The Baba Papa Lounger by Haldane Martin
Inspired by smooth, water worn pebbles, the sculptural form of the Baba Papa lounger has been ergonomically shaped to enable one to recline in a variety of comfortable positions. The lightweight structure is made from 60% recycled stainless steel wire loops welded together to create an organically contoured diamond meshed surface. As stainless steel is rustproof, Baba Papa can be used in and outdoors. A removable upholstered seat is also available for increased comfort.
Showroom open to the public
Monday – Friday
8.30 – 16.30
12 Aberdeen Street, Cnr Dickson Street, Woodstock, Cape Town
info@haldanemartin.co.za
www.haldanemartin.co.za
Zuko Soccer Dolls
Zuko dolls have produced a new range of soccer inspired creations just in time for the World Cup. The floppy, brown rag dolls are dressed in characteristic soccer gear. Please contact Estelle at zukodolls@mweb.co.za i f you would like to place an order or find out where the dolls are available for sale.
To view Zuko Dolls’ complete portfolio on Cape Town Creatives click here
Making War Horse at the Labia
The legendary Handspring Puppet Company will be well represented at the annual Out the Box Festival of Puppetry and Visual Performance this year, when their extraordinary well-known 48 minute documentary, Making War Horse, will be screened at the Labia Cinema on Orange Street, as part of the Moving Things Film Festival.
Making War Horse relates the story of how Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel became one of the most popular and acclaimed productions in the National Theatre’s history in the UK. From its early development in the NT’s studio, audiences will see how the Handspring Puppet Company created the groundbreaking techniques that brought a life-like horse to the stage. Going behind the scenes and into the rehearsal room, with featured interviews from the cast and creative team, Making War Horse documents this unique theatrical collaboration and the creation of an outstanding stage classic. The second film by Handspring will be Woycjek on the Highveld, a 90 minute filmed version of the company’s most widely travelled theatre production of the same name. The play received the Vita Award for Production of the Year of a New South African Play when it premiered in 1992 and it continues to be a favourite at theatre festivals.
Making War Horse will be shown on the 23rd March at 6pm, 26th March at 12pm and on the 28 March at 2pm when Basil and Adrian from Handspring will introduce the documentary and take questions from the audience.
For the full festival programme visit www.outtheboxfestival.com or call 021 462 5811 or buy your copy of The Big Issue for comprehensive festival info.
Experience Design Indaba 2010
We asked a few designers/creative companies to comment on their experience at Design Indaba Expo 2010. Read what they had to say below:
Streetwires at Design Indaba Expo 2010
We had a very successful Design Indaba, as our new products were well-received by our regular customers, and we had some interest from new prospects too.
Our ideas / inspiration was to move away from the obvious soccer themes that are now on every conceivable product and rather provide something that tourists would like, and locals would relate to. Beaded animals and the big 5 are almost as prolific as soccer balls, so we decoded to go for a Township theme, but with a ‘feel-good’ vibe – something to make people smile. It seems we were spot-on!
Urbanative Jewellery at Design Indaba Expo 2010
Urbanative jewellery had a wonderful expo 2010! We met lots of like minded creatives and look forward to next years expo to keep the momentum going.
Monkeybiz at Design Indaba Expo 2010
This year’s Design Indaba held great significance for the Monkeybiz team, as it sought to honour it’s co-founder, Barbara Jackson. As always it was inspirational.
Fundi Light and Living at Design Indaba Expo 2010
We had a wonderful response to our products and new fabric collections from the media, trade and public (and the mass of students…). The Design Indaba is a wonderful platform to showcase new products into the market, but we definitely saw less trade and much less international buyer presence at the show this year. One can see that all the ‘big names’ have either dropped out or have really reduced the size of their stands, and the overall feel of the show has become more craft orientated. We hope 2011 will bring back the design edge that the show was so synonymous for.
Jewellery Courses at Gold of Africa Museum
We would like to remind everyone about the exciting courses available at the fabulous Gold of Africa Museum. We are offering a special to anyone who responds from this blog in the month of March. 10% discount on the hobby classes and a free guided tour of the Gold Museum collection of gold jewellery from West Africa. Contact Heidi on idieh@mweb.co.za.
