N O . 1 6

Tel: 011 787 7301 Fax: 011 787 2575

www.rabanaarchitects.co.za

BANA r c h i t e c t s A

ARCHITECTS & PROJECT MANAGERS

q u e s t f o r s o l u t i o n sc r e a t i v eq u e s t f o r s o l u t i o n sc r e a t i v e

a c o m p l e t e r a n g e o f a r c h i t e c t u r a l c o n s u l t a n c y

w o r k f o c u s i n g o n h i g h e s t s t a n d a r d s o f d e s i g n

a n d s o l u t i o n s t h a t s e e k t o a d d r e s s a l l c l i e n t s

n e e d s i n a n e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y s e n s i t i v e a n d

c o s t e f f e c t i v e a p p r o a c h . . . .

a r c h i t e c t u r e

u r b a n d e s i g n

p r o j e c t m a n a g e m e n t

d e v e l o p m e n t p l a n n i n g

c o m p u t e r a i d e d d e s i g n

11 > PREFACE

11 > Preface: Edge

13 > Editor’s foreword

14 > Mister Walker: Walking the edge

22 > Tales from the African Diaspora: Chaz

Mayivane-Davies

32 > Carin Smuts: Sustainable architecture

should improve the lives of people and

communities

40 > Cute-as-a-button pulls a mighty punch

46 > Barefoot & all

54 > How I learnt to stop worrying & love the box

14 > THOUGHT LEADERS

CONTENTS

3 >

N O . 1 6

Cover illustration by Chenette Swanepoel.

64 > The President says it all

72 > Jim Chuchu: Stories & music that combine

ideas for Africa’s future

232 > FASHION

84 > Michelle Son: An independent creative

90 > Pixeluxe

94 > African fabrics weave the continent’s HIV/

AIDS story

157 > “I am an archholic...”: The life and times of

Andrew Maserow

175 > Stay Easy, Pietermaritzburg

183 > King Shaka International Airport: KZN’s

economy set to take off

232 > Stiaan Louw: A narrative genius

240 > Condoms on the catwalk

242 > A perfect example of design thinking:

World Design Capital 2010

132 > Tales from the African Diaspora featuring

Malene Barnett

143 > Cobra Watertech

152 > Illuminating the world

64 > COMMUNICATION DESIGN

4 >

242 > DESIGN PROMOTION

157 > BUILT ENVIRONMENT

248 > INTILLECTUAL PROPERTY

110 > DIAD: Defining the ultimate hospitality

experience

124 > Surprise is always on the cards in egg

Design’s product collection

210 > IMISO Ceramics: Setting high standards for

the day of tomorrow

218 > Tempest van Schaik: Plush toys, a PhD,

bio-mimicry and the macabre

224 > The art of paintertainment

226 > Mielie: A staple food for creativity

248 > Avoid the red card: Legal do’s and don’s of

the 2010 FIFA World Cup

252 > �Chenette Swanepoel: An artworker

operating in a multidisciplinary world

259 > Design awards and competitions calendar

98 > Mapping August: An Inforgraphic challenge

103 > African Diaspora in LaLaLand

252 > EDUCATION

5 >

110 > INTERIOR DESIGN

210 > ART & CRAFT

> ENDORSERS

6 >

> MEDIA PARTNERS

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PUBLISHER >

Cameron Bramley

cameron@designmagazine.co.za

EDITOR >

Jacques Lange

jacquesL@iafrica.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS >

Jennie Fourie & Bev Hermanson

CONTRIBUTORS >

Clint Abrahams, Dirk Durnez, Jan Erasmus,

Melanie Foxcroft, IrinPlus News, Zelda

Harrison, Julie Knatten, Travis Lyle, Adrian

Maserow, Lana Myburgh, Jacques Robbins,

Miliswa Sitshwele, Suné Stassen, Anri

Theron, Kelly Thompson and Kelda van

Heerden and Hannerie Visser

SALES MANAGER >

Jeff Malan

SALES TEAM >

Geri Adolphe, Jason Bramley, Rachel Harper,

Chenesai Madzvamuse and Anine Scholtz

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT >

Charl Lamprecht

ADMINISTRATION & ACCOUNTS >

Claudia Madurai & Michelle Swart

CREATIVE DIRECTOR >

Jacques Lange

DESIGN & LAYOUT >

Bluprint Design

PUBLISHED BY >

DESIGN> Information

Tel: +27(0) 82 882 8124

Fax: +27 (0) 86 678 8448

www.designmagazine.co.za

DESIGN> magazine is produced by DESIGN> Information. No material may be reproduced in part or whole without the

express permission of the publisher. No responsibility will be accepted for unsolicited material. The publisher accepts no

liability of whatsoever nature arising out of or in connection with the contents of this publication. The publisher does not

give any warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of its contents. The views and opinions expressed in DESIGN>

magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher, its endorsers, sponsors or contributors.

© 2009 DESIGN> Information.

CREDITS

9 >

INFORMATION

11 >

PREFACE: EDGE>I own a T-shirt which reads, “If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space”. Whenever I wear it, it renews my opinions of things and makes me re-assess how much space I do take up. Having owned it for at least 14 years, my ‘edge’ more than ever has to change. Without ‘edge’ there is no fall, nor flight. In these times, I am compelled to live, create, design, market, produce and think on the edge. I believe edge, education and environment is all we have left to capture the hearts and minds of the consumer, and ourselves, for that matter.

As much as I enjoy 4-wheel driving, magazines in my reception areas, eating junk food and the other things I have become used to, I am unable to carry on with a good conscious.

I am wearing my T-shirt as I write this. It is too often in the business I am in that I witness statements issued by the ‘we are concerned about our environment and customers’ companies. Ones that profess to carbon savings with the paper they use, yet they fly their mag-azines in from another country. Most companies on the JSE, claim to practice these ethics, yet they print their annual reports to impress their shareholders – share-holders that won’t be around when the planet gives in. And of course, it isn’t enough that companies and people don’t walk their talk, they visually pollute our environ-ments and give everyone the finger when we demand better service or at least expect to see advertising that really commits to the edge.

It is without doubt that I, as a consumer, am seldom impressed with anything I see anymore, mostly be-cause I have become educated on the environment and its pain. I look at my children, being boxed into the same thing I was boxed into – how does a 7 year old boy understand the words ‘carbon footprint’, especially if his sight is excited by all the colour he sees and all the gadgets in the stores? How does one filter out the truth from the lies? I question things like’ Vitamin Vawter’, brought to you packaged in plastic and taken from a glacier that may need the water more than us. I ask, is that really the truth bestowed upon the environment-conscious consumer?

Creatively, technology continues to provide many more opportunities for us to live on the edge. Pro-vided this is done with a conscience, not at the ex-pense of the environment, we can celebrate this. The movie, Avatar, is an excellent example of how chil-dren can be encouraged to honour and respect their environment – and, for that matter, relationships.

It’s no wonder Avatar won three Oscars. It was a technologically advanced movie made with the edge

in mind. <

Cameron�Bramley

DESIGN> Publisher

Celebrating 10 years of the Adobe Design Achievement Awards! The 2010 Adobe Design Achievement Awards give higher education students from around the world the shortcut to brilliance to propel their careers in the future. Enter in 12 categories in 3 media areas endorsed by industry. Cash prizes will be awarded during Adobe MAX 2010 in Los Angeles. Submissions close June 4, 2010. For more information and to submit entries: http://adaa.adobe.com Adobe and the Adobe logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

© 2010 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Adobe Design Achievement Awards

12 categories in 3 media areas

2010Interactive Media categories

Browser-Based Design

Non-Browser-Based Design

Application Development

Mobile Design

Installation Design

Video and Motion categories

Animation

Live Action

Motion Graphics

Traditional Media categories

Illustration

Packaging

Photography

Print Communications Media Sponsors

13 >

This is the 16th edition of DESIGN> magazine. In many cultures, 16 marks the ‘coming of age’ and the rite of passage where a person moves from youth to adult-hood. It is also associated with the arrival of maturity and acceptance of responsibility.

To celebrate our ‘coming of age’, DESIGN> 16 focuses on the theme ‘EDGE’. Dictionaries offer many meanings of this word. The ones that we liked and aimed to reflect in this edition include: “the degree of sharpness of a cutting blade; a penetrating and incisive quality; keenness, zest and a desire for enjoyment; the point at which something is likely to begin; an extremity; a margin of superiority; a provocative or discomforting quality stemming from audacity or innovativeness; a margin of superiority; an advantage; and a state of keen excitement to face danger or risk”.

We opted to interpret this ubiquitous theme from dif-ferent angles and DESIGN> 16 features individuals and companies that exemplify these diverse qualities in their many guises.

The master raconteur of African communication design, Garth Walker, shares insight into his new venture, Mr Walker, where he takes a 90 degree turn to not just focus on developing the contemporary vernacular visual language, but also on sustainability. Carin Smuts ex-plains why she has a passion for developmental archi-tecture and heritage projects and how she goes about turning low-budget projects into memorable legacies in townships and rural communities.

We also explore the often ostracised ‘cute’ movement in design and art. In interviews with multi-talented Crystal Campbell and Tempest van Schaik, we explore collabo-ration and the emergence of a new generation of meta-disciplinary design thinkers who exemplify the ‘edge’.

Kelda van Heerden, an emerging creative, provides a hard-hitting commentary on the designer’s role in popu-lar culture and The President shares their radical ideas on design, and so too does the Kenyan designer/photog-rapher/musician/cinematographer, Jim Chuchu.

In a new addition to the DESIGN> scope of editorial coverage, Zelda Harrison introduces a series of articles focusing on the African design Diaspora in the USA, in which we feature leading designers with African heritage, starting off with Chaz Mayivane-Davies, Malene B and Zelda herself.

Furthermore, we also feature exclusive interviews with the dynamic Dry team who founded egg Design, Stiaan Louw, the leading light in South African mens-wear design and a retrospective of AMA Architects’ work and that of DIAD. Yet, this is just a small snapshot of what this edition of DESIGN> covers.

On behalf of the editorial team, I wish you an exciting and informative reading experience.

Jacques�Lange

DESIGN> Group editor

EDITOR’S FOREWORD

By�Travis�Lyle

14 >

www.designmagazine.co.za

On arrival you’re greeted by a sign that reads

‘Mister Walker Design Salon – Rise Up African

Spirit’. That alone should confirm that you’ve just

walked into Garth Walker’s new design studio,

but if that’s not enough, consider what comes

next: an eight-foot semicircular pyramid of milk

crates that function as the library, a series of

weed eaters strung from the ceiling that work

surprisingly well as light fittings and a long

line of doors which zigzag across the industrial

space doing duty as a screen between studio

space and the boardroom area. Welcome to

Mister Walker.

In keeping with the unique design style his

name has become associated with over the past

couple of decades, Walker’s new studio is any-

thing but ordinary. Never one to toe the line in

design or, for that matter, in the interiors of his

workspace, Walker’s new company opened in

late 2008 and marks his departure from the Ogilvy

stable of which his well-known Orange Juice

design agency was part for just over a decade.

Starting out again as an independent after ten

years, Walker’s new venture isn’t about to stake

a claim as a 100% recycled, methane-powered

organic design hub. Well, not yet at least, but the

unique approach that produced i-Jusi magazine

and a string of award-winning campaigns and

design classics is alive and well at Mister Walker,

and is manifested in Walker’s vision of his new

studio as being ‘the world’s first totally recycled

office environment’. As Walker himself says

‘We’re not about to start powering our Macs with

methane from our toilets, but it’s high time the

design industry pulled its head out its ass and

took stock of what’s going on the wider world.’

As a starting point, the trappings of modern agen-

cies such as ostentatious interiors, ultra-modern

furniture and the other icons of conspicuous

consumption are entirely absent. In typical Walker

style, the studio reflects the DIY ethic that made

i-Jusi such a standout from the crowd and a

vibrant reminder of African self-sufficiency.

Everything from the studio desks to the library

shelves and on to the kitchen counter have been

created from reworked, second-hand and re-

claimed materials. In the process of moving

into the new premises, discarded materials

from the renovation of the building have been

snapped up and enlisted in the creation of this

unique workspace.

Mornings spent at the Sunday Morning Car Boot

Market at Greyville have yielded gems that now

perform necessary functions – three weed eaters

have been repurposed as light fittings, a folding

camp table with chairs (in itself a marvel of com-

pact design) becomes the coffee station and so

on. Is this an indication that Walker’s new studio

is a 100% organic, free-range endeavour to toe

the sustainability line? By the sound of it, you’d

be forgiven for thinking so, but the truth is – as

always – more complex. Always having been at

the forefront of design, Walker has been known

to be outspoken when it comes to trends. It’s

this take on modern design which is fuelling

both his approach to shaping his working envi-

ronment and some of the work undertaken by

the studio to date. Out on the edge would seem

to be where Walker is most comfortable.

Among the sustainability-minded projects in

which Mister Walker has been involved over the

past year-and-a-half are some that may not

immediately sound particularly juicy as far as

design goes, but therein lies the rub. To quote

the plaque which greeted visitors to Orange

Juice in the old days – and which still informs

the Mister Walker work ethic today – ‘There’s

16 >

17 >

ABOVE: Second-hand and reclaimed materials were used for the interior of Mister Walker’s new studio. BELOW: The Axum Stelae Field, Ethiopia. Working in conjunction with the World Bank and a team that consists of distinguished architects and artists, Mister Walker is involved in developing marketing collateral to promote the preservation of the built environment of a religious culture which stretches back 3 000 years.

18 >

no barrier to doing great work.’ With this in

mind, Mister Walker has produced work for a

variety of clients which shows that projects that

are strong on sustainability don’t necessarily

need to be dressed in hemp cloth or come loaded

with a prerequisite to look and feel like they were

designed by Greenpeace. If anything, these

are the projects that require the eye of a sharp

designer in order to make them appealing.

Take, for example, the recent work done by the

studio for the Environmental Management Depart-

ment of the eThekwini Municipality. Drawing

from a huge technical document on the biodiver-

sity of the region, prepared over a period of years

by numerous scientists, the brief for Mister

Walker was to create a graphically-driven doc-

ument that would render the admittedly pithy

and complicated source material accessible to a

wider audience. Through the use of eye-catching

images and snappy headlines, the subject matter

has been made interesting and thoroughly enjoy-

able, from intricately-illustrated cover to cover.

The result is Our BioDiverse City, which to the

untrained eye resembles a graphic novel more

than a document that clearly outlines the im-

portance of biodiversity to the metro region’s

citizens. The end result is a dense subject which

has been transformed into an easy-to-read and

engaging book that will undoubtedly open

many eyes to the importance of sustainable

practices in Durban and surrounds, all accom-

plished through sharp design.

In the same vein Mister Walker are currently

putting the finishing touches to a project which

would see the studio’s work literally cemented

into place and viewed by countless visitors to

Durban. Commissioned by the City Architects,

and taking a visual cue from the indigenous

species of coastal vegetation used in dune

rehabilitation along the city’s coastline, a series

of plants have been rendered in ceramic tiles cut

with ultra-high-pressure water jet. The end re-

sult will grace the tunnel that links the Moses

Mabhida Stadium to the new Marine Parade

Boulevard, and will serve to not only beautify

an otherwise utilitarian element of the city’s

beachfront revamp but also inform visitors and

locals alike on the botanical heritage of the

coast. Measuring roughly seven square metres

each, the plants are rendered in perfect detail

and, much like a botanical illustration, feature

their common names, botanical nomenclature

and isiZulu names, ensuring their relevance is

understood by both locals and visitors of all

stripes and kinds.

Apart from graphically-driven projects, Mister

Walker is also currently working on projects which

have a distinct sustainability bent: among these

is a project to showcase the cultural and histori-

cal value of the Inanda area of Durban. Framed

by the heritage of the area – notably the settle-

ments established by Mahatma Gandhi, John

Dube (the founding president of the ANC, founder

of the Zulu newspaper Ilanga and the Inanda

Seminary Institute for Girls) and the Shembe

citadel of eBuhleni – the brief to Mister Walker is

to design the brand and collateral for use through-

out the envisaged Inanda Heritage Precinct. The

precinct project seeks to combine the various

heritage elements to form a coherent whole,

which will function as a tourist attraction and

be instrumental in creating employment for the

previously disadvantaged and transferring

skills in order to create a sustainable economic

hub in the area.

19 >

Our BioDiverse City publication for the Environmental Management Department of the eThekwini Municipality.

Going much further a field, Garth Walker’s recent

trip to Ethiopia was in aid of familiarising him-

self with the situation in the ancient city of Axum,

famous as the purported resting place of the

Holy Grail and known worldwide amongst schol-

ars of religion and archaeology as the centre

of African Christianity. Working in conjunction

with the World Bank and a team that consists

of distinguished architects and the artist Andre

Botha, Walker has been involved in developing

marketing collateral to promote the preservation

of the built environment of a religious culture

which stretches back 3 000 years to the early

days of a dynasty which is most famously known

for being started by the legendary Queen of

Sheba.

If all of this sounds quite mind-boggling and far

removed from the mundane day-to-day work

done by other designers in advertising, bear in

mind that despite the unique nature of projects

on which Mister Walker as a studio works,

there are always the bread-and-butter jobs which

keep things ticking over in quiet times – from

packaging for a range of medication to bioassay

labels, corporate logos and annual reports.

The year may yet be young and Mister Walker as

a studio only relatively small, but work is stead-

ily keeping the team busy. It can’t all be i-Jusi

magazine and getting D&AD nominations (which

Walker scooped last year for his 2008 ‘Home

Affairs’ project), but rest assured – if it’s coming

out of the Mister Walker studio, it’s bound to

have an element of cutting edge. <

20 >

ABOVE LEFT: Designs for murals at the tunnel that links the Moses Mabhida Stadium to the new Marine Parade Boulevard in Durban.

LEFT: Concept inspiration and signage design for Durban’s Twin Cities initiative.

www.sappi.com

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22 >

Not many designers leave their country of birth because

they have no other choice. This has, however, been the

case with Zimbabwe-born designer-in-exile, Chaz

Mayivane-Davies.

For more than three decades his work has taken on

issues of consumerism, health, nutrition, social respon-

sibility, the environment and human rights. Until

2000 he was the principal of The Maviyane-Project,

a design studio in Harare. A hostile political climate

turned a temporary leave from Zimbabwe into a nine-

year sojourn in the United States. “I felt compelled

to leave because of the social, humane and confron-

tational nature of my work...”

Currently professor of Design at the Massachusetts

College of Art in Boston, Mayivane-Davies has been

widely acknowledged for his efforts against human

rights abuses. In 2009 he was conferred an Honorary

Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University

of Massachusetts Lowell. He also gave the prestigious

Dwiggins lecture in November 2003, sponsored by

the Society of Printers and the Boston Public Library. He

is also the first recipient of the Anthon Beeke Inter-

national design award, Amsterdam, and recognised by

the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, with an award for out-

standing innovator in his commitment to the struggle to

transform society and create a just future. Simmons Col-

lege, Boston gave him an award for courage and integ-

rity in using art to stimulate activism for social change.

Numerous international magazines and newspapers

have published Mayivane-Davies’s work and his name

is found in the Who’s Who in Graphic Design, First

Choice: Leading International Designers, Rewriting

the Rules of Graphic Design, Graphic Agitation 1 & 2,

Graphic Design Timeline – A Century of Design Mile-

stones, World Graphic Design, History of Graphic

Design, Anatomy of Design, Design of Dissent, Area:

Showcasing 100 of the world’s most innovative emerg-

ing graphic designers. It was also included in the list ID

Forty, ID magazine’s first annual honours list profiling

leading-edge designers from around the world in 1998.

Mayivane-Davies has also worked in film. He wrote,

directed and produced the award-winning After the

Wax — personal view of nationality and identity (1991).

Mayivane-Davies shares some thoughts with DESIGN�>

D�> How did you end up becoming a designer?

M-D�> I had an unorthodox beginning in design in that

I first started out as a trainee draughtsman for the local

telecommunications corporation in Harare. While I was

there I was asked to work on a few design projects

outside of the domain of my vocation, as they felt I

was the only one who could ‘draw’ the job. While I

knew I was more ‘artistic’ than technical, these experi-

ences made me aware that I was probably in the wrong

profession – even in pre-independent Zimbabwe,

23 >

M-D�> While I am an advocate for Zimbabwe, I am

also an advocate for design. I have never seen myself

as a cultural ambassador. I do the best I can when I

get the chance and should people notice that and

associate it with the fact that I come from Zimbabwe,

then that is a good thing.

As you can see from my career profile above, the out-

side world has responded very favourably to my work.

My most fervent supporters are my fellow countrymen

and women with whom I have managed to have a visual

dialogue ever since I returned to Zimbabwe after my

studies. They know my message is one of courage and

determination in the face of adversity.

D�> Do you think design is thriving in Africa, and in

Zimbabwe in particular? How would you advocate

promoting the role of design within Africa and inter-

nationally?

M-D�> Ah! Africa, our huge continent, how can I speak

for all of it, when I know so little about so much of it?

I can talk about being an African in the world and

some of our challenges but I cannot subscribe to all

of us being lumped and generalised together as a

homogenous mass. We are way too big and too diverse

for that.

In a modern sense, I don’t believe that design is ‘thriving’

on the continent and it is not the designer’s fault

alone. There are pockets where design is appreciated

and embraced more than others.

Art and design can derive its energy and dynamism

from reflecting and commenting on our own predica-

ment, including resistance to consumerist culture

and the tyranny that abounds, thereby resonating it,

with an energised attitude and power. The imposing

nature of the systems we have to work with contrib-

utes enormously to the breakdown of truths, integrity

where very few opportunities existed for me to pursue

anything outside the life that a racist government

had planned for me.

In 1974 I fled Zimbabwe and went to study in neigh-

bouring Zambia, where I did an art and design foun-

dation course before heading to London to study

graphic design.

I returned to a fledgling and upbeat Zimbabwe in 1982,

determined to participate in the growth of the region.

After a short period of re-acclimatisation as a free citizen

on my home soil, I realised that there were no design con-

sultancies, so I established the Maviyane-Project in

the midst of an advertising/design industry owned by

whites and still dominated by pre-independent values

and imagery. In the beginning the studio’s pro bono

and self-initiated projects were also supported by

commercial assignments.

Our work became more visible because we observed

what was going on around us, as we used our work to

express what we felt about it. While many found what

we did risky on several levels – most of all, going

against the grain of much of the conventional adver-

tising/political wisdom of the day – it also stood out and

attracted organisations needing work of this nature,

who eventually became our mainstay clients.

D�> Have you noticed a significant change in direction

in your work since you took up residence in the United

States?

M-D�> I do not think I will ever have an American idiom

but in many instances I do what any designer should

do when they want to communicate and that is to

‘employ the cultural shorthand’ (as Katherine McCoy

would say) of that audience.

D�> Your work would indicate that you are an advo-

cate for Zimbabwe, a cultural ambassador of sorts:

Is this a fair notion?

24 >

QUESTION MARK (Fuel). An environmental

poster from a series of six asking us to

consider the things we take for granted.

Client: Self. 2004 – 2009. | CO2 (Consume).

From a series of two environmental posters

on carbon emissions and our lifestyle. Client:

University of Tennessee. 2007.

DISSENT IS A RIGHT. Human rights poster.

Client: Bienal Internacional del Cartel en

México. 2009. | CREATIVE DEFIANCE. Poster

for the Dwiggins lecture. Client: Society of

Printers. 2003.

Being immersed in a globalised world and trying to

establish any specific character in our work is easier

said than done, especially as we do not have the his-

torical precedence that gave birth to design as we

know it, like the industrial revolutions of the West.

The culture of graphic design as we know it – the com-

mercial derivative of art for communication – is a newer

phenomenon that indigenous Africans were exclud-

ed from until recently. Sadly outside of imitation, we

seem presently limited to appropriating and stylising

traditional iconography and ethnicity as a cosmetic

hard-sell without investing in the vibrancy and vitality

from whence it came, thereby subduing the cultural

and personal idiosyncrasies we are capable of con-

tributing.

While there are a few examples from people attempt-

ing to break away from that tendency, very little of it

resonates and emerges into clear bodies of work

that I honestly admire.

D�> In a few words, what thought or inspiration

would you share with members of the African design

community and its supporters?

M-D�> I basically believe that in our quest for progress,

we have relegated huge chunks of our culture into

recesses of our subconscious as opposed to using it

to define our role in the world we want to live in. This

is true of most developing countries.

Hopefully more distinct design languages will begin

to emerge that explore any icons or visual manifes-

tations of our traditions and past which are waylaid

and considered inferior and discarded as we readily

adopt the global (American) lifestyles and attitudes

that surround us.

I do not believe that we should live in the past, but we

must adapt and develop our traditions and values to

and spirit. No one can make truly creative decisions

without understanding this, and without a real partici-

pation in the constructive spirit of his/her time.

My destiny as African designer is bound up with the

necessity for profound social change. To explain/tell/

represent is to give of myself. So long as there is

misery, illiteracy and injustice through exploitation,

which fosters collective imbecility through the mass

media, graphic design must strive for full communi-

cation first and not be part of the driving mechanics

behind the greed, ignorance and selfishness that

debase us.

In terms of Zimbabwe, in September 1994, a few of us

got together to form the first graphic designers’ asso-

ciation in Zimbabwe – GRAZI (which means ‘window’

in the Shona language). Our aims were similar to most

professional design associations around the world,

but specifically to address the above ills and hope-

fully help in defining where we should be. By raising

the standard of design in Zimbabwe and confronting

and working with the establishment to recognise our

efforts, GRAZI hoped to promote design in our culture

for the betterment of all.

Things have not been smooth due to the political

upheavals we have witnessed that affected much

more important things than design along with many

professionals dissipating. Then again the struggle con-

tinues on all fronts, as design hopefully tries to find its

place again in our development and for democracy

and progress.

D�> What, in your opinion, is the ultimate symbol and

icon of Zimbabwe? Do you see a distinct character-

istic in Zimbabwean/southern African design?

M-D�> The Zimbabwe bird based on ancient stone

carvings, which stood on top of Great Zimbabwe city

– a national monument. It is on our flag and money.

26 >

GLOBALISATION. Poster on the effects of

global homogenisation. Client: Self. 2005. |

MANY RIVERS TO CROSS. Poster for the

victims of Hurricane Katrina in the USA. Client:

Self/The Hurricane project. 2005.

suit us, thus, defining our truly independent future.

As a result we create a symbolism and visual language

that is meaningful not only to us, but enriching to a

world that has run out of ideas other than market

forces (the new world order).

D�> As a full-time professor in a college with a diverse

student body, do you have thoughts about how cul-

ture and identity are impacting design education?

M-D�> I can only speak from my personal scope of

the subject and how it is practiced in institutions that

I am aware of. I feel design education is failing to

truly address issues of cultural diversity amongst the

student populations it serves. Dominated by Euro-

centric ideas, it continues to reinforce generalisa-

tions that devalue the role of non-Western social,

cultural, aesthetic and other creative traditions that

shape our environments. Design education, like

everything else, evolves and needs to expand to be

more inclusive and develop a confidence that it fits

into a future that doesn’t regard it as a pedagogical

anachronism.

To quote Beth Tauke and Alex Bitterman from the

University at Buffalo: “As designers, if we imagine

the wide array of possible values, we can uncover an

equally wide array of possible design approaches

and solutions that might manifest and support other

ways of thinking and being. And that might be the

way design becomes a primary catalyst for social and

cultural change.”

“Making design choices that ensure both sensitivity

and the possibility for challenge and enrichment for

others and ourselves, involves a level of tolerance – a

willingness to explore ideas and ways of being that

we don’t necessarily believe in or admire. Developing

the ability to explore and understand issues in as

many contexts and from as many points of view as

possible, is a crucial part of this endeavour.”

27 >

END GENITAL MUTILATION. Poster against

the practice of genital mutilation in some parts

of Africa. Client: Self/50x70 – Italy. 2009. |

HUNGER. Poster for an exhibition on

eradicating world hunger. Client: Design Centre

of Rosario, Argentina. 2009.

DIVIDED CITIES. Poster for a conference on

cities in conflict. Client: John W. McCormack

Graduate School of Policy Studies at

University of Massachusetts Boston. 2009 |

LANGUAGES MATTER. Poster for

International Mother Language Day. Client:

Self. 2009. Collaboration: Marianne Schoucair.

D�> What are the challenges currently facing design

educators?

M-D�> Two of the largest challenges facing design

education are technology and technology. In the

first instance all the tools and software dumped at

design’s doorstep leave educators as the caretakers

of all the various new media and their occupations.

From websites to interactivity, video games to iPhones,

new knowledge requires more learning time for edu-

cators and students alike, as it scatters the discipline

into ever more diverse areas that we are yet to define.

The second is software-driven design. With the abun-

dance of clip-art and Google to Photoshop filters and

live trace, design students need to be very wary of how

they incorporate computer software with its ‘one-

click-tricks’ in their design process. The fact is every-

one has them, hence the homogenised blandness

we are seeing more of these days, regardless of which

corner of the globe they originate — it equates to

technological imperialism!

The design process is not an accidental indiscriminate

exercise. It is a fundamental process we hone through-

out our lives to imbue our expression with thought,

skill and emotion. It is the most vital component of

our toolbox.

Until we realise this, we will crawl in the desert of

mediocrity towards the pixelated mirage that com-

puters promise those not willing to understand the

ethos instilled in good communication and design.

D�> Any advice for students and newly-minted

designers?

M-D�> Believe in yourself, really believe in yourself,

research, work as hard as you can at the process

and not the ends, strive to realise your vision, feel

with your eyes and see with your soul.

STUBBORN HOPE. Poster for a peace

awards dinner. Client: War Resisters League.

2009. | 100% AFRICAN. Poster on identity,

dignity and solidarity. Client: Self. 2009.

29 >

Trust and believe the alluring power of the visual to

respond effectively and spiritually to challenges, so

those who cannot see through your eyes may hope-

fully be enriched by your vision.

D�> Word on the street has it that you are working

on a book. Would you care to share more?

M-D�> Yes, I am working on a book of my design phi-

losophy called ‘Creative Defiance’. Not an autobiog-

raphy, but a narrative of a young southern African,

hindered by prejudice, to discover the power of design

to defend my dignity and rights and celebrate our

diversity and humanity.

D�> If your book were destined to a wider audience

outside the design community, what would be your

primary message?

M-D�> My book will be aimed at a wider audience

in that it will not be about style but substance. Hope-

fully the message will reach and also touch cultural

workers, social and political historians, gender and

ethnic groups, social workers and anthropologists,

human rights and environmental activists, students

and most importantly, policy makers.

In short, anyone and everyone who may begin to

realise that for myself and for others, design can be

an effective weapon for social change, and the mind

can be a shield; to put a creative face on dissent.

D�> What keeps you up at night? What gets you

through the day?

M-D�> Consumerism, entitlement and the irreparable

harm we inflict on our planet and towards each other

every day.

The challenge of trying to do something about it. <

GAZA. Poster on the violence afflicting the

Palestinian people. Client: Self. 2006. | 2008?

Poster for 2008 USA elections. Client: 30

Reasons.org 2008.

30 >

WORLD AIDS DAY. Poster on AIDS

awareness. Client: Centre of Design of Rosario,

Argentina. 2007. | WARNING. Poster on

religion and politics. Client: Pegge Hopper

Gallery. 2006.

CIRCLE OF HELL. Poster for an exhibition on

human rights. Client: AIGA Boston Chapter.

Photography: Ian Murphy. 2002. | EJECT.

Poster for 2004 USA elections. Client: Various.

2004

32 >

Carin Smuts, architect extraordinaire and principal at

CS Studio Architects, believes that sustainable archi-

tecture involves way more than just using environmen-

tally friendly materials and construction techniques

and smart technology. For her, people are paramount

when it comes to sustainable architecture. She believes

that sustainability is an integrative and engaging proc-

ess that focuses on a simple concept: Local – local

material, local details, local people and local labour.

Commenting on the state of sustainable architecture

in South Africa, Smuts says, “It is sadly linked to five-

star ratings, which is a code developed in Australia.

We have totally different conditions. We believe sustain-

ability includes three aspects; environmental, social

and economical. These are interrelated to produce

holistic solutions.”

