Tag: creative economy

  • Shaking things up with The Tennis Club | Annual Members Ball x Special Lookbook

    Shaking things up with The Tennis Club | Annual Members Ball x Special Lookbook

    Determined to establish a platform designing events for the atypical, for those defying traditionalist understandings of genre and gender, The Tennis Club arouse to take on the challenge. Crafting customized occasions for the unconventional people that inspire them, these individuals are described as those who hold, understand and represent the various intersections of fashion, culture, dance, music and personal freedom. These activists of originality are the same people left unaffected by the sheer domination of corporate and commercial events of Johannesburg nightlife culture.

    It is this aspiration to create a space for likeminded individuals at the forefront of creative innovation that drives their events forward. As a tribute to these outstanding individuals and their accomplishments, The Tennis Club will be hosting their Annual Members Ball this Friday the 31st August, with an invite to all to join them in this celebration of uniqueness.

    The selection process for members is grounded in contributions to the creative economy of Johannesburg with an emphasis on artists practicing in the CBD and urban sectors. This list of creatives includes filmmakers, musicians, writers, visual artists and entrepreneurs amongst others that act as ambassadors for Johannesburg’s positive energy and global relevance.

    Sisi: Coat – Over The Moon. Trousers – Stylist’s Own Buhle: Trousers – Ben Sherman, Shoes – Palladium

    On the evening of the Annual Members Ball the club dedicates their night to honouring over 200 of the country’s creators propelled to the forefront with the dynamism of their contributions to the local scene and culture. Join them in celebrating in style with the most decadent party of the year featuring a diversity of electro producers, DJ’s and live music performances. This year’s headliners will be Jazzuelle & The Brother Moves On with supporting acts by Oh Those Guys, Si’Noir, RMBO, The Bad Ass Execs, Baby Boosh and Mami Watta.

    A special edition to this year’s function is the combination of the event with the release of a Members Ball Lookbook acting as a guide for dressing for the night. All looks are modelled by Tennis Club members and performing artists of the members ball, establishing feelings of oneness with this immense celebration of local culture and creators.

    For more feels and info check out the event page.

     

    Credits:

    Photography: Zander Opperman

    Styling: Ricci Lee Kalish

    HMU: Carmen Life

    Models: Melissa Hill & Jess Barclay

    Si’Noir

    Buhle Seya

    Thando Tshoma

    Simphiwe Tshabalala

    Jenny Dison

    Jim Hazard & Leigh Taylor

     

    * The 2018 lookbook would not have been possible without the assistance of Jagermeister SA, Herschel Supply Co and Palladium footwear.

    Jenny Dison: Visor and coat – Stylist’s Own, Shoes – Palladium
    Melissa: trousers Pringle, shoes Palladium, Coat Stylist’s Own Jess: Jacket and cap Herschel Supply Co
    Jazzuelle: coat Herschel Supply Co, shirt Ben Sherman, shoes adidas
    Leigh: Glasses and suit – Stylist’s own, bag – Herchel Supply Co Jimmy: Coat and shirt – Ben Sherman, hat – Simon and Mary
    Simphiwe: Hat – Simon and Mary, Trousers and shirt – Ben Sherman, coat and backpack – Herschel Supply Co, Glasses – Stylist’s Own
  • Transdisciplinary conversations on the realities of urbanness // Dr Njoki Ngumi to take part in the African Mobilities’ Johannesburg Exchange

    Transdisciplinary conversations on the realities of urbanness // Dr Njoki Ngumi to take part in the African Mobilities’ Johannesburg Exchange

    Dr Njoki Ngumi wears many hats in roles that stretch across various fields. As a result the word she uses to describe herself is “maker”, emphasising that her work transcends genre and medium. Her background in healthcare has helped her to cultivate her curiosity and care for small details, and this has continued to be useful to her in the arts space.

    As a storyteller, she is currently obsessed with what can be obtained through collaboration and collective effort. “It’s been played to its tired cliché end on SO many mediocre TV programs, but truly? Groups of unlikely people achieving unlikely things is the whole entire wave. Nothing gimmicky – just mapping how people build bridges to each other and love and fight and love again, as they set large fires and take many names. I did an odd little thread once on Twitter that was about an elite cadre of femme/fem assassins, and a surprising number of people really loved it, and it was about just that – odd, fierce, unexpected togethernesses.”

    Her storytelling style is in constant evolution. She loves drama, distance and spectacle, but is also wary of how this can sometimes privilege the story over allowing audiences to engage. On the other hand, she also enjoys more intimate weavings that require the audience’s participation in some way, resulting in a new energy or story at the end. Through this reflection, Njoki tries to find the balance in her storytelling to invite audiences into the worlds she creates or mirrors.

    Another one of Njoki ‘s endeavors is her position as Head of Learning and Development at HEVA, an East African fund that invests in the transformative social and economic potential of the creative economy within the region. The development of HEVA Capital and HEVA Forum address the questions of how creative enterprises can get access to credit and how an enabling, progressive environment can be created for these businesses to grow. Within these two spaces, Njoki identifies knowledge gaps and interesting possibilities, and figures out ways in which creative enterprises can access them.

    Working across disciplines is an important part of how Njoki frames her practice. Therefore, co-founding the Nest Collective was a no-brainer. She did  this in collaboration with 11 other  members, namely Olivia Ambani, Hope Bii, Jim Chuchu, Sunny Dolat, George Gachara, Njeri Gitungo, Kendi Kamwambia, Noel Kasyoka, Akati Khasiani, Mars and Wakiuru Njuguna. As a collective they are “a making, building multidisciplinary arts squad based in Nairobi that drops cultural bombs and then wears overalls to sort through the debris.” The collective was formed in reaction to the fact that mainstream spaces did not have room for audiences who were craving an engagement with work that is risky, quirky and odd. Since its inception in 2012 the collective has made films, visual art, music, work in fashion and write books. Each member of the collective has their area of expertise, but together they have built a think tank and creative melting pot for themselves. Through their collective they explore modern identities, re-imagine their pasts and remix their futures. Connected to this is how they unpack what it means to be young, contemporary and urban, as well as the possibilities of casting away existing scripts and design new outcomes.

    Njoki has been invited to be one of the hosts for the Johannesburg Exchange under African Mobilities. This has an organic connection to the other projects and roles that she takes on. “AM [African Mobilities] is about transdisciplinary conversations, negotiating the vagaries and glories of urbanness and challenging realities with communities and collaboration, and this is already a huge part of the Nest’s – and my own – practice.” Her work fits so seamlessly into the agenda for the Johannesburg Exchange, and African Mobilities as a whole, that Njoki will be doing a public performance reading at the Exchange.

    Reflecting on the importance of African Mobilities and the Exchanges they have hosted in multiple cities, Njoki stated that, “One of the most magic things about it is its determination to break knowledge and data out of ivory towers and bring it out directly to the people. We’re at a time now when knowledge sharing is possible in new and unprecedented ways because of the internet, but in many ways guides and people to open out and explore and explain new things in new ways are still so essential. That’s what AM is building, together with prioritizing multiple African perspectives.”

    The Johannesburg Exchange is taking place from 22-24 February at Wits University and African Flavour Books in Braamfontein.