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Former Prime
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Esko
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Barry
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Taiwan
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Former Deputy CEO,
London Development
Agency
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Panellists
The primary event for dialogue between designers and non-design stakeholders in a summit format.
Emily Campbell, Director of Design, RSA (United Kingdom)
Nila Leiserowitz, Managing Director, Gensler (United States)
, VP&Group Director,LPK Trends (United States) Valerle Jacobs
Duke University (United States) Bill Soenius,
Director Of User Experience,Siemens (Germamy) Ruth Soenius,
CEO & Founder,Intuitive Automata (Hong Kong) Cory Kidd,
chief Editor,Metropolis Magazine (United States) Susan Szenasy,
Marco Steinberg,, Design Director, Finnish Innovation Fund (Finland)
Dunne + Raby (United States) Anthony Dunne,
Creative Director & Partner, Tatil (Brasil) Fred Gelli,
LG Design Center (Korea) Dr. Lee Kumpho,
MIT SENSEable City Lab (Italy) Carlo Ratti,
Co-Founder,Mass Design (United States) Michael Murphy,
Keynote Sessions
Flve international experts will offer themed keynote addesses followed by a panel
of designers representing the three disciplines of the IDA.
The primary event for dialogue between designers and non-design stakeholders in a summit format.
w w w . b o w m a n . c o . z a
14 > Todaywewouldbekings:FridaLariosNew
MayaLanguage
26 > Makingamove:Atravellerscompanionto
becomingafreelancerintheUK
38 > RobMillsconvergenceofartand
technology
50 > ThewinnersofHiiibrand2010
62 > HIVPositive:Iconict-shirtsthatshapeviews
andawarenessonthepandemic
68 > Let'smakecondomscool
76 > Creatingcomplexobjectsofdesirelayer
bylayer
5 >
CONTENTS
84 > 3Dwhat?
90 > Turningtalentintosuccess
98 > Supportingideasintoprototypes
104> SouthAfricalearnsfromtheSwedes
109> PRECIOSAilluminatesanotherOne&Only
complex
114> TheUpperEastSideHotel:Beautyby
contrast
124> RadissonBluGautrainHotel:Symbolismin
design
134> AFGRIHeadOfce:Architecturethatfoats
6 >
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144> WaverleyOfcePark:Neo-Africaniconography
152> 15AliceLaneTowers:Raisingthebarin
corporateheadofcedesign
166> 1ProteaPlace:Refectingabrandsidentity
througharchitecture
178> ToEgyptwithlove:Anartistsresponseto
change
182> PaulStopforth:Themanwhoretrievesthe
soapandseesinitasliverofhistory
194> GerhardMarx:Cumulus
204> Workingwithnature
9 >
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14 >
By Frida Larios | My journey to revive the
visual language of the ancient Maya started in
2004 when I was studying towards a masters
in Communication Design at Central Saint
Martins College of Art & Design in London,
located only two blocks away from the Brit-
ish Museum which holds some of the most
important lintels in the Maya world. I was
the frst Salvadoran woman to study at Saint
Martins. How could I not look for my own
roots within an institution, and city, with
marked avant-garde tendencies? It was my
opportunity to show my peers and now the
world how the Maya are one of the founding
six pillars of the civilised world, inventors of
the notion of zero and of one of the most
accurate calendars in history. There is also a
lack of recognition of their intelligent and
advanced hieroglyphic languages art form,
within Mesoamerica (modern Mexico, Guate-
mala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador) itself,
and beyond its boundaries. Now, as an am-
bassador for INDIGO (Icogradas Interna-
tional Indigenous Design Network), it is my
privilege to promote part of this ancient
culture through my design work.
Today we would be kings:
Frida Larios
New Maya Language
15 >
My New Maya Language is a unique system,
in content and style, which rescues the dead
written language created by the Maya across
Mesoamerica as far back as 300 BC. My vision
for the New Maya Language is to recreate,
re-compose and develop contemporary appli-
cations in diferent media: art, product and
fashion design, brand identities, information
design, wayfnding and education systems
for archaeological sites and public spaces,
as well as childrens toys. Through these di-
verse applications I aspire to promote icon-
ographic meanings, education and play,
whether it is by instigating conceptual
thinking through a 012 year-old childs
game, T-shirts or simply by creating appre-
ciation through my artworks, which to-date
have been acquired by collectors around
the world. Antonio Avia, Indigenous Educa-
tion Director for the Organisation of Iberoa-
merican States had this to say about my
artworks: your work presents another
form of seeing, understanding, recreating,
and above all, employing again in daily life,
millenary means of expression. I am fasci-
nated by this new vision of the glyphs.
16 >
Before being historians, mathematicians or astron-
omers, the Mayan scribes were artists. Their writing
not only documented the political life and other
historical afairs, but were also works of art which
manifested through diferent mediums: stone
sculpture, ceramics, murals, calligraphic manu-
scripts, garments and utilitarian products. This
makes me think that there is not much difer-
ence between a practicing artist or designer to-
day and the Mayan scribes, right? The answer is:
No. The diference is that our profession is not
as valued today as in ancient times when, like
Mayanist Michael D. Coe says, artists could be
kings. It was indeed a royal profession.
I aim to preserve the ancestral artists spirit at the
time of creation, highlighting, and not merely
reproducing their strokes. Aptly, renowned Har-
vard Peabody Museums epigrapher Alexandre
Tokovinine described my work as follows: Even
though there has been a growing body of scholarly
works devoted to the subject of Maya calligra-
phy, few artists systematically sought their inspi-
ration in Maya letters beyond mere reproduction
of certain glyphs and glyphic patterns, usually in
the context of contemporary indigenous art. Fridas
project stands apart as an attempt to explore and
reinvent Maya calligraphy as a symbolic and aes-
thetic system from an artists viewpoint. The New
Maya Language creates its own world that blends
Maya imagery and symbolism with Fridas unique
vision in a series of works which would make an
ancient calligrapher proud.
17 >
The book
Iwrote,illustratedanddesignedthe
120-pageNew Maya Languagebook
sothatpeoplecouldlearnaboutthe
originallanguageoftheMayaina
simpleandpracticalwayandtodecode
mynewinterpretationtoothers.The
mainchapterprovidestheformulafor
eachofmypictograms,originalhiero-
glyphsontheleftpageandthenew
hieroglyphsorresultontheright.Finally
Ishowcasevariousdesignapplications.
Theforewordtothebookiswritten
byHarvardspost-doctorAlexandre
Tokovinine,whostates:Manysignsof
theNew Maya Languageretainsimilari-
tiestotheirancientcounterparts.Yet
themostfascinatingpartofthebook
isaseriesofworksthatborrowfrom
thegrammaroftheMayasymbolic
languagetoinnovatecompletelynew
hieroglyphscorrespondingtovarious
objects,actions,andevenabstract
concepts.Fridasworksdemonstrate
thatMayaglyphsstillhavethepower
notonlytopuzzleandastound,butto
encouragenewformsofartisticexpres-
sion,thattheMayaartandwritingare
aliveaslongasartistslookatitasa
sourceofinspirationandcreativity.
18 >
Green Child Puzzle
ThesymbolicpictogramcalledGreen Child(orMotherEarth),
consistingofasix-piecesustainablewoodblockpuzzle,was
originallydesignedandinspiredbythebirthofmysonYax(his
namemeanstheresplendencyofthecoloursblueandgreenin
Maya).ThecornsproutingfromachildsearsymbolisesMother
Earthopeninguptothecreationoflifeandpreservationof
ourplanetsseeds.IincludedtranslationsinMaya,Spanish
andEnglishatthebackofeachblockpiece.
Art
TheNew Maya Languageinspiredmetocreateoriginalartworks
whichIpaintingouacheonhigh-qualitywatercolourpaper.