Smuts has embraced this as a mantra throughout

her professional career and in 2008 won the Global

Award for Sustainable Architecture. In the same

year she was invited to lecture at the Harvard Uni-

versity Graduate School of Design on Systems for

inclusion, as well as at the Venice Biennale. In 2009

she was invited to be keynote speaker at the 11th

Alvar Aalto Symposium themed Edge – Paracentric

Architecture, as well as to present at the Conference

Expo Habiter Ecoloqique – Cite de l’architecture et

du patrimoine. Yet, these are just a handful of her

recent accolades and since the early 90s, her practice’s

CARIN SMUTS >

33 >

work has been featured in more than 30 books and

professional journals.

Professional acclaim and media exposure do, however,

not drive Smuts’s career or that of her architecture

practice, which she founded in 1982. Her focus remains

on utilising architecture as a means of improving the

lives of people and communities and the portfolio of

over 100 completed projects is testament to that: low

cost housing, community centres, schools, prisons,

restoration of historical buildings and other renewal

projects, to mention just a few. These are surely not the

kind of projects that appeal to ambitious architects who

are intent on building grand names for themselves

because such projects mostly have small budgets and

are located in places with minor prominence such as

small towns or townships with no opportunity to design

traditional monumental structures. Yet, this is exactly

the domain where Carin Smuts thrives as a genius.

Working with small budgets, she creates sustainable

architectural magic in unusual places.

CS Studio Architects has a record of producing inno-

vative, cost-effective design solutions with a reputation

of moving beyond conventional architectural prac-

tices because of its unique approach, which involves

all stakeholders in the creative processes of plan-

ning, design and construction. The focus is on an

interactive participative process rather than solely

on an end product.

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

SHOULD IMPROVE THE LIVES

OF PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES By�Jacques�Lange

34 >

Smuts mentions two quotes that summarise the es-

sence of what CS Studio Architects explore as an archi-

tectural practice. Juhani Pallasmaa writes: “The grad-

ually growing hegemony of the eye seems to be parallel

with the development of Western ego-consciousness

and increasing separation of the self from the world.”

Secondly, Kenyan, Wa Thiong’o Ngugi, states that:

“Culture is the product of a people’s history. But it also

reflects that history, and embodies a whole set of values

by which a people view themselves and their place

in time and space.”

“I am intrigued by the African interpretation of space as

opposed to the Western European one most archi-

tects are taught.” Smuts explains: “People traditionally

lived in settlements consisting of round huts, rondawels

or structures constructed of wattle and adobe. This

lifestyle is in harmony with nature. There are many

lessons we have learnt through observing these ver-

nacular solutions.” She highlights two of these that

have particularly influenced the practice’s work:

“Firstly, the placing of the buildings in relation to each

other and the fact that the spaces in between build-

ings are the important social spaces and secondly, the

sensitive manner of painting and decorating dwellings

to express cultural identity.”

“We believe that listening provides freedom from

dominance and allows us to share our understanding

of the three-dimensional world. We have come to the

conclusion that participation leads to empowerment,

which results in more sustainable environments.

Furthermore, we believe that the implementation of

local knowledge, resources and skills also reinforces

sustainable solutions.”

Dawid Klaaste Centre, Laingsburg.

35 >

Smuts talks about a few projects

Dawid Klaaste Centre, Laingsburg, 2005

“The building of a multi-purpose centre was commis-

sioned by the Laingsburg Municipality. The brief was

to provide a space, which would stimulate economic

opportunities and provide social services.

The site was chosen after a process of consultation with

community, municipal and provincial representation. It

was an old rugby field, which had two shed-like struc-

tures. We were tasked to transform these existing

structures into a dynamic environment, which will

attract travellers and local residence alike.

The concept was developed over a series of design

meetings and the following had to be considered: the

rich environment of the area, the devastating flood

of 25 January 1981, the windmill as a symbol of the

Karoo, the water scorpion and the train. Furthermore,

we had to incorporate locally trained people in met-

alwork and electrical skills.

A concrete ramp provides outdoor access to the first

floor of the windmill structure. At the first floor of the

windmill, an old railway goods carriage has been placed

on railway tracks. The train has been designed to be a

restaurant to serve visitors. The two shed-like buildings

were taken apart. The roofs were extended to become

single, mono-pitched roofs with large overhangs that

create outdoor shaded areas at different times of the

day. The existing roofing material was re-used as vertical

cladding to the spine of the building, as well as the

newly created first floor office component.”

36 >

Helderstroom Prison, Caledon, 2008

“In 2000 the National Department of Public Works appoint-

ed CS Studio Architects in association with Sudhier Magan

Architects. It was agreed that CS Studio would do the over-

all planning and layout for the project and then take the mess recreation and sports facilities, dry goods store and fuel

station through the five work stages and Sudhier Magan

Architects would do the 79 single family HB-type houses.

The prison is an existing maximum-security facility situ-

ated on the Helderstroom farm in the Caledon District.

Existing farm structures were used for most of the recrea-

tional and public facilities. As the need for accommodation

expanded, temporary housing was provided.

The large multi-purpose centre gently straddles a few con-

tours and with shallow ramps in the building, one is hardly

aware of the level changes. The single quarter buildings

that look like ships against the landscape were designed

with a ramp in the passage but each room is at a different

level. This kept large portions of the buildings sticking out

of the ground and the buildings rather hug the ground.

The architectural language of the buildings, the colours

and detailing were mostly derived from the surrounding

farm buildings.”

Wesbank Multi-purpose Centre, 2008

“During a participatory process with the residents of the

Wesbank Community, the need for a multi-purpose centre

was identified. At the time (2000) an extremely high crime

rate and a high rate of drug abuse were tearing the com-

munity apart.

The building is made up of three main components; the

main multi-purpose space, offices and a youth area. These

spaces are held together by a foyer which allows for the dis-play of artefacts, crafts and more, and is also used for seating

and other interactive spaces. The building is small, but due

to splitting it up and juxtaposing the main elements, it ap-

pears much larger which also creates a better civic scale.

Helderstroom Prison: Mess recreation and sports facilities, dry goods store and fuel station, Caledon.

37 >

Due to the budget constraints, maxi brick – developed

for low cost housing – was used with several positive

implications: it reduces maintenance in the long term;

it also allows for a larger cavity and as a result improves

the thermal qualities of these walls; and the one-and-

a-half-brick scale also contributes in the building

appearing larger.

There are decorative ceramic murals and some colour-

ful walls that offset against the red face brick, which

give life to the street and reflect the cultural identity

of the local community.”

Wesbank Primary School, Kuilsriver, 2001

“Wesbank is a RDP housing area created to alleviate

backyard shacks in communities all over Cape Town.

It is therefore a totally new community with people

from all walks of life.

The school, situated on a square piece of reclaimed dune,

has been designed in such a way that it provides public

infrastructure as well as a learning environment. Fur-

thermore, it is an environment which, from a scale point

of view, copes with over 1 200 learners at a time and

there is diversity in the spaces being provided.

Wesbank Multi–purpose Centre.

38 >

Wesbank Primary School, Kuilsriver.

The overall concept reminds one a bit of a medieval city with a moat around it to keep out unfavourable elements (the area is known for gangsterism). This was exactly the idea, to pull the buildings away from the edges of the site and to create a learning village with the double storey classrooms for the higher primary learners and for the smaller ones, single storey classrooms. These classroom blocks are strung along a wavy walkway to form an inner public play square with the horizontal circulation and structure forming playful elements.

We also tried to provide at least five different outdoor activ-ity spaces, namely the smaller courtyards, the larger en-trance courts, the main central court with the split PT slab, then the controlled play area at the north, with the basketball and soccer fields and finally the general out-

door space around the buildings.”

Guga S’thebe Arts and Cultural Centre, Langa, 2000

“In 1996 the Langa Development Forum approached us to work on an Arts and Cultural Centre in Langa township. Firstly, household surveys were undertaken to determine the needs of the local community. Workshops were then held with various local organisations and the outcomes were taken to large public meetings. A project committee was then elected who worked with us on the development of the design.

The older generation requested a large thatch rondawel for the main multi-purpose space, while the youth insisted on a contemporary solution which would represent their ‘BMW and mobile phone’ aspirations. As a solution we designed the Golden Cone which made reference to the traditional rondawel while also being a contemporary solution for all ages.

This is clearly a post-apartheid building. In the first place it deals with the community’s needs as principle guide to the design, and secondly the response is rooted on the site. The architecture is unique but it is generically closer to the fragmentation of a squatter camp rather that the monotony

of the apartheid township.”

38 >

39 >

Guga S’thebe Arts, Culture and Heritage Village.

Past and future

Since 1982,CS Studio Architects has prac-

ticed in the poorest and most marginalised

communities. Their work during the apart-

heid era often required many years of fight-

ing to obtain land for clients even before any

building work could be considered.

In the 80s, during the state of emergency,

clients were often detained and the design

processes had to be put on hold. All the

projects worked on prior to 1994 entailed the

empowerment of communities, develop-

ment of business plans and raising the funds

for their building projects. “Strangely, this

is still the case as very little development is

happening in the poorest of the poor com-

munities and settlements of South Africa

today,” says Smuts.

When asked why she has such great pas-

sion for developmental architecture and

heritage restoration, Smuts replies: “De-

velopmental work is rewarding as people

participate and one learns from others to

produce better solutions. Restoration of

beautiful old buildings requires extensive

research to understand the history of the

building, which is something that we find

extremely stimulating.”

Reflecting on the present and future of the

architecture profession, Smuts says; “The

world today needs facilitators to restore a

balance; not only in nature but in the built

environment as well. I believe that by listen-

ing, architects can produce culturally appro-

priate, humane and dignified solutions.” <

As Hello Kitty’s bland little face stares at you from a pink backpack it’s difficult to imagine that this Japanese icon could represent something more, something significant. But cute is big and cute is most probably here to stay.

A group of five South African designers and fine artists,

all of them doing cute, are currently exhibiting at Salon

91 Contemporary Art Collection in Kloof Street, Cape

Town. The collaboration, titled The Cute Show, runs

until 26 March and represents the work of Francois

van Reenen (fine artist), Tracy Lynch (artist and decor

stylist), Geraldine Fenn (jewellery designer), Jaco

Haasbroek (artist and graphic designer), and Eric

Loubser (jewellery designer).

Fenn explains that the work on exhibit is varied and

interesting, since each artist has a different style and

a different approach to the theme of cute. The show

represents a range of media: painting, sculpture, prints,

jewellery and installation. “We all work in a language

that is inherently cute, but we use it to say different

things. I think the one thing we have in common, be-

sides the cute aesthetic, is a love for characters – our

work is very figurative and rich in personality; it’s at

the opposite end of the spectrum from abstract art.”

So what is cute all about? The best place to start is prob-

ably to look at the meaning of the word and see what

the dictionary says. The Oxford Complete Wordfinder

defines ‘cute’ as attractive or quaint, but also clever,

shrewd, crafty, ingenious or cunning. The word ‘cute’

is short for ‘acute’ – defined as keen or penetrating.

Could we conclude that there is more to cute than

meets the eye?

According to Fenn cute is generally seen as a kind of

creative approach that is all about surface and has no

depth, and is therefore not taken very seriously. “I

think it is a trend that’s growing – you can see it quite

clearly in graphic design and advertising, and it’s

strongly influenced by Japanese popular culture. Cute

is often just what it seems, but it can also have a very

dark edge, which can make it quite shocking. It is a

good vehicle for communicating violence or irony, be-

cause it is so unexpected. We have all been condi-

tioned (through animated TV programmes and movies)

to see cute characters simply as one-dimensional, col-

ourful and harmless. The work on the show in Cape

Town is distinctly cute, but also contains more com-

plexity than people might be used to.”

But cute is not everybody’s cup of tea. In an article in

Vanity Fair (December 2009), Jim Windolf laments the

fact that America has been flooded by a tsunami of

cute. “We’re drowning in puppies and kittens and

bunnies and cupcakes, transforming marketing, au-

tomobiles and movies.” Windolf continues: “Popular

culture never comes out of a vacuum. It reflects or

acts as a foil to the times. So why all the cuteness?

By�Jennie�Fourie

40 >

Cute by Francois van Reenen.

Z-A Movie Characters by Jaco Haasbroek. Print.

41 >

All pieces by Eric Loubser

Above: Silver, CZ, Ring.

Above right: Classical piece, plastic and brass.

Right: Conceptual piece, silver, 9ct gold, glass,

pearl, agate.

Left: Tickle by Francois van Reenen. Acrylic on canvas.

Right: TEEHEE by Francois van Reenen. Acrylic on canvas.

42 >

And why now? Everybody would probably agree that

the aughts have been an ugly decade. But why should

it give rise to ‘kittehs’ and ‘puppehs’?”

The origins of cute

Cute started out as a Japanese phenomenon and has

entrenched itself in Japanese culture to become a

national identity. Pikachu, a character from Pokémon,

adorns the side of three All Nippon Airways passenger

jets; the Asahi Bank uses Miffy, a character from a Dutch

series of children’s picture books, on some of its ATM

and credit cards; Japan Post uses cute mascot char-

acters on stamps and, most revealingly, some police

forces in Japan have their own moe mascots, which

sometimes adorn the front of kōban (police boxes).

The Japanese term ‘kawaii’ translates to ‘cute’ or

‘adorable’, but has become more than just a word. It

has become a sub-culture. In the Vanity Fair article

Roland Kelts, author of the 2006 book Japanamerica:

How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US, is

quoted: “One theory, which has been proposed by a lot

of Japanese artists and academics, is that, after the

humiliation and emasculation of Japan in the post-

war [WW2] years, Japan developed a quasi-queer

position of ‘little brother’ or ‘little boy’. “ The comic

character, Astro Boy, first appearing on the Japanese

manga (comic book) scene in 1952, bears out this

theory. Astro Boy, with his huge eyes and eager-to-

please personality echoes Little Boy, the nuclear

bomb that devastated Hiroshima in WW2.

It was only in the 70s that kawaii seeped into main-

stream Japanese culture. In 1974, the Sanrio Company,

then a licensed distributor of Peanuts merchandise in

Japan, came up with its own competition for Snoopy:

the blank-faced, dot-eyed character known as Hello

Kitty. Since then, Hello Kitty has, quite simply, and

quite mysteriously, refused to die.

But cute is also found in other parts of the world. It

is said that Walt Disney kept a sign on his animators’

desks that read: ”Keep it cute!” Mickey Mouse, the

most adorably cute Disney character, wasn’t always

the cutie pie he is today. The original Mickey had small-

er eyes, thinner arms and legs and a more pointed

snout – a mean little bugger if ever there was one.

Through the years Mickey became more child-like,

with larger eyes and softer features.

The transformation of Mickey from meanie to cutie

can be explained by what Austrian behavioural sci-

entist Konrad Lorenz, in his Kindchenschema in the

early 1940s, extrapolated as features that cause an

emotional reaction in people.

According to Lorenz infantile features trigger nurturing

responses in adults. This is an evolutionary adapta-

tion that helps ensure that adults care for their children,

ultimately securing the survival of the species. As

evidence, Lorenz noted that humans react more

positively to animals that resemble infants – with

big eyes, big heads, shortened noses, and more –

than to animals that do not.

Lorenz identified features such as a head that is too

large for the body, huge eyes that are placed below

the midline of the face, short, stubby limbs with fat

little hands and feet, rounded cheeks and an inherent

clumsiness. In other words: Cute.

Since Lorenz, other scientists – leaning more to-

wards the natural than the behavioural sciences –

have picked up on this phenomenon. In an article

published in February in the New Scientist magazine,

the hormone oxytocin and its effects are described:

“Oxytocin is released from the pituitary gland in the

brain, on the command of specialised nerve cells. It

has long been known to help trigger childbirth as

well as the release of milk during breastfeeding. And

in the 1980s it transpired that, in American prairie

voles (rodents) at least, the hormone promotes pair-

bonding between mates.” Researchers has since

found that oxytocin plays a role in a range of human

social interactions, including strengthening the bond

43 >

between mother and child and fostering closeness

after sex. In a 2005 article in the esteemed journal

of science, Nature, scien tists described the effect of

oxytocin. Through the intranasal administration of

oxytocin, researchers saw a substantial increase in

trust among humans, thereby greatly increasing the

benefits from social interactions.

So blame it all on our hormones. At a time when the

world is beset by violence, terror, natural disasters

and our planet is threatened by global warming and

horror, we would like to look at creatures and things

that make us say – in true South African vernacular

– “Ag, shame.”

Cute in design and art

One of the foremost proponents of cute is certainly

the 47-year-old Japanese artist/designer Takashi

Murakami whose work has become some of the

most sought-after in the world (In May 2008 My

Lonesome Cowboy, a sculpture of a masturbating boy,

sold for US $15.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction). Often

billed as the next Andy Warhol, Murakami has been

able to blur the boundaries between high and low art,

creating anything from sculptures and paintings to

key rings and cell phone caddies.

One of Murakami’s most delightful creations is DOB,

a creature he described as follows: “DOB is a self-

portrait of the Japanese people – he is cute but has

no meaning and understands nothing of life, sex, or

reality.” The artist has also been responsible for creating

the post-modern art movement, superflat. Murakami

uses ‘superflat’ to refer to various flattened forms in

Japanese graphic art, animation, pop culture and fine

arts, as well as the “shallow emptiness of Japanese

consumer culture”.

According to Jeff Howe, in an article in Wired magazine,

Murakami is now president of Kaikai Kiki, an art-making

corporation that operates from a campus of build-

ings known as the Hiropon Factory, outside Tokyo,

as well as a studio in Brooklyn. “Murakami owes

much of his success to the highly efficient Hiropon

Factory. Hardly a reclusive artist toiling in his garret

studio, he employs 25 assistants to perform special-

ised tasks, and he uses technology in pragmatic,

labour-saving ways. Because his work features a

number of recurring motifs – eyeballs, mushrooms,

flowers – the factory maintains an immense electronic

archive of renderings that he can cut and paste into

the files he’s working on. Murakami may be the first

artist to make paintings from his own portfolio of

digital clip art. “

“Each creation begins as a sketch in one of numerous

pocket-sized notebooks. Full-size drawings are then

scanned into the computer. From there, Murakami

‘paints’ his works in Adobe Illustrator, tweaking the

composition and cycling through thousands of

colors until at last he hands the finished versions off

to his assistants. His staff then prints out the work

on paper, silk-screens the outline onto canvas, and

commences painting. Without this embrace of tech-

nology, Murakami says, “I could have never pro-

duced this many works this efficiently, and the work

wouldn’t be as intense’.”

View his work at: http://www.takashimurakami.com

Cute jewellery

Dutch-born jewellery designer, Felieke van der

Leest, builds her iconic jewellery on cute. Shift, the

Japan-based online magazine featuring creative cul-

ture, describes her design process as buying a toy

or animal from a catalogue, taking it apart and weld-

ing it into a new form, combining it with precious

metal and then dressing it in hand-knitted clothes.

Her characters each come with a story. There is a

panda mermaid called Pregnant Panda with an an-

gora sweater which pays homage to Coco Chanel, a

moody zebra, called Super Freak Zebra with Egyp-

tian wall painting and a super freak hairstyle, a pen-

guin with a short-man syndrome called Rocky the

44 >

rock penguin, alias the Stork, that longs to extend its

wings like Presley. Van der Leest is currently exhibiting

her work in a group exhibition titled Schmuck, in

Munich, Germany.

And finally …

The last words should perhaps go to Takashi Murakami,

who, in an interview in Flash Art magazine had the

following to say about the allure of cute: “How do

babies survive? How do they convince their tired

mothers to get out of bed at 3 in the morning and let

them pull at their nipples? It’s because babies are

cute. Scientific studies have pointed out that large

heads and eyes, along with small noses and mouths,

are a commonly found pattern of babies across sev-

eral different species. I’m just appealing to the

parenting instinct in my audience.” <

Selection of rings by Geraldine Fenn.

Brooches, sterling silver & found object by Geraldine Fenn.

Bracelets Boney & Plastic buttons

by Geraldine Fenn.

45 >

46 >

Bokkie Shoes

Bokkie began a few years ago as a concept – essentially a challenge to myself to

find a definition for the ‘new’ South Africa. How were my peers defining themselves?

What cultural icons were they bringing with them into the future? Which were they

disregarding? What blends of cultural iconography were happening in place of what

had once been barriers? How was this rainbow nation growing up? This enquiring

narrative can be seen in the design, the shoes, the materials and the photography.

Designed in collaboration with Sarah Groves and Alistair Palmer.

47 >

D > Can you tell us more about where Crystal comes from?

CC > I grew up in Zimbabwe. My father is South African and my mother Dutch,

which meant that I grew up with this ultra-liberal view of the world, only realising

in my teens that the reality was more along the lines of George Orwell’s “All

animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. Growing up

in Africa taught me to appreciate simple things like feeling the earth under my

feet. I like to be barefoot; something I’ve found is quite rare in Europe –people

seem frightened to see their sockless feet.

D > Why did you choose to base yourself in Lisbon rather than in Africa?

CC > Easy answer: I fell in love. With a man, and then with his city. I like smaller

cities, with more trees, more birds, more time for conversation...One of the strongest

emotional links I carry with me are the Jacaranda-lined avenues of Harare. I

found them again in Durban where I settled for some time, intuitively searching

until I found them again in Lisbon.

BAREFOOT & ALLBy�Anri�Theron

She describes herself as a collector of memories, colours, thoughts

and smells; a curator of conversations and a researcher of everything

under the sun. Crystal Campbell’s poetic design is the culmination

of a life lived without boundaries, under the open sky, meticulously

taking in everything around her. Her design philosophy is about a

way of working hard but playfully, treating people like they matter,

researching by asking the right questions and about collaborations.

Crystal tells us where she comes from, where she currently is and

where she is going.

D > Where and what did you study and why did you choose to do

your Masters at Central Saint Martins in London?

CC > I attended what was then the Cape Tech to pursue my Graphic

Design BA (Hons). My Masters came about after a two-week placement

at Fabrica [Italy], which was a creative-experience-adventure that

sparked a personal epiphany to consciously move beyond graphic

design and exploring areas of human interaction and spaces, using

(but not limited to) design. The head of the Environmental Studio

there suggested the Creative Practise for Narrative Environments

course at Central Saint Martins. I walked into the bathrooms on the

first day and saw the name of the school written across the mirror

and got shivers. I was so excited.

D > How have your African roots influenced your creative work?

CC > Wide open spaces, endless blue skies, sunny days, rivers to

swim in, outdoor kid games, campfires... There was this intense

interaction with nature that was part of the ordinary fabric of daily

life and helped form a great imaginative space for me. I can’t say

exactly how that translates into typeface decisions and Pantone

choices, but it does translate deep into the fabric of one’s judge-

ments. I like to think my design offers a less clichéd form of com-

munication. I call it poetic design, where the meaning of a product

or service is more open ended, the consumer being regarded as an

existential curator or co-producer or invited participant.

D > How did Bokkie Shoes come about?

CC > My first pair of school shoes were handmade by Mike White,

a graphic artist in Zimbabwe. Apparently I briefed him on exactly how

I would like them to look. I loved those shoes. Bokkie came about in

a culmination of mini-ideas going right back to the early Cape Tech

days where I put my energy into daydreaming shoes. In 2001 I came

across some shwe-shwe samples from the 1970s in my mother’s

vast fabric collection. I loved their graphic simplicity/complexity so

I stored them away for later. During my period in Durban working

for Neil Roake at Modern Museum, I noticed how shwe-shwe was

being used around me to define cultural origins, giving a sense of

self to the wearer and becoming a cross-cultural statement.

Our vision for Bokkie has several facets – from a conceptual fascina-

tion to define and capture what’s happening around us as we speak,

48 >

Masters Of Gesture, MA graduate project

for Central Saint Martins, London. Depic-

tion of five visual scenarios of intuitive

gestural technology designed in collabo-

ration with sleight of hand magicians and

set in the near future, using persona de-

velopment, with illustration and scenarios

written as journals for prototype testing.

Narratives designed in collaboration with

Matt Pike.

Tangible Connectivity by NearInteraction for Future Labs

Visual Experiences of the Future (Portuguese Communica-

tions Foundation). Functioning as the initiatory point of the

Portuguese Lisbon based exhibition, Tangible Connectivity

was a metaphorical team player game: Touch the wall and

you become part of a with an interconnection of similar

friends all jostling for attention. Exploring the multi-touch

gestural concepts of touch to activate, pinch to enlarge and

scroll to select within a multi-user environment, combined

with the interaction concepts of user identity, networks, and

behavioural lifespan.

49 >

Collateral material for ‘Eco Resorts of the Future’ Workshop 2008 for Arup

Foresight Innovation and Incubation (London/Tanzania).

Using persona development techniques from Narrative Ecology, a set of

five characters was created living in a range of eco resort scenarios set

in the near future in Tanzania. The cards were designed to create inter-

nal narratives bringing coherence to the workshop research themes,

making patterns and developing linkages. Written and designed in collabo-

ration with Nadia Troeman and Niharika Hariharan. The workshop was

headed by futurologist Chris Luebkeman.

London College Of Fashion Graduate

Exhibtion 2009 by NearInteraction.

The 2009 Graduate Exhibition dis-

played six centralised multi-touch

tables with integrated object recog-

nition to unveil the 570 student

portfolios. Activating a portfolio once

a card is placed on the table, visitors

could use their hands to move, zoom

and rotate the portfolio work.

50 >

to being able to translate this into each season’s new trends. We

aim to release a new limited edition line every 18 months that captures

the spirit of the moment. This year we have started looking into and

accepting proposals from individuals who are interested in creative

collaborations with Bokkie.

D > What is the magic element that makes these products unique?

CC > The Babydoll is a simple unpretentious closed shoe. The com-

bination of this traditional shoe shape with the shwe-shwe is a simple

idea. There is nothing particularly clever about the idea – simplicity

is good thing, it’s also a unique thing in this world of over designed.

People like it. Simplicity and South Africa.

We do our best to add value in terms of social and environmental issues.

The soles are made of recycled materials, while the cloth components

are made of 100% cotton shwe-shwe produced by Da Gama Textiles.

The shoes are assembled as part of an employment creation initiative.

We are small, but we like it that way. We can offer more personalised

services like custom-choosing shwe-shwe and now we are exploring

the possibility of designing onto the shoe canvas.

D > Has there been international interest in the Bokkie Shoes range?

CC > We frequently get international enquiries from various countries

covering all continents, for all sorts of ventures ranging from fairs

to boutique African-themed shops to designer collections.

D > You have used social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr

as the primary media channels for your marketing efforts. Why did

you choose these?

CC > Being part of the Flickr, Twitter, Facebook and Etsy communities

allows us to become our audience, to have conversations at the same

level, joining to share ideas if you will. As our level of consumer

understanding increases, so does the knowledge of how best to

reach them.

D > Can you tell us more about the new football-inspired range of

shoes, which is endorsed by several South African football clubs?

CC > This is our second range due to launch just before the World

Cup. South African football insignia and the colourful supporters’

51 >

I Wish I Could Stop Wishing For

Things for The Space (Durban,

South Africa). Taking inspiration

from the humid tropical flowers,

spam, sunbirds...

52 >

gear inspire it. The range consists of four designs and a different local

football club involved for each. To have their support is fantastic; they

have been very receptive to our design ideas.

D > It’s 16 years since South Africa became a democratic country.

What does the new South Africa mean to you today and what role

can creative entrepreneurs play in its future development?

CC > South African design is very exciting; it’s dynamic constantly

defining, refining. It is important to take the positive things from the

past and develop them to meet the transforming society. We will

never lose our rich history and will continue to draw to on it as inspi-

ration, but I hope we will learn to use our design to begin to create

solutions of healing for our social situations. South Africa is a state

of mind and it’s up to you to choose where you would like to focus.

D > You recently embarked on developing a charity dimension for

Bokkie Shoes. Can you tell us more?

CC > Bokkie teamed up with a Central Saint Martins friend of mine

to create the Wandering Feet project. This emerged from Wandering

Geography, created by Niharika Hariharan to encourage people to

explore their cities based on their interests and intuition instead of

following routes and maps. So, the deal is, Bokkie donates 200 white

canvas boots and we are appealing to artists, illustrators, dreamers

and designers from all over the world to use these templates to explore

their city and record their wanderings through their footprints, using

the white canvas of the Bokkie Shoes boot. After creation, the shoes

are uploaded to Flickr and stored digitally until the project ends (once

200 shoes have been created), and then we will initiate an auctioning

party on eBay, where all proceeds are sent as a donation to a South

African charity of the artist’s choice.

D > Can you tell us more about The Earth is Not Flat initiative.

CC > The Earth is Not Flat is essentially a digital storage vault for projects

using the Narrative Ecology methodology. Narrative Ecology states that

in order for meaningful dialogues to occur in design, the entities and

interactions between the parts depend on a designer’s intimate knowl-

edge of the environment that connects and surrounds us. It came about

as a personal desire to understand exactly what ‘Creative Practice for

Narrative Environments’ meant to me, what knowledge I was going

to take out of the course, how it would apply to my creative process.

VJ Projects.

‘The End is Near’ was one of the

many live VJ performances created

using mixed media visuals –

anything from paper cut out

figurines to chopped vegetables.

Performed in collaboration with

Anthony Buckland.

53 >

D > Why did you choose ‘Masters of Gesture’ as your MA project?

CC > I am interested in interfaces of both the physical and virtual

worlds, and how these have begun to overlap as technology progresses

and allow us to begin to influence, and effect, and be affected by,

the digital realm. For ‘Masters of Gesture’ I chose to combine three

areas of interest, technology and interaction design with scenario

forecasting and narrative research and testing techniques.

Working with interaction designers and media artists at Tinker.it!

(London), Eyebeam (New York) and NearInteraction (Lisbon), while

studying provided me with in-depth insight into the interaction indus-

try’s psyche at present. I perceived an intense desire for interaction with

computers without the constraints of tangible objects; an ability to com-

municate with our bodies, using our limbs, our gestures, our expressions.

D > Who and what inspire you?

CC > Both my parents have inspired me enormously. My inspirations

at the moment are really focused on ecological changes and employ-

ing narrative to create forecasting for scenarios that might make a dif-

ference. It’s time to integrate future-shaping with ecological, techno-

logical and people-based thinking and design, to break down boundaries

and to design – enticing people to embrace conceptual shifts.

D > When you’re feeling uninspired, how do you re-inspire yourself?

CC > I don’t push myself. If I’m not in the mood I simply don’t do it.

However, if you have a deadline for a really boring logo, green tea and

cookies work magic. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is always an inspi-

ration: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits

of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

D > What is in stall for Crystal in the near future?

CC > I work alongside my partner Diogo Terroso at NearInteraction.

The work at NearInteraction is a good example of what I believe the

essence of design should be; interacting with all our senses, what you

hear, and see, and touch, and feel, to add new levels of complexity

to the experience. I hope to develop ‘Narrative Ecology’ further

with a PhD. <

By�Kelda�van�Heerden

54 >

Let me start off by saying that I

don’t do TV. And by that I mean I

haven’t owned, watched or plugged

one in, of my own volition, for nearly

four years. Our executive producer

has always found this somewhat at

odds with our business practice,

given that the pitch which I created

and of which I shared delivery nearly

16 months ago, secured the rights

to the holistic branding strategy and

information design of an entirely new

cross-media broadcast channel in

South Africa, now known as VUZU.

TV is dead. It was a sentiment to

which I subscribed because I felt

that the non-linearity and modularity

of the Internet has fundamentally

altered the landscape of media con-

sumption and distribution. It was

the sentiment I also happily shared

as part of my pitch to a boardroom

of goggle-eyed channel representa-

tives who somehow were still con-

vinced to sign us up after I said it.

Our departure point with the channel

design was to address a new genera-

tion of culturally mobile and tech-

engrossed Africans – the Stunner-

wearing, afro-bouffant sporting,

popsicle-coloured street renegades

– a movement which, as Bongani

Madondo recently wrote, “is no

movement at all, unbound by group

dynamics and external pressure…

[where] they don’t seem to share (or

need) a cultural stimulus”. With its

planned cross-continental expan-

sion, the cultural and technological

(which these days can be freely inter-

changed with social) potential of

the channel was highly significant.

Design and technology, or rather

technology-based communication

systems, are heavily inter-related.

Design is now employed, perhaps

in its most important guise yet, by

developers in the realm of personal

digital communication. The success

of an idea is often solely deter-

mined by the degree of adoption,

and more importantly, its continued

evolution by the users themselves.

Forum discussions, opinion polls

and other open-source collaborative

processes are largely influencing

the continual shaping of communi-

cation platforms such as Facebook

and the various Google offerings,

among others.

Here, open source design takes ef-

fect in not only the structural archi-

tecture of such online products, but

also in terms of administrative or

legislative concerns – privacy rights

and terms of use, more specifically.

