3 New Exhibitions at AVA
The AVA in partnership with Spier invites you to the opening of three exhibitions
MALCOLM DARE: COMPOSED
Opening address by Jeanetta Blignaut, Director of Creative Block
GERALD MACHONA: MARI YEBEPA
And the ARTREACH FUNDRAISER MINI ME
Opening at the AVA Gallery at 6 pm
Monday, 23 August 2010 at 18h00
Exhibition Closes Friday, 17 September 2010 at 13h00
Gerald Machona – Amai Doenda kuJoburg ne Mari Ye-bepa 1 (Mother I am going to Joburg with Paper Money 1)
Photographic paper (2010)
Gerald Machona born in Zimbabwe completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Michaelis School of Fine Arts in 2009. Machona presents Mari Yebepa (Paper Money) in the Long Gallery. Machona has participated in a number of group shows most recently US II curated by Bettina Malcomess and Simon Njami at the Iziko South African National Gallery and the Refugee day exhibition curated by Patricia Matongo at the Cape Creative Centre.
Malcolm Dare – Gerald
Gicleè Printing on Hahnemühle Photo Rag (2010)
Malcolm Dare presents a photographic exhibition entitled Composed in the Main Gallery. Dare has photographed 24 artist who have worked with the Creative Block Project. Composed is a series of photographic portraits of these artists. Photographing the artists in their studios and work environments, Dare allows the viewer into the artist’s private world, moments of contemplation, humour and concentration are captured in these portraits as artist becomes muse. Dare has worked as a professional photographer in Cape Town and in the Netherlands. In 2006 he was awarded with a certificate of excellence at the 2006 Fujifilm photographic awards.
Marlise Keith – I like my new rabbit suit 10 x 8 cm for Mini Me – 2010 ArtReach Fundraiser
Mini Me is the ArtReach Fundraiser for 2010. Established and emerging Artists have donated miniature works to be sold for a set price of R790.00. Miniature art has been made for thousands of years and is often prized by collectors. All proceeds go towards the AVA ArtReach Fund.
The ArtReach Fund was founded by the committee of AVA in the late 1980s; its vision was to create a fund that would assist needy and deserving visual artists with their art-related needs. Twenty-eight years later it is still going strong.
Association for Visual Arts Gallery
35 Church Street, Cape Town, South Africa
Gallery hours: Weekdays 10h00 to 17h00,
Saturdays 10h00 to 13h00
Phone: +27-21 424-7436,
Fax: +27-21 423-2637,
avaart@iafrica.com
www.ava.co.za
Spotlight on Side B
Side B are still enjoying a strong client base with some interesting work coming their way, and variety of product to keep them happy! Here is a peek at 4 of their more recently completed projects…
Client: Mia B Jewellery
URL: http://www.miabjewellery.co.uk/
Project: Corporate Identity, E-Commerce Website.
Mia B have 2 retail stores in the United Kingdom where their reputation for the highest quality unique silver and stone jewellery is impeccable. Their new CI needed to refresh their more than a decade old image seamlessly. The website needed to compliment their retail image and provide their current clients with another means of purchasing their product, as well as broaden their client base.
Client: Tiger Brands
Project: E-Learning Platform or LMS – A customised Moodle platform where their internal training can take place with remote users studying with case studies, videos, quizzes, tests, essays and more.
Client: FirstCape
URL: http://www.firstcape.com/
Project: Flash website. FirstCape is one of the best-known and popular South African wine brands in the United Kingdom and Europe and as their digital agency Side B enjoys keeping their website as fresh as their wines.
Client: Jennifer du Plessis
URL: http://www.jenniferduplessis.com/
Project: Flash Booklet website to showcase the highest quality food and service you will receive when dealing with Jennifer du Plessis. Her website needed to show-off the passion, creativity and fun with which she approaches everything she does, whilst still holding the professional service in high regard.
To contact Side B or view Side B’s complete portfolio on Cape Town Creatives, click here.
Win Double Movie Tickets
Two lucky readers will each win double tickets to a movie of their choice at the Labia Cinema complex in Cape Town.