Manyofthesehavefoundhomesindiferentpartsofthe
world.FeaturedattoprightisErupting volcano,London.
Centre:Family at home,Leipzig.BottomLTR:Ixchel goddess,
Supernatural portalandHacienda San Lucas symbol,Toronto.
19 >
Hacienda San Lucas
Whenthetimecame,afterresidinginLondon
andlivingthecitylife,Idecidedtoraisemynow
two-and-a-half-yearoldsonatmyhusband'sfamily
eco-lodge,HaciendaSanLucas,inthemountains
ofCopnRuins,Honduras.Thisoferedmethe
opportunitytostudytheancienthieroglyphsin
theiroriginalhabitatandbecomeinspiredbyone
ofthemostbeautifulplacesonearth,overlooking
oneofthemajorMayaarchaeologicalsites.We
nowliveinBerkeley,Californiawheremyhusband
isafellowatUCBerkeleyJournalismGraduate
School,butIambackatHaciendaSanLucasfor
thesummertomeet-upwithmymuseformy
nextfashionandpictogramcollection.
Gaia
GaiaistheceremonialandyogacenteratHacienda
SanLucasoverlookingtheCopnValley,andone
ofthemajorMayaarchaeologicalsitesinMeso-
america.Thespacewasinneedofdiferentiation
fromthemaincentenary-oldHaciendahouse,
sincemanyspecialeventsandweddingstake
placethere.Idesignedanewbrandidentity
inspiredbytheNew Maya Language. Abeautifully
reclaimedwood-carvedsigniscurrentlybeing
manufacturedtobeplacedatthefootoftheGaia
Hill,allinpreparationforthemajorMayaLong
CountCalendarendingon21December2012.
OneofmyothergoalswiththeNew Maya
Languageisforittoremaindemocraticand
accessible,notonlytonorthernhemispheres
academicswhoaretheoneswhocommandthe
hieroglyphicwritingknowledge,buttocom-
monMesoamericancitizens.AboveallIwant
ittobeinclusiveofnativeinhabitantsofthere-
gionsothattheyhavetheopportunitytorecre-
atethemselveswithit.Alotofthesepopula-
tionsareilliterateandtheNew Maya Language
touchestheircognitiveandemotionalfbers.It
isalanguagewithoutwordsthatmakesthem
feelincludedinaworldwherethelettersof
thealphabetaretheirforemostbarriers.
IbelievethatdesignersinCentralAmericaand
inotherdevelopingregionsshouldimmerse
themselvesintheirhistoricrootstoreinforce
designwithanindividualidentityinsteadof
obsessingthemselveswithinfuencesfrom
Anglo-Saxoncountries.Thereareindeedpa-
rametersatthetimeofdesigningorinterna-
tionaldesigncannons,whichinfactwereborn
intheAnglo-Saxonworld.Butanchoringin-
spirationandidentityinindigenousheritageis
verydiferenttosearchingforinspirationbased
onEuropeanorNorthAmericaninfuences.
Whynotlookforinspirationinwhatisours,
which,bytheway,isverydiferenttotherest?
Ancientindigenouscultureshadmagnifcent
artisticdevelopment,anchoringthemselvesin
theirnaturalandsocialenvironmentandre-
spectingit.IfrmlybelievethatifCentralAmer-
icandesignershadbeenabletocontinueto
refecttheirindigenouscultureuntilourpresent
dayadevelopmentdefraudedbymanycon-
questsduringthecourseofover500years
theroleswouldbereversedanditwouldbe
theWesternworldlookingforreferenceinour
culture.Today,wewouldbekings.<
20 >
21 >
Identities
TheNew Maya Languagesystemhasbeenappliedin
thedevelopmentofvariousidentityandvisual
communicationprojects.
WildHeart Vision
WildHeartVisionisamediaorganisationbasedin
HelsinkiandCopenhagenthataimstogatherthe
largestcollectionofindigenousknowledgefromaround
theworld.Theorganisationcommissionedmeto
developapictogram,website(www.wildheartvision.com)
andbrandedcommunications.Thepictogramusedis
calledtzak,aMayahieroglyphthatmeanstotal,
wholeorcomplete.Thewordisrepresentedbythe
sumoftwoparts,whichintheMayaspiritualand
physicalworld,whereperceivedtobeeithercomple-
mentaryoropposing,onecouldnotexistwithoutthe
other.WildHeartVisionslogodepictsthestarsand
themooncorrespondingeachotherinthenightto
embodytheguidanceoftheancestralwisdomcarriers.
MUYAL es una lnea de
productos para el cuerpo
que harmoniza el desarrollo
humano con mejoras
ecolgicas. Todos sus
ingredientes son proveidos
tica y localmente.
En el mundo maya
MUYAL (nube) era un
smbolo de renovacin
espiritual y fue la
inspiracin para el diseo de
la tipografa y el logo.
MUYAL is a range of
bodycare products that
harmonises human
development and ecological
improvements. All its
ingredients are locally and
ethically sourced.
In the Maya world
MUYAL (cloud) was a symbol
of spiritual renovationthe
inspiration for the type and
logo design.
22 >
Los Sapos archaeological site
Graphicqualityandavailableproductionbudgetsare
constantconstraintsinthedevelopmentofsignage
forpubliclocationsinmostdevelopingcountries.The
thousand-year-oldLosSaposUNESCOWorldHeritage
archaeologicalsiteinHondurasneededaculturally
relevantandafordablewayfndingdesignsolution.I
designedasingleinfographiccarvedinlocalstoneby
localartisansthatnowguidesvisitorsalongtheirway
tothehistoricsite.
New Maya Language accessories
IworkedwithlocalMayastone-carverstodevelopa
uniquestyleformysignatureaccessorylinecomposed
ofjewellery,belts,bagsandshoesbasedonmyMaya
symbologyanduseofancestrallocalresources.The
designs,apartfromtheuseofleatherandsuede,
utilisediferentshadesofjadeencrustedonlimestone
extractedfromthesameplacewheretheMayahistorically
minedfortheirmonuments.
23 >
24 >
Harvesting Hands fashion collection
SanFrancisco-basedExplodeLaModeapproachedme
tocomplementmyaccessorylinewithfashiondesigns
fortheir2011runwayshowintheheartofthefamous
Missiondistrict.Thiswasasignifcanttrans-discipline
careermoveformeandIaddresseditwiththesame
ethosofpreviousprojects,usingmygraphicdesign
backgroundandtheNew Maya Languagetotreat
patterndrawings.Theresultwasadesign-oriented,
100%handcraftedfashionlinefeaturingNew Maya
Languagepictographs,allowingclientstoweara
story:themetaphoriclanguageandhistoryofthe
Mayaasinterpretedthroughmyeyes.Theconcept
behindthecollectionisplantingandharvestingseeds,
buildingahomewithyourownhandsandnourishing
yourselfandyourfamilythrougheatingbeanson
self-madeceramicvessels.Iintentionallycommis-
sionedSalvadoranwomentolovinglyhand-sewand
patchthegarmentstogivetheitemsuniquedimen-
sionsandpatchedtexture.Thiscollaborationresulted
inafashionrangethatishand-made,earth-tonedin
colourandmodernmarryingMayantraditionswith
moderneasy-to-wearsophistication.
PhotosbyTylerOrsburn.
25 >
26 >
27 >
By Matthew Schnborn | Dailytripsonthe
tube(thespiderwebnetworkofunderground
trains,astheyarereferredtointhiscity)and
lunches in the park are some of the things
thathelpmekeeptrackofmydailyroutine.
Poundingthepavementandpassingbythe
hipsters,thehomelessandtheendlessseaof
blackcoatsandumbrellas,Irealisethatthisis
notwhatIamusedto,havinggrownupinthe
vastexpanseofAfrica,wherespaceissome-
timestakenforgranted.Oneofthemostob-
viousthingsInoticedwhenIfrstarrivedhere
overfouryearsago,wasthateveryonewalks
towheretheywanttogo...andtheywalkfast.