The adoption of open-source Linux

systems by certain local govern-

mental entities seems to indicate, if

remotely, that traditional legisla-

ture might well, theoretically, go

the same way. It fits with my similar

55 >

56 >

argument that open model collab-

orative research projects such as

Wikipedia should be instated as a

credible form of referencing under

the premise that peer review and

the common knowledge base

amongst the common user should

act as ballast to traditional aca-

demic methods.

Design as an open-source practice

seems to indicate an alteration to,

and not necessarily the demise of,

authorship as it may have been

conceived of a decade ago. Google’s

Ji Lee seems to indicate as much in

a recent conference speech where

he discussed how the singular

author – the designer – has been

replaced by the collaborative unit

within design processes. The Inter-

net has irrevocably positioned de-

sign as an inherently open-model

activity regardless, given the satu-

ration of publicly accessible port-

folios, aggregate sites featuring

everything from best of breed

agencies to instances of equally

publicised lists of advertising

and branding failure. The playing

field is now so highly published

that the online medium really is

Zeitgeist made digital flesh.

Additionally, professional capacities

traditionally separate and attend-

ant to design practice seem to in-

creasingly overlap into the space

traditionally occupied by creatives.

Or perhaps the designer’s role is ex-

panding to include the scope tradi-

tionally occupied by these related

professions. Often in the design

processes tied to VUZU, contribu-

tions – from both client and inter-

nal agency perspectives – from

editorial staff, producers, publicity,

marketing, and especially new

media would become valid design

nodes to work around. Often my

role would resolve itself in assessing

design considerations put forward

by multiple players, and finding a

median point between it all.

Design, as defined (or undefined)

as it is within the realm of digital

media and communication, is thus

a contested and, as I have found,

often-alienating experience. A

large part of me still longs for the

tangibility (and the singularity of

being acknowledged in the credit

list) of the publication and indus-

trial design object. The same way

I sometimes wish I still owned a

library card and a book bag instead

of consulting another 72dpi PDF

on an online resource.

The second part of my discussion

moves to the concept of media

convergence and, intersecting it

with my working experiences of a

media convergent product, ques-

tioning specifically whether Africa

can truly support such a develop-

ment at this stage

Media convergence in traditional

broadcast is fundamentally ham-

pered by the inability to reflect or

simulate in traditional television

the structure and user interaction

General branding elements.

Design for bumpers transitioning into programming.

56 >

of the Internet. Also, restrictive

broadcast legislation often makes

transposing television content into

the online environment impossible. I

say “traditional television”, because

media convergence is obviously far

more evident in the movement to-

wards pay-per-view or video on

demand, as well as return-path

initiatives – even though the ubiq-

uitous text-to-tv angle is about as

interactive as it sometimes gets

here. On the other hand, Twitter

also started as a seemingly equally

inane exercise in personal micro-

publicity, and today no self-respecting

brand can go without tweeting about

their latest marketing agenda.

In a mall in Nairobi, a shop owner

casually sold disked copies of

Desperate Housewives labelled in

permanent marker to twenty-

somethings hungry for pirated

American series but unable to

download them through their own

sluggish middle to upper class

home connections. Aside from

clearly pointing to the deficit in Afri-

ca’s digital playing field, this also

highlighted that all Gen Ys clearly

have the same sense of entitlement

to free or virtually free illegally

sourced media content, no matter

where in the world you go.

Given the potential for Africa to cope

with a technological generation leap

– as has been evidenced in the mas-

sive market penetration of cellular

technology on the continent, as spo-

ken about by Ray Kurzweil – one of

57 >

Logo installation used in shooting channel branders.

the saddest fallouts of unreliable

connectivity for the African youth

market is the lack of publication and

accessibility of information around

groundbreaking cultural output.

One finds it easy enough to consult

a Pitchforkmedia-type site about

the best Canadian albums of 2009,

but where can you access the really

killer stuff from Libreville, Abuja,

Dakar or Gaborone, which would

quite likely be far more original than

anything coming from the traditional

centres of popular culture.

The biggest potential I saw for VUZU

was the ability for it to function as a

platform for African creative output,

the exchanging of information and

critique, cross-continentally, about

fashion, music, design, art, content,

ideas. Even in its simplest iteration

of SMS interactivity, it could still

exploit the power and reach of

television, with the communica-

tive potential of mobile technology.

The project we developed on agency-

level to somewhat renegotiate this

gap was an initiative called Heard on

the Streets, a series of unmediated,

recorded sessions documenting

overheard dialogues around the

real, street-level issues concerning

this new African generation Y.

One of my principal interests in

structuring the communication

strategy behind VUZU, was the

building of niche marketing strands,

along the line of ARG instances. ARG

(Alternate Reality Game) refers to a

convergent media concept where

‘Heard on the streets’ sessions.

58 >

multiple participants interactively

author a narrative across multiple

media platforms, including the

real world – although most of the

narrative is formulated and played

out in the online environment. My

interest in ARG lies specifically in

its more recent application as a

niche marketing tool in the enter-

tainment sphere, as is evidenced

best in the work of Pasadena-

based 42 Entertainment, which

used ARG models to create intense-

ly complex viral marketing strands

for products such as Nine Inch Nails

Year Zero, The Dark Knight and

Halo 2.

The nature of ARG marketing initia-

tives is highly fluid and intuitive,

where the company engineering

the narrative will intentionally

conceal coded messaging in both

real-world and digital environ-

ments, under the premise that in

media-saturated landscapes,

niche markets will actively seek

out hidden messaging specific to

their lifestyles. There is usually a

potential failure factor inherent

in the strategy, especially where

the narrative is intentionally hand-

ed over to participants themselves

to further and determine the direc-

tion of the game.

I mention ARGs here, as the concept

possibly displays the highest and

most matured form of convergent

media practice – where multimedia,

real-world participation and, im-

portantly, a precedence on the open

source design model – meet to

create meaning for niche markets.

It takes the form of an ‘engineered

meme’, and its survival and success

resides in the hope that it will bear

relevance to its intended market

well enough to be authored by the

participants themselves.

My interest in ARGs in context of

my work on VUZU extends to ques-

tion how well the concept can fit

with the dynamics of the African

youth market. The potential for con-

vergent media to take hold and have

relevance within the African youth

context is seemingly massive, espe-

cially given the ready market pen-

etration of cellular technology

within the continent. And certainly,

Africa must contain ripe niche

communities within the youth

market, if the divergence of sub

cultural instances within South

Africa is anything to go by. And as

equally as ARG marketing employs

or exploits micro-communities to

spread its targeted messaging, it

also galvanizes and stimulates

those communities and their cul-

tural output by creating dialogue

points within them.

However, ARG models are frequent-

ly grounded in the premise that

they are seeded within environ-

ments of high broad-based media

density and saturation – the theory

being that youth markets in these

areas function under such high de-

grees of media sensitivity and

selectivity that hidden and coded

59 >

messaging is more readily sought

out by the market due to its rele-

vance. Within the African context,

South Africa may be exceptional

as a relatively isolated instance of

a highly urbanised and media-

dense locale, and therefore may be

unique in its potential to exploit

niche marketing exercises and

ARG narrative models.

VUZU seemed a highly powerful

brand to implement even low-level

ARG marketing strategies to access

and build niche communities with-

in South Africa, and potentially

other more urbanized areas within

the continent. However, the major

challenge with successful conver-

gent media marketing exercises

seems to lie in how consistently a

brand communication is dissemi-

nated through the various plat-

forms it seeks to employ. It requires

highly streamlined brand processes

and constancy, or rather, dovetail-

ing of messaging. Generation Y

seems to be a market that quite

readily engages in as many – or as

few – communication nodes as it

chooses, while simultaneously ex-

pecting highly relevant content at

any such point, however small, at

which it chooses to engage.

TV is dead. I still don’t own or ac-

tively choose to engage with tel-

evision. I still don’t own any sat-

ellite subscription and am still

not completely au fait with the

mechanics of PVR. The linearity of

television’s structure, and the often

broadly (and thickly) applied mar-

keting messages it contains feel as

strangely uncomfortable to me now

as they did several years ago. I expe-

rienced the same discomfort with

the medium for several months af-

ter securing the pitch to the chan-

nel information design, and to

some degree, perhaps still do.

Part of this discomfort stems, I

believe, from the knowledge that

the designerly urge towards indi-

vidual authorship is almost im-

mediately compromised by the

‘public domain’ nature of what

one outputs. It is disseminated,

consumed and so easily rendered

disposable, on such a large scale

and so publicly, that it can often

be quite a disturbing experience.

Intangibility and obsolescence

define the range and lifespan of

one’s physical work and one has

to take comfort that in some

strange, if indiscernible way, one

has somehow altered the visual

and conceptual landscape of many

people.

Retrospectively, however, I can

discern that many of my more hard-

line assumptions about the medium

were misplaced or skewed. Time

magazine showed a recent study

that indicated American teenagers

Elements of analogue interference incorporated into logo animations.

Summer branding.

60 >

still spend far more time engaged

with the medium than even cellular

or Internet usage. Which means that

while it’s nowhere near its deathbed

yet, television’s traditional allot-

ment of daily time-spend has been

eroded by products that function

on very different structural and

navigational levels.

TV isn’t dead, but it needs to accom-

modate itself rapidly to a changing

landscape of how we interface with

information most comfortably. True

media convergence, and allowing

viewers to become active partici-

pants in shaping where, how and of

what their experiences comprise,

through open source design models,

is a powerful idea. For Africa espe-

cially, it represents better individual

control over media, a means of ac-

cessing and sustaining niche youth

communities, and disseminating in-

formation about what young Afri-

cans are doing, to one another as

well as the world. I hope that VUZU

can fulfil these kinds of desperately

needed requirements.

About Kelda

Kelda van Heerden works as creative

director at Eject Media in Johannes-

burg, which engages with various

identity and communication strategy

projects, moreover in the digital

and broadcast design domains. <

61 >

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64 >

MK Bruce Lee magazine, Issue 3.

By�Jacques�Lange

Never one to hold back his opinions or creative expressions and a visionary who often shuns conventions, Peet Pienaar has always been a creative activist. He has been on the forefront of the South African creative scene even before he opted to cross over from fine arts to practice design full-time. He made his big debut onto the local fine art scene in 2000 by documenting his circumcision and presenting the appendage as a work of art in a Perspex box accompanied by a three-monitor video installation showing the medical procedure close-up. This surely proved his courage and creative conviction. I.D. magazine said: “He used to work with his body. Now he stands behind a body of work.”

In 2004 delegates attending the Design Indaba conference in Cape

Town arrived at Peet Pienaar’s talk and were promptly directed to a

glass atrium overlooking a gravel lot below that featured a mosaic

portrait of 17-year-old Zvidzai Mutarisi. Out of nowhere, a car appeared,

scattered the mosaic and disappeared swiftly, leaving the audience

staring at a dust cloud. I.D. magazine reported that “Back in the audi-

torium, his solid, sportsman-like frame tucked into a dark suit, Pienaar

introduced himself to the crowd. ‘Art’, he said, bored him – ‘design

offered far greater possibilities’.”

Pienaar proceeded with an explanation: “Every year some 200 children

go missing from Cape Town’s townships. Often their parents are too

poor to produce street posters with the children’s images.” So,

Pienaar designed a pro bono for Mutarisi, a teenage runaway. In fact,

it was Mutarisi’s disappearance into a distressing urban landscape

that had inspired Pienaar to represent him in the mosaic and stage the

stunt with the car. The installation had high emotional impact and

reflected Pienaar’s approach to get messages across in unusual ways.

He says: “I felt that art had became stale and you only reach a very

small group of people. The mass market was very attractive to me.

I also think that the design world is much more supportive and less

political than the art world. I really don’t see myself as a persona so

I don’t feel a need to cope with anything more than any other person.”

Since then, Pienaar has carved an impressive niche for himself as

one of Africa’s – and one of the world’s – most innovative designers

who utilises the power of communication design to affect change to

old conventions and rumble the stale bones of conformity.

65 >

Pienaar was a founder of the acclaimed consultancy, Daddy buy me

a pony, which had garnered an armful of local and international

awards in just a few years. The company dissolved when Pienaar’s

business partner decided to relocate to New York and in April

2008, he established The President, with partner Hannerie Visser.

Visser says: “We looked at many different names, but ended up

liking ‘The President’ the most. Peet wanted a name that would go

with our company’s contemporary African style.”

The President’s client list now includes Comme des Garcon (Japan),

DStv (SA), Virgin Wines (UK), Tribeca Coffee (SA), Afro Coffee (Division

of Red Bull, Austria), Hands on Wine (SA) and Médecins Sans Fron-

tiéres, amongst others.

Yet, it is in the publishing field where The President has thrived in

recent times. For The President, a magazine is not a structure that is

linear and perfectly bound. Rather, it is an interactive experience

that needs to be engaged with in a lateral manner and they tap deeply

into the unique talents, skills and experiences of their team.

Visser explains: “I’m from a magazine publishing background. I

was group publisher of a few mags at New Media Publishing. The

amazing creative team and the clients we work with drive me. It is

great working with clients who trust us and give us creative carte

blanche, but sometimes it is also good to work with restraints and

tight briefs. Peet designed one of our issues when I was at Visi

magazine. That issue was one of Visi’s best sellers ever and won a

lot of awards. Daddy Buy Me a Pony was also Visi’s ad agency

when I was the publisher and we worked together really well. I’ve

always admired Peet’s ability to push creative boundaries and his

African-inspired design.”

Highlights from the company’s publishing portfolio include MK

Bruce Lee magazine for MK, the popular DStv music channel that

appointed The President to develop an unconventional magazine

concept targeting the youth between 18–24. MK Bruce Lee is packaged

in a ‘lucky packet’ format and the first issue contained a 128-page

handbook with A-Z guidelines on how to start your own band, plus

1.

2.

66 >

1. MK Bruce Lee magazine for MK, Issue 3.

2. MK Bruce Lee magazine for MK, Issue 4.

3. MK Bruce Lee magazine for MK, Issue 2.

4. MK Bruce Lee magazine for MK, Issue 5.

3.

4.

67 >

Poster of the featured artists in Coco Issue 1

Cover for Joe Issue 1 Poster of the featured artists in Joe Issue 1

68 >

Cover for Coco Issue 1

Poster back.

signed posters from top South Africa bands including Van Coke Kartel,

aKing and Jax Panik and postcards of South African music industry

heroes and fun stickers.

Hunter Kennedy, guitarist and lyricist for the revolutionary Afrikaans

rock band, Fokofpolisiekar, edits the magazine. Kennedy is widely

respected among peers and fans alike for his relevant and intelligent

lyrics, challenging and shifting Afrikaans mindsets.

Pienaar’s idea to segment the magazine for its diverse audience by

creating MK Bruce, a lucky packet specifically for guys and MK Lee, a

lucky packet for girls, gives MK the opportunity to create tailor-made

content for the different gender groups. This also gives advertisers the

opportunity to reach the individual market needs with differentiating

stickers, postcards, samples and vouchers included in the magazine.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response from the MK audience,”

says Haddad Viljoen, marketing and publicity manager for MK and kykNET.

“Over 1 000 members joined the MK Bruce Lee Group on Facebook with-

in two weeks after we launched the fan site. We are very excited about

this unique brand extension where there is clearly a gap for an innovative

and unique magazine with a specific focus on music, the shared passion

of our target audience,” says Viljoen.

In May 2009 MK Bruce Lee scooped a silver CLIO statue at the 50th

Annual CLIO Awards in the Editorial Design category and it was also

nominated for a One Show Design Award in New York, where The President

received a Merit Award. Other accolades include a Gold Pendoring in

2008 for Best Communication Design. In addition, Pienaar also holds

the honour of being first South African to win a CLIO GRAND PRIX in

2006, awarded in the Editorial Design category for Afro Magazine and

in 2007 he won a GOLD Ozzie Award (New York) for the Best Magazine

cover design.

The President now also produces a quarterly magazine, Coco Joe, launched

in mid-2009 as a brand extension for Channel O, Africa’s premier music

channel on DStv. Similar to MK Bruce Lee, Coco Joe is segmented with

half the print run appealing to females (Coco) and the other half to

males (Joe) and packaged in a VIP ‘lucky packet-style’ format. The launch

issue featured posters of some of South Africa’s biggest names in the

entertainment industry including DJ Sbu, Pro, DJ Waxxy, Khanyi Mbau,

Lira and Kelly Khumalo.

Poster back.

69 >

In 2009 The President decided to spread its wings and opened an

office in Buenos Aires. Visser explains: “We were attracted by the

similarities between us and Argentina – both ex-colonial, developing

and southern hemisphere countries. People responded amazingly

to our design approach in Argentina. Sometimes people say we are

too cutting edge for mainstream clients in South Africa but in Argen-

tina mainstream clients really love us.”

Pienaar and Visser joined forces with Manuel Franzini, former market-

ing executive at MTV Latin America who is now managing director

of The President Latinámerica.

Six months after opening the office in Buenos Aires, they decided to

take their southern hemisphere collaboration to the next level by

hosting the first annual Toffie Popular Culture Festival in Cape

Town. The festival will be held in Cape Town at Rondebosch Boys

High School from 26 to 28 March 2010.

“The idea is to create a platform for skills exchange between two very

similar countries, both in the southern hemisphere, ex-colonial and

with developing economies. All of the speakers, exhibitors and

musicians will have very strong links with either Africa or South

America,” says Pienaar.

Speakers include Jorge Alderete, graphic designer from Mexico,

Seba Valdivia and Pablo Gonzalez Diaz (Argentina), co-owners of

Trimarchi, the biggest design conference in the world, Kim Jones,

creative director for Alfred Dunhill in London, Wynand Myburgh

from local bands Fokofpolisiekar and Van Coke Kartel and Sean

Saylor, VP for Creative MTV Latin America.

The festival will open with an exhibition including work by Distur-

bance Studio, The Curators, Crank, The President and Brandt Bots.

The President is also hosting a party with performances by local

bands BLK JKS and Van Coke Kartel and Manta Ray from Argentina.

The Toffie popular culture festival is officially supported by the

cities of Cape Town and Buenos Aires, as well as the South African

embassy in Argentina. The ambassador for South Africa in Argentina,

Tony Leon, has also invited The President to host the festival in

Buenos Aires later in 2010 as part of the city of Buenos Aires’s bi-

centennial celebrations.

Poster for an exhibition in Argentina.

Joe Issue 2

70 >

Poster for a music festival in Argentina.

The President team draws inspiration from a vast pool of sources.

Pienaar and Visser say that they particularly admire the work of Job

van Bennekom “…he made designers editors of magazines and his

interviews in Butt and Fantastic Man are really inspiring.” They also

mention Richard de Jager – “… he is the best stylist in the world.”

Furthermore, they say that “food is hugely inspiring to us and so

too, non-conscious design like prison tattoos and doodles on

train seats.”

In describing their unique design philosophy, Pienaar and Visser

say: “Don’t copy, be inspired by things around us, and ‘maak

mooi’ [beautify].” They also say that they do not have a specific

mission that they want to accomplish. “… When we get one,

please stop us.” <

Coco Issue 2

71 >

Shoe poster and shoe and watch made up.

Just A Band. “It’s

always fun shooting

the band. I usually

shoot Bill and Daniel

one by one, then

shoot myself using

the self-timer to

complete the trio.”

72 >

JIM CHUCHU>STORIES & MUSIC THAT

COMBINE IDEAS FOR AFRICA’S FUTURE By�Jacques�Lange

73 >

Never one to be pinned down to practicing in just one

specialised creative field, Jim Chuchu’s oeuvre covers

IT, music, graphic and web design, photography, digital

art, art direction for commercials and music videos, and

most recently, directing short films. He is also an accom-

plished musician and member of the popular Kenyan

band, Just A Band. Chuchu shares his multidiscipli-

nary creative endeavours in an exclusive interview

with DESIGN>.

D > Tell us about your early years and how you ended

up working in so many creative domains.

JC > I was born in Nairobi. I don’t think I was a creative

child in the normal sense of the word. I spent a lot of time

reading books and listening to music. I was fascinated

by movies, and I enjoyed taking things apart and putting

them back together but I only began to seriously con-

sider dabbling in making these things when I was 14

or so.

I got a BSc in IT and immediately went to work as a

graphic designer at an ad agency called Red Sky – I’d

been dabbling with design since I first started working

with Photoshop in 2001, so I showed them my doodles

and they were impressed enough to employ me.

I worked there for all of six months. I hated it, the pay

sucked and the work sucked, so I left. I then decided

to become a freelance designer and did all kinds of

graphic design and web work (mostly for events and

album covers).

74 >

I’ve always wanted to make films, so I thought photography

would be a step in that direction. I took a loan from my brother

to buy a digital camera (I’ve never shot on film) and started

shooting friends.

One of my web design clients is the model, Liz Ogumbo, so

when I got a camera I asked her if I could shoot her one day.

She was cool with that, and the photos turned out interesting

(NOW I think they’re quite silly). I slowly began getting more

photography work, so I ditched the design work (which paid

less and took much longer to finish).

Most of the photography work I got was from musicians. I

acquired a reputation for highly stylised photos (and too

much airbrushing, ha!), which then got the interest of the

ad agencies – so I started to get advertising work. Then

began a chain of events – from one job to another – that

somehow led me to where I am now.

D > Why did you opt to study BSc in IT?

JC > Around here, young people are encouraged to study

‘something’ when they finish high school, and that some-

thing cannot be something ‘un-serious’ like art or music or a

language; it has to be something like Economics, or Actuarial

Science or vague-sounding courses like Business, Commu-

nications and IT.

When I finished high school my parents let me muck about

in an art college of sorts, where I studied the basics of design

and learned about design software. Then it was time to ‘do

something serious’, so I chose the least boring course – IT

– because I was already familiar with computers and found that

I could somehow wrap my head around Java and PHP syntax.

I don’t regret studying IT. I’ve always approached technology

with a curiosity about how it could be used to make fun things

(I remember making sci-fi computer-terminal-like animations

in Powerpoint {! :-} when I was 16 or so), so that gave me a

broader sense of how technology and creative things can

collide.

Liz. (right) “The first person I ever shot profes-

sionally – Liz Ogumbo kick started my photo-

graphic career by passing around the resulting

photos to people who then hired me. I owe her

one.”

Little Girl in Mathare. (bottom left) “I visited

Mathare – one of Nairobi’s informal settle-

ments – to photograph a nursery school that

needed some help. The teachers at the school

were worried when this little girl didn’t show

up that morning, so I accompanied them to

her home to find out if she was OK. It turned

out her granny had died that morning; the

body lay in a bed to the right of us because

the family didn’t have enough money to get a

vehicle to carry it to a morgue.”

Little Boy in Mathare. (bottom right) “I was

worried about this shoot because it required

me to leave all my lights at home and shoot with

natural light, away from a studio. I’ve never

thought of myself as being good with kids,

so I was pleasantly surprised that the kids

didn’t mind my presence in their classroom.”

75 >

76 >

Kate. “I first met

accountancy student

Kate about two years

ago, and she didn’t

understand why Kangai

Mwiti (an excellent

makeup artist) and I

wanted to photograph

her. She’s become a lot

more confident, and

has landed advertising

and music video roles

as a result of these

casual shoots.”

Acroyoga. “I still get

‘how did you do that?’

emails about this photo

of a young acrobat (who

was balancing on a

partner’s feet below him

– I simply cut them out).”

77 >

I first encountered Photoshop in a computer class.

We had a web design project and I was grappling

with trying to make a good-looking website using

only HTML elements. I first experimented with

Photoshop 5, and I really liked that it gave me the

power to create images. I don’t draw very well,

so Photoshop allowed me to do visual things

without having to face the fearsome blank page.

D > How and when did you become involved in

music?

JC > I first studied classical piano when I was 10

or so and after about two years I dropped it. Then

I met Bill (who’s one of the members of Just A

Band) in high school, and we would fool around

with the piano in the school chapel. We then went

to the same university where we met Daniel (the

other member of the band), and we decided to

form a band which would allow us to play around

with visuals and music.

D > Can you tell me more about the link between

the music and visuals that you and the band create?

JC > When we started out, there was more of a

distribution of roles – with Daniel and I being

very involved in the visuals. These days, Bill has

acquired a broader visual grammar (because of

being suddenly surrounded by all the weird stuff

we have in the house), so it’s much more collabo-

rative at the pre-production level. We work con-

currently on visuals and music, so music video

ideas are jotted down on the same page with the

lyrics as we record the music.

D > How did the band’s name come about?

JC > When we decided to form the band we wrote

down all the names that we could think of on a

piece of paper – then argued about them for

about two days, cancelling them out one by one,

until we had the very pretentious ‘Shifta’ and

‘Just A Band’. I later found out that the ‘Shifta’ were

a band of militia/bandits, so I’m glad we chose

‘Just A Band’.

D > I have listened to Just A Band’s music on

YouTube and I was quite surprised about how

international the band’s approach is. I firstly just

listened to the music without watching the visu-

als. My experience was that the music was truly

international. Yet, when I watched the videos

with the music my perceptions changed. Just A

Band crosses international styles and it has sur-

prise moments that are uniquely linked to Ken-

yan street culture. Can you comment on this?

JC > We’re always surprised when people tell us

we’re blending international and local flavours,

because it’s not something we do consciously.

I’d thus be the last person on this earth to com-

ment objectively on our music/visuals – since

I’m up to my nose in it. I once told someone that

I would like to make something futuristic and

clean, but the dirt is always creeping in to make

the visuals much more organic – so sometimes

we can’t help it.

Also, we have a DIY approach to creating every-

thing (we make EVERYTHING ourselves – I remem-

ber evenings trimming and folding the album

packaging for our first album) and that means

our personalities (and failings) are tightly woven

with everything that comes out of that house (we

live together, you know).

D > Far too often, people think that African music,

design, art, and more need to exude our traditional

heritage frameworks and they often forget that

Africa is developing rapidly and that young crea-

tives are shaping a new vision for the continent in

an new international context – which you and your

band do. What is your vision for the future of

Africa?

78 >

JC > I think there is a mild guilt that comes with being

a middle-class African with access to electricity and

Internet, and so – as much as we’re very much a part

of the global generation that grew up on Michael

Jackson – we feel like we should pretend to have

traditional roots and ooze local culture, even though

we’ve never really grown up like that. Traditional

heritage is great when it’s authentic, but most audi-

ences can tell fake traditionalism – and they disconnect

from it.

As much as there are many things that are pretty bad

in Africa, there’s also a new generation and a new vein

of creative work coming from Africa: stories and music

that combine our ideas of the future with that vague

sense of local heritage that you refer to. I find that vision

of the future to be more authentic than the sterile,

orderly one that the Western world reference in their

‘science fiction’.

It’s a vision that carries with it all the logical and actual

disorderliness that we’re so used to here. I think cultures

that have seen the worst sides of humanity always

have more interesting things to say about the future.

Just ask the Japanese.

D > Can you share some more of the band’s successes?

JC > Our biggest accomplishment is that people have

allowed us to be difficult to classify – which means we’re

free to jump between genres and blur the line between

disciplines and not obey all the rules (like having to

appear in our music videos – yuck!). We’re also very sur-

prised that people have accepted us locally and outside,

and that they see something original in our work.

We were recently number 3 on the We Are Hunted chart

with one of our new songs Usinibore!, which was very

exciting for us – who’d have thought?

D > In recent editions of DESIGN> we featured de-

signers who are also musicians or designers who

are heavily involved in the music industry. Why do

you think there is such a close link between the two

creative disciplines?

JC > I don’t know about the others, but I get most of my

visual ideas from listening to music, and sometimes

a lyric from a song can spur a whole story. I finally caved

in and bought an iPod the other day (I’m an Apple-

phobe), and I’ve been enjoying listening to music

while doing mundane things like shopping or taking

a walk, then everyone around me looks like they’re

acting in a music video that only I can see. Music and

visuals go very well together, they complement one

another – so it’s only natural that one would want to

fiddle around with both at the same time.

D > All of your video work seems to have a social or

political dimension. Where do you plan to take this in

future? Do you have political aspirations?

JC > I most certainly do not have political aspirations

– that’s almost an insult in these parts! Over the past

few months, I have become disillusioned with creat-

ing visuals that do not reference all the nasty things

that are going on in my country. Kenyans are experts

at pretending to be ‘OK’ despite the very real problems

that are festering in and outside the cities.

Working on Kuweni Serious (which means ‘get serious’)

has allowed me to hear stories and meet people who

are very much in touch with the realities of Kenyan/

African politics, and it has made me wonder if it is even

ethical to call yourself a ‘creative photographer’ in

countries where people still die of cholera.

This is not to say that there is no room for creativity, but

I’m now gravitating towards stories that are more in

touch with the reality that things don’t always work

79 >

Kuweni Serious. (above) “A foray into documentary and

social commentary with like-minded friends – Kuweni

Serious allows me to indulge my concerned citizen leanings

by asking young people what they think about their country

and where we’re going.”

Just A Band: Usinibore. (top left) “A surprise hit for the

band from our second album – 82. This was my first video

with a relatively large cast and my first time shooting with

the use of a dolly (fun!). An abstracted social commentary

on youth power.”

Scratch To Reveal. (left) “Another ‘how did you do that?’

subject. I shot and composited this for Just A Band’s debut

album cover using a friend’s very lean arm and some

bunched-up cables.”

VIEW THIS VIDEO http://www.kuweniserious.org/2010/01/bloodstains/ or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV9kVqJbBgI

VIEW THIS VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43XrFVp-fXY

80 >

Joan. “A collaboration with

Kepha – an insanely talented

fashion designer. Joan, the

model, thought we were crazy.”

81 >

out fine, and that dreams don’t always come true.

Not for everyone, at least.

D > Do you have a specific creative philosophy?

JC > I don’t think I have a creative philosophy, I

see things in my head so I go out and shoot them,

then sometimes I hear things in my head, so I record

them. I’m really surprised at how all this is turning

out.

D > What has been your proudest professional

moments?

JC > I remember getting teary when I saw my first

photograph on a billboard. The idea that people

were involved in printing, transporting and putting

it up was overwhelming. I also got that feeling

(and still do) when I first saw our music video on

MTV, or seeing album covers that I designed

gleaming on the shelves of shops – such things

always make me smile.

D > What does the future hold for you, other than

your film aspirations?

JC > Hopefully I’ll amount to something, otherwise

it’d be an awful waste of energy.

D > Who and what inspires you?

JC > I like people who challenge themselves and

their audiences: people like Björk, Chris Cunning-

ham, David Lachapelle and Pedro Almodóvar. The

other day I stumbled upon Grace Jones’ Corporate

Cannibal – the most beautiful/scary thing I’ve

watched in a while – and Janelle Monáe. I also

like all of M Night Shyamalan’s work – I’m always

defending him when people say Lady in the Water

was silly – I thought it was magical. Gustavo San-

taolalla calms me down, and District 9 – Whoa!

D > How important is your African identity and

what do you aspire to achieve in this context

internationally?

JC > I don’t really see my work in the context of

African identity – perhaps because this idea of an

African identity is not something that’s easily

defined. I feel like we’re a lost people right now, in

between cultures, wondering what to keep and

what to discard. If that’s true, then I’d like to present

my own vision of what it is to be African. Fingers

crossed.

D > How would you describe the mindspace where

you are now?

JC > I feel like I’m in a place where I can now begin

to create my own work. Up to now I’ve created

things for other people and kept my own pet projects

simmering in my head. It takes a fair bit of self-

confidence to execute personal projects, and I

didn’t really have that till now. This year is bite-

the-bullet year.

Current projects are lots of music videos for Just

A Band and other artists like Dela, Muthoni – the

Drummer Queen, and Ma3, some social activism

with Kuweni Serious (http://www.kuweniserious.

org), a documentary for the Changamoto Arts Fund,

several remixes (as my audio alter ego, Makmende).

There’s also a series of about seven short films (I’m

biting the bullet this year) called In Praise of Broken

Humans – a collection of somewhat dark stories

about people wanting to commit suicide, argue

with God and have affairs with angels. You know.

I’m hoping to shoot the first one soon – it’s called

What Time is it in Paradise?. Fingers crossed. <

www.theloerieawards.co.za

84 >

MIC

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ON

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EPEN

DEN

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EAT

IVE

85 >

Michelle Son is a refreshing emerg-ing creative who exemplifies the con-cept of ‘working on the edge’. She specialises in design and art direc-tion, motion graphics, visual mer-chandising and installation projects. Son recently established a company named &Son, based in Cape Town, after spending some years at the leading production and motion graphics studios, Terraplane, Eject Media and Tennant McKay.

