Bubblegum Club

Author: Christa Dee

  • “Our very coming together is political” – Octavia poetry collective

    Poetry offers an avenue for being heard, for travelling through space and time as well as allowing one to construct an understanding of self. I interviewed Rachel Long, the leader of the UK-based poetry collective Octavia, about what poetry and Octavia mean for her.

    Share with our readers more about yourself and how you fell in love with writing and poetry? When did you feel as though you wanted to become a poet?

    I have always loved reading and writing. I was that strange child always in her bedroom only surfacing for snacks. I loved the fact that inside of a book I could be someone else, I could travel, time-travel, be of a different world. I think I started to write my own stories because I loved what they could do. I’d fill up exercise book after exercise book then stick them all together to make ‘a novel’. I wrote these bad novels for years, all the way up to university. It wasn’t until after holding my degree in Creative Writing that I realized I wasn’t great at the form. My stories had no end – they just keep going. Around that time, struggling post-degree to find a job, I had more time to read non-course texts again. I began reading more plays and poetry. I began to go to poetry readings and it was then that I discovered that though shorter than novels, poems could keep going. I could be good at them because they didn’t need to have endings. I believe a good poem should continue, in the mind of the reader in a haunting way, long after the last line on the page.

    Can you remember the first time that you performed one of your poems?

    Yes, I can remember the first time that I performed one of poems. It was on a huge stage at the Rich Mix, a large Arts venue in Shoreditch, London. I was petrified. I’m not a performer. Like I said, I was a bedroom kid but I knew that I had to do it, that if I didn’t do it then I never would or I’d always be afraid of it. And nothing terrible happened. I didn’t trip up in front of people, I didn’t headbutt the mic, I didn’t go blank. It was ok. What I learnt was that even if these things had happened, it still would’ve been ok – in the grand scheme of things. Coming off stage, I remember thinking: ‘You’ve done that now, good. Now how are you going to get better at it?’.  Performing/reading aloud my poems is simply this, just trying to get better at connecting and communicating them better than each time before.

    Rachel Long photographed by Amaal Said

    What are some of the themes you enjoy exploring through your poetry?

    I’m not sure if I always enjoy exploring them but I do still explore them though they can be hard: Girlhood, the body, sex, love, loneliness, shame, shame undoing, my mother, home.

    Who is your favourite writer or poet and why?

    Ooh, this is always difficult. It’s constantly in flux and there are too many to love. Today I’m going to say poet Patricia Smith for Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah – which changed my understanding of poetic autobiography, for Incendiary Art – her new collection, which explores grief by moving with it rather than through it, and overall for her generosity, her emotional and poetic intelligence.

    How has your relationship with poetry evolved? How does your position as a woman of colour play into how this relationship has evolved?

    Through Octavia, my relationship with poetry has evolved through consistent learning and discovery anew about the power of positive community, what a difference a space like the one we have created can make, the incredible reach and impact it can have – so much more than any individual. Octavia has taught me that poetry can change not only the self and others but also it’s potential to change social and political climates.
    Being women of colour poets is essential to this. Our very coming together is political. Our writing our own stories is political. It defies the white supremacist patriarchal society we still live in. It has the ability to redefine what poetry is to us and to so many other people.

    Tania Nwachukwu photographed by Amaal Said

    You are also a facilitator and curator. Would you like to share more about these roles and how this ties into your role as a poet?

    To me, facilitating is integral to my writing. They are entwined. Being a poet is to constantly listen, learn, be aware, to teach or to facilitate the poetic journey of others for me is encouraging others to do the same. Or better yet to do it together so that you can listen even more sensitively, to learn as a community, to be aware of things that you might not have ever have been apparent to you alone.

    You are the leader of the Octavia Poetry Collective. When was the collective formed? How did the idea for the collective come together? Would you like to share a little bit about each member?

    Octavia was formed in September 2015. It came together out of an aching necessity to create a space where women of colour could come together to read beyond the canon, write without fear of condemnation or exoticization, share openly without censorship, and support each other not only as fellow writers but as sisters.

    There are 15 members of Octavia. We are poets but also educators, filmmakers, photographers, dancers, astrophysicists and astrologists, which makes our collective voice wonderfully nuanced.  I’d love to share a little about each incredible woman, but for brevity I’ll simply list them here and readers can discover each woman and all the amazing things each of them do. Octavia are: Anjali Barot, Amaal Said, Sunayana Bhargava, Amina Jama, Belinda Zhawi, Zahrah Sheikh, Hibaq Osman, Ankita Saxena, Josette Joseph, Raheela Suleman, Rhonda Rhiannon, Tania Nwachukwu, Theresa Lola, Victoria-Anne Bulley, Sarah Lasoye and Virginia Joseph.

    Sunayana Bhargava photographed by Amaal Said

    What are some of the recent projects that Octavia has been part?