Backin2005,IgraduatedfromtheUniversity
ofPretoriawithadegreeinInformationDe-
signandtheWorldwasminetoconquer.After
spendingayearatanadvertisingagencyin
Johannesburg, I decided that I needed a
change.IhadalwayswantedtotraveltoEu-
rope with its ever increasing cosmopolitan
sensibilities and centre-of-the-world loca-
tion.SoImovedtoEnglandasmanySouth
Africanexpatsdoanduseditasabaseto
see the world from a different perspective
wherethetoiletsfushintheoppositedirec-
tion.Ibookedmyticketandsaidgoodbyeto
perfectweatherandpseudo-Tuscanhousing
estates,andhellotoone-waytrafc,chavvy
busstopsandimpossiblyhighrent.
Thefrststep
isalwaysthehardesttotake
MyfrstjobintheUKwasactuallytestingvideo
gamesforElectronicArts.Therolewassimple:
playagamefor8hoursadayandfndandlist
asmanybugsasyoucouldandpunch-outat
fveoclock.AsmuchasIlovedvideogames,
thejobjustwasntformeasIfeltunstimulated
andunchallenged.Also,earning7.50anhour
wasnotgoingtohelpmebuymyownPlaysta-
tioneither.
My first proper design job in London was
workingforasmalldigitalagencycalledDJM.
Wespecialised in pharmaceutical marketing
anddesignandIvelostcounthowmanyrevo-
lutionarynewtreatments wehadhelpedre-
lease.SofromamaketheWorldbeabetter
MAKING A MOVE:
Atravellerscompanionto
becomingafreelancerintheUK
28 >
placeperspective,itwasquiterewardingtoknow
thatinsomeabstractway,Iwashelpingpeople
feelbetterwiththemedicinesIwaspromoting.
ThelearningcurvewasincrediblysteepasIhad
learnedthevalueinmulti-taskingandnewtech-
nologies as I had coded many programmes and
websitesinAdobeFlash(learningbytrialander-
roraswellaswiththeassistanceofonlinetutori-
als). I learned all about lighting, mise-en-scene,
flming,editing,soundtrackingandthepackaging
ofself-producedvideos.Ilearnedhowtoprioritise
workfowsandoptimisemyweaknessessothat
theywouldntbecomeahindrance.Itsnotaneasy
rideinasmall,yetsuccessfulstudio,asyouhaveto
beontopofeveryaspectoftheproductionprocess
andbeskilledinmanyareasinordertodrivethe
businessforward.
3dtracking
Beingafreelancermeansdelvinginindustriesnot
necessarilyassociatedwith'highdesign'.Oneof
thefrstfreelancejobsMatthewdidwascreating
amarketingcampaignforworldwidevehicle
managementcompany,3dtracking.
29 >
Newspepper.com
Asafreelancer,Matthewoftengetsapproachedby
startupcompanieslookingforacorporateidentity.One
oftheseisNewspepper.com,avideoproductionand
socialmediamanagementcompanythatmakeshigh-
quality,low-costvideosoptimisedfortheInternet.
30 >
Afterthreeyearsofpayingmyduesandmoving
uptheranks,Ihadseenthecompanygrowthree
timesinsizeandIhadfeltlikeIhadlearnedallIcould
fromthatexperienceandthereforedecidedtohave
agoonmyown.Iwantedtoknowwhatitwouldbe
likebeingcalledafreelancerthatmythicword
whichheldstrongadventurousconnotationsfor
myfree-spiritedandself-reliantmind.
Siftingthroughthechaf
tofndthegrain
Becomingafreelancerwasafrighteningdecision
formetomake.Nothavingthesecurityofamonthly
salaryandpaidholidaysisenoughtomakemany
peoplejumpatthethought.However,Ialsoreal-
isedthatIdidntwanttoworkforsomeoneelsefor
therestofmylife.Ihadreachedapointinmycareer
whereIfeltlikeIhadlearnedenoughtooferpeople
genuinelyvaluableskillsandIdidntwanttobe
themiddle-agedcreativewhoswingshadbeen
clippedandwhosneckcouldntarchtowardsthesky.
Oneofmymainstayclientrelationshipshasbeenwith
thefoundersofInternetstartup,Newspepper.com.
Ifoundthemonajobsitein2007whenIfrstarrived
inLondonwhentheywerelookingforsomeoneto
helpdesigntheirvisualidentity.Exciting!Fresh!
Innovative!weresomeofthewordstheyusedto
describetheirnewbusinesswhichwastocreate
richvideocontentforonlinedistribution.Iwasin-
vitedforaninterviewatabarinLondonsSoho
districtwhichisanincrediblydiversepartofthe
cityanditscentralnervoussystem.Thefounder
turnedouttobea21yearoldjournalismstudent,
HermioneWay,whohadanidea.Iwassuspicious.
What21year-oldhadtheaudacitytothinkthey
couldstarttheirowncompany?Ihadreservations
duetoherage,butIoptedtogiveitagobecause
Ihadnothingtolose.
31 >
De Zuiden
Matthewsetuphisowndesigncompany,DeZuiden,
inordertogetmorelucrativecontractsandapproach
largerclients.Associatinghimselfwithlike-minded
individualsindiferentareasofdesignallowshim
tooferawiderangeofservices.
Ihelpednewspepper.comdevelopanidentityback
in2007andastheyearswentby,theneedtorefocus
theirbusinessplanmeanttheywouldalsoneedto
re-evaluatetheirbranding.Throughclosecollabo-
rationwiththeboardofdirectors,Idevelopedan
identityforthecompanyandtheprocesswasincred-
iblysmoothandrapid,andalongwithredesigning
theirwebsite,everythingwasupandrunningwithin
amonth.Atestamenttohowquicklythingscanget
donewiththerightpeoplebehindthejob.
Itcanbequitedauntingforayoungandinexperi-
enced designer as they are approached by new
companies.Theytendtopromisetheworld,but
moreoftenthannot,willpayyouverylittle(ifany-
thing)ascompensation.Icannottellyouhowmany
timesIvereadthewords,Deferredpaymentin
jobspecifcations.Thosewordsmakemecringeas
Iknowtherearemanyyoungdesignerswhoendup
doingalotofworkforfree,withultimatelyverylittle
to show for it. Nowedays I tend to steer clear of
thoseopportunitiesbutIoftendidworkforfree,
expectingahugepaycheckdownthelineasthe
companybecamesuccessful,butneverdid.Itwas
duetotheoptimismofmyyouthcloudingmybetter
judgement,butitdidhelpmehonemyskillsinrecog-
nisingagoodopportunitywhenitpresenteditself.
Embracingpassionswithboth
armsandopeneyes
Perhapsmybiggestpassionoutsideofgraphicde-
sign,isflm.IfIwasntadesignerIwouldwanttobe
amotionpicturedirector.Thankfully,theUKhasa
prettyvastindependentflmindustryandassuch,
Iwasapproachedbyadirectorandproducerofa
flmaftertheystumbleduponmyonlineportfolio.
Theirflmfollowedayoungwomansstruggleto
dealwiththechoiceswhichcameasaresultofan
unplannedpregnancy.
32 >
33 >
I designed the flms logo to be used in both
marketingmaterialandthetitlesequence.It
wouldalsohelpdictatetheartdirectionforthe
restofthecampaignincludingthewebsiteand
DVD cover. The directorhad a strongidea of
theconceptandthestylethatshewantedfor
theflmspromotionalposter.Sincethecata-
lystoftheflmwasachemicalabortiondrug
(RU-486),she(thedirector)wantedapillbottle
tobethefocalpointoftheposterandhavevar-
ious scenes collagedinthebackground.Icon-
vincedherthathavingtoomanyelementswould
resultintheposterbeingunfocusedandcon-
fusingandinsteadweshouldhavethebottle
isolatedonastarkbackground.Theextratouch
wastohaveastillimagefromakeyscenere-
flected in the bottles glass. Its a blink and
youllmissitmoment,butitaddsweighttothe
campaignasthemessagingsaysquitealot,but
leavesyouwantingmore,whichiswhataflm
postershoulddo.