Son says that she likes bold colours, things that make her smile and crea-tive projects that challenge her to think in new ways. “For me, every-thing is in the details. My design

philosophy is: Think before you

design.”

Putting emphasis on design-driven

creative storytelling, &Son aims to

combine strong design with anima-

tion and interactive experiences to

collaborate with clients, from con-

cept to delivery, to produce work that

is diverse, innovative and have some

&Son quirks.

Son selected the new company

name, &Son, because she liked the

idea of collaborating with other

designers and clients. “You could

be the next _ _ _&Son,” she says.

Son had this to say in an interview

with DESIGN>:

D�> How did you become a designer?

MS�> When I was little I made fridge

magnets of my family’s heads out

of salted dough. I had to first bake

them, then paint them, and I used

lots of black wool for the hair for all

five females in my family. Those were

the real beginnings of my design

career.

After high school I studied graphic

design at Vega School of Brand

Communication.

Mox

iela

nd p

lush

toy

insp

ired

by

a co

mpu

ter

gam

e ch

arac

ter

in

the

book

, Mox

iela

nd.

Adi

das

& V

ida

Café

Cha

ir P

roje

ct.

J&B

_Sta

rt a

Par

ty. &

Son

cre

ated

fou

r an

imat

ed m

ovie

s th

at

turn

ed m

unda

ne s

itua

tion

s in

to p

layf

ul p

arti

es.

1. p

oste

r.

D�> You are a very versatile de-

signer. How do you avoid having a

distinguishable signature style?

MS�> I don’t avoid having a distin-

guishable style. My sensibility is

what I think is the common thread to

my design, regardless of the style.

I’d like to think I can convey a slightly

‘quirky’ nature to my work (for lack

of a better word!), whether it is an

animation or installation.

D�> You work in diverse design dis-

ciplines that require different skills

sets and approaches. Do you have

a favourite discipline and how do

you juggle the skills requirements?

MS�> Having worked in motion

graphics for so long, it feels good to

balance working in a digital realm

with working with my hands and

on a tactile level. It’s important for

me to be able to step away from my

computer and engage with real and

interesting materials and objects.

D�> How did the Mooncake Toy

range come about and what do you

intend to communicate with them?

MS�> Mooncake toys came about

with the conception of Sebasschin,

the asschin, in my dreams. Let’s just

say that I have issues that come in

the form of characters like Sebbaschin

in my sub-conscience. But the ex-

ercise of creating these toys is what

sparked my love for sewing. And they

are meant to be for anyone and every-

one (who wants them, of course).

D�> You won a Bronze Loerie for the

Nike installation at astore in 2009.

What feedback did you receive from

the store and its customers?

MS�> I did indeed. People really re-

sponded well – many people want-

ed to buy them afterwards. Nike, the

agency and the astore guys were

all very happy with the outcome and

the buzz that was created around

Nik

e &

Ast

ore

win

dow

inst

alla

tion

.

HT

C G

oogl

e A

ndro

id a

nim

atio

n.

Gho

st W

hisp

erer

pro

mos

for

cha

nnel

GO

cap

ture

s th

e ch

anne

l’s

tong

ue a

nd c

heek

ton

e.

86 >

it. It’s one of the best things I have

ever done.

D�> Can you tell us more about the

Miss Beautiful book which also

won a Bronze Loerie in 2009? Why

did you opt to keep it so simple?

MS�> Miss Beautiful is a cultural

study of South Africans in the beauty

pageant world. It was a very special

project that I felt very close to as I

worked with the photographer, Stan

Engelbrecht during its production.

I got to go to some of the pageants

and meet some very interesting and

colourful people. We wanted the

book to be about the images and the

stories, which is why I kept the de-

sign very simple and clean.

D�> How did you approach the

Adidas/VIDA Chairs project?

MS�> I was given the task of creat-

ing some sort of in-store presence

for Adidas inside the Vida stores.

Vida had a bunch of discarded white

chairs that were replaced with new

red ones, and so I came up with the

idea of getting surplus shoelaces

from Adidas and weaving different

designs into each of the chairs. The

response has been fantastic and

they will be travelling around all

Vida stores nationwide.

D�> What about the Moxyland toy

project?

MS�> Moxyland is a sci-fi novel

written by Lauren Beukes. It is set

in the year 2018 in Cape Town and

deals with the evils of technology

and the media. The final cover was

designed by Dale Halvorsen and

&Son created a plush toy that had

to be inspired by a computer game

character from the book. The char-

acter had to appear cute and inno-

cent, but was actually quite men-

acing.

87 >

88 >

After I created the prototype, a group of under-

privileged women in Noordhoek, Cape Town,

started producing them as plush toys. This

accidentally resulted in an assortment of

different looking toys with individual ex-

pressions.

D�> Do you have a specific mission in life that

you want to accomplish?

MS�> To create a signature fashion label. <

Moo

ncak

e is

a s

mal

l ran

ge o

f pl

ush

hand

mad

e fe

lt f

rien

ds t

hat

wer

e bo

rn f

rom

cha

ract

ers

from

Mic

helle

’s d

ream

s.

Mis

s B

eaut

iful

is a

cul

tura

l stu

dy o

f S

outh

Afr

ican

s in

the

beau

ty p

agea

nt w

orld

. 350

pag

es.

www.sappi.com

PIXELUXEBy�Anri�Theron

When asked why he is so passionate about designing

fonts, Jan Erasmus describes his life-long battle with

dyslexia and how this challenges him to find artistic

expressions of the alphabet. His most recent crea-

tion, Pixeluxe, is a testament to that. DESIGN > had

the pleasure of learning more about the evolution of

Pixeluxe from the designer himself.

Erasmus describes that the motivation behind Pixeluxe

was to publish a family of pixel-like fonts that went

into Deluxe mode, “Each pixel contains a vector art

symbol of between 36 – 87 nodes to replace the

square pixel in a glyph.” This, he says, gives you a

font with specific meaning imbedded which can either

be used for its obvious meaning or used in a decon-

structed context as he did in Pixeluxe’s campaign.

Erasmus explains that the concept for Pixeluxe has

been with him for quite some time now and once the

decision was made to move forward with the project

everything fell into place. The family consists of six

parts, Binary, Death, Eco, Love, Peace and Soccer.

He explains that the Binary member of the family

was designed first and served as the foundation

block and template for the other family members.

Once the Binary member was developed to absolute

perfection the theme fun started. Erasmus changed

each pixel with the chosen illustration thousands of

times over for the remaining five faces.

To decide on the remaining faces themes Erasmus

conducted a bit of an experiment. By using Google he

went in search of the most clichéd symbols graphic

designers use. His search resulted in a list which in-

cluded the heart, cross bones and skull, skyscrapers

and coats of arms and the dove as a peace symbol.

Erasmus used three of these and named the Love,

Death and Peace instead of Light, Regular and Bold.

The soccer ball came further down the Google

search result list but also because of the world cup

in South Africa. He explains the addition of Eco be-

cause he felt it had great significance in the times

we live in whether there is global warming or not.

Erasmus chose the water diagram as the Egyptians

used as the meaning for the Nile, which became the

symbol for water and the Incas drew the water ser-

pent on the last page of their calendar, 21.12.2012.

The current rising sea level fits the picture perfectly.

Manufacturing, testing and marketing took about

six weeks for this 6-font family, a short time in com-

parison to the font family, Chronicle Text from Hoefler

and Frere-Jone that took up to nine years to make.

It, however, did not come without some difficulty.

Erasmus explains that the sheer amount of nodes in

the faces caused problems when it came to output

the family in OpenType and Open Type TTF which

doubled up all the nodes on curves. Take for example

the drop cap A in the Death face which has 95 times

more data, a total of 1,080 nodes, than Helvetica cap

A. To solve this problem Erasmus went old tech and

created Pixeluxe in a Legacy PS1 format instead. This

worked perfectly with both Mac OS X and as a Win PS1.

The result is beautiful. Erasmus perceives the appli-

cations of Pixeluxe within display work, a space that

designers use the most varied fonts in. He can see it

being used as a drop cap or possibly for the numbering

of the Pirates soccer player jerseys, should they comply.

A customer in Perth used Pixeluxe to do Valentines

Day window dressing and show cards. Ultimately it

90 >

Intr

oduc

ing

Pix

elux

e, a

bra

nd n

ew f

ont

fam

ily f

rom

Cyb

erG

raph

ics.

91 >

comes down to your creativity. Pixel fonts are on

the rise again having taken over course resolu-

tion situations like airport arrival and departure

boards, train stations and digital devices. You

may think this is just another trend that feeds

into those nostalgic memories of the 80s, the

birth of Apple, Gameboys and old tech, but there

is a far more practical reason for pixel fonts. “There

are two different species,” Erasmus explains

“those drawn either as a scalable bitmap fonts

such as the early Émigré fonts or Pixel fonts that

are made up of squares for each pixel that makes

up the Glyph. Obviously pixel fonts contain a lot

more data than a scalable bitmap but are more

nimble than a font that has one outline and a lot

of curves that needs eight times more memory

than nodes joined in straight lines.”

What does the future hold for Jan Erasmus? He will

soon be posting three new propriety families on

the Cyber Graphics site so be sure pop by and have

a look.

About Jan Erasmus & CyberGraphics

CyberGraphics is a multi-disciplinary, full-serv-

ice design studio and digital type foundry com-

mercial available to all studios. Their design

philosophy states that effective design can

only be reflected through the basis of true col-

laboration with clients, and it is this principle

that leads to project solutions that are visually

distinct, a dynamic experience and enduringly

memorable. This, as well as an element of sur-

prise and insight, is some of the foundational

principles upon which CyberGraphics sets its

precedent. <

92 >

Left

: Pix

elux

e B

inar

y.R

ight

: Pix

elux

e P

eace

.Le

ft: P

ixel

uxe

Dea

th.

Rig

ht: P

ixel

uxe

Love

.Le

ft: P

ixel

uxe

Eco.

Rig

ht: P

ixel

uxe

Soc

cer.

93 >

AFR

ICA

N F

AB

RIC

S W

EAV

E T

HE

CON

TIN

ENT

’S H

IV/A

IDS

STO

RY

B

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ilis

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94 >

To honour people who have been lost to the

HIV/AIDS pandemic and to create a memorial

for them, the Centre for the Study of AIDS at

the University of Pretoria has produced a 2010

calendar themed Fabrications.

The Centre for the Study of AIDS (CSA) was es-

tablished in 1999 to understand the HIV/AIDS

epidemic and to find new and creative ways to

respond to it – going beyond tried-and-tested

formulas and contributing to building a society

that is equal, fair and tolerant.

Every year the CSA produces a calendar that

serves as an annual review for the centre, show-

casing the work it does and reflecting its view

of the epidemic. Each calendar has a theme the

CSA believes is topical and interesting and will

provoke debate and discussion. Speaking about

the theme, deputy director, Pierre Brouard, said

Fabrications allowed the CSA not only to create

attractive designs based on fabrics from around

the African continent, but also to reflect on mul-

tiple meanings of the word.

“A fabrication can be a story (whether true or

fictional), a myth, a social construction, a fantasy,

a hope, a dream. A fabrication is, in this sense,

both a physical construction of fabrics, but also

a psychological and social construction; the

story of a life,” he said.

“This calendar looks at different African fabrics,

each telling a story about its creators and its

country. The calendar offers ways to take these

designs to tell new stories and produce new ‘fab-

rications’,” said Brouard.

Even though there are many ways to tell a story,

the CSA chose fabrics. “We like the idea of the

word ‘fabric’ because it has symbolic value and

multiple meanings. For example, it is sometimes

said that HIV/AIDS spreads because the ‘fab-

ric’ of society is disintegrating (for example,

through the breakdown of families, the rise in

crime and a failure to adhere to shared norms

and values) and so we also wanted to use this

play on words.”

“Fabrics were also used in the original AIDS

Quilt project many years ago to reflect on the

identities and stories of people who had died of

AIDS-related illnesses. Also, artists, designers

and crafts people from around the world have

used fabric to tell stories and many of these will

be reflections and musings on gender, sexuality,

class, power, beliefs – all of which have a bearing

on HIV and AIDS,” Brouard said.

For each month in the Fabrications calendar, a

textile from a different country or region in Africa

is used for the quilt designs. These are inspired

by the textiles’ origins and history and matched

with one of the CSA’s initiatives. Extensive re-

search was done on where these textiles come

from, the cultures that conceive them and the

technologies that are involved in their creation,

many of which have been passed on from gen-

eration to generation. For example, Akan Kente

is used for the month of June to represent the

CSA’s ARV Treatment rollout. The cloth is intricate,

luxurious and has a rich history that is interwoven

with the history of the Ashanti Empire in West

Africa. It is also a complex cloth, using weaving

techniques that require skill and knowledge of

95 >

< The Centre for the Study of AIDS’ 2010 calendar

themed Fabrications.

Beyond Borders (2008/2009).

Imagined Futures (2007/2008).

Paper Prayers (2005/2006).

96 >

the materials, mixing cotton and silk to form pat-

terns with layers of symbolic meaning. The

embroidered and appliqué Kuba cloths from

the Kasai River region in the Democratic Re-

public of Congo, with its layered style, repre-

sents the month of May and the CSA’s AIDS &

Human Rights Research Unit. Other fabrics in-

clude Francophone textiles which originate from

the French-speaking countries of West Africa,

Shwe-Shwe from South Africa, Bogolanfini mud

cloth from the Bamana people in Mali and the

colorful Chitenge, also know as kitenges and

kangas, which are worn in a variety of southern

and central African countries.

The 2010 calendar refers to myths: of virgin pro-

tection; HIV-infected blood injected into oranges;

worms in condoms; deliberate infection using

syringes; and many other myths that are part

of the fabric of dealing with HIV/AIDS. “The CSA

strives to challenge many of these fabrications,

to find ways to create new representations of

the epidemic, to tell new stories and, to decon-

struct and reconstruct society,” Brouard said.

The calendar is not a stand-alone project. The

CSA also tells the HIV/AIDS story through face-

to-face workshops, training and consultation to

construct and deconstruct the disease’s effects.

“There are many HIV/AIDS stories and ways of

telling them: we hope to keep finding new and

innovative ways of doing this,” Brouard said.

“Previous calendar themes include:

> Beyond Borders (2008/2009), which show-

cased wallpaper designs – wallpaper can be

within or beyond a border (a restriction if you

like), as can our work on HIV/AIDS. This also

highlighted our interest in work and perspec-

tives in other countries.

> Imagined Futures (2007/2008), which

asked us to imagine what the future of young

people, their families and the country could

look like if we tackled HIV/AIDS imaginatively

and without a ‘doom and gloom’ approach.

Could we emerge as a stronger and more com-

passionate society?

> Paper Prayers (2005/2006), which showcased

paper prayers from a previous Johannesburg

Art Gallery exhibition. A paper prayer is a

Japanese traditional offering of painted

strips of paper to bring health to the sick

and the exhibition had asked young people

to create paper prayers about HIV and

AIDS. With the calendar, we wished to in-

spire artists and others to be creative in

responding to the disease.”

“We need to tell people’s stories but we also

need to acknowledge that we use stories to

make sense of HIV/AIDS, to cope with it, to

fashion it into something bearable, to give it

meaning,” said Brouard.

The CSA calendars stem from a long-standing

creative partnership with Bluprint Design, a

Pretoria-based communication design consul-

tancy. “The calendars are some of those rare

projects that allow designers the luxury of ex-

tended deadlines. We work closely with the CSA

when conceptualising new themes and then

spend a lot of time – sometimes up to seven

months – researching and crafting the original

imagery,” said creative director, Jacques Lange.

These efforts have paid off since the calendars

have become sought after collectors’ pieces. <

This article is republished with the kind permission of 46664.com (http://www.46664.com/News/african-fabrics-weave-the-continents-hivaids-story-id=7968.aspx)

97 >

98 >

Design maestro, Massimo Vignelli, once said: “I see

graphic design as the organisation of information

that is semantically correct, syntactically consistent

and pragmatically understandable.” Vignelli’s

profound statement can also serve as a definition

for ‘information design’, which is arguably one of

the most complex disciplines in design.

From February to April 2010, CarréRotondes, Design

Friends and Gestalten (publishers) are celebrating

the information design discipline with an innovative

exhibition and catalogue titled Infographythm.

August 09 report of graphic design in Luxembourg.

The exhibition is part of the EXPO CarréRotondes,

which takes place in Luxemburg.

The curators invited designers to document their

personal activities during the month of August in

2009 – the traditional summer break for Europeans

– and present these through information graphics.

MAPPING AUGUST > AN INFOGRAPHIC

CHALLENGE

99 >

Maxime Pintadu, Luxembourg.

Debora Manetti, Italy. Stephane Thomasset, Luxembourg.

100 >

These documentaries range from the most banal

listing of easy-paced daily routines to the most ex-

travagant seasonal experiences, all translated into

statistics, diagrams, charts and other graphic schemas.

The organisers say that: “…information graphics (a task

which graphic designers practice rarely for anything

other then earning a living) have been reassigned in a

playful manner, while paying attention to a resolutely

aesthetic process, pushing to the fore the slightly

derisory and superfluous aspect of the numerous

activity reports which abound at the end of the year.

Infographythm unveils the ‘small’ personal activities of

each participant: August under graphical constraints,

the creators showing their zeal at the height of the

dead season!”

Mik Muhlen, Luxembourg.

101 >

Of the around 40 projects received, 31 were selected

by the jury made up of members of CarréRotondes,

Design Friends and Gestalten. The selected works (15

from Luxembourg, six from other European countries,

eight from Asia, one from Chilli and one from New Zea-

land) is on show at the EXPO CarréRotondes, in Luxem-

burg. The catalogue will be published on 9 March, which

will coincide with the Simplexity – Start making sense

conference where Sven Ehmann, creative director of

Gestalten, will the second edition of Data Flow, a

reference publication which gives an overview of re-

cent developments in visual information processing

in graphic design. <

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

DW2010Vancouver-Adv-DesignSA-NovPage 1 11/19/09 3:13:06 PM

103 >

Californian-based designer, Zelda

Harrison, one of DESIGN>’s newest

contributors, thrives at what she

calls the epicentre of post-modern

cross-culture: Los Angeles. In this

and future editions, she explores the

African design Diaspora in the USA,

starting with her own story, as well

as that of Chaz Maviyane-Davies

and Malene Barnett featured in

this edition.

Born in Los Angeles to UCLA’s first

graduate students from Ghana where

her father studied architecture and

urban planning and her mother spe-

cialised in maternity nursing, Zelda

Harrison has focussed her career on

developing a greater understanding

of and emphasis on cross-cultural is-

sues in professional design practice.

AFRICAN DIASPORA IN LALALAND

By�Jacques�Lange

104 >

Zelda boarded a plane for the first

time at the age of six, bound for

Ghana. She says that the flight at-

tendants made the experience

exceptionally pleasant and she

has loved travelling ever since.

She has crisscrossed Asia, Africa,

the Americas and Europe and lived

on three continents.

When asked what lessons she has

leant from her extensive travels

abroad, she responded: “It would

take a week to fully answer this

question, and that’s without tap-

ping into my subconscious. In a

nutshell, travelling outside my home

country and comfort zone, I have

come to appreciate different per-

spectives and points of view. I’ve

learnt to listen with my eyes, and

hear with my heart. I’ve developed a

taste for risk and the confidence

to calculate the value of the risk.”

Taking risks seems to be a re-occur-

ring theme in Zelda’s career devel-

opment. She studied International

Marketing at the Rouen Business

School (ESCRouen), France, and then

added a BFA in Visual Communica-

tions from California State Univer-

sity, Long Beach, culminating in a

career exclusively focussed on

marketing at Con- Agra, Nestlé and

Neutrogena.

She then opted to break the stereo-

typical options taken by many Afro-

Americans and repositioned her

career to focus on communication

design. Her expertise now includes

visual communications and design

management, earning her contracts

with public agencies, entertainment

networks, creative advertising agen-

cies, as well as real estate and legal

firms. She also provides marketing

support to community groups in Los

Angeles that serve disadvantaged

youth and under-funded commu-

nities.

Currently, Zelda is also devoting

time to supporting the AIGA – the

professional association for design

in the USA – by exploring the impact

of culture in visual communication.

She has served as president of

the AIGA Centre for Cross-Cultural

Design, an initiative designed as

a forum for US designers to reflect

upon design in a global economy

and the sensitivities of a diverse and

multi-cultural audience and land-

scape. She also initiated Business

Matters for AIGA-Los Angeles, a

best-practices workshop series

focussing on design management.

DESIGN > asked Zelda, as a trail-

blazer, to respond to a few ques-

tions intended to address the

coal-face of professional disparity

and future imperatives.

D�> Why do you think there are so

few black designers in the world?

ZH�> Naturally, this is a question

I’ve reflected upon quite a bit, and

the response is evolving with my

career – and sometimes my mood.

The short, obvious answer is that

design has evolved as a bona fide

career option mainly in the so-called

Western world, where black people

make up a rather small percentage

of the professional class.

Other things I’ve come to appreciate

is that design has its roots in the

mediaeval ‘guild/apprentice’ sys-

tem, which implies career choices

are made via strong relationships

with mentors, family and a closed

circle of friends. In the United States

there isn’t a strong tradition of men-

toring between ‘ethnic minorities’

(people of non-European descent)

and white males, who are the pre-

dominant group in the design com-

munity.

As professional group that promotes

design, AIGA has tried to address

this issue and a number of AIGA

chapters such as Boston (http://

boston.aiga.org/initiatives_1/

youth_design_boston), New York,

Cincinnati have created outreach and

mentoring programmes in lower

income neighbourhoods and

schools, where there is still a con-

centration of African Americans in

the United States. The Organisation

of Black Designers (OBD) in Chicago

also initiated Project Osmosis

(http://www.projectosmosis.org)

targeting secondary school and

university-bound youth.

These are investments that I hope

will bear fruit in the very near future.

Lately, many designers in the Unit-

ed State are also subscribing to

projects promoting social justice in

this area.

105 >

TOP: Annual report for Los Angeles Downtown Center Business Improvement District.

ABOVE & RIGHT: Outdoor graphics for the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles.

There is also the issue of aesthet-

ics in design: Whose visual iconog-

raphy do we use? Design found it

strongest voice in the Bauhaus and

Swiss Schools of design, which

were temporarily trumped in the

1990s with the computer revolu-

tion, but have always served as a

reference point. Does this mean tap-

ping into your Zulu, Thai or Maori

roots for your work excludes you

from communicating effectively? In

an international competition, will a

Nigerian designer’s work be evalu-

ated in the same way as that of a

Dutch designer? These are some

of questions that the AIGA Center

for Cross-Cultural Design (AIGA

XCD) was formed to address.

Perhaps the most visceral expla-

nation came to me a few years ago

when I was leading a design work-

shop for high school students in a

lower income neighbourhood in

Los Angeles. As an introduction, I

talked about my career as a design-

er and how fulfilling it is for me. At

the break session a student and her

mother – who were black – came

up to me: ‘What I really want to

know,” the mother said, “is whether

design is going to make my child

money.” “Well...” I started, “she

may not become a millionaire, but...”

my voice trailed off as the mother

grabbed her child by the arm and

walked off.

D > Why did you opt to first study

international marketing and then

move on to visual communication?

ZH > Perhaps it goes back to the

previous question “why are there so

few black designers in the world?”

At university, a career counsellor

casually suggested I take some

art classes. As a scholarship stu-

dent, the cost of art supplies felt

prohibitive to me. Moreover, I didn’t

feel particularly ‘talented’. My love

of travel and geopolitics naturally

made me gravitate to international

relations, which morphed into inter-

national marketing in business

school. After a few years of market-

ing research for multi-national

food brand companies, visual com-

munication as a vehicle for address-

ing markets and audiences began

to make more sense than constant

number crunching to me.

D > Can you tell us more about your

work with community groups?

ZH > Giving effective communi-

cation tools to non-profits is of

great interest to me. My participa-

tion has ranged from brand con-

sulting, workshops on design and

advertising, and career counselling

to youth, art classes and fundraising.

The non-profits I’ve worked with

most frequently include the Skirball

Cultural Centre, which has its foun-

dation in the Hebrew University and

promotes multi-cultural aware-

ness in Los Angeles, the Coalition

for Responsible Community Develop-

ment which seeks to provide job

training and shelter to youth aging

out of foster care, Beyond Shelter,

dedicated to providing transitional

housing for homeless families and

South Central Scholars, a mentor-

ship programme for college bound

youth in South Central, an eco-

nomically-depressed zone in Los

Angeles.

D > Can you expand on your work

with the AIGA and Cross-Cultural

Design since many international

readers are not be familiar with the

AIGA?

ZH > AIGA (originally known as the

American Institute of Graphic Art-

ists) is the largest professional

organisation for designers, specifi-

cally visual communicators. In line

with the American tradition of de-

centralisation, AIGA is a network

of local-based chapters – mostly in

large metropolitan areas – that

function independently and serve

their design communities.

AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural De-

sign (AIGA|XCD) is an AIGA National

Chapter established to foster greater

communication between design-

ers across cultures and ethnicity,

and explores the connection be-

tween design and culture. I was

elected president of the executive

board a couple of years ago, and it’s

been an incredible commitment in

organising and the administration

of travel tours, international com-

petitions, exhibition and writing

about the intersection of design and

culture.

Our website is www.xcd.aiga.org <

106 >

9/11 Fundraiser.

Collateral for BOISE.

In Motion. The African-American Migration Experience. Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles.

Matisse promotional publication for Fox River.

107 >

www.ergosystem.co.za

DEFINING THE ULTIMATE HOSPITALITY

EXPERIENCEBy�Bev�Hermanson

Circulating in the rarefied atmosphere of Givenchy, Six Sense, Chi and Amarita, as well as the developers of prestigious and exclusive international projects, the divas of the newly-created Darley Interior Architectural Design (DIAD) are carving a name for themselves in the high end hospitality, leisure and residential markets. In an exclusive interview with DESIGN> magazine, they shared some insights into

their design philosophy and their vision for the future.

The DIAD design team: Shiree Darley – Managing Director, Amanda Elliott – Design Director, Sarah Forman – Creative Designer, Caroline Dann – Operations Director and Design Architect.

110 >

111 >

It was only last year that Shiree Darley, Caroline Dann,

Amanda Elliott and Sarah-Jane Forman took the brave

step-away from the world renowned, US-owned hospi-

tality interiors giants, Wilson & Associates, to branch

out on their own and establish a wholly South African-

owned specialist interior architectural design service.

Given the world recession and ongoing economic tur-

moil, this took a leap of faith and an unshakable con-

fidence in their abilities, but the partners are upbeat

and raring to go.

Proclaiming that they ‘don’t do mediocrity’, these de-

sign divas consider pushing the boundaries to be

their norm. Passionate about every aspect of their

profession, they agree that starting DIAD has been the

ultimate high of all of their careers. It’s given them a

sense of freedom and the support and encourage-

ment that they have received from the industry has

been exhilarating.

If you scan through the list of what they offer, you may

well ask what landscaping-, swimming pool- and special-

ist water feature design may have to do with interior

architecture? “When it comes to the hospitality industry,

the seamlessness of the guest experience is paramount,”

answers DIAD Managing Director, Shiree Darley. “The

effectiveness of the space begins at the Porte Cochère,

from where the arrival experience has to follow through

to the main reception lobby and the public spaces. For

resort and leisure properties, where people love to expe-

rience the outdoors, the terraces, gardens and pool

surrounds become part of the guest experience, so we

have to extend our designs to encompass these areas,

working hand-in-hand with the landscape architects.”

While some local hospitality groups may still consider

that interior architecture is secondary to the general

architecture of buildings, internationally, interior design

is seen as crucial to the success of a project and the

Offshore restaurant – trendy cocktail destination set amidst the ocean with undulating moods and sleek, contemporary finishes.

112 >

interior design architects are brought into the loop

from the concept stages. Considering the fact that

international groups are looking to expand further

into Africa via South Africa, this is especially exciting

for the partners at DIAD.

“Interior design architects can make an enormous

difference to the guest experience,” continues Shiree.

“While the guests don’t have any say over the way

the interiors have been designed, or over the choices of

colour schemes, fabrics and finishes that contribute

to the ambience, they respond to how the experience

feels. The décor and the functionality of the spaces,

just as much as the quality of service they receive,

determines whether a particular resort will be a

favoured destination in the future.”

Shiree adds: “The interior designer’s role has certainly

changed over the years. In the past, it was left up to

the architects to do all the construction design and

documentation. In the early stages, many interior design

practices didn’t even use CAD. We were regarded by

some as ‘pillow fluffers’ who added a few accessories

here and there. This has all changed. There are a lot

more layers to what we do, and from a technical and

architectural design standpoint, we provide valuable

input towards the end result - hence our need to be

involved right from the beginning.”

Design Director, Amanda Elliott’s penchant is for re-

searching location specific cultures to establish a

context and common thread for the individual proj-

ect. This leads the design. Drawing inspiration from

the traditions, topography, landscapes and views, the

identities and attitudes of the interior spaces are de-

vised and the ‘story’ is pieced together creating a

script for the professional team.

113 >

“The story gives the building a sense of place. Once

we establish the vision, it’s easy to elaborate. The

background research gives you so much to work with.

Then you start to add the ‘atmosphere’ and decide what

aspects create an exciting guest journey throughout

the interiors,” Amanda explains.

“We also try to design so that the spaces are not dif-

ficult to understand and are easy to maintain,” adds,

Caroline Dann. Her skill is ensuring the functionality of

the spaces, which is critical when it comes to getting

hospitality establishments to operate smoothly.

Sporting a Bachelor of Architecture Degree and hav-

ing had more than 10 years’ experience working in

Europe, Caroline understands that the correct juxta-

position of spaces is vitally important to the success

of the operation, “... this extends to determining the

correct spatial volumes,” she elaborates. “The guest

may not be able to pinpoint what it is that makes a

particular space work, but we need to create the right

‘zone’ for them. We also have to ensure that the op-

erations management relates to the spaces and that

the design interpretation for the interiors will with-

stand management turnovers.

An important aspect of space planning for hotel

guestrooms concerns the relationship between the

bedroom and the bathroom. “Bathrooms a few years

back formed roughly a third of the en suite accom-

modation,” Caroline continues. “But these days it’s

pretty much 50:50. The top end hotel groups aim at

creating distinguishing signature features, unique

design elements including private view windows, out-

door bathrooms and integrated feature baths.”

Hotel lobby terrace opening up to ocean views with comfortable conversation areas expanding on Arabic traditions.

114 >

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OUR HIGHLIGHTS

◆ we are a steady partner on the world market in decorative lighting objects

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◆ alternative light sources (fi ber optics, LED) enabling preset lighting cycles, thus creating a subtle interplay of spectral colors

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116 >

Yemen lobby: Elegant, contemporary Middle Eastern Hotel Lobby with subtle Arabic interpretation and creative use of architectural elements to humanize the high, narrow volume.

117 >

A suite in a private residence Middle East.

The saying ‘it’s all in the details’ is often bandied

about when it comes to hospitality and here, Creative

Designer, Sarah-Jane Forman, comes into her own. The

detailing starts in the conceptual stage and Sarah

works extensively with the suppliers to achieve the

right moods, textures and finishes to suit each project.

“It can be an interior designer’s downfall – not follow-

ing through with the detail,” she says. “The identity of

the establishment does not only encompass logos on

stationery and the personality of the wayfinding sig-

nage, but extends as far as the nuances of tableware

design, the sizes and shapes of the glassware, the co-

lours used for the accessories, even the bathroom fit-

tings, the value-add brand name bathroom cosmetics

and the contents of the mini bar.”

Some of the intangibles that reflect on the image of

the establishment include the acoustics, the lighting

and the technology. “Hotels have to be very up-to-date

with technology, particularly if they are appealing to

business travellers. These days, there are even plasma

TVs in the bathrooms, so that the business traveller

can catch up on world news while bathing. Plasma

screens can be built into the mirrors, so that they are

discreetly part of the décor,” says Shiree. “Hairdryers,

plug points for cell phone chargers, iPod plug-ins and

wireless connectivity are also part of the offering of the

hi-tech hotel. But it’s very important that all of these

things are easy to understand and simple to operate

– they must be user-friendly, otherwise they become a

source of frustration to the guest.”