    This year alone, Octavia have featured on BBC’s World Service and in The Guardian, The Huffington Post, ASOS and Hotdog magazines. They’ve run workshops at University of Oxford and for the Serpentine Galleries. Octavia closed this year’s Women of the World festival with their poetic response to Margaret Atwood’s seminal feminist novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. I am so very proud of all we have achieved thus far and I’m excited about where we can go and continue to grow.

    What are you working on at the moment? Do you have any projects in the pipeline that you would like to share with our readers?

    I’m working on my first collection at the moment. I seem to always be working on it. It is ready and then it is not ready and then it is ready and then it is not ready. I want it to be something that I will never regret putting out too soon into the world.

    What is Octavia working on a the moment? Do you have any projects in the pipeline that you would like to share with our readers?

    Octavia have plans for a large-scale cross-arts show that can showcase poetry in relation to all of the other things we do and are interested in: for example, what poetry and astrology can create, what dance and poetry can create, what happens when astrology and poetry collide. Plans are all still in infant stage but I’m excited about the multiple collisions and the unending artistic redefinitions something like this could create.

  • Tsepo Tsotetsi SS18 collection – visiting a dreamlike place

    Tsepo Tsotetsi decided to take his love for fashion to the next level after high school. Welcoming the guidance and refinement that was offered while studying fashion, he started his self-titled label in 2015. “It [fashion] has taken over my life now. It’s a big part of who I am and most importantly how I choose to express myself.”

    For Tsepo fashion is about being able to find yourself and not being afraid to make that known. This is how he approaches his work. With a focus on detailing and deconstruction combined with a love for simplistic sportswear lines, Tsepo has been able to elevate his garments by adding in a dark element to how he conceptualizes he pieces. He uses his surroundings and experiences to communicate with a “strong, honest African, and potentially global, outlook.”

    The beginning stages of his collections start off with writing down words, which he then filters down to what resonates with him most at that moment in time. Responding to the feelings that these words evoke, his sketches and garments become visual representation of these feelings.

     

    His SS18 collection was inspired by the idea of visiting a dreamlike place, a story that continues from his previous collection. Explaining the story and how this was translated into garments, Tsepo stated that, “He [the character] has to adapt to his surroundings and find a way to make his purpose mean something. A man in a place of desolation. [In the collection] there are elements of dreaming, poeticism, romanticism, darkwave, sportswear and twists on menswear. There are also deconstructed elements.”

    His love for experimenting with contrasting fabrics and deconstruction was made clear in the SS18 collection. This includes a deconstructed quilt, which involves quilting in patches. “I like to translate transparency as well. This involves using fraying technique to expose, but as a decorative element too.” Crepe also makes an appearance as a fabric that he has added to his list to experiment with.

    Reflecting on the direction he sees South Africa’s fashion industry going and how he would like to contribute to it, Tsepo expressed that, “I love what’s happening menswear, for womenswear as well. I love what young designers are doing now. There is a lot of energy and vibrancy. We definitely are a competing force. I think our industry is still on the developing side but I love the direction it’s heading towards. I’m still young, still developing my own aesthetic and how I want to communicate my voice.”

  • Hello Nice: Natalie Paneng invites you into the world of her alter ego

    “Babes. It is never good to be sour babe. Take the power and don’t be sour. Kinda rhymes but not because it should”

    These are the words of multidisciplinary artist Natalie Paneng’s alter ego, Nice. Nice only exists in the coded world, with the search box on YouTube instructing algorithms to invite us into one of her constructed environments. She often explores themes through the use of colours. Spaces and objects that should be familiar are made foreign through the use of distortions. Natalie shared with me how Nice came into her life.

    Having always wanted to study something in the arts, Natalie secretly applied for Drama at Wits University. Her other major is Set and Costume Design. “I really enjoy creating spaces that allow new stories to play out,” she explained. Having found her first year as a drama student quite difficult, she was looking for an avenue which would allow her to perform without physically having to be in front of an audience.

    The birth of her vlog Hello Nice came in conjunction with a desire to learn more about photography, videography and editing. “I’m still learning and sometimes I make mistakes and end up using them to my advantage. My work ends up looking pretty amateur but I use that to my advantage too,” Natalie explained. With a concoction made up of her obsession with vaporwave gifs she found on Tumblr, a new camera and her alter ego, Nice, Hello Nice came to life. “I asked my cousin to film me doing random things in the kitchen,” she explained, “My aesthetic choices are silly sometimes but I realized that they give Hello Nice its own unique look.”

    Describing Hello Nice as “genre-less”, a “fragmented short film” and “about something and nothing at the same time” the spontaneity that goes into filming each video allows Natalie to develop the character Nice organically. “I find topics on the spot and look for backgrounds which look cool. Sometimes I add a few props and those end up being what the videos are centered around. I am constantly looking for bits and pieces which will mesh well together and complement each other.”

    Natalie’s experimentation with distortion leads some of her videos to come across as abstract and trippy, as if we have been invited into one of Nice’s dreams. However, performing the persona requires interaction, “that is where the quirky, conversationalist elements come into play.”