To enter, all you have to do is read Spling’s movie review for the week and answer this simple question: Youth in Revolt is based on a book, who is the author?
Email your name, contact details and answer to info@capetowncreatives.co.za:
Competition closes on 26 August, 10h00.
Terms and Conditions:
You (and partner) must be available to attend a film at the Labia in Cape Town between the 26 August and 2 September.
Tickets are not transferrable and cannot be redeemed for cash.
Prizes courtesy of the Labia Theatre. See what’s showing: http://www.labia.co.za
Youth in Revolt Movie Review: Rebel without a Muse
Youth in Revolt is a Miguel Arteta film starring Michael Cera and Portia Doubleday. This is a coming-of-age comedy, drama and romance story based on the novel by C.D. Payne about the growing pains and misadventures of 16-year-old, Nick Twisp. He’s just like any ordinary pubescent American kid… going through changes and moving from the confines of young boy to young man. Youth in Revolt is about the teen angst and Rebel Without A Cause within every kid… except Nick’s journey is with a cause, her name is Sheeni. The teenagers meet on holiday in a caravan park and after a Summer fling… Nick’s love for Sheeni causes him to rebel in an attempt to be bad and be with her once again.
This obviously sets a great platform for plenty of adventure, comedy and romance with echoes of Outside Providence. Michael Cera is cast as Nick, a great choice… making the kid likable and innocent without being freaked out by his lovestruck pursuit of his dream girl. The role is a bit of a challenge for Cera too, who has become a little typecast since playing George-Michael Bluth in Arrested Development. He’s able to retain the likable, clumsy teen role that’s become something of a call card with similar characters in Juno, Superbad and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. However, his alter-ego and shoulder devil twin, Francois Dillinger, gives him space to roam onto the unlikable side in Youth in Revolt.
This is an offbeat comedy without any obvious gags – going for a more slanted balance of comedy and drama in the vein of World’s Greatest Dad and The Good Girl. Arteta gives Youth in Revolt license to incorporate mixed media moving from scene-to-scene using various animation-types. Youth in Revolt isn’t strictly commercial or art house. The all-star ensemble would suggest a more commercial orientation featuring: Steve Buscemi, Zach Galifianakis, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, Adhir Kalyan, Justin Long and Rooney Mara. However, the subject matter is dealt with in an unconventional way, making it more niche with an appreciation for doodle art and fantasy.
The story takes its time to unfold… and there are one or two lagging moments between all the teen revolution and lovesick declarations. These are tempered by superb performances from Cera, who’s roles ironically show a growing maturity in stature as a respected actor. He’s supported by Portia Doubleday, who makes a fresh-faced and proper feature film debut as Sheeni Saunders. The rest of the cast bring the goods, provide a firm foundation for Cera and Doubleday and knock the film up a notch.
Youth in Revolt isn’t the greatest coming-of-age teen story on film. In fact, it would be lucky to be ranked amongst the top contenders. The co-leads boost the appeal and charm of the main characters, while Arteta keeps a lid on the tale with all its messy, fantastic and out there moments. It’s entertaining, fun and for the most part, captures the essence of teen spirit without causing too much offence. Youth in Revolt is a film for those that enjoyed: Charlie Bartlett, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Outside Providence. Cera fans will be delighted and most audiences will agree that Cera’s demonstrated he can lead from the front with good range.
The bottom line: Vibrant.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
Label Collections CC Winter Sale
Label Collections CC are having a winter sale with exceptional offers on top-notch garments. Label specialises in ready-to-wear feminine styles that are a-la-mode but still manage to flatter the real woman.
Venue: 7 Benbow Avenue, Gunners Circle, Epping 1
Dates: 10 – 31 August 2010
Time: Monday to Thursday from 8:30am until 4:30pm
Friday from 8:30am until 3:00pm
Saturday 7 August CLOSED
Other Saturdays from 9:00am until 1:00pm
Visit the Facebook event page for more details:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147485981935650&ref=mf
Lecture by jewellery expert, Joanna Hardy at Casa Labia
For more than 30 years Joanna Hardy has led a “jewelled” existence. From valuing and auctioning the tiaras and pearls of the aristocracy at Sotheby’s international to trading diamonds in Antwerp or appearing on the Antiques Roadshow, there is little Joanna doesn’t know about gems. She now runs The Jewellery School of Excellence in London where she is able to share her passion and vast knowledge of the fascinating world of jewels in her series of jewellery appreciation classes.