With the impending influx of more international resort

operators, another aspect of hospitality that has to be

taken very much to heart is the environmental con-

sciousness of the operation. In South Africa you can

still find yourself on a construction site where you are

almost overwhelmed by the fumes from solvents and

paints that, clearly, are not eco-friendly. Overseas, CE

and other quality standards subscribed to do not allow

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Composite

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

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A French flavour was used for this 4000 m2 private residence in the Middle East.

121 >

Spa treatment room with a peaceful serenity created with the juxtaposition of texture and lighting, maintaining the simplicity of design.

the use of any materials or substances that have detri-

mental long term effects or could be harmful to the

people using or working with the facilities or materials.

These requirements are second nature to the partners at

DIAD, as they have all worked extensively in the inter-

national arena.

“In has become an international norm now that new

developments have to achieve a certain number of

points to achieve compliance with sustainable standards,

The use of grey water for irrigation, using heat from

air conditioners to heat water, the biodegradability of

laundry detergents and energy efficiency are all aspects

that have to be considered. It becomes part of the

professional consultants’ responsibility to ensure that

there are no toxins in the paints, that the adhesives do

not give off fumes and that the furniture and fabrics

are from environmentally compliant manufacturers.

It’s very rewarding that we, as designers, can make

that difference and play a role towards assisting our

clients achieve the suitable ‘green’ status grading. The

discerning guest is becoming more and more aware of

these issues and is definitely seeking out the estab-

lishments with the correct eco-ratings,” Shiree states.

“We are very conscious of these parameters and we

do everything that we can to ensure, wherever we

can, that sustainable products are specified in our

designs. It is wonderful that we can make a difference

at this level.”

Part of the DIAD equation is that the partners, with

their combined 37 years’ experience working on over

50 projects worldwide, have the ability to understand

local conditions, yet they are raising the bar to satisfy

the demands of the global fast track in hospitality and

leisure. “South Africans are highly respected over-

seas,” concludes Shiree. “In Africa, we often have to find

ten ways to do one thing, to circumvent the myriad of

challenges that we face. This has given us a reputa-

tion of being tenacious and for thinking ‘out of the

box’. These are just a small part of the qualities, skills

and talents that we have to offer.”<

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Proteas, dung beetles, desert roses, rosettes, burlesque,

Johannesburg’s skyline, car tyre swings and humble

furniture like rockers, trestle tables and lockers are some

of the unusual thing that inspire Durban-based Greg and

Roché Dry, owners of egg Design. They say “This is our

home. It’s what’s around and in us. What we carry with us,

in our heads and hearts. It’s our environment and it’s a

place of intuition, emotion, drama, fancy and fun. To express

it, some make art. Others write books. We make furniture

that tells a story and engages the eye, imagination and

soul. We love what we do. We can’t help it.”

By�Jacques�Lange

126 >

Greg and Roché Dry, who chose the word ‘egg’ as their

company name because it represents simple form and

its symbolic reference to the new, founded egg Design

in 1996. The Dry’s fuel their creativity by working across

design genres – traditional and modern, rustic and

industrial, the sublime, the witty and serious. They say:

“When taking on design projects, we apply a prag-

matic approach while still striving for excitement

and innovation as well as paying strict attention to

detail, while in our furniture range, we take a more

exploratory and provocative approach to hopefully

excite or agitate.”

Two characteristics of their innovative work are their

use of juxtapositioning and unique combinations of

seemingly unrelated materials and manufacturing

processes. “One of our great joys is imagineering a

thing that looks like another thing.” Selective examples

include an aluminium and teak lamp that looks like

the traditional African mortar and pestle, a stainless

steel and leather swing that is reminiscent of a chil-

dren’s swing made from a discarded car tyre, and a

slick daybed that looks like a sleigh made from steel

mesh usually used for shopping trolleys combined

with oiled African Rosewood. Surprise is always on the

cards in egg Design’s product collection.

Not surprisingly, egg Design provides a holistic design

approach to their long list of corporate and private clients.

Apart from producing a highly original collection of

furniture, the company’s broad based services also

include interior design and product development.

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127 >

The company has received much media exposure,

locally and internationally, including features in Elle

Décor (South Africa, UK, Italy, Russia and France),

Metropolis, Surface, Interni, Ottagono, I.D, AD&D,

Icon and World of Interiors to name a few. Their list of

accolades includes receiving the Elle Décor (South

Africa) designer of the year award in 2004 and 2005,

as well as best seating in 2008. A highlight was in

2007 when egg’s iconic Yellow Desert Rose Locker

was auctioned at Christies’s prestigious 20th Century

Design Auction in New York.

Commenting on their impressive successes, Greg

says: “We believe that our company, at the environ-

mental level, delivers our clients with unique solu-

tions set by their briefs regardless of budgets, hence

our strong representation amongst value retail locally

– The Mr Price Group and Game – and internationally

– B&Q (UK), The Warehouse (New Zealand) and recently

Screwfix (UK). The challenge to design for value retail

is much bigger than designing for high-end retail or

luxury brands as the design constantly gets stripped

due to cost. The design work is more intense but

incredibly satisfying.”

“From the furniture side of our business, we would

like to think that our work is very unique and our style

is not of a certain time, period or genre. We believe

that in 20 years’ time, people won’t say that a piece

was so 90s or 2000s. Our work is diverse and we use

a lot of different materials, always exploring new tech-

niques and finishes as we stumble upon them. As a

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129 >

studio we are very prolific and our furniture design

extends past egg. We now also have egg Junior and we

hold shares in a company we formed with our Hong

Kong partners doing another range of kids furniture,”

says Greg.

egg Junior is a range of kids furniture and accessories

with an educational and fun angle, inspired by many

of egg Design’s iconic furniture designed for adults,

but with a twist of childlike quirks combined with

sophistication – yet another juxtaposition. Greg says

that: “We are constantly inspired by our children for

their never-ending energy and simplistic take on life’s

beauty.”

“The most recent work we have done is an industrial

light fitting for retail applications that saves up to

40% electrical consumption. This is highly industr-

ialised with aluminium extrusions and injection

moulded components.”

“We would like to believe that all of these diverse

interests make us a unique company to deal with

and the same with our furniture and products. When

clients engage with us we design almost everything

for the project. We don’t believe in specifying.”

In line with egg’s penchant for the unconventional,

the company published a book instead of a product

catalogue in late 2009. It is a stunningly designed

publication that goes beyond traditional conven-

tions in the furniture industry by not just showing off

products but, in typical African narrative style, tells

the stories behind the products. Greg explains: “We

needed to show our products in a manner that was

‘lifestyle’ but not in the way that brands globally do

it – which is far too often shot in minimalist homes

and sleek environments. We have a wide range of works

and we needed to convey how to use and live with

our furniture.”

“The concept started with wanting a book that we

could send to top designers and specifiers around

the world that immediately made them understand

that they were dealing with luxury from the cover

through to the end. Covered in cloth and embossed

in gold foil, one starts the journey there. As with our

furniture, we need the person receiving the book to

see value and keep the book safe, unlike catalogues

that end up on the shelf. The book is a journey and tells

the stories of the products, their reason to exist, and

why or where we got the idea from. There is a thread

in our work when viewed in the book as a collective

130 >

body. We felt that we needed to show that we are

African, but not executed in the African curio chic

way. Our work is international and has a lot of soul,

this is important to us.”

“It was a great joy to work with other creative friends

that did the design and execution (Modern Museum)

and Sean Lourenz who did the stunning photog-

raphy. It was a celebration and one of the best

things we had ever done. We will do it again as our

body of work continues to grow,” says Greg. The

book was also an opportunity for the egg team to

revisit their work from the past decade and they

took the opportunity to make some adjustments

and updates on some of their product collection.

So what does the future hold for the egg Design

team? Greg says that: “On a personal level, I want

to do more hands-on courses like timber turning,

ceramics and jewellery.

Roché’s personal passion at the moment is focused

on the art of chaurcutrie (meat preserving and

curing). For egg Design as a company, there so

much in stall, but it’s more important for us to focus

on the now. We are always working on new things

and the new work that will be done in 2010 will

hopefully reflect a strange sense of calm – work that

is slightly at odds with itself.” <

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TALES FROM THE AFRICAN DIASPORA:

FEATURING MALENE BARNETT By�Zelda�Harrison

Malene Barnett is a Brooklyn, New York-based carpet designer with a background in textile arts, painting and illustration. For more than a decade Malene’s carpets, inspired by international travel, has boldly interpreted her personal experience of cultural icons, landscapes and rituals. Her passion for all things cultural stems from travels to places like Dakar, Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur, as well as her African-Caribbean heritage.

133 >

As part of the African Diaspora series, DESIGN > spoke

to Malene Barnett about her design philosophy, her

work and her travels.

D > Share with us your professional journey and

some of the highlights that inspired the creation of

malene b.

MB > I’m a carpet designer. I studied textile design at

FIT in New York City. After graduation, I worked as the

design director for Afritex, designing African print fab-

rics. Later, I worked for Nourison Rugs, one of the largest

importers of handmade rugs in the world, as their first

in-house designer. Initially, I designed their area rug

collections, but soon became design manager for

the company’s very successful accent rug division.

At Nourison I was given the opportunity to develop

fashion-forward designs that changed how accent

rugs were viewed.

In about 2003 I began thinking of creating my own com-

pany. However, back then my focus was on creating

innovative bedding designs for the home furnishings

industry. In the summer of 2008 I decided to focus on

my passion, carpet design, and started formulating my

company, malene b custom handmade carpets. My

goal, as the principal of malene b, is to create carpets

that merge my artistic background and passion for

global travel. I wanted to create a company that not

only produces great carpet designs, but also inspires

Inspired by a Mehndi ceremony in India, the carpet is made with handtufted wool and silk.

134 >

others to experience the world through a unique art

form.

D > You describe your work as a “personal experience

of cultural icons, landscapes and rituals...”. Could you

share in more detail how your experiences drive the

creative process?

MB > It started because I was fortunate enough to

have friends from many different places worldwide.

I was invited to visit their homes and participated in

their celebrations and daily rituals. Experiencing

these things made the trips more endearing. I went

to the Gambia, Ghana and India in one summer and

was living in rural to luxurious conditions; taking

bucket showers. The transition was life changing. I

studied my hosts’ connection with family, observing

how everyone ate together, just certain cultural

things, saying, “Oh wow, we do that!” That’s when I

became really curious and wanted to see more of the

world ... to learn how we’re all connected.

During my first backpacking trip to south-east Asia

the pattern titled Bangkok was inspired from ob-

serving Thailand’s floating markets. I was amazed

how people were doing business. I had experienced

typical street markets before, but in Thailand they

had a different rhythm. They were cooking and sell-

ing things on the river. It was a necessary way of life

and I thought a cool way of doing business.

My henna-painted hands are the model for the design

called Mehndi. While visiting Mumbai I participated

in a friend’s wedding ceremony. The experience was

unique and intrigued me, because the art is created

from memory. I interpreted this experience in a Tibetan

wool and silk carpet, so the details of the henna design

shimmers where light reflects the pattern. Each malene

Moroccan architecture inspired the design of the

Marrakech carpet.

135 >

b design expresses a narrative of my world travel expe-riences and is reflected in patterns which are colourful, textural and bold.

D > Share some highlights of your travels. How did you deal with situations where you were clearly the outsider?

MB > Some travel highlights include participating in a three-week cultural exchange programme in Ghana, where I lived with a family, worked alongside wood-carvers to create my own woodcarvings, learned kente weaving and attended the historical 25th Jubilee Anni-versary of the Ashantene (the crowning of an Ashanti chief). I also met the world-renowned Senegalese singer, Youssou N’dour, one of my favourite artists in Dakar, who arranged for me to be seated front and centre at one of his concerts. It was an amazing experience. As for me ever feeling like an outsider, I’ve never felt like that. I’ve always blended comfortably into my new environment by immersing myself in native culture. I

study their art, seek out local restaurants, entertain-ment venues and most importantly, I travel my des-tinations like a local – not a tourist.

D > What is your design philosophy? There is pattern in everything. One should not live without colour.

MB > Design should speak to one’s soul. Design should inspire you to think differently, feel good and be func-

tional.

Malene B at work

D > What are some of the projects that you are currently engaged in?

MB > I am working on the office renovation for design group Carl Ross, public space flooring for a hotel project

in the UAE along with Kobi Karp Architecture, another

136 >

public space for a hotel project in Panama with HVS Compass, designing rugs for a private residence in New York City and creating a new collection that will debut this Spring.

D > Who are your clients? Any interesting stories about managing projects and client relations?

MB > My clients are interior designers and architects. One of my biggest challenges has been getting clients

to think outside of my available collections and allow me to create something expressly for them.

D > What is your creative process? What are some of the challenges and breakthroughs you’ve experi-enced in the production process of your creations?

MB > I always start with a sketch. Since I have a fine arts/illustration background all of my motifs and layouts are created from inspiration and my formal

ABOVE: Inspired by Aboriginal art, the Papunya carpet is made from handtufted wool. Photo: Lionel Aurelien.LEFT: Floating markets from Thailand inspired the design of the Bangkok carpet which is made from hand-knotted wool and silk.

training. One of the biggest challenges in the pro-duction of my carpets is that I’m clueless about how

my designs are being interpreted.

Malene B on cultural identity

D > Does your work affirm your cultural identity?

MB > My work is an extension of who I am. I’m crea-tive, a world traveller and aim to inspire others. I

want each design to take you on a journey to a far-away place.

For example, I love Senegal, Morocco and South African cultures because they all reflect a different part of my African heritage. The diversity within each coun-try constantly keeps my creative juices flowing…there is so much to be inspired by! The art and archi-tecture of Morocco always amazes me. And the bold designs, fashions and the cropped hairstyles of the

137 >

ABOVE: West African culture inspired the design of the Wolof carpet.LEFT: The Adinkra design is inspired by traditional West African block printing .

138 >

Ndebele women inspired my personal style. Since I

am influenced by global cultures, I want to design

carpets that reflect my modern design sensibilities, as

well as my passion for world travel.

Malene B on social engagement

D > Would you consider yourself a cultural ambassador

for peoples of African heritage?

MB > I like the term ‘cultural ambassador’. I use my

talents to show the world that as an African-American

designer, we all have a story to tell and I share my

journey through my carpets.

D > Do you believe that the designer has a role in

social engagement? How has malene b addressed

social issues in the creative and production process?

MB > We all have a responsibility to be socially aware.

Before sourcing my manufacturers, I joined Goodweave.

org to ensure that my carpets are child-labour free.

In addition, I support Aid to Artisans in their quest to

preserve handmade crafts in Africa, Asia, and South

America. And, most recently in response to the devas-

tation in Haiti, I am creating a carpet that showcases

the country’s rich culture. I want people to know that

Haiti has a long and storied history which has influ-

enced art, sculpture and music worldwide. This carpet

will be included in my Signature Collection and the pro-

ceeds will be presented to grassroots organisations

that have been working in Haiti long before the earth-

quake. As a member of the African Design Community,

I feel we need to continue to use the power of design

to tell our story. Dare to inspire! <

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The Steinhobel designer range of taps and mixers,exquisitely elegant in form and function, design and detail.

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You’re the epitome of glamour.You lead an enviable l i festyle.You accept nothing but the best.Nowhere i s th i s more ev identthan in your home, which reflectsy o u r u n i q u e p e r s o n a l i t y a n ddesire for perfection.

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143 >

‘Innovative’, ‘design conscious’ and ‘exceptional quality’ are the words that make Cobra Watertech the successful brand that it is. Manufacturing stylish, top quality taps since 1951, Cobra produces one of the most comprehensive ranges of plumbing fittings and sanitaryware in the world, ensuring that there is an attractive product suitable for every purpose.

Cobra in the kitchen

Cobra’s ongoing and accelerated programme of product

development has resulted in trend setting designs of

kitchen taps and mixers. Amongst its kitchen ranges, you

will find Damara, Callisto, Taryn, Gala and Flex Supreme.

Damara’s taps and sink mixers allow users to regu-

late the amount of hot water dispensed (ideal for

households with children, elderly or disabled occu-

pants), while its single range mixer comes complete

with a built-in water and energy-saving ceramic disc

cartridge.

COBRA WATERTECH By�Bev�Hermanson

Flex Supreme mixer.

The Callisto designer sink mixer, with a swivel outlet,

offers a trendy contemporary design that creates a

complete modern character to any kitchen.

Bringing style and creativity into the kitchen envi-

ronment, the Taryn mixer, with a swivel outlet and a

retractable handspray, offers both standard and

minimalist handle styles.

The Cobra Gala mixer has a swivel outlet which uses

the standard Cobra anti-splash, anti-lime aerator

and a side mounted handle.

The Flex Supreme mixer has a standard swivel outlet

and a large decorative, chrome-plated, spring-mounted

handspray. This allows the user to pull the hand spray

to the desired position. After use, it springs out of the

way. It is ideal for washing down sinks and drying

areas or washing vegetables, concentrating the water

flow exactly where the user wants it – two mixer

types in one unit. This top-of-the-range mixer is particu-

larly in vogue in modern European kitchens.

There are a further two stainless steel mixers in the Cobra

range. One has modern quarter turn cross handles and

a swivel outlet, the other a single lever with a swivel

outlet. These have been superbly designed and are in

tune with the latest kitchen trends, blending perfectly

with modern stainless steel kitchen appliances.

Cobra in the bathroom

After doing extensive research, Cobra formed an alli-

ance with Bain d’Or, a supplier of top quality classic

and contemporary bathroom ware. Together they have

come up with a wide range of sanitary ware products

and bathroom accessories in line with customers’ tastes

and lifestyle needs.

Cobra can now confidently claim that, by adding the

Bain d’Or range to its already vast range of products,

it has become a one stop solution for a variety of

bathroom fittings and fixtures.

The Cobra Bain d’Or product range will fulfill any design

need, from Victorian style to the latest in modern

bathroom designs. The product range consists of:

> Cobra Bain d’Or Mona Lisa Suite

> Cobra Bain d’Or Epernay Suite

> Cobra Bain d’Or Liege Suite

> Cobra Bain d’Or Marseille Suite

The Cobra Bain d’Or products have distinctive quality

features and benefits including baths that are coated

144 >

Damara tap and sink mixer.

145 >

Cobra Bain d’Or Mona Lisa Suite (above) and Liege Suite (below).

146 >

Chromotherapy Shower.

Cobratron basin mixer. Cobratron pillar tap.

Cobratron pillar tap.Cobratron wall spout.

Taryn bath mixer.

147 >

with Amazonite for added strength and rigidity, and

superior thermal insulation, which keeps water hotter

for longer periods. This feature comes with an excep-

tional 20 year warranty. A bath/shower combination

is available for confined spaces.

The Cobra Bain d’Or product range is available at

selected leading outlets. It comes with the standard

and comprehensive Cobra Watertech service back-up

and warranty.

There are also a host of popular styles of taps, mixers

and shower fittings all supplied by Cobra Watertech.

The Taryn range is especially designed for local con-

ditions and incorporates quality compression type

head parts.

The Taryn range features a 35mm temperature and

flow control cartridge, an anti-lime aerator and is

available with a standard or minimalist handle. In-

cluded in the range are three basin mixer options,

an underwall bath/shower diverter mixer and a sink

mixer, with a unique flexible swivel outlet.

Cobra’s Aurora and Vivanno Chromotherapy shower

roses transform a simple shower into a visual de-

light of light and colour. An infra red remote control

panel mounted on the shower wall allows you to

change the glow of the rain spray to nine colour ef-

fects – cool, relaxing hues that fade from one colour

to another – all of which help to energise or relax the

body.

Chromo Therapy is an ancient science – first used by

the Egyptians and Greeks – who made use of colour

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Physical Address:Shop No 1, Menlyn Home Care Centre, Corner Garsfontein Road and Lois Avenue, Menlyn.

Postal Address:P O Box 246, Menlyn 0063

Tel: (012) 348 2349Fax: (012) 348 2276E-mail: thinus@plumbsan.co.za or arna@plumbsan.co.za

www.plumbsan.co.za

148 >

and light to restore energy to the body, be it physical,

emotional, spiritual or mental. The colours influence

the equilibrium of charkas, the centres of energy

streams related to the major glands.

Cobra in public places

Since the spread of the deadly Swine Flu virus

across the world, Cobra Watertech has experienced

a growing demand for touch free sensor taps.

Touch free electronic smart taps – in the latest Co-

bratron range – are being installed in areas where

there is a particularly high volume of human traffic

such as schools, malls, airports, petrol station rest

rooms, hospitals and restaurants.

Not only is the modern design of the mixer aesthet-

ically pleasing, but it is also vandal resistant. Taps

and mixers in the Cobratron range have options that

can be programmed to supply cold water, heated

water or water set to a desired temperature.

Cobra – the obvious choice

> The Cobra brand is fast entrenching itself in many

countries around the globe from Sub-Saharan Africa,

Europe, South America and even the Middle East.

The fact that Cobra can tailor-make its products

for its clients’ specific needs is a major appeal for

them, making Cobra the product of choice in many

more countries around the world.

> Thousands of travellers passing through Hong

Kong’s busy international airport are sure to come

across South African quality design and manufac-

turing in the form of Cobra Watertech’s elbow action

taps, which have been fitted in all the public bath-

rooms.

> The Chinese are so confident of Cobra’s quality

products that they have insisted on using only

Cobra products in at least 34 McDonald’s outlets

throughout China, and several new hospitals.

> After supplying plumbing and sanitaryware for

the 2007 Cricket World Cup stadiums in the West

Indies, Cobra received a further order to fit out

the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

> Cobra has just completed a re-vamp of the luxurious

Sugar Beach Hotel in Mauritius and is currently

fitting out a five-star hotel on the Easter Islands in

the South Pacific, and has also dispatched a huge

order for a grand casino/hotel in Santiago, Chile.

> The Cobratron range has made its way into a number

of public buildings all over the world including the

likes of the Intercontinental Hotel UK, the Olympic

Stadium Greece, Turkey’s Samsun airport, shop-

ping malls in South Africa and Australia, German

post offices, Expo Guadalajara Mexico and the

New York Times building to mention a few.

Locally:

> The Southern Sun Hyde Park Hotel chose Cobra’s

Leading Edge range for the public areas and the

Taryn range for the hotel’s 132 luxury bathrooms.

> The Damara range part of Cobra’s Style collection,

was inspired by a selection of taps and mixers

designed exclusively for Cape Town’s 7-star One

& Only Hotel in the V&A Waterfront.

> Cobra was the product of choice for Durban’s new

iconic landmark, the giant Moses Mabhida Stadium

150 >

that has recently been completed and the R6.8

billion King Shaka International Airport (north of

Durban), where contractors are working 24 hours

to complete work before the 2010 Soccer World

Cup.

> Also under construction, at Inanda, North of Durban,

is the multi-billion rand Bridge City shopping Centre

linked to a 4000-home housing unit and an under-

ground railway station. The R750-million shopping

complex chose Cobra plumbing and accessories

worth more than R1,5 million.

> Cobra Watertech has also secured the contract to

supply R1-million worth of taps, flush valves, geysers

and other bathroom accessories to the second

phase of the multi-billion rand Arbour Town develop-

ment, a mixed use project which consists of a mega

shopping centre in Amanzimtoti, just 15km South

of Durban. It opens to the public later this year.

> The contract to supply Blue Waters Hotel, Holiday

Inn Garden Court, North Beach, and Holiday Inn

Marine Parade is worth R1-million. The new Fairmont

Hotel in the prestigious Zimbali Estate on the North

Coast has also gone with Cobra, ordering an esti-

mated R2-million of its products, which includes

the exclusive Damara range, while the Oyster Box

Hotel at Umhlanga is using up to R700 000 worth

of Cobra products in its refurbishment projects

currently underway.

> As part of the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex refur-

bishment, R1-million’s worth of Cobra products

has been specified, including Cobra flush valves

and urinals, metering taps in public areas and the

classic range of Taryn mixers in VIP areas. In addi-

tion, the Cobra Carina range of basin mixers and

thermostatic showers will be fitted in the players’

and officials’ change rooms, while standard Carina

showers will be fitted for all stadium support staff.

Cobra wins an SABS Design Excellence award

The SABS Design Institute award of excellence was

awarded to world renowned industrial designer,

Brian Steinhobel, for his design of Cobra Watertech’s

three top products, the innovative Callisto, Tapno

and Leading Edge range of taps and mixers.

The Callisto, Leading Edge and Tapno ranges boast

innovative features such as angle regulating valves with

exposed mixers; temperature and flow-controllable

cartridges for energy and water conservation. Tapno’s

stylish wedge design gracefully complements modern

architectural design trends. The mixers have a trendy

feature that shapes the flow from the taps into soft,

non-splash aerated water.

The Callisto’s vertical architectonic style has crisp

edges and no-fuss lines combined with intelligent

practicality and subtle sophistication. Steinhobel’s

design concept has achieved a classical, geometric

form that, although modern, will have timeless ele-

gance.

The award was confirmation that Cobra has been accept-

ed globally in the world of design and Cobra has

initiated a South African design concept that can

stand up with the best in the world. The company

has continually kept abreast with market trends and

is at the forefront of cutting edge research and tech-

nology.

All Cobra products are supplied with SABS certifica-

tion along with Cobra’s service back up and 10 year

guarantee on taps and mixers. <

151 >

The Steinhobel range of taps and mixer which won an SABS Design Excellence Award in 2009.

152 >

With the current state of the planet it’s no surprise that

almost every component of our daily life is now go-

ing green. Everything from the cars we drive, to the

packaging of our food has made a positive change to

become more environmentally sustainable. If we,

who care about the environment, want to make a change

for the sake of our planet, why shouldn’t our living and

entertainment spaces also reflect that?

One of the many companies addressing this in an inno-

vative manner is Kubik™, a company specialising in pro-

duct development for the themed entertainment and

architecture industries. The Kubik™ product range con-

figures contemporary luminaries into illuminated walls,

floors and ceilings, tailor-made to customer specifi-

cations. The separate luminaries are constructed

into different configurations by means of a patented

modular pre-engineered aluminium frame system. The

end result is a sleek, minimalist architectural feature

that can be incorporated into buildings, displays or

homes.

“Now going green in our decor doesn’t mean living in

a mud hut,” says Dirk Durnez, managing director and

founder. “Kubik™ has developed living solutions that

add a touch of sophistication and innovation. These

solutions add visual appeal to our surrounding spaces

without cost to our planet.”

The Kubik™ concept was developed by Durnez some

four years ago. He was involved in many projects

such as Disney Paris, Warner Bros Movieworld and

ILLUMINATING THE WORLD

153 >

From the iconic Kubik totems on the Plaza of the newly renovated Cape Town International Airport, the entire roof is illuminated. Design: Urban Studio. Engineering: Kwezi V3.LEFT: The largest illuminated LED floor in the world

was manufactured in Cape Town and installed in a Dubai showroom in less than four days. The 45 000 computer controlled LEDs use the same amount of power as one medium-sized halogen spotlight. Architect: Darnton EGS Ltd (UK).

Tradecorp lobby in Johannesburg, signage and counter both by Kubik™. Design: Paul Sayer.

specialised construction projects in the USA, Europe

and Asia. The company’s long line of ventures also

include almost the entire theming of Ratanga Junction,

dockside and major themed construction elements of

Canal Walk, the Cape Grace Hotel and a huge involve-

ment in casinos in South Africa.

When approached by the Volkswagen Group to design

and fit out their Autopavilion, development of a unique

modular construction system began, thus the birth

of Kubik™.

In the short time Kubik™ has been around, it has re-

ceived a sought-after SABS Design Excellence Award in

2009 and the work done at the Autopavilion received

the IE magazine award for best showroom in 2008.

GREEN SOLUTIONS

“For those who are still learning about the constituents

of a green product the three basic elements are Re-

duce, Re-use and Recycle,” says Durnez. He explains

how Kubik™ incorporates these in their products

and processes:

Reduce

> We only use low energy lamps such as fluorescents,

CFLS and LEDS.

> Due to the use of quality electrical components,

up to 80% of energy is saved.

> Kubik LEDs have a life expectancy of up to 10 years.

154 >

ABB, a world leader in automation solutions technology, used Kubik in combination with LED backlit 3-Form alabaster to portray their quality brand in their headquarters’ lobby and offices. Design: Interiors for Change.

Marcel’s Frozen Yoghurt is one of the many franchises that have embraced the advantages of the Kubik systems. Design: Studio C architects.

> Special marine-quality alloy and anodising make

Kubik’s products resistant and long-lasting.

Recycle

> Kubik extrusions contain 30% recycled material

and the acrylics contain 20% recycled material.

> The aluminium off-cuts and even the saw dust

is 100 % recycled.

> The glass panels, used inside the frames, are

100% recyclable.

> Acrylics are also now 100% recyclable.

Re-use

> Thanks to the unique modular system, frames

can be dismantled and reconstructed in a very

short time.

Durnez further explains why their solutions are

special: “Kubik’s solutions are based on three con-

stituents: modular, customisable and pre-engi-

neered. Modular entails that the design is made up

of different parts which compose or create a whole,

meaning that they are somewhat detachable. That

being said, this unique feature contributes to it being

customisable, allowing you to create your living

space to suite your style or your needs for that par-

ticular space. The fact that the solutions are pre-

engineered means that all components are fabri-

cated beforehand and are then assembled on site,

resulting in no on-site construction and no need for

artisans. This allows for efficient, fast and dust-free

installation.”

Kubik™ offers everything from illuminated walls,

floors and doors, furniture and display and exhibi-

tion stands. Projects are pre-engineered, and CAD

and CAM services mean that projects are executed

100% according to design specifications.

A recent exhibition held at the CTICC, revealed a new

addition to the Kubik™ family, Eco Verdi. This concept,

which combines their existing solutions with living

material like plants and water, are very appealing to the

eye and also part of the go green revolution. These con-

cepts give a fresh take on green decor. The colours and

155 >

lines are refreshing and the shapes are structural

and illuminated. The idea, which is referred to as ‘ver-

tical garden’, incorporates plants and light boxes to

create a beautiful and revitalising ambiance. Still

staying true to their green roots, Eco Verdi uses

bamboo in their solutions as bamboo regenerates

within a space of four months, whereas a tree could take

years to grow back to its original size. These solutions

are also modular, customisable and pre-engineered. <

An entire Samsung shop was pre-manufactured in Cape Town, packed in 242 boxes, flown to Dar es Salaam and installed in less than two weeks by one Kubik teamleader and five local workers. Design: Samsung Korea.

The new refurbished Eikestad Mall in Stellenbosch is entirely fitted out with Kubik ceilings. Architect: DHK.

The Green Home Exhibition, which was hosted by the CTICC in February, showcased Eco Verdi, which is a infusion of Kubik solutions and living material.

This 60s roadhouse outside the Volkswagen factory evokes the good old days but is made in a 21st century methods. Design: Seipone Exhibits.

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157 >

“Architecture is a difficult profession but it offers a lifetime

of growth and inspiration. It is a physical expression of

the dreams and ambitions of mankind. As architects, we

reveal what we think about life and society and our design

responsibility is immense if we aim to leave a legacy of value.”

– Adrian Maserow

LIFE AS AN ARCHITECT – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ADRIAN MASEROW

“I AM AN ARCHOHOLIC. . .”

158 >

A review of AMA Architects over the decades

“At AMA Architects, we never take for granted the priv-

ilege of designing buildings. The diversity of our work

under one roof is a sign that with each opportunity,

we gain new knowledge, always seeking refinement,

efficiency and presence.”

Adrian Maserow graduated from the University of

the Witwatersrand in 1981 with a Bachelors Degree in

Architecture. He then went on to study for his Masters

under the guidance of Professor Guedes and Professor

Dennis Radford, completing it in 1985.

Maserow’s thesis towards his BA in Architecture that

was published in 1981 and was titled: A strategy for an

urban pensioner community. It considered the human

life cycle as critical to the designer’s field of interest

and integrated a pensioner community housing project

into an urban framework, much in the same way that

the now popular ‘New Urbanism’ has unfolded.

“My Masters thesis in architecture was an exploration

into design processes that really interested me. I use

these processes today as I think in the abstract in

order to embrace the holistic vision that holds function,

humanity, art and poetry in all design. The most signifi-

cant mentors and academics that influenced my aca-

demic life and later my ability to practice architecture,

were Pancho Guedes and Leon van Schaik.”

Pancho Guedes lives in Portugal and has been one of

the most passionate promoters of architecture as an art.

Leon van Schaik runs The Masters Programme at The

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia.

After 9 years as a partner of Koseff Maserow van der

Walt, he went on to form Adrian Maserow Architects

when the former practice was disbanded in 1993. With

Sandton Towers.