    To experience the constructed mini worlds where Nice dances, balances oranges on her head, and has conversations about the importance of keeping hydrated, check out Hello Nice.

  • The new adidas NMD: style meets technology

    Futuristic and transformative. By combining the breakthrough technology of BOOST™ and Primeknit fabrications with the adidas signature style, these two words perfectly describe the adidas NMD. This season the NMD_CS2 PK takes center stage in its reference to the brand’s collective memory while innovatively elevating the familiar three stripe design. The sneakers are crafted with a Shadow Knit technique and features the Japanese Sashiko stitching method, a form of decorative reinforcement stitching. Tonal uppers with engineered patterns are finished off with embroidered tactile colour pops, and a signature NMD heel pull. This season also sees new versions of the NMD_R2 featuring patterned Primeknit uppers and striking graphics for men and women.

    In conjunction with the launch of their new products, adidas presents AREA3 CPT ’17; a space for co-creation underpinned by design. This space was the backdrop for the NMD campaign shoot.

    Taking the descriptive words for the NMD as a point of departure for the shoot, this was translated into how our human bodies have become futuristic and transformative. This includes how our physical bodies have been rendered into avatars as well as through genetic modification. These two themes were explored through a fashion story.

    Playing on this, the use of a mirror articulates this exploration by creating two versions of the body; the body IRL and the body reflected in the mirror as the digital avatar. The mirrored image of the body wearing a VR headset highlights the futuristic and how technology has allowed for the coded versions of ourselves. This highlights the use of breakthrough technology to construct the NMD, which is still able to pay homage to the adidas Originals DNA.

    Photography & Styling: Jamal Nxedlana

    Post Production: Lex Trickett

    Makeup: Isabella Raad

  • Katleho Kano Shoro: ‘Serurubele’ poetry collection take off and the writing on the wings

    Writing can take many forms and take people on multiple journeys. South African-based poet, researcher, project manager and content editor, Katleho Kano Shoro, recognises the reflective and transformative power of words. I interviewed her about soon to be released book, Serurubele, published by South African publishing house Modjaji Books. Katleho also shared with me the metamorphosis of her personal relationship with writing.

    Tell me about the relationship you have with writing and how it has evolved over the years? Do you have a particular relationship with poetry that is different from other forms of writing? How did this come into play with Serurubele?

    I need to write. I keep a journal where I go through my thoughts, emotions, ideals and plans with myself: my level of honesty, analysis and healing through this kind of writing has grown from when I first kept a journal. As an academic within the social sciences, I am basically trained in reading and writing. And although writing my Master’s dissertation was one of the hardest pieces of writing I have ever had to produce, the process taught me discipline and perseverance where discipline falls short. I learned to understand my own writing processes, as well as the importance of writing with integrity. Oh and the more I write in general, the more I appreciate the value of editing and then of learning to let go once I have written in the best way I can. So maybe I can say my relationship with writing is one that teaches me basic life skills too.

    I have come to embrace my need for writing in order to stay sane – particularly where poetry is concerned – so the relationship has strengthened. This means that I am actively learning more about poetry and I am doing more research about the things I write about. The newer poems in Serurubele are a reflection of my growth and an embrace of this kind writing. I am in the caterpillar stages of playing around with form and learning to tame English (in the Chinua Achebe and Ntate Keorepetse Kgositsile sense) within my writing.

    Also, poetry is more than writing to me. Besides using it to reflect on the world, poetry has allowed me to speak through more than words, i.e. through performance. This, in turn, has made me more aware of presence – mine and others – within poetry spaces. This awareness feeds my writing and reach for narratives with integrity.

    ‘Serurubele’ is coming out in August 2017. Would you like to share the creative journey that you went on to put this work together?

    For starters, the journey has taken years! I had to begin seeing poetry as more than a cathartic process. I had to begin respecting the craft and profession and work on it. I am glad it has taken so long though. It has taught me to work towards goals but also be patient – especially with myself and life’s timing. Serurubele is coming out at a time when I have learnt to trust that I too am an intellectual, and that there are other creative intellectuals who have been here…who are here. This publishing journey has had its hiccups and twists; through them, I am beginning to expect that people treat me (as Motho) and my craft with respect. I too am learning to be a creative who gives poetry its due respect.

    When putting ‘Serurubele’ together did you imagine a particular reader in mind?

    At the beginning it was simply fellow poets, creatives and academics. Then it was my gran because she represented the elders I was trying to make proud. Now, I am hoping that some of the poems resonate with people who do not particularly go out searching for poetry as well as the friends (or rather age group) of my nephews and nieces. The idea of having poetry conversations with people who are not in the creative and academic industries seems like a necessary part of Serurubele’s life (as well as the poetry industries general growth).

    What are some of the themes you have covered in ‘Serurubele’? What journey can people expect to be taken on through this book?