Precious Movie Review: Hard-Knock Life 101
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire is the story of an overweight, illiterate 16-year-old girl who, pregnant with her second child enrolls at an alternate school to point her life in a new direction. The title character, Precious, played by Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe in her debut role, leads a troubled life as a teen shackled by sexual, physical and verbal abuse. Her size, teen pregnancy and abusive mother, played to perfection by Mo’Nique, hold her back from reaching her dreams. However, she pushes on… fighting for a better life.
Precious is directed by Lee Daniels, whose directorial debut starred Mo’Nique as a character also called Precious amongst a host of other Hollywood names: Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephen Dorff and Macy Gray. While Shadowboxer had a more commercial edge, Daniels has managed to extract solid performances in both films with his direction more refined in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.
This indie film is bolstered by knock-out character performances from Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique and Paula Patton. It’s more Half Nelson than Dangeous Minds when it comes to shock value as Daniels introduces us to Precious and her Harlem existence. It’s harrowing at times and doesn’t try to paint out the kitchen sink when it comes to the hard-hitting reality, in which Precious finds herself. There’s no Hollywood filter to beautify or cover-up the ugliness surrounding Precious and Mo’Nique’s all-or-nothing performance characterises this perspective… always complex, biting and edgy.
Lee Daniels makes some interesting choices with the camera, brave enough to show the underbelly of Harlem and the gritty hard-knock-life of the slums. Precious has Ally McBeal fantasy moments from time-to-time as she tries to leave her body and escape – from red carpets to model shoots accompanied by her cool dream boyfriend. It’s a drama about improving one’s life… one step at a time, however shallow her triumphs may seem. The characters are portrayed with such gusto and their relative anonymity helps push the film onward with a sense of naked truth and unashamed reality.
There are times, where Precious feels a little emotionally manipulative as things go from bad to worse. This degradation perpetuates the downward spiral Precious finds herself in and keeps things hurtling out-of-control. Just as she starts making progress with her reading and writing, she’s put in jeopardy… shifting from an unscripted reality to classic Hollywood formula, but retains its integrity with a rock solid team effort from the ensemble.
This is a ‘day-in-the-life’ film experience that gives you a chance to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. The journey may not be comforting, but does make you feel grateful for your own good health and relative comfort. If an overweight, pregnant and illiterate girl can push through the sludge of life, then we have no other option but to follow her shining example… and with 6 Oscar nominations in her wake, you just can’t ignore Precious.
The bottom line: Startling.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
Taste of Cape Town 2010
Each year Taste of Cape Town brings together the city’s most acclaimed restaurants and carefully selected exhibitors to attract 20 000 of Cape Town’s most dedicated and sophisticated foodies. This year the festival will again be held at Rhodes High School, Montreal Avenue, Mowbray.
From Wednesday the 24th, to Sunday the 28th of March, 19 of the Cape’s top restaurants and chefs will be serving a stunning selection of sample – sized signature dishes to Taste of Cape Town visitors.
Five of the featured restaurants participating in this year’s festival have been crowned in the prestigious Eat Out Awards list of Top Ten Restaurants in South Africa.
Participating restaurants include Jardine Restaurant, Maze by Gordon Ramsay, The Cape Colony Restaurant, Overture, Reuben’s, Myoga Restaurant, Ginja and Gold to name just a few. `
Taste of Cape Town offers an amazing array of entertainment features to ensure that the Taste of Cape Town visitors participate in every aspect of this ultimate gourmet eating and drinking experience.
The Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre
A unique opportunity to see Cape Town’s top chefs showcased and in action on stage, featuring demos, culinary challenges, entertaining tutorials and enlightening Q & A sessions. Also a chance to meet the folk behind the award winning Fresh Living magazine.
The Checkers Wine Route
Back by popular demand, this year’s Checkers Wine Route Taste Experience is set to rock Cape Town. Clive Torr, along with some of South Africa’s leading wine makers, will be hosting a selection of wines from more than 80 top wine estates in South Africa. These wine experts and connoisseurs will host the Taste of Cape Town Wine Route, which will feature a daily programme of wine tastings, tutorials and advice on wine and food pairing.