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161 >

a change of shareholdings and new partners on board

in 1999, the practice was renamed AMA Architects.

In 2001, AMA Architects reinvented the firm’s mis-

sion and expand its opportunities. In 2002, the inte-

rior design firm, D12 Interiors was added to the

group to complement the AMA service offering.

“I started AMA Architects a few short months before

South Africa’s first democratic elections,” says Maserow.

“These were remarkable times. Parts of the nation

feared the worst. Some people were stockpiling

tinned food to take them through an imagined period

of no basic services and food shortages.”

Maserow’s keen timing was fortunate. His ‘positioning’

equally so, as he joined forces with some of the

country’s most vibrant and dynamic developers in

the metro area of Johannesburg’s northern suburbs,

which in particular included Sandton.

Adrian Maserow has been a member of The Institute

of South African Architects and the South African

Council for Architects since 1983. He is further a

member of The Royal Institute of British Architects

and The South African Property Owners Association.

The practice is guided by a committed belief in the

contribution that good architectural design has to-

wards the life of the community. Maserow, together

with principals Gerald Pereira and Marco Fanucci,

are all deeply committed to an exuberant and evoc-

ative contemporary architecture which is appropriate

to the age in which we live.

“One of the most stimulating aspects of architecture

is that, in designing buildings for different functions,

we become familiar with the workings of those busi-

nesses and industries. I have designed motor show-

rooms, golf clubhouses and retirement villages. I

have spent valuable time with retailers anticipating

how their centres will be supported. Hoteliers have

given me insight into their functionality. Through

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163 >

working with logistics engineers, I have gained

knowledge of the flows and requirements for large

distribution warehouses. I have designed head of-

fices for banks, advertising agencies, parastatals,

medical aid companies and leaders in the steel and

diamond industries. All of this is so exciting because

my staff and I invariably deal with the leaders of

those industries and work at a high level of human

endeavour and completion.”

Insight into life as an architect

“There is no training prior to going to architecture

school that gives you any indication that you may be

able to be an architect. What you perhaps have is a

sense that you embrace the ‘things’ of life a little dif-

ferently from others around you – a piece of wood that

was chiseled into a shape, a strip of leather that was

made into a belt, building models, paper sculptures, mud

houses, tree houses and the like. . . but do you know that

you want to be an architect?” comments Maserow.

“You have probably also enjoyed exploring a cave,

hiding in a dugout, climbing into a dormer roof or

creeping into a cellar. You have walked the streets

and alleys, climbed stairways at school, hidden un-

der storerooms and made your own cushion homes

in the lounge. You’ve had hobbies like sketching,

playing music, writing poetry and singing and dancing.

These are the experiences that I’ve had and found

that other architects have had, and that is why we

have become architects!”

Architecture is different to those professions that only

have logical and knowledge-based analytical outcomes

to work with, because architecture is an art. It is one

of the few professions that demands poetic inter-

pretation in order to have a meaningful impact that

transcends function which results in delight.

Shelter, of course, is a necessity and the provision of

it is an imperative. But to build identifiable communities

that are adequately nurtured means that the entire

framework of habitation must embrace a holistic view

of man that satisfies body, emotion and spirit.

“The ego plays a strong role in surviving as an architect

in a consumer society because of the unrelenting com-

petitiveness that you face on a daily basis. This either

strengthens you or diminishes you as an architect.

22 Girton Road.

Much architecture has been a knee-jerk reaction to

the perceived market place conditions, resulting in a

kind of prescription architecture seen as a universal

pill that provides ‘cures’ for all situations. This is, of

course, extremely limiting and disappointing and it

negates all that we are able to achieve.”

“But beyond that, the design responsibility of the archi-

tect is immense if we aim to leave a legacy of value.

The poetic aspects of architecture inhabit the centre

stage of society. We must design with inspiration

and it is our responsibility to shape our architectural

world with spaces and places of iconic merit. Life is

celebrated through architecture and the bringing of

inspired function and beauty to the physical world is

the responsibility of the talented architect.”

“Nevertheless, so many aspects of this demanding

profession can trip you in your attempts to run ahead.

Our allies and friends are so important to our viability

in this profession. But the danger that we sell out is

always present. Our fragile egos could easily take us

away from our centre, our inner strength.”

Sketching abstracts into reality

As a student of architecture, Maserow explored the

tools of architecture and the ability to compose

buildings through drawing. The pen or pencil was

his preferred medium for this exploration.

“Sketches have been a strong part of my life as an

architect. The BIC pen allows for the explorations and

thinking processes that I use. Beauty is sought, ideas

are reconsidered and notions are revealed through

the workings and reworkings of lines on a page. This

is where design starts and always tells its truth. I

164 >

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believe that no beautiful design can be built without its

notion having been sketched on paper.”

Presentations

“Our clients are vital to our endeavour and the most

promising relationships evolve where the level of re-

spect and our joint mission is powerfully focused.”

Presentations are important, as communicating a vi-

sion from the abstract is vital to the level of accept-

ance, buy-in and promotion of the architecture. The

communication ranges from sketches through to

polished 3D renderings and animations. For the last

six years, AMA’s in-house presentation facility has

been run by Lana Myburgh, who has taken presenta-

tions to a new world-class standard of presentation

and innovation.

165 >

The Place, Morningside.

Conceptual perspectives.

166 >

The need to be significant

Architecture is an art and yet it has a direct function

and purpose for humanity that elevates it simulta-

neously into the realm of significance and presence.

“AMA Architects have excelled in the areas of archi-

tecture that include housing, office buildings, retail

centres, refurbishments, golf clubhouses, apartment

buildings and interior design,” says Maserow. “Our

clients include private business, banks, parastatals

and listed property companies. Our friends and col-

leagues are businesspeople, developers, agents,

engineers, quantity surveyors, landlords, bankers,

suppliers and contractors.”

Through its direct relationship with D12 Interiors, AMA

Architects has been able to provide the full service

design needs of its clients, delivering a full range of

design services right through to the procurement of

detailed assets like crockery, cutlery and artwork.

Sarene Lyon Nel heads up the D12 interior design

team, and brings a strong and professional leader-

ship to their offering.

The firm’s position in the marketplace has been

strengthened through a dogged determination to

always be relevant and at the cusp of need and vision.

“Most of the architecture commissioned is when

there is a trust that the architect will perform re-

sponsibly. We attempt to grow that trust through a

fresh approach towards the analysis of a project’s

needs and availability to consider and review many

options, with a worldly and a contemporary vision of

the architectural field is always an advantage.”

Taking the analysis to its broader context, Maserow

acknowledges that “South Africa is a land of promise

and hope and we understand our responsibility in

uplifting its people through world-class design.” Under-

standing the responsibilities that they have towards

the world’s dwindling resources and energy sup-

plies, the partners at the practice make every effort

to adhere to the correct use of renewable energy.

These issues are always brought into focus with

their contemporary projects.

“For our design team, we are driven first by an inspi-

ration. We then find an order from which we distill

an idea worthy of design excellence. In order to be

inspired, we suspect that buildings have ‘hearts and

souls’. Whilst our projects must perform their mate-

rial functions first, the architecture must be imbued

with meaning through the buildings’ ability to ‘speak

to us’ – through a sustaining and encouraging vision.

Views of Paddock House.

Views of Paddock House.

We attempt to build environments that will exert a

kind of ‘magic’ that lives well beyond the functional

experience and its obvious environment.”

World Architectural Festival – Barcelona, October 2008

In October 2008, Maserow attended the first World

Architecture Festival (WAF) in Barcelona. Prior to this

gathering, the international nature of architecture

and the universal cultural aspirations that architecture

represents, had not been expressed in any global

event. The WAF reviewed the realised buildings of

the profession’s global achievement on the ground,

highlighting the extraordinary role of architecture in

the world’s economy and in society generally.

Sitting through the assessments of the chosen projects,

Maserow was reminded why he chose a career as a

practising architect. From 730 entry submissions,

250 were singled out and presented to a esteemed

panel of adjudicators, representing the best of the

best in the discipline.

“Many of the entries came from the ‘starchitect’ firms,

who seem to operate wonderful ‘talent-seeking pro-

duction houses’. They work ‘out of the box’ in order to

make their unique moments in architecture and,

through this, they achieve prominence and recognition.

But, throughout the world, the highest proportion of

architects are still smaller firms which are often a col-

laboration, a group of inspired and passionate teams

that can transform the field of architecture. These groups

are adventurous and experimental with purpose and

I was grateful to see their works.”

167 >

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Views of House Bentel.

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“It is often strangely exciting to travel. Away from your

mother tongue, it is stimulating to be an alien in a foreign

city, far from the routine of regular day-to-day life. Barce-

lona is a really exciting, passionate and promising city

and it was a fantastic venue for this world forum. It is a

magnet for people that enjoy its drive and humanity. Its

architecture has been recognised as a strong proponent

of the contemporary and the modern. This dizzy combi-

nation of the World Architectural Festival and the City

of Barcelona was so outrageously appealing. I soaked

up the architectural genius and excitement of our age,

much like a student would at the foot of his masters.”

“As architects, we engage with each other with a know-

ing recognition of our similar fates. Make friends

with an architect and you will likely meet someone who

urges you to celebrate your day to day life. We also

often share the view that our age is far too formulaic,

too calculating, too careful and too inhibited perhaps

to recognize the magnificence in which we live.”

One of the most interesting discussions and debates

revolved around the question: Who is the client? It is

a simple question, but one that is problematic for

architects. Is the client the person who pays the fee, or

is the client the end user (often someone entirely dif-

ferent)? Is the client, perhaps, society itself? Or, in

respect of sustainability, is the client in fact the Earth?

The conclusion was that the ‘place’ was the client.

The expression of identity and the aspect of significance

At this time in the planet’s history, it is the dominant

global economy that finds expression in the New

Modernism. Westernisation has had a profound in-

fluence on the expression of the built form, and it inevi-

tably changes the nature of ‘the place’. The current

modernity is dominated by the Northern Atlantic

cultures. It is symbolised in an outward looking,

modern ‘Coca Cola’ brand of architecture and much

as it may be loathed by traditionalists, as Jencks

once noted: “The cultured Parisians loathed Eiffel’s

grotesque iron tower, but it is now the emblem of

France!”

Concept for dry docks in China.

172 >

Architects have a ‘duty of care’ to take issue with. The

matter of identity, although only partly to do with

architecture, is very personal. It has to do with who you

are, your sameness and your differences. Architects

all come from communities. They have a ‘collective

memory’. The world metropolis absorbs the mix of

cultures. This is signified in the contemporary archi-

tecture which we subscribe to..

People are alive to a popular admiration of modern

architecture. Interestingly, technology goes side by

side with capitalism. It homogenises function and,

therefore, design. Architecture concentrates on what

is important to people, and thereby finds its signifi-

cance.

“In the end, I identify with Ken Yang’s philosophy that

states that ‘giving pleasure is one of the most impor-

tant aspects of architecture’. For me, it’s the sensibility

of the contemporary mind that seeks clarity of purpose

through form and art that most attracts me. I admire

incisive resolution and uphold architecture worked

from a continuous flow of refinement of the mo-

ment. Our greatest goal is a process that is simulta-

neously exhilarating and elusive, that moment of

recognition that holds the meaning of creation as its

greatest purpose which gives us identity,” Maserow

states.

“For AMA Architects, architecture of merit is the phys-

ical expression of the dreams and ambitions of our

society. We design buildings to attract people to them

– our cities must speak to us of community, technology,

materiality and the hope of its people and its spaces in

the African light. We design public spaces and private

spaces, some with largesse and some intimate. But

the ultimate responsibility of the architect is the Art of

Architecture, which must function at an optimal level.

We attempt to build environments that will exert a

kind of ‘magic’ that lives well beyond the functional

experience and its obvious environment. Through

this, we find meaning and memory in our architec-

ture. Our architecture talks to a greater purpose – it

provides an uplifting and human framework for our

cities,” Maserow concludes.

“We have learnt that the four pillars of our design work

are embedded in the concept of significance, pres-

ence, materiality and emptiness. Architecture has the

capacity to be inspiring, engaging and life-enhancing.

It is through this process of architectural exploration

that we find our purpose.” <

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SOUTHERN SUN AD

175 >

Stay Easy by Southern Sun is a brand that speaks for itself – it’s a collection of budget hotels that cater specially for the business and leisure traveller in con-venient locations that are vibrant, yet not necessarily high profile areas, such as central Pretoria and Eastgate in Gauteng, Rustenburg, Century City in the Western Cape, Emnotweni in Nelspruit and Emalahleni (previ-ously Witbank) in Mpumalanga and now Pietermaritz-burg. With 128 en suite rooms, facilities for small con-ferences, a guest swimming pool and ample parking, the Stay Easy Pietermaritzburg, the latest addition to the Stay Easy stable, has been constructed with the environment in mind.

Designed by Bentel Associates International on behalf of owners, the Liberty Group, the R40-million Stay Easy Pietermaritzburg Hotel is situated at the gateway to the central business district of the city, within the Liberty Midlands Mall complex, which was also designed by Bentel Associates International. This new addition con-tributes to the Liberty Group’s strategy of providing mixed use developments where retail facilities, enter-tainment and accommodation exist side-by-side, providing a total solution to the precinct.

As a result of the high visibility from the highway, there was a greater emphasis on the need for the aesthetics

Always pioneering better accommodation formulas for the growing hospitality industry,

Southern Sun has devised a new brand that is fashioned around practical accommodation

that delivers quality, yet without unnecessary frills.

STAY EASY, PIETERMARITZBURGCONTEMPORARY AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION IN THE MIDLANDS

By�Bev�Hermanson

176 >

to blend with that of the shopping mall. “Part of the design brief was to create a contemporary building that responded to its context while satisfying the Southern Sun Stay Easy design requirements,” com-ments Luke Chandler, director at Bentel Associates International. “The height restriction played a role in layout. As a result, we conceptualised a T-shaped building that could achieve a large enough footprint to accommodate all the rooms while, at the same time, ensuring that the walking distances from the lift lobby to the furthest room was not more than 40m.”

In keeping with the contemporary image of the shop-ping mall, the exterior features exposed steel and raw stone elements. The facades have been ‘broken up’ into a series of planes, some accentuated, some receding, resulting in a three-dimensional building that holds the interest, while still maintaining a human scale. The colour palette is a collection of cool contemporary tones with the occasional splash of bright colour to create focal points.

Contributing to the drive to lower the group’s carbon footprint, the building incorporates locally produced bricks, solar power for water heating, room key cards to control electricity consumption when the rooms are vacant and the use of a grey water system that collects storm water for re-distribution into the irrigation network.

“As a brand, Stay Easy is establishing itself as an envi-ronmentally friendly operation,” says Dhayalan Naidoo, Director of Operations, Stay Easy by South-ern Sun. “Intrinsic to the brand message is the knowl-edge that the group is striving to better manage operational activities so that they do not impinge on the environment.”

In conjunction with the Heritage Environmental Management Group, the Stay Easy operations man-agement determines each hotel’s carbon emissions, using the Heritage Carbon Calculator. Each month,

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Finishing touches being applied to the Stay Easy before it opened for business.

178 >

the professional team of the hotel and Southern Sun, has built a Drop-in Community Centre for the chil-dren of a nearby informal settlement, known as France. Liberty Group has contributed R2,4 million towards making the project a reality. The Reach Out initiative was introduced through Liberty Midlands Mall, that adopted the cause as part of an ongoing community outreach program, through which initia-tives are launched to uplift local underprivileged communities.

France has numerous child-headed households as a result of the AIDS pandemic. There is little running water, hot meals are scarce and there is no one to help the children with their homework. Partnering with a number of sponsors, the Reach Out community group will manage the Drop In Centre that will provide a haven where children can feel safe and nurtured. There will be a community room where children will have access to meals and homework supervision. Toilet facilities, a laundry, kitchen, clinic and a social worker’s office, as well as an outside play area, will all contribute to-wards a heightened sense of wellbeing amongst the children of the community. To extend its efforts to reduce its environmental impact, the management of the Stay Easy Pietermaritzburg will further pro-vide linen and obsolete equipment to the centre, while the Liberty Midlands Mall maintenance team will be on call to assist with any maintenance.

“Hospitality is a value,” says Naidoo. “It’s a value that extends beyond the service to tourists and travel-lers, to the communities where the establishment is based. By contributing together with the main sponsor, Liberty, and various other sponsors to the establish-ment of the Drop-in Community Centre, we will not only bring love and hope to these disadvantaged families, we will uplift and empower the children to make the most of their lives.” <

Views of the bar area and a twin bedroom.

electricity and water consumption is monitored, as well as the amount of waste that is produced. Heritage further audits every hotel twice a year and provides valuable feedback relating to the group’s environ-mental management. “There is definitely a growing global movement towards what is known as ‘respon-sible tourism’. This not only involves the obvious methods of reducing carbon emissions, but also the policies of buying locally and supporting local busi-nesses and communities,” Naidoo adds.

Taking its community consciousness a step further, Liberty Group, together with various sponsors, including

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AT THE CORE OF THIS FINE PROJECT

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KZN’S ECONOMY SET TO TAKE OFF

By�Bev�Hermanson

Located at La Mercy, approximately 35 kilometers north of Durban’s city centre,

King Shaka International Airport is a ground breaking co-operative project

agreement that was reached between the National Department of Transport,

the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal and Airports Company South

Africa (ACSA). It is also the first greenfields airport to be built in the past 50

years in South Africa and possibly the only one currently being built in the world.

183 >

www.stseng.co.za

Replacing the existing Durban International Airport,

which will eventually be decommissioned, King Shaka

International Airport is expected to open on 1 May 2010,

just over a month before the start of the 2010 FIFA World

Cup. The airport, which was designed by a consortium of

architects called the Ilembe Architectural Joint Venture,

consisting of Osmond Lange Architects and Planners,

Ruben Reddy Architects, Shabangu Architects, Mthulisi

Msimang Architects and NSM Designs, will cost over

R7-billion by the time it is completed. With a terminal

floor area of 103,000 m², runway and taxiways covering

400,000 m² and facilities to support the airport includ-

ing administration offices and transit accommodation

for tourists, an integrated agricultural export zone and

an IT platform, the airport is making a significantly

positive impact on the economy of the region.

BACKGROUND

The prospect of building a brand new airport for Durban

was mooted during the 70s and in fact some initial infra-

structural work was completed between 1975 and 1982.

Due to the economic recession of the 80s, the entire

project was halted and it wasn’t until the 90s that the

notion of relocating the Durban International Airport was

revived. Extensive research, analysis and agonizing over

whether to relocate or upgrade the existing airport en-

sued, however in July 2006 it was finally concluded that

the existing airport, even when fully developed, would

not provide enough capacity for the region. It was de-

cided that ACSA would develop, manage and own the

airport while the Dube TradePort Company would de-

velop a cargo facility, trade and agri zone nearby.

Photo by Russell Cleaver

185 >

186 >

DUBE TRADEPORT

The siting of the new airport complements the develop-ment of the Dube TradePort, which is situated on 2060 ha of land that is perfectly accessible by the two major ports of Durban and Richards Bay and the rail and road links with Gauteng. Wholly funded by the Kzn Department of Economic Development, the Dube TradePort is intended to be a world class freight logis-tics facility that will be geared to attract a wide range of activities that will stimulate economic advancement in the region.

The Dube TradePort platform is split into three sections namely: Trade Zone, Agri Zone and Support Zone (joint venture with ACSA). The Trade Zone, which includes the

cargo handling terminal at the airport, will stimulate

the import and export of high value goods by air to and from KwaZulu Natal. The Support Zone has been designed to cater to the corporate sector as well as the suppliers of services and tourist accommodation through the provision of offices, buildings, conference and entertainment facilities, while the Agri Zone will involve the cultivation of high value farming products for export.

Anyone travelling by road between Johannesburg and Durban will testify to the enormous volume of road freight traffic that uses the route daily. When com-pleted, the Dube TradePort and the King Shaka Inter-national Airport will alleviate the pressure on this route by facilitating that the more than 50 000 tons of manufactured goods produced in the region will be air freighted directly from the local airport in the future,

Photos by Russell Cleaver

187 >

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188 >

rather than having to undergo the arduous transporta-

tion to Gauteng for airfreighting from the Highveld air-

ports. The new cargo terminal at King Shaka, in fact, will

have the capacity to handle over 100 000 tons of cargo

per year, thereby allowing for considerable growth in

the future.

AWARDING THE CONSTRUCTION TENDER

One of the bones of contention that delayed the start

of the airport construction phase was when it came

time to the awarding of the contract for the construc-

tion. Amongst the bidders for the tender were two

consortia – the 55% Black owned Ilembe Consortium

comprising Group Five, Mvelaphanda Holdings and

WBHO Construction, supported by construction and

management construction consultants, Turner Townsend,

and Indiza, led by Grinaker and LTA. When the latter was

disqualified for failing to meet certain tender require-

ments, an appeal was lodged at the Pietermaritzburg

High Court, but was subsequently dismissed, leaving

the path clear for Ilembe to continue.

The construction began in late August 2007, giving

the main construction team and more than 2100 sub-

contractors just over 2 years to complete everything.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Prior to commencement of the construction, there

were a number of environmental aspects that needed to

be considered. For an undertaking of this size, a full

environmental impact study was essential. Clearly

Photo by Russell Cleaver

189 >

noise pollution and increased traffic were important

considerations.

However, the assessments also revealed a possible

threat to the bird population in the vicinity, in particular

the 3 million barn swallows that migrate every year

from Europe to roost in an area close to the airport.

Known as the Mount Moreland Reedbed, this site is in

the flight path of aircraft that will be using the airport.

Concerns raised not only included the possible dis-

turbance of the bird colony on the ground, but also

the possible hazard of birds in flight putting aircraft

safety at risk.

Whilst the idea of bird strikes is alarming, this is a hazard

that is regularly encountered by all airports worldwide.

From the intensive research conducted by ACSA and

the Mt. Mooreland community, it was discovered that

the swallows rarely fly as high as the aircraft and

their main activities in the area are 30 minutes before

dusk and just before dawn. Two solutions were found

to allow the birds and the airport to co-exist. Firstly,

the flight schedulers will take these critical times into

account and plan around them, to avoid unnecessary

risk to the air carriers and secondly, a special bird

detection radar system has been instituted by ACSA

to monitor the movements of the birds. The added

bonus is that this system is able to detect the pres-

ence of bats at night, as well. This will be the first

time in the world that a system of this kind, which will

be integrated into the operational procedures of the

airport, will be utilised in South Africa.

The noise pollution and fuel transportation to the

new airport site were also issued with a positive re-

cord of decision.

Photos by Russell Cleaver

190 >

192 >

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193 >

DESIGN OF THE AIRPORT

As with the building of the Gautrain and the 2010 stadia,

the architects and engineers travelled to many coun-

tries looking for lessons that needed to be learnt. For

the King Shaka Airport, the opportunity to plan a

building that was to be built from scratch was most

welcome as the provision for expansion was an auto-

matic part of the initial plan.

“It’s in the expansion that most existing airports have

suffered enormous growing pains,” comments Victor

Utria of Osmond Lange Architects. “No one predicted

the extent of the future demand and how passenger

volumes would exert so much pressure on the facili-

ties. It was interesting to see that, although they all

have to perform exactly the same functions, no two

airports are the same. With the planning of the King

Shaka International Airport, we had the luxury of be-

ing able to plan for expansion in an orderly fashion.

That being said, there is no way of knowing how

changes in technology will take airport design off

onto a different tangent in the future.”

Due to the sheer size of the project, the design respon-

sibilities were split amongst the five design firms in the

consortium. Durban-based NSM Designs were tasked

with the planning for the cargo terminal, while Ruben

Reddy Architects handled the passenger terminal airside

corridor, the cooling towers complex and the external

urban fabric that encompassed the roads, parking areas

and pedestrian walkways. Mthulisi Msimang Architects

from Pietermaritzburg handled the multi-storey parkade

and office building, while Shabangu Architects from

Johannesburg was responsible for the car rental facili-

ties, the control tower and most of the support build-

ings. Osmond Lange Architects & Planners handled

the co-ordination as well as the design of the passen-

ger terminal building and the retail facilities.

“An airport in its entirety is a machine and all of the dif-

ferent parts are equally important to ensure that the

airport functions efficiently,” says Utria of the split of

responsibilities. Certainly, as a mere passenger, it is dif-

ficult to understand everything that is involved in the

running of such a large facility. This is indeed why air-

ports take such a long time in the planning process.

“Durban Airport took 30 years to completion once the

site was identified. Heathrow’s Terminal 5 took 40 years

to completion. In that time, one hopes that air travel,

as one knows it, hasn’t changed too dramatically.”

KING SHAKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TIMELINES

6 June 2007 R 7.2bn design & construc-

tion contract awarded to

the Ilembe Consortium

23 August 2007 Positive EIA (environmental

impact assessment) record

of decision (ROD) issued

30 September 2007 Ground breaking ceremony

31 August 2007 Site work commenced

30 September 2008 Control Tower topped out

30 June 2009 Terminal Building topped

out

30 October 2009 Runway will be completed

First quarter 2010 Durban International

Airport, will be decommis-

sioned. New International

Airport will be commis-

sioned

29 April 2010 Contractual completion

MATERIALS USED

Materials Quantity Equivalent to

Runway & taxiway pavements 400 000 m2 100 Soccer pitches

Terminal Building footprint 35 000 m2 9 Soccer pitches

Terminal floor area 103 000 m2 27 Soccer pitches

Earth to be moved 5.8 Million m2 2,500 Olympic swimming pools

Concrete to be poured 100 000 m2 50 Olympic swimming pools

Structural steel to be erected 4 700 tonnes ½ the Eiffel Tower

Asphalt 230 000 tonnes 35 km of 4 lane highway

Electrical cabling 700 km From Durban to East London

Photo by Nicolas Gonzalez

194 >

tariceT R A D I N G

Postal AddressPO Box 243

Clemaville3602

Physical Address1170 - 11th Street

PO Clemaville3602

Gsm: 083 441 6818Tel: 078 470 2531Tel: 072 204 0924Fax: 086 538 4187

Tarice Trading (Pty) Ltd, trading as Vusi Afrika, is a 100% female-owned Construction Company founded in 1999 by MS Nonceba Duma to provide a holistic approach to the construction of projects. The company provides state-of-the-art project management, quantity surveying, civil and electrical engineering services to both private and public sector. Tarice Trading’s competitive advantage results from effective teamwork, which significantly enhances its ability to deliver good quality projects timeously and within budget. The company is located in the heartland of Durban but is well positioned nationally through its allies should the need arises to form such partnerships.

Tarice Trading engages the services of the local communities in line with the Government’s Broad-Based Economic Empowerment strategies.

AIRPORT PRECINCT DIVISIONS

Landside

This area is outside the terminal building, in areas used

by people and vehicles. It includes the roads network,

with access to all areas of the airport precinct, car rental

facilities, public parkades, shaded parking areas, adminis-

trative buildings and various other services and facilities.

The area is freely accessible to all users of the airport.

Pedestrian and vehicle movements are guided and man-

aged by ACSA with the support of eThekweni Metro Police.

Road Network

There is a system of roads feeding into the Airport and

Dube Trade Port’s road circulation networks, with

principle access off the main collector road that links

the N2 and the R102. The southbound carriageway to

the N2 will be tolled. ACSA is currently negotiating

concessions with South African National Roads Agency

(SANRAL) for the broader airport community.

Local access roads will allow for ingress and egress to

the staff parking, open parking, multi-storey parkade,

car rental, and drop-off and pick-up areas.

Photo by Russell Cleaver

197 >

Pick–up and Drop–off Areas

The pick-up areas are situated at grade, alongside the

piazza, with separate provision for private vehicles and

public transport. The drop-off area is situated on the

elevated roadway, outside the Departures Hall at the

terminal building.

Public Transport

Public transport facilities have been provided within the

precinct and cater for both bus and taxi demands.

Pedestrian Circulation

Pedestrian movement within the development area is

catered for through the provision of sidewalks where

significant numbers of pedestrians are anticipated.

A conscious effort has been made to minimise conflict between pedestrians, buildings and vehicles through the development of a ‘pedestrian sensitive’ traffic routing plan. Where conflicts are large and unavoidable, grade separation of vehicle and pedestrian movements

has been provided.

Terminal

Immediate focus at the new International Airport is inevitably the terminal building, with its impressive 150-metre roof span. Considering that the new air-port is almost triple the size of the old airport, it is here that the majority of the airport staff will spend their time, and it is where all passengers and the people who transport, meet and greet them, congregate.

The building incorporates the very latest design concepts

to make the working environment as effective as possible

Photo by Russell Cleaver

198 >

www.cityglass.co.za

and to make a passenger’s movement through the neces-

sary processes from arrival (either from land or air) to de-

parture (air or land) as smooth and pleasant as possible.

The terminal is clearly demarcated between those ar-

eas freely accessible to the general public, through to

security checkpoints. From there, either a boarding

pass or security permit is required for access.

Airside

This is the part of the airport that is completely ‘security

controlled’. It is bounded by the security checkpoints in

the terminal building and extends to the airfield itself.

It is only accessible by a passenger with a valid boarding

pass or airport staff with a relevant security permit.

This area includes the passenger holding lounges and

allows access to the apron area, where aircraft are parked

and serviced. Passengers with a valid boarding pass

are restricted to specific areas within the general ‘air-

side’.

People with a valid security permit are only allowed

access to those areas specified on their permit.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Construction sites

Six construction sites were set up for the earthworks

to prepare the runway, taxiways and aircraft parking

areas (the size of 100 soccer pitches).

Photos by Russell Cleaver

200 >

DURBAN TILING SERVICES C.C.

Jason CarlsonJason@durbantiling.co.za

082 454 2042

Durban Tiling Servises C.C.P.O. Box 47394 - Greyville - 4023Tel: (031) 312 2210 - Fax: (031) 312 1917

DD T

SS

Proud to be associated with the King Shaka Airport

Personnel on site

In mid-2008, there were 2 100 contractors and sub-

contractors on site along with 200 earth-moving ma-

chines. In October 2009, 7 732 people worked on site.

Courier and parcel facility

There will be an international courier and parcel facility

designed to handle 1000 bags/parcels per hour in and

out, as well as a local parcel and courier facility designed

to handle 400 bags/parcels per hour in and out.

Capacity

The initial airport capacity will allow for 7.5 million

passengers a year with opportunities for significant

expansion, should it be required (figures are projected

at 45 million passengers by 2060).

Aircraft stands on the apron

The passenger terminal will initially have 18 Passenger

aircraft stands and by 2060, there will be parking space

on the apron for 96 aircraft.

Photos by Nicolas Gonzalez (top left & right)

and Russell Cleaver (top left & right)

202 >

International AirportInternational Airport

are proud to be associated with...

Operating Nationally - Factories in: Johannesburg; Cape Town; Port Elizabeth & Durban

We would be happy to assist you with your signage requirements:Contact details:

Jhb. Tel. No. (011) 830-1200Email: signs@claudeneon.co.za • Website: www.claudeneon.co.za

Runway and taxiways

The runway is 3.7 km x 60 metres wide and will be able to will accommodate the latest New Generation Large Aircraft (NGLA) including the Airbus A380, with space to expand to 4 km.

The runway and 10 taxiways cover 400, 000² and re-quired 230,000t of asphalt to complete (the equivalent of 35km of a four-lane highway).

Cargo building

Annually, between 50 000 and 90 000 tons of goods from Durban’s harbour are trucked to JHB airport for export. Most of this will now remain in Durban and will be flown out directly from the new airport via the state-of- the-art 160 000 m² cargo facilities (DIA cur-

rently has 39 000 m2 cargo facilities).

Support Zone

This includes platforms for future development of

conference, hotel and entertainment facilities which

will be a joint venture between ACSA and DTP.

Fuel

The fuel farm is equipped with four fuel tanks. The fuel

will be brought by truck from the refinery located near

the existing airport.

Landscaped gardens

Large areas that surround the terminal building are

being landscaped to enhance the overall aesthetics

of the airport.

Photo by Russell Cleaver

205 >

Handigas - SA Mining 297x210 11/16/08 9:30 PM Page 1

Composite

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

207 >

Parking

The multi-storey parkade caters for 1500 vehicles

while there is a total of 6500 vehicle parking pays at

the new airport.