    Well, of course each reader will have his/her own journey with the collection. But if I were to lead a tour, I would ask the reader to note that there are explorations of performance, writing and poetry throughout the collection. We begin the tour by being present and acknowledging that we carry the knowledges of many. We then move into a space of grappling with (and reaching for) different parts of identity – particularly black, African identity. Here, language, histories, pan-Africanism and masculinity are themes. Fatherhood is present. Whim, bliss and colour feature too. Then we reflect on mourning loved ones and return full cycle to the idea of not doing this life thing alone.

    Anything else you would like to mention about ‘Serurubele’?

    The name “serurubele” means “butterfly” in Sesotho. Nevertheless, the collection is mostly written in English, salted with black, African sensibilities (from my experiences and understandings) and peppered with Sesotho. You tell me if the meal works…

    What are some of the themes you like to explore through your words?

    Broadly speaking, my words and work are rooted in my understanding that creativity and art are an important space where intellect thrives. My work mostly centres on African intellectualism. Unfortunately, we are still at the point where we have to remind ourselves, as Africans, and others, that we too are intellectuals and hold many kinds of knowledge. Also, as full humans we are complex and layered. All other themes in my work tend to stem from these understandings.

    To find out the details for the launch of Serurubele or to pre-order the book, check out Katleho Shoro on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

    Photography by Theodorah Ndlovu

  • Combining art and city-making

    Future Cape Town takes on a transdisciplinary approach to research and urban living. In the spirit of this they put together the project Constructing Future Cities and selected 5 female artists who operate within the built environment to re-imagine cities led and designed by women. This involved a short trip to Durban and a week in Cape Town, with the official endpoint being an exhibition and panel discussion at the end of May. I interviewed the artists about their experiences as part of the project, and to find out more about the works they put together for their final exhibition.

    Masters student Michelle Mlati looks at the intersection of art and solar power as a way of re-imagining the future sustainability of African cities. “Constructing Future Cities has enabled a space to explore the aesthetic possibilities of what these things look like, which is still an ongoing project,” she explained.

    For the exhibition she mapped out a nuclear fusion reaction on canvas with solar powered lights [nuclear fusion is the energy source that powers the sun]. This is particularly relevant with increased global conversations around nuclear power programmws. While advocating for the use of solar energy, her work also critiqued the idea that we might be attempting to re-create the sun through the nuclear fusion route. Most importantly, her motivations for using solar power was to try to “de-mystify” these kinds of technologies. Her work Solar Rhythms embraced this aim. Photovoltaic cells [the essence of solar panels] were displayed on canvas, allowing people to touch the work, showing them that “this is not as alien as a lot of people might perceive it to be.”

    Thozama Mputa, a Masters student in landscape architecture, saw the project as an opportunity to integrate all three of her passions; film photography, painting and architecture. With her painting of people and places she had seen throughout the course of the project, she demonstrated that cities can be captured beyond blueprints. The life of cities can be imagined with line, form and watercolours. In this way she was able to speak back to established understandings of city-making.

    Sumayya Vally, Sarah de Villiers and Amina Kaskar from Counterspace also took assessing ideas around city-making as their point of departure. Looking to recent events and demonstrations that have happened in cities, such as #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall protests as well as  xenophobic attacks, their approach was to analyze how these affect how cities are made. Understanding that these have brought in a new kind of urbanism, where people actively engage in the interpretation of policies, Counterspace took the opportunity to show that these “insurgent practices”  play a part in the way that cities are laid out. With this focus on short-lived moments of disruption within the city, they worked within the digital realm “because we felt that we could access an ephemeral explanation very quickly that way.”

    They combined images of protests and religious practices with different types of aerial view landscapes that are recognisable in South Africa, making their discussions and thought processes visual. This allowed them to take seriously the ramifications of these events to create an idea for future city landscapes.

    Even though each artist worked on individual projects, the feedback and input they received from one another helped to gel the exhibition together, creating a collective energy that flowed through the exhibition space between the works, connecting them together.

    The team at Future Cape Town hope that this will be the beginning of multiple projects that combine art and city-making.

     

    ‘This article forms part of content created for the British Council Connect ZA 2017 Programme. To find out more about the programme click here.’

  • Adriaan Louw: mirroring moods through film

    “I love the world film creates without trying too hard”

    This statement by photographer and filmmaker Adriaan Louw explains his expansion into film. Over the years he has documented different genres and artistic forms, from art to skateboarding to fashion, with youth culture being the thread that ties these various endeavours together. “Everything I’ve done […] I just want to make bigger and better… If that means in a commercial realm, that’s cool too. As long as it grows the culture.”

    When asked about his relationship with analog productions, he mentioned watching skateboarding videos in school. “Back then everything was shot on tape and 8mm or 16mm film cameras. So to me that is the base of my aesthetic education. It feels like my default in a way.” With a desire to do more productions on film, he is hoping he can see and capture youth culture through the beautiful, grainy textured world that film engenders.