Pastimesandairmiles
Havingahobbyoutsideofdesignis,Ithink,vitally
importantformaintainingabalancedperspective
ontheworldaroundyou.Livingandbreathing
design24/7canmakedesignersover-analytical
andslightlyobsessiveincritiquingourenviron-
ments.
Marina Celeste
DeZuidenwasresponsibleforthepost-production
thelatestmusicvideofromtheartist,MarinaCeleste
ofNouvelleVaguefame.Utilisingrawdigitalfootage
ofMarinaperforminginfrontofagreenscreenand
incorporatinganimatedhand-drawnillustrationsas
wellasSuper8flmfootage, Love is the First Born
takesthevieweronanostalgicjourneythrough
suggestedemotionsanddreamlikewheatfeld
imagery.Click heretoviewthevideo.
RU-486
Movieposter,DVDcoverandwebsitefortheindepen-
dentflm,RU-486.Alimitedcolourpalettewasused
andminimaldesign,whichisafeatureofMatthew's
style.Click heretoviewthetrailer.
34 >
Ispendmyfreetimeasaguitarist/vocalistforthe
alternativerockband,KingWillow.Abriefhistory
saysthat,afteraboutayearofwritingsongsand
practicingthem,thebanddecidedtoproducea
demooffvesongs,recordingthemourselvesin
my bedroom with pillows as makeshift sound-
proofng.
Ialsodesignedalogofortheband,whichneeded
tobestrong,solidandhaveanimposingpresence,
muchlikeitsnamesake.Atthesametime,froma
King Willow
Interestsoutsideofdesignsuchashis
band,KingWillow,provideMatthew
opportunitiestodevelopotherpartsof
hiscreativespectrum.Click heretovisit
KingWillow'ssite.
35 >
practicallevel,theKingWillowsidentityhadtobe
bothboldandlegible,soitwouldlookgoodona
posterandt-shirt,aswellasafestivalbannerorweb-
site.ForthebandsdemocoverartworkIhadim-
aginedadarkhorse,intheheatofbattleasitstrides
valiantlythroughthesmokeandchaosofawarzone.
Itwasastrikingimageinmyheadasasolitarystallion
chargesaheadwithprideeveninthemidstofde-
feat.ItwasalsoareactiontoJMWTurners,Death
on a Pale Horse,animagewhichhadhauntedme
sincestudyingRomanticismatuniversity.
Ifndthatdoingdesignoutsideofpaidworkand
personalexpressionhelpsmedrivemypassionfor-
ward.Itseasytofallintothetrapofjusttryingto
fndthenextjobtopaytherentanditcanoften
leadtounrewardingandmenialprojectsforthesake
ofmoney.Youlosethefocusandthepassionnec-
essarytobecomingagreatdesigner.Also,having
diverseinterestssuchasmusic,photographyand
travelinghelpmekeepmytoeswetinexpressive
design,askillwhichisimmediatelyrecognisable
whendiferentiatingoneselffromthepack.
36 >
37 >
Itisonlythebeginning...
WhilstIhavealreadybeenintheUKforoverfour
years and having started my own company as a
freelanceartdirector,Iamonlynowstartingto
trulyappreciatetheopportunitiesavailabletome
bylivinginacomplexandcosmopolitanmetropo-
lis.Ihavebeenableto workforflmproducers,
advertisers,startups,architects,bands,pharma-
ceuticalcompaniesandsomeofthebiggestbrands
intheworldandIcanconfdentlysaythatIstill
havealottolearnandmanymistakestomake,but,
moreoftenthannottheprocessisasrewardingas
theoutcome.<
Photography and travel
Matthewsaysthatphotographyhelpshonehis
compositionalskillsandtravelingexpandshis
perspectiveofexistencebeyondthedailycommute.
38 >
Just Working Things
Out in My Head,2008.
Pigmentinkprint.
Fromexperimental
animationdrawing
anddancewith
MargaritaNaydenova.
39 >
Rob Millsconvergence
ofartandtechnology
By Jacques Lange | Afterspendingtwodecades
workingasanelectronicengineerandbroadcast
industrymanagerRobMillschangedtrackstofollow
hismuse.TodayheisoneofSouthAfricasforemost
fneartphotographersfocussingoncontemporary
andclassicaldanceashismainsubjectmatter.Mills
works with a variety of photographic mediums
rangingfromclassicalfbre-basedtonedanddigital
pigmentprintstoanimation.Healsodevelopeda
signaturetechniquecomprisingricepaperprints
waxed onto glass with beeswax using hot air and
brush.Itisauniqueprocessthatproducesanextraor-
dinarytextureandtranslucenceunlikeanynormal
paperprint.
Millswasborn1958.Hisfatherwasanengineeratthe
SABCwhopioneeredtheSouthAfricanFMradio
andTVnetwork.Myfatherusedtobringoldbitsof
transmitterequipmenthomeforustotakeapart.
Engineeringwasthusprogrammedinourbrains
fromanearlyage.SaysMills.
Millsstruggledthroughschool,boredandfrustrat-
edwiththeprescriptivewaysofChristianNational
Education,anddoingtheminimumtogetby.Aswith
mostcreativepeople,therewereafewteachers
whosawpotentialandnurturedit.Someonedis-
coveredthatIwasgoodatEnglishandusefulin
drama,bothonandofstage.
MillswentontostudyElectronicEngineeringat
theUniversityofStellenbosch.Peoplethoughtthis
was the thing for me. Actually it was really just
somethingIcouldnaturallydo.Ihadafeelingfor
design,arapportwithtechnologyandhatedthings
thatdidn'twork.Millscreativeinterestshowever
persistedandhecouldneverunderstandwhythe
FacultyofEngineeringwasadrearygreycollec-
tionofsteel,glassandconcreteblockssituatedon
theoutskirtsofcampuswhiletheArtandMusic
studentsgotbeautifulbuildingstoworkin.Ire-
memberhangingaroundtheFacultyofArtslong-
ingtobeintheredoingwhattheyweredoing.
Followinginhisfathersfootsteps,Millsjoinedthe
SABCaftergraduating.Mostofmyworkwasin
thefeldofaudioresearch;luckilyatatimewhen
theSABCstillcommandedinternationalrespect
fromthebroadcastingcommunityatleastfrom
atechnologicalpointofview.Myjobtookmeinto
musicstudioswherethemusewasnotcompletely
lockedupintechnology.
40 >
Angel,2000.Tonedfberprint.Oneofthefrstworks
emergingfrommyworkwithAdeleBlank'sclasses
withtheFreeFlightDanceCompany.Limitedlight
withflmandnotsogreatlensesforcedmetoevolve
atechniqueofabstractionwhichrefectedanintuitive
component.Theinstantdeliveryofthedigitalmedium
tendstoprejudicethiskindofblindtechnique.
Nymph,2001.Tonedfbreprint.Anotherexampleof
abstractinginanenvironmentwithimpossiblycluttered
backgroundsbasedonacollaborationwithFreeFlight
DanceCompanyandAdeleBlank.
Barre,2003.Tonedfbreprint.ClasswiththeSABallet
Theatre.Ballethassomethingofanexcruciating
precisionaboutit.
Working Feet, Yolandi Olckers (at age 23),2007.