Road infrastructure

The traffic, engineering and transport planning was

undertaken to maximise accessibility and flexibility

to and around the new airport. The plans provide

sufficient flexibility to ensure that all future (2060)

projected transportation modes and requirements

have been considered. The proposed N2 interchange

which forms part of the development, will be the pri-

mary access road to the airport. A link road between

the airport and the N2 has been constructed.

Job creation

It has been estimated that the airport could create

between 165 000 and 260 000 jobs over the next 20

years.

Capital cost of the project

Although the capital cost of the project was originally

estimated at R 6,8-billion, a negotiated acceleration

programme amounting to R 400-million has increased

the capital cost to R 7,2-billion.

OPERATIONAL READINESS AND TRANSFER PROGRAM

The Operational Readiness and Transfer Programme

commenced in November 2009 when the familiarisation

programme was initiated. This involved taking the

bulk of the 3400 work force from the current airport

over to the new site, to familiarise them with the new

airport. More than 2500 of the staff have already

been exposed to their new home. This has injected a

positive energy into the process, with most of the

staff belonging to the various organisations confirming

their commitment to continue fulfilling their roles at

the new airport.

On 15 December 2009 the South African Civil Aviation

Authority successfully conducted calibration tests on

the runway lighting and navigational aids. This involved

a collaborative effort of various stakeholders, includ-

ing the building contractor, Air Traffic Navigation Ser-

vices (ATNS), ACSA and the ORAT Team.

On 14th January 2010 the first Basic End User Trial

started, involving the participation of key stakeholders

such as some of the airlines, ground handlers and

Photos by Russell Cleaver

17 GLENPARK, HIGHDALE ROAD, GLEN ANIL 4051P.O. BOX 202032, DURBAN NORTH 4016 TEL: 27 31 569 2964 - FAX: 27 31 569 2966 - EMAIL: lionelr@tekweniair.co.za WEBSITE: www.tekweniair.co.za

MOBILE: 083 775 8345

Recent Projects>> King Shaka International Airport

>> Nelson Mandela Stadium, Port Elizabeth

>> Ethekwini Hospital

>> Westville Prison Joint venture

>> Empangeni Hospital

>> Durban ICC

>> Pavilion Shopping Centre

>> Suncoast Casino Joint Venture

>> Pearls, Umhlanga

Proudly South African mechanical servicescontractors serving southern Africa

Suppliers of airconditioning toKing Shaka International Airport, La Mercy

ACSA. This programme involved testing the various com-

ponents of airport operations including flight data,

passenger handling, check-in and boarding processes,

baggage screening and the like.

The daunting but exciting task of relocating the airport

‘overnight’ to the new site will be the final phase of the

operation. Behind the scenes, a team headed by Bongiwe

Pityi (AGM Airport Operations) for ACSA, is working along

with a team of local and international consultants, to

make this a reality.

Pityi explained, “The plan is that on 30 April the last

aircraft will land at DIA and, after the passengers have

left the airport, those aircraft will be relocated to the

new airport. The equipment and resources will be re-

located for most of that previous week, with the balance

moved overnight on 30 April into the early hours of 1 May.

Fortunately, with 1 May being a Saturday, it is rela-

tively quieter from an operational perspective. On

this day, the new airport will commence operations.”

DECOMMISSIONING THE OLD AIRPORT

Once the new airport is fully operational, the current

airport will be decommissioned as an airport and all

aviation business will then be relocated and conduct-

ed at the new airport. This basically means that all

scheduled aircraft; domestic and international, will

be operating from the new airport from 1 May 2010.

The current airport, once decommissioned as an airport,

will be disposed of according to a decision that will be

made by a task team consisting of ACSA, Dti, National/

Provincial Government and eThekwini Municipality.

To emphasise the giant leaps taken in relocating the

airport, let’s take a look at a few comparisons between

what the Durban International Airport was able to cope

with and the new facilities.

Comparisons of Durban International Airport to King Shaka International Airport

Areas Durban King�Shaka

Runway 2.4 kms 3.7 kms

Terminal Area 30 000 m2 103 000 m2

Air Bridges None 12

Public Parking 2490 6500

Retail Space 2900 m2 6500 m2

Aircraft Parking

Bays24 34

Lifts 11 25

Escalators None 12

Passenger

numbers 4.4 million pa 7.5 million pa

Check in

counters52 75

Retail outlets 14 50

Car rentals 8 10

“Although air travel has an element of fantasy sur-

rounding it, flying is generally stressful,” says Utria.

“One of the ways of reducing the stress is through

facilitating ease of access and efficient processes. A

world class facility of this quality has been long over-

due in the region and the opening of the new airport

will have great benefits for Durban and KwaZulu Natal.”

Considering the vastly improved facilities, compared with

the old airport, this can only bode well for the future. <

209 >

SETTING HIGH STANDARDS FOR THE DAY OF TOMORROW

210 >

SETTING HIGH STANDARDS FOR THE DAY OF TOMORROW

IMISO Ceramics is a success story of pure passion; born from humble beginnings, a sound business plan and a strong belief in their creative talent. Imiso is the Xhosa word for ‘tomorrow’, and with its slogan - this is the dawn of a new era – this company offers an inspirational example for future artists and entrepreneurs.

211 >

By�Suné�Stassen�

Having had to borrow money to pay a deposit on their rent,

exhibiting only product samples that they produced at a

friend’s studio at their first tradeshow, with no kiln and other

vital materials to their name that could signify the start of a

ceramic studio, IMISO was still able to produce a sell-out

performance that left them with a sufficient number of orders

to sustain their studio by buying their first kiln and other

equipment.

Suné Stassen chatted to Andile Dyalvane, Zizipho Poswa

and the rest of the IMISO Ceramics team.

D > How did you end up in the fascinating world of ceramics?

AD > I studied ceramics at Sivuyile Art College. After grad-

uating I continued my studies in ceramics at the Port Elizabeth

University of Technology. In 2000 I came to Cape Town and

worked for a ceramics studio for about eight years. As a child

growing up in the rural areas I started making clay animals

while herding livestock. I have always enjoyed being creative

and continued being inspired by drawing and later decided

to further my studies in ceramics.

D > Your personal highlights before IMISO?

AD > In 2001 I was one of nine ceramic designers selected to

represent South Africa at a five-week ceramics exchange

programme in Denmark. That programme can definitely be

considered the beginning of my career as a designer.

D > Where do you find inspiration for the work you do?

AD > My inspiration comes from my surroundings that I trans-

late in a number of ways such as the designs done for ‘The

Scarified’ and ‘Africasso’ range. I find that clay is the most

forgiving material to use and create with. Subtly cutting

through the clay, using the purity of lines, creates a poetic

silence that speaks volumes. The ‘Africasso’ range creates

a contrast by introducing a loud yet simple abstraction of

both the human and animal form, owing great inspiration to

Once off design.

Below & right: Scarrified range.

212 >

Pablo Picasso. The ‘Scarified’ range is a translation of body

scarification done in the Xhosa and other African cultures.

D > Tell us more about the founding days of IMISO. What was

the original concept behind this business and where and how

did you find the rest of the team?

AD > We studied together in PE and as soon as we all moved

to Cape Town we connected as friends and started talking

business. IMISO was therefore formed by a group of creatives

who had one idea in mind, to become a design powerhouse.

As my primary passion is working with clay and mixing and

merging it with other materials, Zizi’s passion is textiles and

design overall. Lulama is all about business and exploring

business opportunities. Having put all this in one pot I can

safely say that we have grown from an ideal to the launch of our

first ceramics gallery at the Biscuit Mill to the most recent addi-

tion being the IMISO Lifestyle Gallery at the Cape Quarter in

Cape Town. So watch this space, as a lot more is in stall for you.

D > Over to you Zizipho – I know that you are first and foremost

a textile designer. How did you become part of the IMISO team?

ZP > From an early age I have always had a keen interest in

design. I studied textile design and technology in Port Elizabeth,

which validated my ever-growing interest in design. In Cape

Town I also worked as a textile designer for a design house who

sold my designs to various South African chain stores.

When IMISO Ceramics started we were designers from different

disciplines with a need to put our skills into one business. At the

time Andile had already been making headway in the ceramics

industry so it was collectively decided to first focus and explore

ceramics as our preferred creative application.

D > Are you still producing any textiles or do you only focus on

ceramics today?

ZP > Oh yes, I definitely still produce textiles. When we

launched the new IMISO Lifestyle Gallery at the Cape Quarter

213 >

214 >

two months ago, I launched my textile

range, which at the moment consists

of a 100% pure merino wool and mohair

blend made into cushion covers and

throws. The process of creating these

articles started from spinning the wool

to dyeing it into different vibrant colours

and then I played with different tech-

niques like knitting, crocheting and

felting. Soon I will also be launching a

range of prints for home furnishings.

D > IMISO certainly reflects a variety

of styles and products. Do you as a team

discuss future styles, colours and possi-

ble products and trends and then allow

for individual interpretations of these or

do you rather see IMISO as a studio

space within which different individuals

produce what they feel like producing?

AD > Zizi and Andile are the designers

of IMISO, so we get to produce any-

thing our hearts desire. Out of those, the

group analyse, discuss and dissect the

individual products or concepts and

then decide which ideas or products

are in keeping with the original IMISO

concept and business motto.

D > Tell us more about the uniqueness

of IMISO as a business. What does each

member bring to the creative pot that

makes IMISO Ceramics so successful?

AD > Basically I have my own team and

Zizi has her own team but we do inter-

change the guys whenever necessary.

We encourage and teach the team how

to design and emphasise the importance

to explore colour, texture and form so

Pinch bowl range.

Afrocasso range.

215 >

that they can also discover their own design style.

They have also entered competitions and taken part in

our own exhibitions, showcasing their individual work

and have received a very positive response. Lulama

works with her own team, two ladies in administation

and the three staff members at the galleries. Here we

explore business and enjoy the continuous challeng-

es we face. We learn a lot on a daily basis.

D > Within the short lifespan of IMISO Ceramics you

have already been acknowledged for the quality products

that you produce. Name a few highlights of IMISO and

the impact that each had on your business.

AD > We were privileged to be invited to participate

in the launch of the SABC 3 new colours and with an

appearance on Top Billing. That was two years ago

and to this day we still get people who remember that.

Another highlight was winning the Decorex Gold Award,

which is awarded to the top ten best stands showcasing

at the Decorex Johanesburg show. Another highlight

was in 2009 when we were nominated for the Visi

Award. We managed to get into the top ten but unfor-

tunately did not receive the final award. Still it was

great to be amongst such a wonderful group of creatives

who have been in the industry for many years. This

nomination was a confirmation for us that we are

heading in the right direction.

D > Tell us more about your studio space at the Biscuit

Mill and about the new space that forms part of the

most exciting new shopping experience in Cape Town,

the newly build Cape Quarter.

The Biscuit Mill is a great space for us because this is

where we as a business refined IMISO – both as a brand

and as a business. It has been going for three years

now and we have established a stable market of both

local and international buyers. At this space the main

focus is ceramics and furniture pieces. The new IMISO Life-

style Gallery at the Cape Quarter is a space where we

explore different design applications bringing in Zizi’s

textiles and soon more furniture pieces.

D > What is in stall for IMISO Ceramics in the near future

– what do you want to achieve?

We are looking at doing more international shows and

keep working at establishing IMISO as a brand.

ZP > It is my dream to design the finest floor rugs for one

of the high-end hotels anywhere in the world and for

former president Nelson Mandela’s house.

AD > I would like to design a house and decorate it with all

the work I have created, from wall installations to furni-

ture and accessories with almost every item including

touch of ceramics.

D > Who are your creative role models?

ZP > I get a lot of inspiration from Maija Isola, a Finnish tex-

tile designer who designed for Marimekko.

AD > My role model is Pablo Picasso, hence the ‘Africasso’

range.

D > A last few words of wisdom to young readers?

ZP�&�AD > Our successful ingredients are team work and

passion for what we do. Every year we grow the number of

people we employ. We believe we have created sustainable

jobs for our employees so that that they can go back home

and create the life they are seeking with confidence. <

Lifestyle Furniture range.

217 >

PLUSH TOYS, A PHD, BIO-MIMICRY

AND THE M A C A B R EBy�Anri�Theron�

With a biomedical engineering degree, an electrical engineering degree and a PhD in progress one would never guess that Tempest van Schaik has also participated in numerous exhibitions and won several awards in art and design. Tempest is a rare anomaly in this universe and DESIGN> went to investigate.

D > You have a very unique name. Dictionaries

describe ‘tempest’ as meaning: “1. A violent wind-

storm, frequently accompanied by rain, snow, or hail.

2. Furious agitation, commotion, or tumult; an up-

roar.” Does this describe your personality?

TvS�> It’s not so much the meaning but the type of

name that reflects my personality. Tempest is an

unusual name meaning people misspell it; think I’m

a man or that I’ve just made it up. I seem to have a

knack for picking ‘the road not taken’ in all aspects

of my life and making things difficult for myself.

218 >

Cameos and Genotypes

(2009) is an interactive

installation which releases

the shadows of the letters

people strike on a typewriter.

It is a collaboration with

artist Jenna Burchell, which

won Best New Media and

Multimedia at the 2009

Thami Mnyele Fine Arts

Awards.

Benign/Malignant (2009)

shows my love of craft

and reflects the theme of

my PhD research which

involves the spread of

cancer. This piece was a

finalist in Sasol New

Signatures 2009.

A pair of All Stars was

customised for SL

magazine’s Design Issue

(2007). Each designer was

given a pair of plain white

shoes, to which I added

tartan and painstakingly

hand stitched until my

fingers were raw.

219 >

Cloud Factory (2008) is my entry for the Mingo Lamberti t-shirt design competition. As a winner my design was made into limited edition t-shirts for their Far Far Away range, inspired by the places we visit in our imagination.

The Dirty Mind of Young Sally (2007) was a winner of the Biblioteq Dotmatic competition. The idea was to create a design using circular stickers of only five different sizes and colours.

To Have And To Hold (2007) was the debut of Ellomennopee at the And Then exhibition in the Lister Building. I tried to push the limits

of what plush toys can be. The blue man was tragically kidnapped from the event. I hope he finds his

way home one day!

220 >

D > What is your day job or are you a

full-time student at Imperial College

in London?

TvS�> Doing a PhD at Imperial College

London is definitely a full-time job. In

2007 I decided to commit to making

time for art and design by branding

my creative output ‘Ellomennopee’.

Since then I have steadily built up my

portfolio despite being a full-time

engineering student, which I will

continue doing.

D > How do you marry the worlds of

engineering with design and art? What

are the overlaps?

TvS�> The two combine more subtly

in that both require creative problem

solving, whether mathematical or

visual. Engineering is more creative

than people might think: especially

when faced with financial and environ-

mental constraints. Because of the

incredible growth in technology, engi-

neering has entered the realm of imagi-

nation and science fiction, such as

research into tiny nano-robots that

swim in our veins or smart clothing

which makes us invisible. I think the

analytical engineering approach is

also practical in art and design espe-

cially where a brief is involved. Be-

fore I start an artwork I evaluate my

constraints, such as the limits of the

material I’m going to use and more.

D > You are only 24 years old but you

have already achieved a lot in life. How

do you see your future evolving?

TvS�> After my doctorate I’ll be in the

unique position of having three engi-

neering degrees and a large art and

design portfolio. I’m sure I’ll be able to

put my distinctive skills to good use.

Increasingly people are recognising

the value of creativity in engineering

and fostering interesting collabora-

tions, such as Fabric of Life, which

teams Nobel Prize-winning scientists

with top textile designers.

D > Where is your range of Ellomen-

nopee plush toys sold and who is your

intended target audience? Where are

they manufactured and what vol-

umes are produced?

TvS�> The last of my plush toys is being

sold at +27 Design Café in Pretoria,

though I’m likely to start a new range to

sell in London. My target audience is

people who want access to affordable

art and favour the handmade over the

mass produced. When I buy handmade

I feel a certain connection to the artist

because I own a product of their time

and imagination. I make everything

myself and produce maximum five of

each range, as that’s when I get bored.

Each toy has a piece of me in it, some-

times quite literally with a stray hair or

perhaps a drop of blood from a sewing

accident!

221 >

D > Do you have a specific design philosophy?

TvS�> I’m interested in how my work communicates

with people. I aim to create a captivating experi-

ence for my audience who will have a sustained and

memorable interaction with my work. If somebody

rushing through a gallery or magazine engages with

my work for a few minutes of their life, then it has

communicated an abstract idea or emotion in my

absence.

D > Who and what inspires you?

TvS�> I’m inspired by the macabre and grotesque,

and all things kitsch; the beautiful and functionally

efficient forms in nature that have been ‘designed’

through millions of years of evolution; the incred-

ible resourcefulness of South Africans and the

intensity of daylight in South Africa. In gloomy

London I’m finding inspiration in clandestine trips

to the Natural History Museum during lunch-breaks.

I also look to the collective sentiment of contem-

porary artists, illustrators, designers and crafters

who showcase their work on blogs and creative

networking sites such as Behance and Addictlab.

Established inspirations include Francis Bacon,

Pictoplasma and the Biomimicry Institute.

D > What is in store for Tempest in the near future?

TvS�> In the near future I will be sussing out the

London art and design scene, putting together

some new work, getting involved in competitions

and exhibitions and finding my identity as an artist

in London. I have a lot less space, equipment and

resources at my disposal now so I’ll also have to

master frugal creativity. <

222 >

FAR LEFT: Transition (2008) is acrylic on wood and was also part of the Bigwood exhibition.

LEFT: Does Not Your House Dream? And Dreaming Leave City For Hilltop? (2009) was created for the City Slickers exhibition which travelled from Pretoria to Durban and Cape Town, and will go on to London, Beijing and Amsterdam. One of my few digital works; it contains character sketches from previous projects.

The Littlewood Gang (2008) was part of the Bigwood exhibition which travelled from Durban to Berlin, Germany. With a playful take on the exhibition name, I created a trio of wood-based characters.

223 >

Some people jam music, but at Artjamming™ you jam

art. You simply walk in and let your imagination take

hold of the paint brushes. Artjamming™ allows you to

create your very own unique full colour art piece by

fusing creativity and colour to a chill-out beat.

Whether it’s playing, painting, sponging or spraying,

it’s about putting on an apron to face a blank canvas

and unleashing your own individual creativity that

makes Artjamming™ the most fun you can have with

a paintbrush. TH

E A

RT

OF

PAIN

TER

TAIN

MEN

T™

224 >

Artjammers are provided with a menu of 12 different

sized canvases, easels, a choice of non-toxic acrylic

paints on tap, brushes and tools to freely express

themselves.

Already a hugely successful worldwide phenomenon,

Artjamming™ was launched at the end of July 2008

in South Africa by local fashion and textile importers

and distributors, Ralph Israel and his daughter Leora

Israel. This amazing concept was discovered on one

of Leora’s trips to the Far East and after extensive

research she realised the need for this kind of activity,

amusement and distraction from everyday stress.

The Israels decided to bring Artjamming™ to Cape

Town first and have also acquired the sole rights for

South Africa. The first studio was opened at the

trendy Wembley Square Shopping Mall in Gardens and

since then it has become so popular that another

studio opened in November 2009 at the unique life-

style shopping centre, the Cape Quarter. The first

Gauteng studio opened on 1 February at the Bluebird

destination shopping centre in Birnam, Illovo.

Artjammers are not given instructions or classes, and

no drawing or painting skills are required, but for those

who would like a helping hand or some inspiration,

there are qualified artists at the studios to assist.

For young artists, art students and art enthusiasts

Artjamming™ is a great resource, not only for the

various art materials available for sale, but also be-

cause for as little as R95.00 you can create your own

art piece without having to carry the cost of buying

expensive materials needed for projects, exams or

portfolio examples.

Artjamming™ has been involved with many innovative

projects like hosting the first ArtFusion Experiment

(AFE) in South Africa in January 2009 as part of the

Southern Ink Xposure International Tattoo Convention,

the biggest tattoo event held on African soil and in

the Southern Hemisphere. The AFE is a collaborative

art demonstration where some of the world’s most

accomplished tattoo artists, including Paul Booth,

worked together on three extra-large canvasses. The

canvasses, donated by Artjamming™, was auctioned

off at the convention and proceeds were donated to

MaAfrika Tikkun, a non-governmental non-profit organ-

isation that works toward the transformation of South

African communities by caring for vulnerable children

and orphans in townships.

Another event they were involved with, in April 2009,

was the Urban Art Write on Africa Mural Fund campaign.

Six of South Africa’s top local urban artists, including

internationally recognised Faith47, Mak1one and

Senyol, created rare works of art which were offered

for auction to raise funds for Write on Africa, an or-

ganisation that aims to create inspiration in the form

of murals for the youth to encourage social uplift-

ment within underprivileged communities.

In July 2009 they facilitated a teambuilding session

for the BestCities Client Imbizo, hosted by the Cape

Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau (Cape Town

Routes Unlimited), an important platform that con-

verged significant association meetings representa-

tives, managers and sales officials from the BestCities

Global Alliance of convention bureaux with repre-

sentatives from cities including Copenhagen, Dubai,

Edinburgh, Melbourne, San Juan, Singapore and

Vancouver.

Artjamming™ also hosts birthday parties, team

building parties, corporate events, school holiday

programmes, tuition, exhibitions and more.

For more information, visit www.artjamming.co.za <

225 >

A STAPLE FOOD FOR

CREATIVITYBy�Suné�stassen

226 >

Nestled amongst beautiful oaks at the Montebello

Design Centre in Newlands, Cape Town, you will

find the attic that is home to one of the Mielie

workshops. An abundance of bold colours, tex-

tures, shapes and sizes greet the visitor – a positive,

energetic and tactile environment that touches

every sense.

This creative and sustainable enterprise has grown

from a tiny idea in 2002 to a well-established and

viable business that currently employs about

50 people. It has always been Mielie’s mission to

produce innovative, export-quality handcrafted

products made from reclaimed materials. It is not

only about job creation and beautifully crafted

bold, tactile and fun products, but also about re-

storing and sustaining the dignity and financial

independence of others.

Mielie is a good example of an enterprise that

has its business sense and soul in the right place.

According to Adri Shultz, Mielie has three major

passions: “We are passionate about job creation,

our planet and about design. Our structure also

allows our crafters to work from home.”

In the current economic climate Shultz feels that

“it is the challenge of the designer to harness his

/her creativity to make the world a better place”.

“In South Africa, especially, we have our work

cut out for us. We need to find innovative solu-

tions to the housing crisis. We need to design

durable, functional goods that make the world

a better place.”

“As consumers we should also insist to know

the story behind every product that we buy.

Sometimes the materials used to produce some

of these products are dangerous to people or the

environment. Most of the time a lot of labourers

are slaving away in producing these products and

are most likely not compensated accordingly.

As consumers we should try and be informed

and make a definite stand against such products

by not buying them.”

According to Shultz she is totally unqualified to

do her job as she has a BA in languages (German,

English and French) and honours in Journalism.

She taught herself various graphic design pro-

grammes such as Illustrator, FreeHand and

PhotoShop and freelanced as a graphic designer.

“I had no prior experience in running a business.”

Suné Stassen, one of DESIGN>‘s contributing

editors, interviews Adri Shultz, founder of Mielie.

D�> Tell us about choosing ‘Mielie’ as your brand

name – an Afrikaans name for a global retail

environment.

AS�> Well, I am Afrikaans, and my mission is to

help people to put food on the table. In most

South African households, that food is a mielie

227 >

in one form or another. Our woven products

also have the texture of a mielie (corn), so the

name just seemed right.

It hasn’t really been a problem having an Afri-

kaans name to sell the products internationally,

because it makes for an interesting story and

these days more people are drawn to products

with an interesting background.

D�> Explain the special weaving technique that

signifies the Mielie products.

AS�> Even though Africa has a very strong weav-

ing tradition the hooked rug weaving tech-

nique does not originate in Africa. To be honest,

we taught each other and made up the visual

language as we went along. Often when we

came across challenges we had to do an attitude

somersault and turn the challenge into some-

thing desirable.

To give you an example, working with recycled

materials means that we are not in charge of

the colours that the world throws away. For this

reason we developed colour ways that give us

more flexibility. For instance a bag in “lagoon”

could contain greens, limes, turquoises, blues,

and more. Also, we don’t use templates – every

single crafter draws her own design – and every

crafter’s weaving texture is different, much

like knitting or handwriting. This means that we

can confidently say that every bag we make is

unique. (We also need to be strict about the

quality, though.)

D�> Tell us about some ‘Mielie’ highlights and

how you measure the success of your business.

AS�> We participated in an international textile

exhibition in Finland earlier this year. I was

lucky enough to attend the exhibition with

Zanele Sinuka, one of Mielie’s most talented

weavers. We have also done a couple of big

commissions for large corporates, including a

wall hanging for BP’s headquarters at the Wa-

terfront in Cape Town. Yett, I get the biggest thrill

from receiving emails from customers who

love their Mielie bag, and also from watching

our crafters grow and play a meaningful roll in

their own communities.

I heard last month that I have been selected

as an “accelerator entrepreneur” by Endeavor,

an international organisation that “identifies

and supports high impact entrepreneurs in

developing countries.” This is a great honour,

and it’s going to be wonderful for us to benefit

from their support.

I measure Mielie’s success in the number of

jobs created, and also growing each one of those

people to their full potential. Several crafters

that first started as weavers now work in our

shop or in our office and as managers of other

crafters.

D�> Who is the ‘Mielie’ consumer?

AS�> Our customers are mostly women. A confi-

dent dresser and home decorator, she cares

about the story behind the products she buys.

She is prepared to pay a premium for products

that have been produced according to envi-

ronmentally and socially sound principles.

She believes that it is possible for one person

to change the world. She is well educated and

informed and knows how to use technology to

inform others.

D�> How do you get in touch with the needs of

your consumers?

AS�> Having a shop is great because we get

instant feedback. We also have a good relation-

ship with our distributors and welcome ideas and

228 >

229 >

feedback from them. I also get a lot of email through

my blog, http://fa.mielie.com - which is great and really

hands-on.

D�> The retail market is hugely influenced by seasonal

trends. Do trends play a role in the development of

new Mielie products?

AS�> I read magazines and design websites, but find

most of my inspiration locally. I love the humour, enthu-

siasm and exquisite nature on my own doorstep. Every

seasonal collection I do tells a new story.

D�> What is the impact of Mielie on the lives and social

development of the women who participate?

AS�> We started an organic food garden in Khayelitsha

and we also support a couple of nursery schools in

the area. The concept of the food garden is very excit-

ing because we aim to feed the local community and

eventually make the project sustainable by supplying

some top restaurants in Cape Town. We also sell the

produce at the organic market outside our shop at

Montebello Design Centre.

D�> What is the driving force behind this project and

what do you still want to achieve with Mielie?

AS�> I have the attention span of a flea so with Mielie

I can have a million good ideas and they can ALL turn

into products. I would also like to grow Mielie to be-

come a global lifestyle brand.

I love working with other designers and also explor-

ing different media. We have many very talented lo-

cal designers. Besides the creativity injection, it’s

also always great to see HOW people work. I love to

see their studios and how they do things. <

231 >

232 >

Stiaan Louw thrives on the energy resulting from collaborating with

other creatives and he taps his inspiration from the sheer beauty of

his home city, Cape Town, its subcultures and the embracing attitude

towards gender ambiguity.

“Minimalist” is the one-word response that Louw gave when DESIGN>

asked him to describe his design philosophy. This is an anomaly because

the overall style of his designs might be minimalist, but the complex

pattern construction and subtexts that exude from his ensembles and

runway shows are layered with multiple meanings.

On the catwalks Louw is never timid at showing his creative persona

and design genius, but in person, he is often elusive and shy. DESIGN>

secured an exclusive interview with this shining light of the African

fashion industry.

A NARRATIVE GENIUS By�Jacques�Lange

Images from the A/W 10 lookbook featuring Stiaan Louw’a latest collection.

Photographer: Brett RubinMake-up and hair: Eloïse Dreyer

Model: Stephen ManionFashion asstistant: Camila Gillman

233 >

234 >

Stiaan Louw grew up in Durbanville, Cape Town. After leaving school, he opted to study film and photogra-phy. This didn’t last longer than a year before he realised that he needed to pursue his real dream of becoming a fashion designer. He says: “I knew since high school that I wanted to pursue a career in fash-ion, but it was difficult breaking the news to my Afrikaans parents who had no understanding of it at the time.” Louw eventually convinced them and he says that his parents have subsequently become in-credibly supportive of his passion-focused career choice.

Louw went on to pursued his studies in fashion at the Haute Couture School in Cape Town from where he graduated in 2001. He says that: “The course was very intensive in terms of garment construction and pattern cutting which has had a strong influence on my work ever since. It instilled my belief that a good fit is the foundation of beau-tiful clothes.”

Louw claims that he got his ‘big break’ into the mainstream fashion industry when he met leading South African fashion designer, Maya Prass, who has subsequently be-come one of his closest friends with whom he now also shares a studio space. Prass recommended Louw to Jan Malan, one of Africa’s most influential fashion show directors, who asked for recommendations for new blood that could be featured at the Cape Town Fashion Week in 2004. Malan was so impressed by Prass’s protégé that he opted to

include Louw in the 2004 Cape Town Fashion Week line-up. The response from fashionistas and media were overwhelming and since then Louw’s career and his signature label bloomed.

In 2008 Louw took the bold step of redirecting his focus from design-ing women’s wear to menswear. This was a radical step for an emerg-ing fashion designer. He says: “Initially everyone warned me that it would be an incredibly difficult market to enter into, which has proven to be true. At the same time, I did believe that there was a grow-ing need amongst men in South Africa for clothes that are designed with consideration for an ever-changing society that required a new approach to high-end menswear. Although it is an incredibly difficult market to be designing for, I enjoy the challenges.”

Louw’s gamble paid off. In 2009, he was nominated for the prestigious Mercedes Benz Art Award for Fash-ion Design where he competed with the likes of big local names in the industry such as his friend Mia Prass, Abigail Betz, Black Coffee, Themba Mngomezulu for Darkie Clothing, Palesa Mokubung for Mantsho, Craig Native and David Tlale. Black Coffee ended up receiving the top honours but it also meant that the Stiaan Louw brand received inter-national media exposure.

Louw’s collections are often de-scribed as focusing on the metro-sexual aesthetic. He explains: “I suppose that my work has been D

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branded as metrosexual since I initially started off designing clothes that also appealed to women. My experience as a women’s wear de-signer definitely had an influence on my current work for men. At the time of launching my menswear label, the ‘androgyny trend’ was also surfacing. The latest collec-tion is definitely more masculine, while retaining some of the ambi-guity. I have always liked contrasts, masculine versus feminine, classic versus experimental.”

In the recent past, fashion reporters also noted that Louw’s collections had strong undertones of fetish and specifically bondage. Louw says: “It has definitely been a theme of interest in the past few years, espe-cially because I believe that within a menswear fashion context, it com-mented on the development of male sexuality and the shift of what is considered ‘masculine’ or ‘dominant’ in how men dress. I think that since the rise of the metrosexual trend, there has also been a shift towards ‘same sexuality’ in men’s fashion in the past few years. Men are able to be more submissive in modern culture without being considered weak. At the time I was exploring social and sexual subcultures and their relevance to fashion as the recession hit globally.” The latter obviously became an added theme to Louw’s collections.

When asked if his African roots in-fluence his creative work, Louw re-sponds: “I think it is inevitable that your heritage, your surroundings and the social and economic envi-ronment of the country you live in

will have an influence on your work, even if it is subconsciously. I don’t reference Africa in any obvious way.” Yet, when one reviews his work closely, Louw’s African roots filter through as a subtext which is most prominent in his pattern construction.

Louw is quite an elusive character when it comes to publishing im-ages of himself and not many are published online or in print. Quite often, at the end of his fashion shows, he appears only for brief moments and mostly in dimly lit corners of the catwalks where his models have just boldly strutted his designs. In reality, Louw is ac-tually a uniquely handsome man – a smooth and pale-faced curly-haired man with a distinctive ap-peal. When we asked why he is so elusive when it comes to publish-ing images of himself when he is actually the ideal model for his own collections. His response: “It has never been particularly im-portant for me to be known as an individual. Instead, I would rather like my brand to become recognised. The focus should stay on the clothes and for them to become desirable. I also don’t want personal recog-nition and familiarity to influence my design aesthetic.” He continues: “I have felt some pressure since the launch of my menswear collection, but I believe in surrounding myself by people I can trust and rely on. I am also somewhat of a recluse and it keeps me focused on what is really important to me.”