Lecture titled “Jewels that catch an expert’s eye” at 5.30pm, Tuesday 24 August
Followed by drinks and canapés
RSVP: Tel: 021 683 6560 or 078 044 8185
Venue: Casa Labia – 192 Main Road, Muizenberg
Enquiries: 021 683 6560/078 044 8185 www.straussart.co.za
The ‘Sitting Man’ does a whole lot more…
Fiona Gordon: Eight characters tell this story, of a package which must travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town…
…although the story speaks more of the characters whose hands/cars/houses it passes through, than about the package itself.
And James Cairns is the one (sometimes sitting) man on stage that does it all! With shaved head, in black pants and long-sleeved top, his neutral appearance and single, simple wooden-chair-prop allows for a blank slate on which his colourful characters and their contexts can be drawn, on this journey through the stereotypes and just-the-right-side-of-caricature characters that make up the diverse landscape of people in our country.
Across race, social strata, geography and levels of inebriation, he elicits laughs through portrayal of characters so genuine that it is almost impossible to imagine he could be anyone else – until he is… but the transitions between scenes are so distinct, and well managed, it’s easy to follow him from one to the next.
Cairns has a way of creating an expectation, and then serving something else instead – his ‘hangover communicating with him’, as he ‘sokkies his way across the Platteland’. Teasing the imagination into creating worlds around his wooden chair, I get so caught up in the drama of the scenes he creates with his words, I sometimes lose track a little of the detail of how they link together, and when the journey ends and reality descends, I’m left a little perturbed trying to make sense of it all. But the images are so real, I suspect they will leave their marks on my imagination long after this run is through.
The Sitting Man is written, directed and acted by the remarkably talented James Cairns, and plays at The Kalk Bay Theatre nightly until 21 August 2010.
James Cairns also features in ‘Dirt’ which runs 25 Aug to 11 Sep, also at the Kalk Bay Theatre. Book for the final week of Sitting Man and book for Dirt at the same time, and get both shows for R185 instead of R200. Further details at www.kbt.co.za
Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
Art of Rock – How an amazing show came to life
In November 2009 co-founder of Zip Zap Circus, Brent van Rensburg met artist Paul du Toit at a roof wetting party. Sitting around the fire Brent explained to Paul how he had always dreamt of a show where an artist paints live while a band plays and Zip Zap performs artistic circus acts. Paul immediately got excited about the idea and told Brent that he would be very keen to do it and that they should approach Kahn and the Parlotones to see if they would like to get involved. Thanks to Steven Straker and Siskha Brand from Hands on Wine they managed to make contact with The Parlotones. In July the three artists met, and immediately an incredible collaboration started. Somehow it was the right mix. All three understood how to make this show unique and magical. The show is a collaboration between South Africa’s finest – the live music of the Parlotones, the painting of Paul du Toit, and the circus magic of Zip Zap. Imagine Paul’s brush stroking the canvas, his creation coming alive before your very eyes, while inspired by the incredible music of the Parlotones and the aerial artistry of the trapeze acts. The world’s first simultaneous and interactive display of these three art forms promises to leave one spellbound. The evening will be accompanied by a three-course dinner, wine and an auction for the benefit of the Zip Zap Circus School. The painting created by Paul du Toit will be one of the most sought after items at the auction.
Zip Zap is an innovative school of circus arts, inspiring and empowering young people.
Its mission is to take ‘ordinary’ kids (including ‘youth-at-risk’) and provide them with the resources to develop skills through the medium of circus arts that will develop them as young leaders, good citizens, ambassadors for South Africa, and make them eminently employable.