Pigmentinkprint.Likeinitiationscarsdancersfeet
showtheirjourney.Itwasaprivilegeformetodoa
portraitofafriend'sfeet,beautifulbeyondpretty,full
ofstrength,passionandshapedinserviceofherart.
41 >
Theartifcialbarriersbetweenscience,technol-
ogyandarthavealwaysbeenaproblemforMills.
Hebelievesthattheworldhasreducedtechnol-
ogytoutility.ThemostprofounddiferenceI
experiencedwhenIpursuedtheroleofanartist
wasthatIwasnolongeruseful.Peoplebought
thefruitsofmyefortsbecausetheyweremoved
insomewayorfoundthembeautiful.Inother
times,otheragesthedividebetweenutilityand
aestheticwaslessofanissue.
DancehasalsobeenanabidingpresenceinMills
adultlife.Imarriedadancer.Wemetthrougha
raggedbandofmissionariesintentonbringing
theartsbackintothechurch.In1987heleftthe
SABCandheandhiswifePamjoinedagroupfull-
time,travelling,livingincommunity(onashoe-
string)andperforminginchurchesaroundthe
country.Healsoearnedalivingbyconsultingas
adesignengineer.
Thebirthoftheirfrstdaughterandanoferfrom
MNETluredMillsbackintofull-timeemployment
wherehespendadecade(1991-2000).Thiswas
aintenseandamazingtimethatsawDSTVandcell-
phonesbecomepartofSouthAfricanlife.AsMNET
grewandunbundledintoMultichoice,spawning
MTNalongtheway,thetechnologygroupIwas
partof,Irdeto,aDutchcompany,focussingoncon-
ditionalaccesstechnologyforpay-TVoperations.
HereMillsheadeduptheteamthatdeveloped
thecustomchipsandsmartcarddescrambling
for satellite receivers. He later moved into a
moregeneralmanagementrolelookingafter
technologylicensinginAfricaandMiddleEast
aswellasmanagementoftheJohannesburg-
basedDevelopmentOfce.
Millsalsorefectsontheunexpectedtestingand
grievingtimewhenaboarddecisionwasmadeto
movethekeyskillsinIrdetoSAtoHolland.The
Hoverlings(workingtitle),2010.Pigmentink
print.Choreographedworkincollaboration
withKristinWilson.
Work in Progress,2010.Pigmentinkprint.
Fromananimationexploringidentityandimage.
CollaborationwithKristinWilson.
The Edge of Maybe 2,2009.Pigmentinkprint
fromananimationcollaboration(workin
progress)withKristinWilsonandDanceForAll.
42 >
closeknitfamilythatwehadbuiltwassuddenly
beingbrokenup.Allhellbrokeloose.Wehadone
suicide,anattemptedsuicideandamanicepisode.
Wehaddonetoomuchofagoodjobmakingpeo-
ple'sworkthecoremeaningintheirlives.Thisand
the illusion that a set of relationships could be
tradedbystrangersasatransferablecommodity
mademeseriouslyquestionwhetherIwantedto
bepartofbig-timecorporatelifeanymore.Some
18 months later I finally lost my temper in the
boardroom,hurlingmyPDAacrosstheroomand
stormingout.Itwastimetomoveon,otherwiseIwas
goingtodamagemorethanahand-helddevice,
explainsMills.
DuringthistimeMillswasalsoexposedtopsycho-
metricsandprocesspsychology(al laArnoldMin-
dell)throughhisinteractionswithpsychologists
MarethaPrinslooandMyrnaLewis.In2000,Iset
outwiththeintentionofaddressingthehuman
conditionintheworldofwork,appalledbytheextent
towhichsomanypeoplespendmostoftheirpro-
ductivelivesinsomediminishedstateinajobthey
don'tenjoy.Millsthenbeganfreelanceconsulting,
focusingonfacilitation,organisationaldevelop-
ment,managementcoachingandassessmentas
wellasdabblinginthinkingskillstraining.
RIGHT:Edge of Light 3,2005.Waxedricepaperprint
withoilsandgraphiteonglassfeaturingKristinWilson
inPieces of a DreambyNatalieFisher.Workingwith
theprint,waxingitandpaintingonitsomehow
allowedmetoownitmore.Sometimesitisnotenough
to'runanimagethroughamachine'.Onehastogeta
littlemorepersonal.
LEFT:Hecate's EmissariesfromDanceUmbrella2005.
Pigmentinkprint.Thisisoneofmyfavoritephoto-
graphs.OnewoulddowelltobefriendHecateand
heedhercounselwhennavigatingtheunderworld.
43 >
44 >
Heexplainsthatanotherpartofhisnewlifebeyond
thebondsoffull-timecorporateemploymentwas
hiscommitmenttorekindlehislife-longinterestin
photographyanddance.Isetmyselfaprojectto
exploremovementwhichleadmetophotographing
AdeleBlanksFreeFlightDanceCompany.Mywife
wasdoingclasseswiththematthattimeandAdele
kindlyletmebeafyonthewallintheirstudio.Ifell
inloveagainatlastIcouldengagewithanaesthetic
whichmovedmetotearsandparticipateinmyown
way.Theworkthatemergedfromthisexperience
wasreceivedwithenthusiasmandprovidedMills
withsomethingthathecouldusetoapproachother
dancecompanies.Thesepursuitsgrewrapidlyand
hestartedgettingcommissionsfromotherdance
companies.EncouragedbyFineArtphotographer
BobCnoops,Millsalsostartedtoexhibithiswork
andtherest,astheysay,ishistory.
Millsbelievesthatphotographygavehimanentrance
tickettotheworldofdance.Heexplainsthatother
well-knownSouthAfricandancephotographerslike
SuzyBernsteinandJohnHoggarehappytophoto-
graphperformanceswithajournalisticslant.Ihow-
everwantedCONNECTION.Iwantedtogettoknow
thesepeopleandshowthemhowbeautifulthey
are(oddlytheyoftencan'tseeit)...Tomakework
together,ratherthanobserveandrefect.Andso
Millspursuedcollaborationswithdancersandcho-
reographerswhichhedescribesasconversations
oftwomediums,twodiferentheadspaces.
Millsspeaksofhoveringshylyinthebackgroundbe-
hindhiscamera.Iwoulddescribemyselfasagregar-
iousintrovertwhichconfusespeople.AsIbecame
moreconfdentwithmyworkandroleinthatenviron-
ment,andgottoknowpeopleandbecamealittle
moreknown,thischanged.IfIphotographaper-
formanceorworkgoingoninastudioenvironment,
itisverymuchasanobserver.Now,mostoften,I
Portrait,2004.FromaworkshopwithJazzart
andAnandaFuchs.
Portrait of Thoriso Magongwa,2006.Pigment
inkprint.Abrilliantvirtuosoperformerand
oneofthefewpeopleIknowwhohasdeveloped
narcissismtoafneandgraciousart.
45 >
Breach of confdence,2008.Pigmentinkprint.PartofThe man in the Sensible Pants
projectrefectingonajourneyoutofcorporatelifetoartist.
Meditations from the Womb 2,2008.Waxricepaperprintonglass.Fromtheanimation
About the Floor,acollaborationwithMari-LouiseBasson.Thisbodyofworkrefectsthe
introductionofanindustrialaestheticwhichcontinuestoemergeinmycurrentwork.
46 >
observeasafriendratherthansomeoutsider.He
preferstodevelopacloserongoingrelationshipwith
afewcompaniesandindividualdancers.Photo-
graphingaperformancewhereyouneedtobere-
sponsivetoeverymoveamountstoaverydiferent
experiencethansittingandwatchingasapartof
theaudience.Forsomedancersittakesawhileto
letmeinandtofndtheiressence.