    Expanding on his desire to make more projects in film and reflecting on the renaissance of film, Adriaan explains that, “In South Africa it’s really hard to try and make it happen on every project. You have to order the film to SA and ship it back half way around the world to get developed and scanned again, but so far it’s been successful. Film is making a big comeback in the world at the moment, especially motion film. I would like to be part of that global movement. Shooting on film creates a certain mood on set that I really enjoy.” Riky Rick was jointly able to see the aesthetic value of film, resulting in the recently released video for “Family” being shot on 8mm film. The use of film creates a nostalgic feeling, with the video visually mirroring old home videos, making a connection to the words in the track.

    Photograph by Ross Maxwell

    Thinking about his conversations with Ricky about the video, Adriaan explains that, “We wanted it to feel underground in a way. If you look at my work up until now in the Hip Hop scene it never has fancy cars, half naked woman and other things like that in it. I’d like to keep it that way. I think visually creating a mood for an artist is way cooler than trying to make them look rich. So with this video I decided to shoot most of it on film to create a timeless feel. If you look at some of the city shots of Johannesburg in the video you wouldn’t be able to tell if it was shot in the ’80s or 2017. It was so magical seeing the rushes when it got back home. It really felt like images you would Google search of past Johannesburg. The film also added a bit of grittiness to the video that I wanted to add to the song. I feel like the video has a rock n roll approach to it visually.”

    Photography by Adriaan Louw

    Adriaan has also recently joined the production company, Word. This speaks to larger shifts within South Africa’s film and TV commercial industry. “I think up until now I didn’t feel the need to do bigger productions and take on the TV commercials world. Til now I always thought of it being something I didn’t want to do in filmmaking, but these days people are really pushing boundaries with TVCs and I think perhaps my style is now suited for that world,” Adriaan explains. This change in the formula for filmmaking in advertising is encouraging for filmmakers like Adriaan. “I think there is a new generation of filmmakers who will bring this change and want to create content that is emotionally- and story-driven. The world of online content and traditional advertising media is starting to merge together.” Never forgetting his first love, documentary-style content, Adriaan is open to trying new things in filmmaking.

    Photograph by Ross Maxwell

     

    Check out the “Family” video below for a taste of Adriaan’s new direction.

    Credits:

    Director: Adriaan Louw
    Production: The Swank Group
    Second Camera: Ross Maxwell
    DOP: Adriaan Louw
    Editor: Adriaan Louw
    Fixer: Tito Balata

  • Nikiwe Dlova encourages us all to own our crowns

    “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” – Coco Chanel

    Blogger Nikiwe Dlova took this quote to heart about four years ago when she decided to cut her afro and went for an undercut. This moment led her to experiment more with different hairstyles. Nikiwe’s crown is ever-changing, and she loves how her emotions and state of mind can be translated into beautiful works of art on her head. Accompanied by this was the desire to share her motivation to change a hairstyle she was so comfortable with. “[I wanted to] inspire other people to express themselves through their hair and I also wanted to showcase other people who are doing the same thing.”. This thought gave birth to her blog, ownURcrown.

    Through documenting her own hair journey and that of others, Nikiwe has found that conversations about colourful braids, afros and hair oils can be decoded and reveal understandings about who people are and the relationships they are building with themselves. “And that’s how ownURcrown was formed. And I spelt ‘your’ as UR to emphasize that U R who U R. Just own it!” she expressed enthusiastically. Throughout the interview Nikiwe continued to share moments of her own hair journey with me. From this I got a sense that every hairstyle change represents a new layer being unfolded; in this way she reveals herself to herself. “I love my crown whether it’s natural, has a wig on or with creative hairstyle.”. Just as important as sharing hair journeys is giving credit to the hairstylists who create magical crowns. Her blog has extended into events “that are all about freedom of expression, just to showcase a lifestyle.”. She has also collaborated with shoe and clothing brands that align with her style and the message she is getting across about people’s relationships with their hair.

    At the moment she is working on a series for Women’s Month called ‘Betty Evolves’. “[It] relates to the Benny and Betty (threading) hairstyle we used to do when we were young so I’m evolving it to suit the modern, grown women… This is my first exhibition so I’m so excited!”

    Be sure to check out ownURcrown to keep up with what Nikiwe gets up to.

    Photography by Lwazi. Hair by Smangele at Indalo hair salon

  • Heat City Comedy Festival

    You haven’t been working out that much this winter? No need to worry. The Heat City Comedy Festival will have you in stitches and getting those core muscles working. Held from 19th – 23rd July at one of Durban’s most loved spots, The Winston Pub, over 25 comedians will be ready to dish out the jokes. Get your chuckles ready and bring your friend with the boisterous laugh for five days with Durban’s finest OG comedians and a few emerging talents. Each night is themed, providing a variety of comedic experiences. I had a short interview with one of the organizers and participants, Bob Perfect about the festival and what audiences can expect.

    Tell me a bit more about what people can expect to experience over the five days?