The Grolsch Beer Academy
Will feature Beer Master classes by a renowned brew master. Following the Academy, the ‘thirst buds’ can be quenched in the comfortable and stylish surrounds of the outdoor Grolsch Beer Experience area.
Fresh Producer’s Market
As part of this year’s festival, we’ll be showcasing some of the Cape’s local food heroes – people who are passionate about their products and pour every ounce of their being intoproducing organic, delicious, flavourful produce and ingredients that inspire our chefs to get creative in the kitchen.
Johnnie Walker Whisky Theatre
This year at the Taste of Cape Town, The House of Johnnie Walker® invites you on a journey to explore the flavours of the world’s greatest whisky house. Taste the bold, vibrant, Red Label®, the deep and smokey Black Label®, the flagship House of Johnnie Walker® blend and the enigmatic natural flavours of Green Label® blended malt whisky.
Taste of Cape Town Kidz Zone
Now available at the festival…. a Kidz Zone will be hosted by Partytots & Clamber Club offering fun activities for all ages – jumping castles, obstacle course, face painting, balloon artist, fun characters, magic shows and loads more for the kiddies to do. Bring your children along to join us for a great day out!
Visit the Taste of Cape Town website for more details: www.tasteofcapetown.com/
Tickets can be purchased through computicket and booking in advance is advisable. Ticket prices range from R80 to R170.
Creative Bloggers from Cape Town
Cape Town is bursting at the seams with creativity! The recent Design Indaba Expo was testimony to just how much talent there is in this city. Blogging has become a popular pastime amongst creatives who use them to share their inspiration and new ideas with others. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite creative bloggers based in Cape Town. Enjoy!
http://skinnylaminx.com Heather Moore works as an illustrator and designer in Cape Town, South Africa. Her wonderful, ‘come back for more’ blog focuses on what she makes and the things that catch her eye.
www.greglumley.com/wp Greg Lumley is a wedding photographer with a great sense of humour. We enjoy reading the articles on his blog and viewing his excellent photographs.
http://thewrendesign.com Wendren Milford owns the fashion label Wren. Her blog is full of beautiful images of her beautiful bags/accessories and is a personal journey to becoming an ‘indiepreneur’.
www.kimgray.co.za Kim Gray is a fashion, decor and lifestyle stylist who shares her work experiences and interesting finds on her blog.
http://lovemadevisible.co.za Rebecca and Bruce of Love Made Visible are passionate about people and photography. Love Made Visible blog is a stunning photo-journal of their recent work.
http://jezzeblog.blogspot.com Jesse Breytenbach is an illustrator and designer from Cape Town. Her blog is packed with creative tips and ideas and is a great read.
http://alexlatimer.wordpress.com One can’t help but visit Alex and Patrick Latimer’s blogs regularly! Their illustrations are delightful and humorous and you’ll leave wanting more!
www.spling.co.za We’re big fans of Spling here! Spling or Stephen Aspeling is a writer based in Cape Town. He is passionate about the film industry and his reviews are insightful with a touch of humour. His blog is updated daily with special offers and other entertaining features.
http://fa.mielie.com Mielie Peeps tells the story of the successful Cape Town based design company, Mielie. Mielie is all about employment creation and beautiful, innovative design. Visit Mielie Peeps to find out about new products, the people behind the products and what inspires them!
Out the Box Festival of Puppetry and Visual Performance 20 to 28 March 2010
The Out The Box Festival of Puppetry & Visual Performance is a visual feast of performances, workshops, talks, exhibitions and films that caters for adults and children alike. This year the event takes place at the Baxter Theatre Centre, The UCT Hiddingh campus in Gardens and the Labia Cinema on Orange Street.
For young audiences, artists present their wildest and most beautiful imaginings in works using puppetry, projection, objects, multi-media and live performers. When the sun sets and the little ones are tucked in bed, adult audiences are invited back to experience something completely different.