MillssaysthathisfriendMyrnaLewisusedtotalk
abouthisworkasseeingthebreathofGod"inthe
persontheiressence.Itismorethandocumenting
something.Itsaddingalayerofinterpretationonto
thework.HenotesthattheEdges of lightproject
whichhedidin2004isagoodexampleofthis.I
followedthedevelopmentofthepiecefromcon-
ceptiontoperformancebutnotinadocumentary
way.Iwastheobserverbuttheworkwastheresult
LEFT: Tango Lesson,2001.Tonedfbreprint.Iwas
invitedtophotographatangosceneinCapeTown.
TheArgentineantangoisnotmuchtolookat,being
moreofanintimatepersonalnegotiationtobe
experiencedbythedancers.
RIGHT:Waiting for Morning,2007.YolandiOlckersin
WindowsbyAdeleBlankandMartinSchnberg.One
ofthosecompositionsonemightliketotakethe
creditforbutitsaperformancethatIwasmerely
eavesdroppingon.
47 >
ofwhattheprocessofengaginginthatwaydid
inside me the personal mythologies it awoke.
EventuallyIfoundmyselfputtingpaintandwaxonto
someoftheseworksasawayofgettingmorein-
volvedwiththem.
Heexplainsthatitisquitediferentinacollabora-
tivesettingsinceitbecomesasynthesiswhereits
difculttoactuallyidentifywhatcamefromwhom.
Iwoulddescribethisastheincarnationofacon-
versation.Iliketounderstandtheuniverseasahuge
communionofsubjectsinconversation.Millssays
thathismostsuccessfulcollaborativeworktran-
spireswhentheconversationentailsanexchange
ofideasleadingtoaresolvetocreatesomething
new.Hementions About the Floor,astopmotion
animationasanexample,whichhecreatedwith
internationallyacclaimeddancer/choreographer
Mari-LouiseBasson.Theworkgrewfromachat
duringarehearsalbreak."I'vegotthedayofon
Wednesday,letsmakeananimationAndsoit
startedtotakeonalifeofitsownandsomethingis
madewithwhatevertimeresourcesandattention
canbeherdedtogether.IwastalkingtoMari-Louise
aboutsomethingIwroteinmypersonaljournalyears
beforeaboutabeinginaboxandsoaworkgrew
fromsharedideasoflifeexperience.
IncontrasthisworkwithKristinWilsonoriginated
fromideasaroundconsumerism,fashion,masksand
roles.HesaysofWilsonthatshehasanextraordi-
nary,playfulintelligencebeyondheramazingability
todancewhichsheisveryquietabout.Thishas
beenalmostathree-year-longconversationofbits
apieces,comingtogether,workshoppingstufinthe
studio,makingbigplans,andplansfallingthrough.
48 >
I'mnotsurewhatwillcomeofallthis.Wesomehow
justhavenotbeenabletofnishanythingreallyor
dojusticetothebitsandpieces.Perhapsitstime
isnotyetright.Perhapsitsreallyjusttheprocess
thatwasimportant.Onecan'tclingtothesethings,
chainthemdown.Itsaconfoundingtightropewalk
withopportunityandhappenstanceontheoneside
anddoggedintentontheother.
Whilesharingdetailsofhiscreativeprocessand
techniques,Millssurprisinglyconfessesthathestrug-
gleswiththeconceptofcolourinhiswork:Itstoo
normal and it does not make us look carefully
enough.Ithinkthecurrenttrendinsocialdocumen-
taryworkincolourlosessomething.Hesaysthat
hehardlyeverleavesanartprintuntouched.Iwent
throughastagewhereIwouldkeeponecolourand
de-saturateeverythingelse.Mostofmyartphoto-
graphsnowhavethecolourmanipulatedinsomeway.
Ihavenoqualmsaboutdigitalmanipulation.Hecom-
mentsthatsomepeoplegetpreciousaboutthis,sug-
gestingthatthisissomehowcheatingortakinga
shortcutandthereforenotrealart.Heemphatically
states:That'srubbishreally.Artisaboutinterpreta-
tionandincarnatingintent.Howyoudothatisup
toyouasanartist.Craftisperhapsarealmwhereone
mightbemorefaithfultoaparticularskillandone
mightplyacraftexquisitelyinthemakingofart.
HavingsaidthatIliketheideaofsettingconscious
boundariesandworkingwithinthem.Anexample
ofthisisMillsincreasingfascinationwithsequences
ofimagesandhisexplorationswiththemediumof
stopmotionanimation.Ideliberatelysticktostatic
imagesandseektoreconstructtimemanuallyas
itwere.Ihavethusfarresistedthepulltojustgrab
avideocameraandgetonwithit.InthisrespectI
relatealottoPaulEmanuelwhomakesphotorealistic
imagesbychippingawayatexposedemulsiononpho-
tographicpaper.Somethingextraordinaryemerges.
Concentration,2010.Pigmentinkprint.
Thereisjustsomethingaboutpipes...
Commissionedpipespeakerinstallationfor
afashiondeliinLongStreet,CapeTown,2011.
Gate,2003.Photographicprint.Namibrand,
Namibia.Anexampleofmydiscomfortwith
fullcolourimages.
49 >
Likemostfneartphotographers,Millsearnsafair
shareofhisregularincomefromworkingasacom-
mercialphotographer,andhealsodoesadhoc
engineeringconsultancy,bothofwhichhewittily
referstoasactsofsurvival.Hesaysthatcommer-
cialphotographyisgreatinmanyways:Acommercial
commissionhasaclearbeginningandend.Youdo
thework,processanddeliverandthatsit.Bycon-
trast,engineeringconsultingcanmeangoodmoney
butitnormallyinvolveshighlevelsofresponsibility,
lotsofconsequenceandtimeframesofatleast
monthsifnotyears.AccordingtoMills,mostartists,
evensomefamousones,struggletomakeasteady
and comfortable living. I like to think that the
worldischangingandthosewiththecapacityto
interpret,createmetaphorsandinnovatewillbe
morevaluedthaninthepast.
Millsnotesthatheonceaskedprominentlocalartist
RogerBallenifheeverfoundthenittygrittypracti-
calitiesofbeingapracticinggeologistworkingin
aminingenvironmentinterferingwithhiscreative
work.AccordingtoBallensresponseitseemednot.
ForMills,however:Ihavefoundthatworkingand
adeterministicheadspaceoflogicandreasonsome-
howshutsdownasensitivityandcapacitytotune
intothemuseinanalarmingway.I'mgettingbetter
atit.Itsaconstantstruggleformetore-framea
lifeofleftbrainprogramming.
Whenaskedhowheperceivesthefutureoffne
artphotographyinSouthAfrica,Millsclaimsthat
photographynowholdsitsheadhighasafneart
medium.IwouldsaythatSouthAfricanowrefects
aglobaltrendaround60%ofallfneartexhibited
isphotographyinsomeformoranother.Thiswas
notthecaseevenfveyearsago.IthinktheSouth
Africanartsceneloadsphotographytoomuchpoliti-
cally.Thesocialdocumentarygenreisverydominant
becauseofourhistory.Isometimesthinkweare
stuckinasocialdocumentaryrutasiflifehasno
meaningwithoutanenemy.Millsfeelsthatthere
isstilladiferencebetweenphotography(photog-
raphers)andartusingthemediumofphotography
(artists).Icallmyselfanartistasastatementof
intentratherthanbyvirtueofsomeclamorousfol-
lowing.MillsconcludeswithoneofhisFacebook
posts:Werethatfamouspenthrustintomyhand
andablankpagedrawnfromyourmuddleddepths
I would write this: That possibility stretches in
frontlikeaskin,fragile,taut,threadedwithlife:
Askingtobetouched,perhapsevenbroken.<
Power housing,2010.Pigmentinkprint.Partofcommis-
sionedworkforBafokengadministrationrelatingto
environmentalissuesandmining.Abandoned,incomplete
RDPhousesunderhightensionlines.
