BP EXPRESS and Cape Town Carnival have collaborated to bring you Carnival Couture, a star-studded fashion extravaganza! The lucky few able to secure limited tickets will see 12 of Cape Town’s top designers’ one of a kind couture collections.

The fashion show, taking place at the V&A Waterfront on the 18th March, will mark the inauguration of the carnival weekend – congregating the who’s who of South Africa’s fashion industry to watch models take to the runway in one-off creations.

Each designer will showcase their interpretation of the Cape Town Carnival’s 2010 theme: Rhythm Roots and Boots, with 8 over-the-top Carnival Couture garments.

High profile names involved in the event include Kobus Dippenaar, C-Squared, Carducci Women, Hip Hop, Paul van Zyl Couture, Malick, Elbeth Gillis, Craig Port, Zinzi Couture in conjunction with Uwe Koetter Jewellers, Hendrik Vermeulen Couture, House of Monatic and Rosenwerth.

Tickets cost R120 per person. The show will take place at The Lookout, V&A Waterfront (on the roof of Aston Martin) 7.30pm on Thursday 18th March.

For booking information call 021 405 4473 or email angie@capetowncarnival.com

The prizes awarded consist of a combination of five cash prizes, worth R500 000 in total, selected by the judging team and seven international artist-in-residency prizes made by the individual residency programmes. In addition, a ‘People’s Choice’ Award (based on votes by those visiting the Exhibition) will be given at the end of the Cape Town leg of the Exhibition.

The cash prize-winners are, in no particular order:

Araminta de Clermont – (photography)
Dave Robertson – (photography)
Jessica Gregory & Zen Marie – (video installation)
Christopher Swift – (mixed media)
Hasan and Husain Essop – (photography)

The Artist-in-Residency were awarded as follows:

Gyeonggi Creation Center, South Korea (two awards provided)- Lindi Arbi and Mohau Modisakeng
The Instituto Sacatar and the Sacatar Foundation, Bahia, Brazil (two awards provided)- Sicelo Ziqubu and Jacki McInnes
18th Street Arts Centre in Los Angeles, California, USA – Mlu Zondi
Thamdigi Foundation Prize in Arnhem, Netherlands (two awards provided)- Angela De Jesus and Johann van der Schijff

The judges, N’Goné Fall, RoseLee Goldberg and Mark Coetzee, flew in from their respective international bases to deliberate over the work in the week leading up to the launch of the Exhibition. Their choices reflect the high standard of new media works submitted to the 2010 competition. The judges were not given any specific criteria to assist them in their choices.

The artist-in-residency awards were chosen by representatives of the organisations providing the residencies. Each residency award affords the winning artist an excellent opportunity to simply be artists in a new and stimulating environment, whilst also developing invaluable connections.

By nature of its content as a contemporary art exhibition, the Spier Contemporary 2010 reflects South African life in all its forms. Strong themes that emerged from the work include a search for identity, memory, critic of the state and our leadership, FIFA World Cup representation and interpretations of urban landscapes.

The Africa Centre, which developed the Exhibition, is conscious of the need to engage with a wider audience for art. To this end, the Spier Contemporary 2010 is housed at the Cape Town City Hall; close to commuter routes and in the midst of a retail, office and residential mix that is also a primary port of call for tourists. Entrance is free and the Exhibition is open from 10h00 till 18h00 seven days a week. A café and shop also share the premises. The Spier Contemporary 2010 is also expecting to host 3,500 school learners at the Exhibition in partnership with the Ibhabhathane Project, funded by a grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

The Spier Contemporary opened to the public at 10h00 on Sunday, 14th March 2010.

For more information on the project, and the exhibition, visit www.spiercontemporary.co.za

There are plenty of musicals that have found their niche on stage and film like Sweeney Todd, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Shop of Horrors and yes, even Grease. However, that doesn’t stop me from cringing when I hear the word ‘musical’. For heaven’s sake, they’re meant for Broadway not Hollywood… and if you’re not examining the behind-the-scenes gravity like in Hamlet 2 or Every Little Step, then the only point of adapting to film is making the musical more accessible to those that don’t live on Broadway.