Included in the breath-taking line-up for the Adult Festival this year are international performance artists and contemporary dancers, Duda Paiva from the Netherlands and Angel and Edna Jaime from Mozambique. Some of the local works featured are the groundbreaking Quack! by FTH:K ; Acty Tang’s Inscrutable and the acclaimed Mothertongue Theatre’s The Baggage of Bags as well as several new works by new and emerging theatre makers.
So often it is childhood that comes to mind when thinking of puppetry and those wanting a family theatre experience won’t be disappointed. This year The Out The Box festival has created a Family Festival programme of puppetry and visual performance from around the globe featuring both overseas artists and preeminent Southern African youth theatre practitioners like Ubom from Grahamstown, Arley’s Workshop from Durban and the remarkable Seka from Zambia.
For those who want to get more deeply immersed in the experience, a range of exciting workshops will be presented by specialists in the many diverse forms of puppetry, including a workshop by South Africa’s national treasure, Handspring Puppet Company.
Tickets cost from R30 to R50 via Computicket with special offers for block bookings of ten or more. For more info please visit
www2.outtheboxfestival.com/ or call 021 462 5811.
Get the full programme in your latest Big Issue now!
It’s Complicated: Two Sides to the Story
It’s Complicated… initially a statement describing one’s love life as being in limbo is now a Facebook relationship status and a Nancy Meyers film, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. The film has received added publicity during awards season for Streep’s Best Actress nominations and after watching the film you can see why. She’s the focus of this “I don’t wanna go there” romance and shows off yet another fantastic comedy performance after her role as the flamboyant Julia Childs in Julie & Julia. This is Streep’s film from the get-go and while she’s ably supported by both Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin and just like a good bra, she’s head and shoulders above.
There’s an air of her character from Mamma Mia as she twists out of post-divorce depression into a complicated web of hedonistic relationships… starting with a one night stand with her ex-husband (Baldwin) and bungling into a sweet relationship with her architect (Martin). Naturally there’s plenty of scope for love as marriage, divorce and dating gets their fair share of heart on the butcher’s table.
It’s Complicated, really isn’t… it’s a two-sided affair in many respects. The first half being domineered by comedy and Jane’s lasting anguish from her divorce and the new woman, to falling in “love” with Jake again. The second half is stoked with drama as Jane’s emotional roller coaster ride sees both stags suit up for the affections of Jane. The film functions much like your typical romantic comedy, bristling with laughs and excitement in the first half and tapering off to a more sobering resolution in the second half with Streep providing balance and continuity.
Nancy Meyers brought us Something’s Gotta Give and The Holiday, two well-regarded “romcoms” with a terrific ensemble. It’s Complicated is no different… instead of Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Amanda Peet… it’s Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Lake Bell. The stars are well-balanced, except this time it’s a take on the classic love triangle with smacks of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. If you enjoyed Something’s Gotta Give… chances are you’ll be more than satisfied with It’s Complicated. The love-in-later-life territory, coping with the modern world and trying to find equilibrium are at the centre of this romantic comedy. Meyers knows what gets laughs and her script is crisp with situational comedy.
However, when drugs enter the fray, the film drops a notch… with a 16D age restriction, one could easily be forgiven for thinking it stands for divorce, but it’s actually for drug use. The hedonism reaches a pinnacle at this point, something that Meyers made very obvious, but it doesn’t fit the tone of It’s Complicated and feels a bit forced like they were trying to squeeze out some cheap laughs. The loss of inhibition does act as a catalyst for the story’s development, but cheapens the film and diminishes all the hard work of the first half.
Two hour long “romcoms” are rare by today’s standards and the film would have benefited from a few more nips and tucks. Life is messy, but films don’t have to be and It’s Complicated just feels a little sloppy in wrapping up. They glamorize divorce and drugs in a care-free environment, but these reckless decisions eventually catch up with the characters as It’s Complicated draws to a close. Overall, the cast’s all-round performances and a funny script make this one work as an enjoyable, fun and upbeat romantic comedy.
The bottom line: Fun.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