50 >
Thewinners
ofHiiibrand2010
New Graphic,oneofthebiggestandmostinfuential
Chinesedesignpublicationsrecentlyannounced
the winners of its Hiiibrand 2010 International
LogoDesignAward.Gatheringsubmissionsfrom
enterprises,designstudios,designersandstudents,
Hiiibrandrewardsexcellentlogosandthecompa-
niesthatcommissionthem.Theawarddistinguishes
itselffromothersasitonlyconsidersinnovation,
craftingandefectivenessofasingleelement,the
logoorbrandmark,ratherthantheextendedvisual
manifestationofabrandingprogramme.
This year Hiiibrand received 4 136 submissions
fromover60countries.Througharigorousfve-
monthselectionprocess,sevenrenownedinterna-
tionaljurorsmadethefnalselection.Theresults
provideanidealopportunitytoplotbroadinterna-
tionaltrendsinlogodesignandthejurysreport
ofersvaluablerefectionsonthecomplexworld
ofhowbrandsarevisuallymanifestedthrougha
singleelementofthevastbrandinglandscape.
BorisLjubicicfromStudioInternationalinCroatia
ofciatedasthejurychairperson.Othermembers
of the jury were Wally Olins (Chairman, Safron
BrandConsultants,UK),JoeDufy(Principaland
Chairman,Dufy&Partners,USA),MinWang(Dean
of School of Design at CAFA, China), Tommy Li
(Tommy Li Design Workshop, Hong Kong), Bart
Crosby (President, Crosby Associates Inc., USA)
andCristianKitPaul(Co-founderandCreativeDi-
rectorofBrandient,Romania).
Thejuryfrstscoredtheentriesindividuallybefore
allmarkswereaddeduptoidentifythetopcon-
tenders.Theythenproceededtodeliberatewhich
entriesqualifedforGold,Silver,BronzeandMerit
awards. Each jury member then also selected a
personalJurorsAwardwinner.
In the introduction to the jurys report, Ljubicic
statesthatLogodesignformthebasisforcreating
asuccessfulbrandidentity.Itisthemostimportant
andoftenthemostcomplexpartofthevisualcom-
municationprocess.Asmallgraphicortypographic
markmustcontainastrongmessageandrefectan
organisationsvaluesforquiteabitoftime.He
saysthatthelifespanofalogoissometimesaslong
51 >
Gold|Agency:Bulldog
Designer:RenSpiteri(Ireland)
Client:BirdlifeMalta
Silver|Designer:Nido(UK)
Client:elephruit(Pakistan)
Silver|Agency:Brandberry
Designer:ValeraNamazov(Russia)
Client:TravelWorld.su(Russia)
Silver|Designer:NanbuToshiyasu
(Japan)|Client:JapanGraphic
DesignerAssociation
Bronze|Designer:TanHuang(China)
Client:GentlemanCofee(China)
Bronze|Designer:AndreWeier
(Germany)|Client:NALINDESIGN
(Germany)
Bronze&BartCrosbyJuryAward
Designer:ChenHuarong(China)
Client:ColourBookstore(China)
Bronze&TommyLiJuryAward
Designer:LinShaobin(China)
Client:GuilinGruel(China)
Bronze|Agency:Hulsbosch
(Australia)|Client:Qantas
(Australia)
52 >
as50yearsandsomecasesevenacentury.This
meansthatthedesignershouldthinkinadvanceof
hisorhertimetoensurethatthedesignsolution
haslongevity.
AccordingtoLjubicic,typographicsolutionsseem
tobetheeasierroutetofollow,asitonlyentails
readingofwords.Hehoweverprefersfreegraphic
signsthatmeansomethingthroughtheirshapeor
graphicqualityandhestatesthatThesekindsof
logosoftentakemoretimetobememorised,but
theystayinthememorylonger.
Commentingontheoverallstandardandhisper-
sonalJurorsAward,Ljubicicsaysthattheprofes-
sional category of Hiiibrand 2010 did not delver
manyextraordinaryinnovations.Forhim,theonly
entrythatdeservea10gradeisthelogoforOcean
ArtPavilion,designedbyDuXiaoxiao,whichwonhis
voteforaJuryAward.Thisworkaestheticallycom-
binesthetypographywithagraphiccompositionof
rectangularbluelinesthatdepictthemotionofthe
oceanandthewhitesquaresinsertedinbetween
evokethepavilion.Hesaysthatthedesignerman-
agedtocreateauniquenarrativeandabeautiful
graphicwhichhedescribesasaworkofart.
JoeDufyselectedthelogoforDivaparfumerie,
designedbyPavelSurovy,ashisJuryAward."Ilove
thesimplicityofthelogotypecombinedwiththe
mark.Theycomplimenteachotherperfectly.The
doubleentendreimpliedinthemark(perfumeand
thefemaleform)adddepth,meaningandasense
ofdiscoverytotheidentity,"saysDufy.
MinWang'sJuryAwardwenttothelogofor14
th

YugoslavTheatreFestival,designedbyNikolaVuka-
sinovic. The dramatic design agrees with the
themeoftheactivityitreveals.Intheformofori-
gami,ananthropomorphicexpression,thefgure
14representsafashofhumorwithimpressivevis-
ualefects,saysWang.
Bronze|Designer:ChenYongxin
(China)|Client:liyiArchitects&
Associate(China)
Bronze|Designer:PeterVasvari
(Hungary)|Client:Brandstack,LLC.
(USA)
Merit|Agency:Babushke(Croatia)
Designer:TinaBauer,MarijaJuza,
GordanaPavlek(Croatia)|Client:
CroatianChamberofEconomy(Croatia)
53 >
Bronze|Designer:ZouYu(China)
Client:LiuShiBambooweave
(China)
Bronze|Designer:Morandini(Brazil)
Client:BESC(Brazil)
Bronze|Agency:GDesignStudio
(Greece)|Client:Universityof
Patras(Greece)
JoeDufyJuryAward|Agency:
CommunicationAgency(Slovakia)
Designer:PavelSurovy(Slovakia)
Client:Divaparfumerie(Belgrade,
Serbia)Client:BirdlifeMalta
Merit&MinWangJuryAward
Designer:NikolaVukasinovic(Serbia)
Client:NationalTheatreUzice(Serbia)
BorisLjubicicJuryAward|Designer:
DuXiaoxiao(China)|Client:Ocean
ArtPavilion(China)
Merit&CristianKitPaulJuryAward
Designer:ZhaoGang(China)
Client:TianweiTextiles(China)
Merit&BillDarlingJuryAward
Designer:MariaAdamFernandes
(Germany)|Client:Minimal
(Austria)
Merit|Designer:ZhangGongyu
(China)|Client:ODA(China)
54 >
Merit|VictorAdCorp(Taiwan)
Designer:KuoChugnYuan(Taiwan)
Client:greenest(Taiwan)
Merit|Designer:VraMareov
(CzechRepublic)|Client:Polyclinic
Vinicni(CzechRepublic)
Merit|Designer:LiuJiangping
(China)|Client:BLACKFISH
(China)
Merit|Designer:SunDawang(China)
Client:RicetalkChineseFastFood
(China)
Merit|Agency:2M2InformationUN
(China)|Designer:WangLingyuan
(China)|Client:N2MultimediaArtLab
(China)
Merit|Jamfactory(HongKong)
Designer:AndrewTang(Hong
Kong)|Client:Grin(HongKong)
Merit|GDDesignStudio
Designer:AlexandraBubnova(Russia)
Client:place(Russia)
Merit|Designer:JohnCarlson(USA)
Client:HappyNoodleHouse(USA)
Merit|Designer:Heino
Prunsvelt(Estonia)|Client:The
MinistryofCulture(Estonia)
55 >
BartCrosby'sJuryAwardwenttotheColourBook-
storelogo,designedbyChenHuarong.crobysays
thatitis"Asimple,distinctiveandmemorableso-
lution.It'scuriousandplayfulnotforcedorover
donelikemanyoftheothers."