Now I’ve seen Cats live and “live” on film. While Andrew Lloyd Webber made prancing felines in a dump yard seem like high-class entertainment, it still relies on full scale dance casts, lighting and musical vibrations that are no comparison on 2D film. The only time an on screen musical compels me, is when the spontaneous eruptions of sing-song are captured in a natural manner without a player looking skyward or over the distant horizon. Referencing Chicago in Nine’s marketing campaign did not give me much confidence, it actually lowered my expectations.

Nine had a impressive line-up from the get-go: Fellini’s 8 1/2 adaptation gave the material some credibility, Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha elevated the visual component, Daniel Day-Lewis’s presence asserted the already strong cast of leading ladies including: Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson and Judi Dench. If there ever was a musical with the right tone and combination, Nine was going to be it. It was right! I was captivated by Nine, from its star line-up… performances, cinematography and art direction. This is what a film musical should be like.

Nine follows a famous film director, Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), as he tries to get to grips with his latest, pinned to be greatest, film endeavor. His personal and professional life are pulling the man apart from the seams and it seems that he has no other choice, but to confront his demons head-on. Unfortunately, this involves focusing all his dramatic attention and tension on all the leading ladies in his life: his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent, and his mother.

The film has a terrific ensemble, who are surprisingly adept at making the transition from drama to musical. Nicole Kidman was in Moulin Rouge, but it’s the rest of the ensemble that conjure up musical talents. One could argue Day-Lewis has conquered the Oscar depiction of what a great actor is with his Oscar-winning performances and repeat nominations over the years. This genre bender gives him a chance to stretch his repertoire to include musicals and he does so with a degree of hard-earned effortlessness.

Each of his leading ladies presents a different aspect to the man and a mutual dependence evidenced in his interactions with each of them. His role shifts from son, to lover, to husband, to director, to artist and back again… wrapping him up in a whirlwind of emotion as his procrastination and state of flux come to the fore. It’s one of those self-referencing sort of films with a film within a film that only develops when Contini finds peace. He’s like Hamlet as his pondering and nostalgia soak up the run time with musical interjections conveying mood and emotion.

Rob Marshall hasn’t created a typical musical, which will disappoint a large contingent of traditional musical lovers. The sets are just as lavish, but the casting of Day-Lewis shows Nine’s intention to set drama against musical. There’s an excellent balance of the two as the art direction and choreography blends into the cinematography and drama in a romantic Italian fashion. While the relationship dynamics are fairly ambitious and scattershot, Day-Lewis still manages to keep a lid on things.

His main interaction is with Penelope Cruz, whose sultry vixen antics are given enough attention to have warranted an Oscar nomination. However, his other relationships are fragmented… giving each of the actresses limited time to create any sort of musical razzle-dazzle. The surreal element in Nine gives the whole film a quality, which moves away from the colourful, camp, glitzy surface value of other musicals. Most audiences will be torn by Nine’s tightrope balancing act as it walks the line between musical and drama.

What it lacks in warmth, it makes up for in style and while you won’t be tapping your foot to the range of musical numbers, you’ll remember this ambitious production for its panache and slick visuals… a fresh, surreal musical suitable for people that prefer musicals where they should be… live on stage.

The bottom line: Bold.

Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za

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

To view Zuko Dolls’ complete portfolio on Cape Town Creatives click here

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.

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.

]]> http://capetowncreatives.co.za/blog/2010/03/experience-design-indaba-2010/feed/ 0 http://capetowncreatives.co.za/blog/2010/03/jewellery-skills-gold-africa-museum/ http://capetowncreatives.co.za/blog/2010/03/jewellery-skills-gold-africa-museum/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:25:21 +0000 Cape Town Creatives http://capetowncreatives.co.za/blog/?p=1930

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: 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

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.