    People can expect to get an education in Durban comedy and a look into the deep pool of talent Durban currently has. There’s a trend to undervalue local talent and to use headliners imported from other cities to sell tickets, which I’m hoping to change with this festival. We have 031 stalwarts like Carvin Goldstone, Neil Green, Richelieu B, and Jem Atkins. We’ve got cats who helped grow the Durban comedy scene before spreading their wings, like Paul Cowan and Glen Bo. And then we’ve got a ton of up-and-coming talent who have been blazing lately like Troy Tesla, Kamz Govender, Tyson Heffer, Maxamillion, Kwanda Radebe and a whole lot more.

    The nights that you are part of are called ‘Durban Poison’ on the Saturday and ‘Winston Alumni’ on the Sunday. Would you like to share something about the poison you will be sharing on the Saturday? And something about the Sunday?

    I’m just straight up going to tell weed jokes for the ‘Durban Poison’ gig. Even if the gig was not called ‘Durban Poison’, it would still mostly be weed jokes ’cause I’ve gotta stay on brand. I’m actually super pumped for the ‘Winston Alumni’ gig. I started out doing comedy just after the cats on the bill and it’s been quite a journey to watch everyone grow. It’ll be like a high school reunion. I’m going to feel grossly unqualified and like I haven’t done enough with my life.

    For those who do not know that much about The Winston Pub, can you share a little bit about it as a kind of landmark in Durban?

    The Winston Pub is an iconic venue in Durban that’s half-jokingly referred to as “God’s Blindspot”. It’s a dark and dingy pub that acts as a home away from home to Durban’s creative misfits. The Winston has been were many people have gotten their first gig, whether they are a comedian or a musician. The Winston has had comedy in some form or the other over the last 7 years or so, with various promoters taking charge. I’m just the latest to be steering the ship. Since February we’ve been hosting Underground Comedy every Wednesday as a way to introduce new comics to the scene, and give a chance to work on new material in a low pressure environment. With the Heat City Comedy Festival I’m hoping more people find out that The Winston is a home for comedy as well as music, and that after the fest they join us regularly on a Wednesday.

    And lastly, any details you would like to share about the organizers and how this festival adds to South Africa’s comedy landscape?

    I’m pretty much doing most of the organizing with many of the comedians helping out where they can. There’s a lot of camaraderie in the Durban comedy scene, so all our gigs are team efforts. I’m hoping this festival shows Durban and South Africa that we actually have a lot of top talent here, and that if it’s supported, it’ll grow. Comedy in South Africa is starting to really develop, I just want to make sure that Durban’s a part of the conversation as it grows. We can’t expect bigger pockets from other cities to line our own, we need to invest in ourselves if we ever want to truly grow.

    Get your tickets for Heat City Comedy Festival here.

     

     

  • Conversationists: ‘One Fish Two Fish Blaue Fish Blue Fish’

    “We live it. We breathe it. We talk about it, because it festers inside our minds and we can’t stop…It’s an energy. It’s an energy that becomes this ball.”

    These are the words from a conversation between Riley Grant, Claire and Abi Meekel. Referring to themselves as the Conversationists, Riley, Claire and Abi along with Kayla Armstrong and Adilson De Olivieira will be turning Glory blue for their exhibition One Fish Two Fish Blaue Fish Blue Fish.

    The obsession over blue began with a concoction of whatsapp conversations, readings about the rhizome and teasing out understandings of semiotics earlier this year. In a sense, the whole process from conceptualization to the production of their works and soundscapes can be seen as an artwork being sculpted through time and digital codes. Thinking about conversations around the colour blue may seem confusing, but this exhibition will reveal that it more than an obsession with a colour.

    They are exploring blue as an image, as a sound, as a feeling and something more. With each combination of images, soundscapes and feelings, the meaning of blue is detangled and entangled once again, but never entangled in the same way. The exhibition is therefore, not so much a fixation on the word blue, but more an exploration of semiotics; choosing to work with blue and unfold what blue signifies to themselves and others.

    In a way they are thinking about changing the meaning of blue…or not.

    Be sure to check out their exhibition at Glory on the 6th of July. Below is a teaser and an invitation to see, feel and experience blue in a new way.

  • BORN::FREE Next Steps // a powerful poetry exchange

    BORN::FREE Next Steps // a powerful poetry exchange

    Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.

    This quote by poet and author Rita Dove encapsulates the feelings that Belinda Zhawi has towards writing poetry and writing. She has been writing for several years, mainly doing poetry, but has done prose too. She has performed at festivals and literary events all over the UK, and about two years ago she joined forces with her friend through words and through life, Chima Nsoedo, to start a poetry night called BORN::FREE.

    Reflecting more on her relationship with writing, Belinda explained that, “Writing for me was mostly just to do with having been reading for a long time, was a vicious reader as a child.” Having grown up in Zimbabwe she would read book written in Shona by African writers. When she moved to London as a teenager she discovered a section of classics library mostly written by African American writers. “I was amazed at how I felt reading that work, reading characters that felt like me or looked like me even if they weren’t like me. And after that I was like ‘I want to write stuff too’.” She began writing for friends and family, and writing became a way of documenting memories and experiences so that she would not forget her home. I was also a way of trying to forge a different kind of identity. “So I think writing for me is very much about that relationship with myself with regards to ideas of home, memory and ancestry,” Belinda explained.

