACK

K-Swiss belmont white

vans / skate HI decon navy

vans / ERA BLACK

ADIDAS / PHARRELL SUPERSHELL SUPERSTAR

converse / one star navy

converse / CTAS PRO

Asics / aaron mt

Asics / gel lyte iii 50 50 pack

K-Swiss adcourt mid strap black

K-Swiss adcourt mid stap brown

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vans / skate HI decon b/w

ADIDAS / PHARRELL SUPERSHELL SUPERSTAR

onitsuka tiger / MEXICO 66

vans / skate HI decon grey

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onitsuka tiger / MEXICO 66 LEATHER

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Asics / gel lyte iii workwear

K-Swiss adcourt grey

K-Swiss DFRIFTWOOD adcourt grey

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