The fundraising dinner show takes place on 2 September 2010, 6pm for 6:30pm at the Zip Zap dome in Cape Town. The cost is R1000 per person. To book contact: bookings@zip-zap.co.za
New designs by Vogel
We love these new designs by Vogel, particularly the innovative ‘Love Me Love Me Not’ side table. The table is available from Source and was designed in collaboration with Justin Plunkett from Joom.
Love Me Love Me Not Table: These delicate side tables are available individually or as a set of eight making up a full flower. The sculpted form of the base unfurls to reveal a surface like a floating leaf or petal.
Magnet Lounge Chair: The low-slung Magnet chairs invite you to lounge in absolute comfort. They are hand crafted, with clean sculpted lines.
Stretch Lounger: This pared-down piece is at once elegantly crisp and softly organic. The fluid lines of the warm timber base are in stark contrast to the sleek black lounging surface.
Nguni Head: Nguni horns have long been African symbols of sustainability and abundance. These beautiful forms can be used as decorative wall sculptures or welcoming hallway coat hooks.
To contact Vogel or view Vogel’s complete portfolio on Cape Town Creatives, click here.
Creation Movie Review: Time’s Hairline
Charles Darwin, an English naturalist in the 1800s published his theory of evolution in On the Origin of the Species, a book which sold out immediately, providing compelling evidence for evolution and now regarded as a fundamental life sciences principle in explaining the diversity of life. Creation details Darwin’s evolution of thought as he gets to grips with actually writing and completing On the Origin of the Species. The film also suggests that Darwin was so passionate and dedicated to his field of work that he neglected his family, his health and his reputation within the community.
Creation filters a series of “memoirs” into a narrative, going back-and-forth in time to show Darwin’s progression of thought as he combats writer’s block, illness, the narrow-minded and ghosts from the past. The cinematography is breathtaking, weaving a series of artworks together with some wonderful visual effects making Creation quite poetic with Jon Amiel at the helm. The narrative is just as poetic, maintaining form but breaking chronological sequences with only Darwin’s hairline as a substitute for a timeline. Perhaps this was a conscious editing decision to alleviate a dull A-to-B series of events?
The continuity is maintained by the man himself, a portrait so lovingly depicted by Paul Bettany, whose make-up has made Darwin look a little like Jane the Ape, an orangutan at the London Zoo. The real Darwin’s photographic demeanor is explained away by a photo of Annie his daughter – making a rather stern looking bald man open to interpretation. Creation sets about formulating Darwin’s character as a gentle and broad-minded soul. The journey is quite eye-opening for audiences, who may or may not have realised what Charles Darwin’s home life may have been like.
Bettany is supported by Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Emma. The marketing would have you believe that the majority of the drama falls between their relationship as Emma’s faith contradicts his work. However, it’s Bettany who is the only lead and each aspect of his life is dealt with in equal measures. The marriage and relationship with Emma is an overriding theme, but this adaptation of the biography by Randall Keynes picks at many threads of the man’s life. This creates a scatter-shot sense of narrative progression, which is compounded by apparitions and flashbacks.
The performances are key to the enjoyment of Creation as Bettany delivers what most would regard as a career best. Jennifer Connelly makes amazing use of her screen time, chalking up a solid supporting performance as Darwin’s detached wife. While Jeremy Northam and Benedict Cumberbatch add some dramatic weight to the ensemble.
The casting is excellent with Bettany coming off of projects like Master and Commander, The Da Vinci Code and A Beautiful Mind. This backlog of performances harks back to Darwin’s 5 year naturalist exploration, his controversial standpoint with the Church and echoes of his role in the psychological drama about world renowned mathematician, John Nash.
The film pads around the theory of evolution without trying to preach too much. After all, this is a biography about the essence of the man rather than the theory of evolution. The film’s aesthetic will draw you in and the drama, costumes and period are ironically comparable with Amazing Grace. Jon Amiel redeems his wide-ranging feature film career with this piece, even if it be for the cinematography and ensemble’s drive for perfection. The timeline may have no bearing, but the elemental representation of Darwin’s biography is bearable and compelling enough to warrant your time. It’s no The Diving Bell & The Butterfly, but since its one of the only modern depictions of Charles Darwin, it makes for thought-provoking viewing.
The bottom line: Elemental.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