    BORN::FREE started out as a community project with the aim of creating a space where emerging writers and well-established writers could inspire one another and share understandings about the way in which they mold words into stories or expressions of feelings. “From there it just became a thing that people respond to and has been growing…It has been a great learning journey and great community space for writers.”

    The project BORN::FREE Next Steps was conceptualized as a poetry exchange involving artists based in South Africa and the UK. For the UK part of the project South African poets Nova Masango and Katleho Shoro were invited to be part of a workshop relating to writing and performance, which culminated in a one night only performance at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Belinda expressed how she has been admiring Nova’s work online for a while and was delighted to finally work with her in person. Belinda heard about Katleho through a recommendation as was also mesmerized by her work online and her presence on stage.  The UK-based poets included founder of the poetry collective Octavia, Rachel Long. Long-time poet, writer and musician Zena Edwards also performed on the night. The aim for the project was to put together a “diverse group of women who are doing interesting things with literature” and to “provide a wide range of voices.”

    The second half of the project will be taking place in South Africa towards the end of July. Belinda will be coming over and spending some time in Cape Town with the hopes of working with young writers and performers through workshops. The final stop for the South African leg will be in Johannesburg, where she is hoping to mirror the UK experience.

    Because writing is a soft and hard place,

    all at once

    – Yrsa Daley-Ward

  • Lezanne Viviers: looking at life with curious eyes

    She has recurring dreams about treasures and jewelry. She has made magic from off-cuts and scraps of fabric. She has a wardrobe and art collection that is an extension of her quirky and playful nature. I can only be talking about the enchanting Creative Director at Marianne Fassler, Lezanne Viviers. Describing fashion as “an attitude or mirror of who you are”, Lezanne reveals to me how fashion stole her heart and shares memories she has collected while being part of the Marianne Fassler team.

    Tell me more about you – How do you like to describe yourself? How do your friends like to describe you? What are your top 5 favourite things?

    Six years ago, after successfully applying for two internships, one at Tiaan Nagel and one at Marianne Fassler, I migrated to the city of Gold and Glitter. These two internships were the ‘Golden Circle’ tickets to my yet to be discovered, darling new band: Jo’burg – the city filled with promises and dreams.

    I packed one entire suitcase and made my first attempt at ‘surviving’ Jo’burg.For most Capetonians, this might seem a step in the wrong direction!

    Having ‘survived’ my first delightful four months, I decided to never move back home. I FOUND home. And so my life began… an energy and heart pulse I could never describe. JOL-burg!

    What don’t I love about Jo’burg? This colorful city is not tangible. People are colorful. The streets are colorful. Jo’burg is a collective. Perhaps an abstract noun? I’m not sure what the words are to describe this city. Connected, perhaps?

    I am curious and I question things, often to the amusement of those around me. I ask silly questions and stupid questions; quite frankly I ask any question I do not know the answer to. Sometimes I ask Google or Daisie Jo. One thing is for sure; I really don’t know the names of most celebrities, actors, TV series or any other so-called ‘common knowledge’ regarding the entertainment industry. Roxanne Robinson and Anmari Honiball will confirm this.

    My mom calls me clumsy. Others might call me lucky; lucky because I still have half of my teeth. These things happen in the City of Gold; sometimes you buy land and you pay for it with a tooth.

    I hate to box myself or describe myself and by saying this, I guess I’m doing exactly that. Hate is a strong word. I create objects. I also collect objects – mainly art. Empathetic objects. For fun, I work @MARIANNEFASSLEROFFICIAL as the creative director.

    If I knew my ‘Top5’ things, how monotonous would all the rest be? I like to explore and discover themes. I have recurring dreams of treasures and jewelry, things I find accidentally because I’m always searching through the sand.

    What is the relationship you had with fashion growing up? Are there any particular moments that stand out for you? When and how did you decide that you wanted to work in the fashion industry?

    Fashion and I were always aware of each other. Fashion looked me straight into the eye and said, ‘Hi, I’m the craze.’ From Spice girls’ shoes to bell bottoms to belly piercings to Kangol hats, I drew the Stüssy sign with my eyes closed on all my books and Space Cases. I was aware of fashion. I could see tendencies.

    I soon realized that fashion is not only a passing fancy, but It is also a manner of doing things; a method, a way or a style of doing something. It is merely an attitude or a mirror of who you are.

    I never really found anything I loved in the shops, the few items I loved was Gotcha board shorts, a black Billabong hoodie, Joe Soap baggy pants, a pleated top from Space Station, a Stüssy t-shirt and gold metallic tipped Stan Smiths, released sometime in the 2000s.

    These clothing items made me feel strong and made me belong. I was a Tomboy; I spent most of my time with boys who skateboarded, surfed, who built things, who made mischief- in the innocent sense, of course – and who rode off-road bikes. I power dressed amongst them.