Louw has a core team that works and collaborates with him. However, Ca

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238 >

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239 >

he says: “I believe in forming col-laborative relationships with other creatives. The people I work with from one collection to the next may often change, or stay the same depending on the direction of my work. I think this approach will give me work longevity.”

The Stiaan Louw collections are mainly sold at exclusive outlets in Cape Town and Johannesburg but he also has a large client base with whom he communicates via email and who visits his studio regularly. He says: “I think my target audience has become quite diverse and I am interested to see how this will influence my design approach in the future. All the clothes are pro-duced in-house. I am still keeping it quite contained and focused, as I believe in growing slowly and understanding the market you are dealing with properly.”

Likewise, Louw personally over-sees the creative direction of the Stiaan Louw marketing campaigns. He says: “I did my first campaign early last year with photographer Brett Rubin. It was titled ‘Next Generation’ and featured three

models who I believed to epitomise my direction at that particular point in time. I like to work with a handful of models – whether professional or not – and develop each collection around them. I have been fortunate to develop images for projects since then. Some with more success than others, but in the long run, I see it as an opportunity to explore the pos-sibilities of the brand and shift perception.”

Louw also opts to use online social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Issuu and Flickr as the primary media channels for marketing his label rather than traditional media chan-nels. He says: “I find that my target market is online daily, whether it is through their profession – as most of them have careers in creative fields – and they use these social utilities for research or social pur-poses. It made sense for me to go to them directly and with instant effect as opposed to following tra-ditional media, which takes longer to reach a target audience.” Louw also says that he uses online social media to do research related to cus-tomer profiling: ‘It definitely makes the brand more accessible and we

have built up a strong email data-base in the process.”

Louw launched his latest collection in February at the Design Indaba 2010. He says: “I didn’t want to work with a particular theme other than focusing on the garment con-struction and colour palette for this collection. It is stripped down, clean and much ‘softer’ in approach to my previous collections. Although I still focus on a monochromatic design approach, I have started mixing more colours together and moved away from using the amount of black I have in previous collec-tions.”

Stiaan Louw is a gentle character with a wildly curly hairstyle and massive smile whose friends know his boisterous peals of laughter, yet in the fashion industry he is often shy and somewhat reclusive. Yet, for those who know him, and those he trusts, he is an articulate and intelligent thinker who believes that his work should speak for itself and that the designer behind it is not the brand... What a refreshing thought in an ego-driven industry. <

The Next Generation campaign photographed by Brett Rubin.

240 >

Latex was the fabric of choice at a fashion show in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa recently, where all the garments on the catwalk were craft-ed from 10 000 male and female condoms of all colours and sizes. Held in January and organised by social marketing group DKT with the Zalef Fine Art and Fashion De-sign Institute, the Condom Clothes Fashion Show put ten spectacular condom-crafted dresses on display in an attempt to lessen the stigma attached to condoms in the East African country.

“In Ethiopia, condoms have a bad image; people are afraid when they want to buy condoms at the super-market – they even try to hide the condoms quickly after they have bought them,” said Emebet Alemu, designer of the dresses and or-ganiser of the show. “We wanted

to change that by using an art event. The show will open people’s minds a little ... maybe it will make them seem more normal for people.”

The latex garments were later mod-elled at four additional shows, held under the ABC theme of Abstain, Be faithful and use Condoms, at the Addis Hilton Hotel. Organisers plan to also take the show to the major regional city of Adama.

A 2008 study published in the Ethiopian Journal of Health Develop-ment and conducted in the town of Adwa, about 1 000 kilometres north of Addis Ababa, found that 46% of respondents believed that people who used condoms were promis-cuous.

Emebet Abu, DKT Ethiopia’s head of communications, said the condom

fashion campaign was tailored to the youth, with a view to highlight-ing condoms as an additional option and not a replacement for absti-nence or fidelity as methods of HIV prevention. “The idea of the show was to target young people who like fashion and design,” he said. “We also teach abstinence and to be faithful, but some young peo-ple will not abstain or be faithful; they may have more than one part-ner already so they must use con-doms.”

The fashion initiative is the latest move by DKT to try to break the stigma associated with condom use in Ethiopia. In 2009, it ran a two-month campaign to distribute con-doms and kerosene to house help-ers in the capital and it set up a condom café in Addis.

CONDOMS ON THE CATWALK

241 >

In the café, which is owned by former Miss Ethiopia Hayat Ahmed, each order of coffee comes with a packet of Sensation condoms, served in Sensation cups by staff wearing Sensation T-shirts. “I wanted to link business with a mes-sage for sexually active people,” said Ahmed. “I am the brand am-bassador for Sensation condoms in Ethiopia, and I want to spread the message that condoms can pro-tect you from HIV/AIDS.” Her face adorns billboards and she regu-larly promotes condom use on Ethiopia’s only television station. “When I walk down the road even children recognise me,” she said. “But they do not call me Hayat; they call me Sensation.”

Coffee is widely thought to have originated in Ethiopia, where it is extremely popular. Ahmed’s café, modelled on condom bars in Asia, managed to hand out almost 900 condoms within two days of opening its doors. Reaction to the

free condoms has been mixed, with older patrons tending to disapprove, and younger ones sometimes en-thusiastically asking for a second packet.

“We have had young people come in and ask if it’s true that we actu-ally give free condoms,” said one waiter. “When we say, ‘Yes’, their faces brighten up and they quickly order. But we have also had people who are shocked when we bring the bill with a condom, some saying we are promoting immorality.”

Ahmed intends to open more cafés in the capital and other towns, and continue promoting various anti-HIV strategies, including ab-stinence and faithfulness. She plans expand the condom bars con-cept to other African countries. “A lot of people in Ethiopia are ashamed of talking about or using condoms,” she said. “Yet some companies put condoms in their toilets and when you go to look, each day, the boxes

are empty. I don’t care if the con-doms are used behind closed doors or in public – as long as many people use them.”

Ethiopia’s HIV prevalence is estimat-ed at 2% among sexually active people aged 15 to 49. According to a report by the Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office, be-tween 2000 and 2005 condom use among males increased from 30.3% to 51.9%, and among females from 13.4% to 23.6%. According to Ethiopian government data, 50% of public sector institutions and 20% of private businesses have mainstreamed HIV/AIDS prevention in their operational policies. <

Republished courtesy of IrinPlus

News & MediaClubSouthAfrica.com

Far left: Hayat Ahmed former Miss Ethiopia and spokesperson for Sensation condoms. Image: Tesfalem Woldes-IRIN.

Centre: Sensation condoms are provided with every bill at Addis Ababa’s Bellissima Café. Image: Tesfalem Woldes-IRIN.

Left: A model wearing an outfit made entirely from condoms during the Condom Clothes Fashion Show in Addis Ababa. Image: DKT.

242 >

A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF DESIGN THINKING: WORLD

DESIGN CAPITAL 2010

Seoul’s WDC 2010 programmes are geared to encourage citizen participation among all age groups.

243 >

“Seoul’s approach to design and their designation as

the World Design Capital 2010 constitutes a perfect

example of design thinking.” This was the impression

of Adrienne Viljoen, manager of the SABS Design

Institute on her return Seoul, South Korea in February.

Viljoen visited the city in her capacity as member of the

International Advisory Committee of the 2010 Seoul

World Design Capital (WDC) of the International Council

of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid).

According to Viljoen Seoul has been able to marry the

old with the new and move it into the future when it

comes to design. “Nothing in Seoul’s approach to its

Design Capital status happens in isolation – it all

forms part of a greater whole,” says Viljoen.

Seoul was named World Design Capital 2010 two years

ago. This biannual designation, run by Icsid on behalf

of the International Design Alliance (IDA), started off

with Torino, Italy being the WDC in 2008. Helsinki

has already won the bid for WDC in 2012. The aim is

to identify and recognise cities that have effectively

used design to revive the city and improve the quality

of life of its citizens. The WDC designation promotes

the importance of good design in strengthening and

empowering cities to use the totality of design disci-

plines to position their competitive advantages from

a social, cultural and economic point of view.

Major projects currently in development for WDC Seoul

2010 include the Seoul World City Design Summit, de-

sign fairs; construction of the Dongdaemun Design

244 >

Plaza & Park, U-Design International Competition, the

city’s participation in the IDA World Design Report, a

Youth Design Creative Camp, as well as initiatives

to encourage citizen participation in WDC projects.

Yet these are just a few examples of the jam-packed

programme that Seoul plans to host in 2010. Visit the

official website at http://wdc2010.seoul.go.kr/eng/

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, in his acceptance speech de-

clared, “Design is a growth driver of the Seoul economy.

The official identity for the WDC 2010. Cover of the WDC 2010 Guide Book.

Custom designed Seoul fonts.

245 >

We have surprised the world with the ‘Miracle of the

Han River’ and advancements in the IT sector. Now we

would like to bring global attention to Seoul with

strong design.” Oh expressed high hopes for the city’s

future and added: “With Seoul’s designation as World

Design Capital 2010, the city will be able to breathe

creative energy into the design industry and reinvent

itself into a globally recognised city of design. It will

also be able to collaborate with other cities in the

world to communicate through design. Seoul will send

Seoul Design Assets Exhibition website.

Symbols of Seoul. A selection of Seoul’s Design Assets.

Dongdaemun History & Culture Park.

246 >

out the message that design has the power to change

the world for the better.”

Africa makes a debut

Africa was represented by two countries at the World

Design Cities Summit in Seoul in February. The summit

featured mayors from over 20 global cities discussing

how cities can advance and grow through focussed

design intervention.

The SABS Design Institute hosted an Icsid board meet-

ing in Cape Town in early 2009 and this gave Viljoen

the opportunity to approach Cape Town to bid for the

WDC 2014. This led to a Cape Town delegation attend-

ing the Cities Summit. Viljoen also suggested that the

Icsid board approach other African cities to participate.

The result was that the mayor of Nairobi, Kenya also

participated in the Seoul event. Both cities made pres-

entations at the summit and signed a Cities Design

Declaration.

Targeting the youth

One of the aspects of Seoul’s approach that Viljoen

found most impressive was the emphasis on the

youth – with programmes specifically aimed at the

15 to 25 age group. Through a rich combination of

rediscovery of the old and a view towards the new,

the Seoul Design Assets Exhibition at the Seoul His-

tory Museum presented 600 years’ of design history

as it combines with advanced IT technologies such as

3D holograms, multimedia, and audiovisual presenta-

tions. The exhibition enabled viewers to re-evaluate the

traditions and values of Seoul design and offered an

opportunity to promote the identity and superiority

of Seoul design going forward.

Additionally, July will see an interdesign workshop for

domestic and internationally emerging designers. On

Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park designed by Zaha Hadid.

Zaha Hadid and Mayor Oh Se-hoon at the ground breaking ceremony of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park on 28 April 2009.

247 >

40 YEARSOF DESIGNEXCELLENCE

T: +27 (0) 12 428 6326F: +27 (0) 12 428 6546E: design@sabs.co.zaW: www.sabs.co.za

Children’s Day (May 5, 2010), the children’s design

creativity camp will allow children to experience design

and have fun, while, throughout 2010, competitions and

events will be held via the Internet promoting the WDC.

More than just a title

According to Mayor Oh, this city constitutes 40% of

South Korea’s population and that there are definite

objectives involved with the WDC title in 2010 that

would benefit the whole of South Korea. He envis-

ages that the various programmes and events will

improve the city’s image and will enable Seoul to

anchor its foundation to compete with internationally

advanced cities. The WDC title will also strengthen

the brand value of Seoul while further boosting the

Republic of Korea’s national standing.

Oh sees that the efficacy of design is not limited to

making a city pleasant, convenient and safe but is an

essential tool to a city’s survival in the 21st century.

Throughout 2010, the Seoul Metropolitan Govern-

ment is planning to create jobs, cultivate the design

industry, strengthen the competitiveness of the City

of Seoul, and further improve the happiness index

of people’s lives through design. <

All images courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan

Government.

Seoul has been able to marry the old with the new and move it into the future when it comes to design.

213 Without prejudice-p.indd 1 10/23/09 5:10:28 PM

You would have to have been walking around with

your ears and eyes covered for the past few years not

to be aware of the fact that South Africa will be hosting

the FIFA WORLD CUP soccer tournament this year. The

numerals “2010” have been on everybody’s lips for the

last four years and the mere mention of this event

evokes Dollar signs in the eyes of street vendors and

CEOs alike. But whilst advertisers and marketers might

be rubbing their hands together in glee at the market-

ing opportunities which this event will present, it will

in reality be all too easy for them to step on the rather

sensitive toes of FIFA and its commercial affiliates.

In fact, the benefits associated with the high marketing

value of the FIFA WORLD CUP event are accessible only

to an exclusive club consisting of those who have paid

their dues to FIFA. This is because FIFA’s “Official Part-

ners” (sponsors), together with the official suppliers,

licensees and official broadcasters, are the only com-

mercial entities which are allowed to claim any direct

association with the FIFA WORLD CUP as well as use

FIFA’s trade marks in advertising and on products for

promotions, advertising and marketing.

AVOID THE RED CARD:

LEGAL DO’S & DON’TS OF

THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP

By�Kelly�Thompson

249 >

An attempt by a trader to connect itself with the FIFA

WORLD CUP event without paying sponsorship fees

may be considered “ambush marketing” and South

Africa has strict anti-ambush marketing laws in place

to protect sponsors’ rights. The need to protect these

rights is of paramount importance. Sponsors pay mil-

lions of dollars for the exclusive marketing rights afford-

ed by their sponsorship deals and this provides fund-

ing for the event. It follows that failure to protect these

rights could jeopardise the event itself.

When a trader or advertiser either directly or indirectly

creates the impression that it is associated with an

event, or is an official sponsor of the event, this is

termed ambush marketing “by association”. When a

trader or advertiser simply attempts unfairly to benefit

from the publicity surrounding an event and to gain

exposure for its own brand at the expense of the event,

this is termed ambush marketing “by intrusion”. Both

forms of ambush marketing are prohibited under South

African law.

The first relevant provision is to be found in the Trade

Practices Act which, in essence, prohibits unauthorised

third parties from publishing or displaying statements

and communications which represent, imply or sug-

gest a contractual or other connection or association

between that person and the event, or the person spon-

soring the event. It virtually goes without saying that

misrepresenting that you are something which you

are not (such as a sponsor) or that there is some con-

tractual connection between you and another when

there is not, is wrong. There is, therefore, nothing unu-

sual about this section of the Trade Practices Act.

However, the Merchandise Marks Act of 1941 (as

amended) takes matters a little further and prohibits

persons from using their own trade marks in a certain

manner in relation to a “protected event”. The Minister

of Trade and Industry has designated the 2010 FIFA

WORLD CUP event as such a protected event. Essen-

tially, the relevant provision prohibits a third party

from using its own trade mark, without authority from

the organiser of the event, in a manner calculated to

achieve publicity for the trade mark and thereby to

derive special promotional benefit from the event. This

includes any visual or audible use of the trade mark

which in any way, directly or indirectly, is intended to

be brought into association with or to allude to any

event. This is fairly widely worded and is intended to

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250 >

bring to book those parties who commit ambush

marketing “by intrusion”. Contravention of this provi-

sion is a criminal offence.

The effect of this section of the Merchandise Marks

Act has been confirmed by the High Court. In October

2009, judgement was handed down in the Pretoria

High Court against Metcash Trading Africa (Pty) Lim-

ited which had been selling lollipops branded “2010

pops”. The packaging of the product bore soccer balls

and partial depictions of the South African flag. Al-

though there was no direct reference to the 2010 Soccer

World Cup event, the court held that Metcash had

intended for its lollipops to be associated with the

event and had also intended to derive special pro-

motional benefit from the event. The court held that

such conduct is unlawful and falls foul of the relevant

section of the Merchandise Marks Act. Metcash was

accordingly restrained from competing unlawfully with

FIFA by contravening the Merchandise Marks Act. It was

also ordered to pay FIFA’s legal costs.

Earlier in the year, Eastwood Tavern in Pretoria (oppo-

site Loftus Stadium) was ordered by a court to remove

signage from its premises in terms of which it had styled

itself a “World Cup Entertainment Lounge”.

Both the Trade Practices Act and Merchandise Marks

Act have criminalised ambush marketing. Advertisers,

printers, graphic designers, copywriters and, basically,

anyone involved in the production of an advertisement,

packaging or labelling, should be aware of these pro-

visions, for fear of being accused of, at the very least,

aiding and abetting the commission of a criminal of-

fence.

In addition to the two pieces of legislation already

mentioned, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

has a Sponsorship Code which further protects spon-

sors’ rights. It contains a host of provisions aimed at the

fair treatment of sponsors and, among other things,

prevents third parties from creating the impression of

having some association with the event when they do

not and also prohibits the use of endorsement of

athletes in advertising to create such an impression,

event-related sales promotions (such as ticket give-

aways), offering corporate hospitality at events and

the abuse of event airspace. Complaints may be laid

with the ASA against parties who do not adhere to the

provisions of the Sponsorship Code and the ASA can

order withdrawal of the advertising concerned and can

impose additional sanctions in the case of repeat

offenders.

The most basic and common type of ambush market-

ing is the misappropriation of an event organiser’s

trade marks, images or logos in advertising. In the case

of FIFA, this would include the use of the trade marks

FIFA, WORLD CUP and the WORLD CUP TROPHY device

in advertisements. This conduct can be stopped in

terms of the provisions mentioned above and also

in terms of the Trade Marks Act and additional provi-

sions of the Merchandise Marks Act, in terms of which

the Minister of Trade and Industry has declared certain

marks associated with the event to be “prohibited

marks”.

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HOW TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE> No use of FIFA’s registered trade

marks or prohibited marks.

> Steer clear of use of combinations of 2010 or soccer balls or other soccer images and “South Africa” or names of the host cities.

> Steer clear of obvious (even if not direct) allusions to the event in advertisements or other promotional competitions.

> No ticket give-aways or other promotional competitions unless with authority.

> No placing of advertisements on the outskirts of stadiums.

> No branded items in/around stadiums.

> Advertisements containing general soccer wording or imagery only (with no other references to 2010 or the event), will generally be acceptable.

More insidious forms of ambush marketing involve, for

example, handing out samples, products or free branded

items at events. At the European Soccer Championship

in 2000, thousands of fans were given free hats bearing

the AMSTEL Beer logo as they entered the stadium.

The result was free advertising for this product at the

event as the camera panned over the crowd. And if

you can’t get your product into the stadium, then why

not try above it? Ambush marketers frequently take

advantage of the airspace above an event, such as

PEPSI flying a branded hot air balloon over Wembley

Stadium on the day of the COCA-COLA CUP final.

Sometimes, traders seek to benefit from the public-

ity surrounding an event by giving away tickets to the

event or running other promotional competitions in

connection with the event. This also constitutes am-

bush marketing. In the case of the 2010 FIFA WORLD

CUP event, it will also constitute a breach of the ticket-

ing terms and conditions.

In short, South Africa’s anti-ambush marketing pro-

visions are clear and have been confirmed by the High

Court. It is also apparent that FIFA has taken, and will

continue to take, vigorous steps to protect its spon-

sors’ rights. The withdrawal of advertising and pack-

aging can cost millions of Rands but following a few

simple rules will help keep you out of trouble.

One final word of advice would be: don’t forget to

protect your own brand! In the flurry to be ready for

2010 and while trying not to step on anyone’s toes,

many businesses have neglected their own intellec-

tual property and have, for example, not registered

their trade marks. This could leave your own brand

vulnerable and exposed way beyond 2010. <

Kelly Thompson is a partner at Adams & Adams, one of the firms which have been appointed by FIFA to assist with its Rights Protection Programme.

AN

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Chen

ette

Sw

anep

oel i

s a

mul

ti-t

alen

ted

crea

tive

prof

essi

onal

who

com

fort

ably

trav

erse

s the

wor

lds o

f

fine

art,

desi

gn, e

duca

tion

and

busi

ness

. A fi

ne a

rts

grad

uate

fro

m t

he U

nive

rsity

of

Pret

oria

in

1992

,

spec

ialis

ing

in p

aint

ing,

Che

nett

e has

sinc

e im

mer

sed

hers

elf i

n a

mul

ti-di

scip

linar

y w

orld

whe

re s

he h

as

been

wor

king

as

an a

rtis

t pa

rtic

ipat

ing

in g

roup

exhi

biti

ons,

cont

ribu

ting

to p

riva

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nd co

rpor

ate

colle

ctio

ns a

nd e

xecu

ting

com

miss

ione

d w

orks

, whi

le

also

pur

suin

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para

llel c

aree

r in

desi

gn.

252 >

Chenette Swanepoel is a prolific freelance graphic designer and

illustrator serving the publishing, corporate and cultural sectors,

an interior designer specialising in the retail and leisure. She is

also a visual communications consultant to the banking sec-

tor specialising in sensory experiences, colour and wayfinding

iconography. Over and above, she is an art agent and curator

for the Rooke Gallery, as well as a lecturer in illustration and

animation.

Some examples of her design work include illustrations for

the Klein Karoo Kunstefees, Cities of the World Travel Guide

published by Conde Nast, Epic magazine, Via Africa/Collegium,

Maskew Miller Longman Pearson Education, Standard Bank,

Small Business Corporation, Dstv, instructional imagery for the

Centre for the Study of Aids’ home-based care kit, official SA

stamps for the 2000 Olympic games and commemorative stamps

for Worker’s Day and Family Day. Clients for communication

design include Old Mutual, Nampak, Ernst & Young, Multichoice,

Absa and Randpark Golf Club. Interior design projects include the

dome for Gerani in Village Walk (Sandton), a 6m x 8m mural for

Casablanca Restaurant (Pretoria), murals for the foyer of Hunt

Lascaris, interior renovation projects for Fabric Library and

Castelano Beltrame showrooms and the interiors of Randpark

Golf Club, to name a few.

Chenette shared some of her personal insights regarding design

education in an interview with DESIGN>.

D > You studied fine arts. How did you end up practicing design

as your primary profession?

CS > Issues around relevancy and involvement in cultural

activity became a consideration for me. Designers have more

influence in society and are (or at least can be) significant

agents for change.

D > What unique skills have your fine arts training brought you

as a practicing designer?

CS > The explorative and experimental approach of fine arts

training broadened the scope of my problem solving skills.

Chen

ette

Sw

anep

oel i

s a

mul

ti-t

alen

ted

crea

tive

prof

essi

onal

who

com

fort

ably

trav

erse

s the

wor

lds o

f

fine

art,

desi

gn, e

duca

tion

and

busi

ness

. A fi

ne a

rts

grad

uate

fro

m t

he U

nive

rsity

of

Pret

oria

in

1992

,

spec

ialis

ing

in p

aint

ing,

Che

nett

e has

sinc

e im

mer

sed

hers

elf i

n a

mul

ti-di

scip

linar

y w

orld

whe

re s

he h

as

been

wor

king

as

an a

rtis

t pa

rtic

ipat

ing

in g

roup

exhi

biti

ons,

cont

ribu

ting

to p

riva

te a

nd co

rpor

ate

colle

ctio

ns a

nd e

xecu

ting

com

miss

ione

d w

orks

, whi

le

also

pur

suin

g a

para

llel c

aree

r in

desi

gn.

253 >

Developing a visual language to express personal beliefs requires a

conviction in your own viewpoints. Issues around authenticity and

accountability are not restricted to the domain of the fine artist alone.

D > Your work spans several design disciplines. Can you tell us more

about how you integrate your multidisciplinary practices?

CS > My core skill is a mode of thinking and not a craft. When I engage

with a problem, be it designing a chair, constructing spatial narratives

or producing corporate identities, the creative approach remains the

same. Although I consider my thinking as specialised, the application

is diverse.

D > How does your design career impact on your profile as a fine

artist and how do you juggle the roles? Are there ever conflicts?

CS > Although the motivation and objective of my art pursuits differ

from my design work, I approach it with a similar aesthetic and con-

ceptual sensibility. The boundaries between art and design are

shifting and it has become possible to cross the floor between what

were traditionally separate arenas.

D > Do you have a specific design philosophy?

CS > I believe designers have the responsibility to function as

agents for change. Their work should reflect an honest and innovative

approach to the problem, whatever the brief requires.

D > Would you call yourself a creative entrepreneur?

CS > Yes. A lot of my work is the result of interrogating the brief and

redefining the problem which in turn increases opportunities for

my creative involvement.

D > You have been teaching design for many years. Do you have

a unique teaching methodology and what pedagogical focus areas

are most important to you?

254 >

Bab

ette

’s fe

ast

exhi

biti

on, 2

00

9,

Art

spac

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ohan

nesb

urg.

Her

man

van

den

Ber

g C

D c

over

and

pos

ter.

255 >

Pari

s, N

ew Y

ork

and

Lon

don.

Illu

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r Co

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avel

sup

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ent.

256 >

CS > I focus on process rather than end result. Students should be

encouraged to explore boldly without the fear of making mistakes.

To see their comfort zones crumbling yields surprising results that

builds confidence.

D > You are known to be quite a strict and demanding lecturer. Why

is discipline important to you?

CS > John Rohn said it best: “Affirmation without discipline is the be-

ginning of delusion.”

D > What areas are lacking in tertiary design training and what are

the future opportunities and challenges that we need to address?

CS > Although issues around cultural diversity are being addressed,

many students remain cocooned in their own cultural enclave. It will

be beneficial to expose them to radically opposing worldviews to en-

hance their understanding of the world.

D > Why is it important for you as a practicing designer and artist to

be involved in design education?

CS > Design education is a stimulating and rewarding pursuit.

D > Does teaching benefit your professional practice as a designer

and artist?

CS > Yes, the academic realm imparts a certain critical sensibility but

it is constant exposure to new emerging trends and subcultures that

stimulates creativity.

D > What is in stall for Chenette in the near future?

CS > The near future involves going back in time since my next project

involves African dinosaurs from the Mesozoic era. I will be designing

all the visual material for an exhibition at Transvaal Museum titled

Mesozoic Monsters. <

The

Tra

vels

of

Bad

exh

ibit

ion

by Z

ande

r B

lom

, 20

09

, Roo

ke G

alle

ry.

Bef

ore

and

afte

r vi

ews

of t

he id

enti

ty a

nd in

teri

or o

f th

e R

andp

ark

Clu

b.

257 >

www.inscape.ac.za

DISCIPLINE APRIL 2010

Architecture, Interior Design &

Built Environment

02 > AIA LA’s Restaurant Design Awards 2010 (Regional)12 > Concrete Geometries: Spatial Form in Social and Aesthetic Processes

(International)12 > D&AD student awards: Environmental design (International)15 > SEAMLab 2010 Scholarship Competition (International)15 > 2010 Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award (UK)15 > 10Up: YAF Atlanta Design-Build Challenge (US)21 > Miami Civic Center: Urban Competition (International)30 > Schindler Award 2010: Access for All (International)

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10 > Fest Anca International Animation Festival & Competition (International)15 > Golden Bee: Moscow International Biennial of Graphic Design (International)15 > World Industrial Design Day 2010: Student Poster Competition (International)23 > Northern Design Competition 2010 (Regional)26 > The Aniboom Awards 4: Sesame Street Contest (International)30 > VLAFF 2010 Poster Contest (Canada)30 > iF Communication Design Awards (International)30 > 19th Australian Catalogue Awards 2010 (Australia)

Fashion & Jewellery

Industrial Design

07 > PDP Award: Andrea Pininfarina (International)09 > D&AD student awards: Product design (International)12 > BIO Awards: 22nd Biennial of Industrial Design (International)23 > NAGOYA DESIGN DO! 2010 (International)

Multidisciplinary09 > Australasian Student Design Awards 2010 (Regional)16 > SABS Design Institute Design Achievers Awards 2010 (South Africa)30 > Exterior Lighting Grant 2010: Street Furniture Light (International)

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Sustainability 01 > International E-waste Design Competition 2010 (International)

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Environment

03 > 2010 Chicago Prize Competition: Mine the Gap (International)12 > AIAS Livable Communities (International)

07 > Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural & Popular Music Center International Competition (International)

15 > Bali 2010: Marine Research Center (Intl)

01 > Bali 2010: Marine Research Center (International)

15 > ICARCH: A House for Anton Chekhov (USA)

Communication Design, Advertising, Animation

& New Media

01 > Foam Magazine Talent Call (International)06 > 2010 Poster design competition (South Africa)11 > Game Changers: Design 21 is Looking for the Next Game Changer (International)14 > Communication Arts Design competition (International)21 > Pentawards 2010 [Package Design] (International)25 > IDEO+DESIGN 21: Living Climate Change Challenge (International)30 > International Triennial Of Stage Poster Sofia 2010 (International)31 > 2010 Loerie Awards (Africa and Middle East)

04 > 4th International Poster Exhibition – YAKU (International)

01 > James Dyson Award 2010 (International)

Fashion & Jewellery 01 > Fashion Illustration Contest by Marie Claire & IED Barcelona (International)15 > 2010 Hokonui Fashion Design Awards

(International)

Industrial Design

01 > Electrolux Design Lab 2010: The Second Space Age (International)07 > SABS Design Institute Design Excellence Awards 2010 (South Africa)11 > MINI Product Design Competition for the Centre Rail in the New MINI Countryman

(International)18 > Nokia’s Calling All Innovators contest (International)

01 > Playable 2010 Design competition: opens for submissions (International)

Multidisciplinary 01 > One Good Chair 2010 Design Competition: Minimum/Maximum (International)

04 > 2010 Adobe Design Achievement Awards (International)

15 > Food Design Competition 6 (Intl)30 > Wide Open Ideas Competition for Tiananmen

Square (International)

01 > Good Design 2010 (International)13 > Seoul International Design competition 2010

(International)15 > iF Design Awards China (Regional)

Research & Journalism 07 > RIBA President’s Awards for Research 2010: Call for Entries (UK)01 > Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing &

Criticism (Regional)30 > Call for papers & proposals: Impact 7

Intersections & Counterpoints (International)

Sustainability17 > Open Source House: Hundreds of Young Architects Worldwide Join Forces

(International)25 > The Living Climate Change Video Challenge (International)

30 > Caesarstone Design Award: Icon to Earth’s Wellbeing (International)

260 >

DISCIPLINE MAY 2010 JUNE 2010 JULY 2010

Architecture, Interior Design & Built

Environment

03 > 2010 Chicago Prize Competition: Mine the Gap (International)12 > AIAS Livable Communities (International)

07 > Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural & Popular Music Center International Competition (International)

15 > Bali 2010: Marine Research Center (Intl)

01 > Bali 2010: Marine Research Center (International)

15 > ICARCH: A House for Anton Chekhov (USA)

Communication Design, Advertising, Animation

& New Media

01 > Foam Magazine Talent Call (International)06 > 2010 Poster design competition (South Africa)11 > Game Changers: Design 21 is Looking for the Next Game Changer (International)14 > Communication Arts Design competition (International)21 > Pentawards 2010 [Package Design] (International)25 > IDEO+DESIGN 21: Living Climate Change Challenge (International)30 > International Triennial Of Stage Poster Sofia 2010 (International)31 > 2010 Loerie Awards (Africa and Middle East)

04 > 4th International Poster Exhibition – YAKU (International)

01 > James Dyson Award 2010 (International)

Fashion & Jewellery 01 > Fashion Illustration Contest by Marie Claire & IED Barcelona (International)15 > 2010 Hokonui Fashion Design Awards

(International)

Industrial Design

01 > Electrolux Design Lab 2010: The Second Space Age (International)07 > SABS Design Institute Design Excellence Awards 2010 (South Africa)11 > MINI Product Design Competition for the Centre Rail in the New MINI Countryman

(International)18 > Nokia’s Calling All Innovators contest (International)

01 > Playable 2010 Design competition: opens for submissions (International)

Multidisciplinary 01 > One Good Chair 2010 Design Competition: Minimum/Maximum (International)

04 > 2010 Adobe Design Achievement Awards (International)

15 > Food Design Competition 6 (Intl)30 > Wide Open Ideas Competition for Tiananmen

Square (International)

01 > Good Design 2010 (International)13 > Seoul International Design competition 2010

(International)15 > iF Design Awards China (Regional)

Research & Journalism 07 > RIBA President’s Awards for Research 2010: Call for Entries (UK)01 > Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing &

Criticism (Regional)30 > Call for papers & proposals: Impact 7

Intersections & Counterpoints (International)

Sustainability17 > Open Source House: Hundreds of Young Architects Worldwide Join Forces

(International)25 > The Living Climate Change Video Challenge (International)

30 > Caesarstone Design Award: Icon to Earth’s Wellbeing (International)

VIE

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