    Then I noticed vintage shops. I would not call myself nostalgic, but these out-of-date clothing items gave me a chance to give them new context. I created their context and revived them, without anyone fashioning them in a similar way. I discovered individualism; thereafter you never want to mimic anything or anyone ever again.  I learned its power. Throughout high school the term fashion only existed as an approach.

    Other than spending most of my time on the athletics field, high school was defined by afternoons at art school, covered in plaster of Paris or clay. Sculpture was my major and this soon led to making clothes; carving onto my own body. To this day I hate sewing, but DIY cut and paste solved that problem. Next stop, Elizabeth Galloway in Stellenbosch. Fashion design was a natural step to applying my arts.

    When did you join Marianne Fassler and how has your journey been as the Creative Director? How have you seen the brand evolve with you taking the reins?

    I joined Marianne Fassler in April 2011 as an intern together with Anmari Honiball. What fun! We formed a perfect team; late night sleep overs at Marianne’s, weeks before fashion week. We mainly worked with off-cuts and scraps of fabric we found in the labyrinth called the Store Room. Dresses were thrown together in the most magical way. What do women want? I learned that the answer might be comfort.

    Marianne is the most incredible mentor. She threw us into the dark side, which was the storeroom. She taught us the art of selling – ‘a dress is only a dress when someone wants to wear it.’ She encouraged me to start my personal art collection – “All you need to do is buy your first piece.” Perhaps it’s like getting a tattoo, the rest will follow soon. She is a great writer and an even better public speaker. She is also kind, sincere, strict, rebellious, generous and super talented. Most of all, she showed me Jo’burg, the city she grew up in.

    Marianne Fassler is a brand with a very strong identity. It is a heirloom brand filled with rich history, intellect, a individual signature, craft as a focus point and a legacy of 40 years, 6 of which I have been lucky enough to be a part of. Honestly, there is a lot to work with, a lot to create from. Marianne Fassler has a beautifully developed handwriting, which miraculously I understand.

    Most importantly, Marianne Fassler is an attitude. The brand is about real women, with real feelings, real lives, real bodies and real jobs. I like to combine all of these, with a great sense of humor and ta da… a new collection. Jokes aside.

    Marianne and I both love to travel. At Marianne Fassler traveling is encouraged; like Diana Freeland said ‘The eye has to travel.’ These journeys often evolve into a new collection.

    If you look at life with curious eyes, you will never become stagnant and bored. Sometimes you need to remove those sunglasses in order to really look, really see and truly experience your day to day milieu.

    At Marianne Fassler we share a love for hand-made EVERYTHING. We are both collectors (some call us hoarders) and more so, we both celebrate and appreciate culture. Different cultures, all cultures. Craft and craftsmen mesmerize us. CRAFT is the key to further evolving the brand in the future. We work with best artisans and the most talented team. We always have thought-provoking interns. As a collective, we look ahead.

    “My work is autobiographical, so anything I experience, I digest and then vomit back into society,” said Alexander McQueen. I relate to this.

    What are some of your personal fashion rules?

    Contradict yourself, it suggests personal growth.

    How do you describe your style?

    Light and hearted. Layered.Like a bull in a china shop.How do you describe your style. 🙂

    Would you like to say something about the SA fashion industry at the moment? Anything in particular you have noticed or anything that stands out for you?

    Which industry? I’m more interested in what’s going on in the streets.

    What are you working on at the moment? Anything in the pipeline that you would like to share with our readers?

    Right now, Daisie Jo and I are figuring out how to create lotus pods with beads. Personally, I’m experimenting with chicken feet. All this will form part of our new SS1718 collection, launched towards the end of August. Watch out for unique Marianne Fassler afro-prints.

    What direction are you working on taking the Marianne Fassler brand?

    Eastwards towards the new rising sun.

    You also have an incredible art collection. Would you like to share a bit about your collection and your relationship with art – perhaps would you like to mention some of your favourite pieces and why?

    Thank you. My darling pieces are the ones that always make me feel something new. These pieces are layered, either with lots of texture or ambiguous meanings. As part of the flat screen, Instagram generation, I tend to be drawn to the opposite. Marlene Steyn, Georgina Gratrix, Lady Skollie, Troy Makaza, Siwa Mgoboza and Gresham Tapiwe Nyaude, just to name a few, all prick that need.

    Or mention how art influences you creatively? Or the importance of young people supporting one another in creative industries?

    By experiencing both beauty and intense emotions through exquisitely applied human skills and craft techniques, you experience art. With ‘fashion’ as an approach, rather than a craze, I like to embody craft from an emotional place.As seen at the current Venice Biennale, the craze in the art world is definitely towards craft, to be more specific, towards textiles and found objects, often even used clothing. The lines are blurred, because slow luxury fashion,  is all about craft and therefore becomes an art again. I like this. I hate boxes. Fashion and Art go out for tee where they have conversations about politics or sometimes they just appreciate the beautiful flowers. Cross-pollination is the future.