TommyLichosethelogoforGuilinGrueldesigned
byLinShaobin,ashisJuryAward.Itisneveran
easytasktodepictthebeautyofGuilin'sscenery
inanicon,emergingnotonlythespecifccharac-
teristic,butalsoelegantprospect,saysLi.
CristianKitPaul'sJuryAwardwenttoalogodesigned
byZhaoGang.Hesaysthat:"Itwasdifculttopick
oneasmy'bestofshow',butIfnallydecidedfor
TianweiTextiles,probablybecausemyownback-
ground is based on rebranding of large entities
andIknowhowchallengingahigh-stakeprogram
canbe.TheTTsymbolisapowerfulandwittymon-
ogram,accompaniedbyasimpleandfunctional
wordmarkinaclearyetvibrantcomposition."
BillDarling'sJuryAwardwenttothelogoforMini-
mal,designedbyMariaAdamFernandes."It'savery
functionalsolutionforwhatitis:kidsclothing.For
Merit|Designer:ZhangNing(China)
Client:Pdadmusicbar(China)
Merit|Agency:SebastianyBranding
(Brazil)|Client:Ecolabor(Brazil)
Merit|Agency:Bruketa&ZinicOM
(Croatia)|Designer:ImeldaRamovic,
MirelHadzijusufovic(Croatia)|Client:
SOSChildren'sVillagesCroatia(Croatia)
Merit|Agency:G8Design(Brazil)
Designer:MarceloPierro(Brazil)
Client:GrafcaComunicare(Brazil)
56 >
example,the'continuous'lineapproachofthelogo
wouldtranslatewelltostitching/embroidery.'Min-
imal'isapowerfulwordwhentalkingaboutdesign
andimpossibletoignore,especiallywhenitisthe
nameofyourcompany!Ilikehowthesolutionis
expressiveandyettruetotheword'minimal'a
hardbalancetoachieve.Thestyleinwhichthelogo
isdrawncouldeasilybeextendedtoillustrationsof
thegarments,secondarytypography,animation,
etc.Overall,thelogoisanicesolutionthatachieves
therightbalanceoffunction+emotion."
Thejuryfeltthattherewerefewuniquediferenc-
esorinnovationsbetweentheentriesthatreceived
grades8and9andtherest.Afterreviewingthe
visualappearanceofthetop-rankedentries,the
juryidentifedsomecommonthemes:
Worksbasedonpuregeometricalshapes(cir-
cles,squaresandtriangles)ratherthantypogra-
phyandasmallernumberbasedonfreedrawing
orsymbolsfeaturingbasicideasintheshapeof
man,house,nature,gameandhospitalityand
others;
Worksbasedpurelyontypography;
Combinationsoftypographyandfreegraphic
forms;
Worksbasedonnumerals.Thejuryparticularly
highlightedthisasaninnovativetrendsincethe
entries,particularlythosefromChina,showed
innovationandhumour;
Nature,manandbookremainsaconstant;
Photographyisalesser-usedreference,and
Conceptuallogosthatrefectaspecialstory.
Itwasthelatterapproachthatconvincedallofthe
jury members to award the Hiiibrand 2010 Gold
Awardintheprofessionalcategoryforthelogode-
signedforBirdlifeMalta,designedbyRenSpiteri
fromIreland.Theentryeloquentlycombinestext
andimage,resultinginanarrativethatmergespop-
ularculturewithecologicalconservation.
Merit|Designer:MichaelSpitz(USA)
Client:BuzzdogGroup(USA)
Merit|Designer:StanislavLevin
(Russia)|Client:GauchoWineLtd
(New-Zealand)
Merit|Agency:PiaochongDesign
(China)|Client:Oldboatwood
furniture(China)
57 >
Merit|Designer:ShayIsdale(USA)
Client:SiteSteet(USA)
Merit|Designer:ChenYu,
ShenWeiwei(China)
Client:sock(China)
Merit|Designer:FengJianjun(China)
Client:boxuepuworkshop(China)
Merit|Agency:Cubo(Spain)
Client:SaragossaCouncil(Spain)
Merit|Designer:Agnieszka
Ziemiszewska(Poland)
Client:CastAway(Poland)
Merit|Designer:LiuMing(China)
|Client:AushiLanguageand
CultureSchool(China)
Merit|Agency:daydayupdesign
studio(China)|Designer:HongWei
(China)|Client:greenest(Taiwan)
Merit|Designer:Kirill
Demidenko(Russia)
Client:muzecaf(Australia)
Merit|Designer:ChrisTrivizas
(Greece)|Client:Pavlos
Papalamprakopoulos(Greece)
58 >
StudentGold|Title:heartmedicine
Designer:NatalieDinnikova(Russia)
StudentSilver|Title:Dolonge
Designer:ZhuangErqiang(China)
StudentSilver|Title:EDShotel
DesignerDesigner:WangZhiqi(China)
StudentBronze|Title:BrokenCocoon
Designer:HuangSheng(China)
StudentMerit|Title:Birdie
Designer:GregCuellar(USA)
StudentMerit|Title:uchino
Designer:ZhangJing(China)
StudentMerit|Title:dbcdeathby
chocolate|Designer:DeniseFranke
(Germany)
StudentMerit|Title:buy-zone.ru
Designer:IgorRyabov(Russia)
StudentBronze|Title:Union
Designer:LangTian(China))
StudentBronze|Title:Ideas
Designer:WilliamSii(Malaysia)
StudentBronze|Title:PONZUSushi
House|Designer:KeoPierron(USA)
StudentMerit|Title:LoopBarcelona
Designer:FranRosa(Spain)
59 >
Commenting on the student category, Ljubicic
saysthat:Iexpectedmoreexperimentsandmore
freedomininterpretation,whichwasnotthecase.
Overall,thereportprovidedbytheHiiibrand2010
jurydoesnotbodewellwhenweconsiderthecre-
ativeinnovationofdesignersengagedinthedevel-
opmentofcorporateidentitiesandbranding.The
juryconcludesthattheywouldliketoseelogode-
signersstepupontheirgameandexperimentmore
when entering the Hiiibrand 2011 International
LogoDesignAward.EntriesforHiiibrand2011will
beopeninJune.Moreinformationcanbefound
atwww.hiiibrand.com<
StudentMerit|Title:KlimaBochenska
Gallery|Designer:FilipTofl(Poland)
StudentBronze|Title:GlassHouse
Designer:LangTian(China)
StudentMerit|Title:OutStanding
Home|Designer:HouJunwei(China)
StudentMerit|Title:OhFashionShop
Designer:SuYue(China)
StudentMerit|Title:KEEP
Designer:TrinityTuen(China)
StudentMerit|Title:RoomsCaf
Designer:WangHaishan(China)
60 >
Creativity is unusual stuff: It frightens. It deranges.
Its subversive. It mistrusts what it sees, what it hears.
It dares to doubt. It acts even if it errs. It rattles
established certitudes. It incessantly invents new
ways, new vocabularies. It provokes and changes
points of view. It impacts the environment and society.
Fabrica is looking for people working in visual
design, illustration, photography, product design, video,
music, interaction and writing who share this vision.
At Fabrica people work together, not just individually.
At a maximum of 25 years old, Fabricas residents
come from the four corners of the earth.
61 >
Fabrica is looking for people working in visual
design, illustration, photography, product design, video,
music, interaction and writing who share this vision.
At Fabrica people work together, not just individually.
At a maximum of 25 years old, Fabricas residents
come from the four corners of the earth.
To apply for a Fabrica residency and full study
grant you can upload your curriculum vitae,
statement of purpose and a concise pdf
presentation of your work at:
www.fabrica.it/apply
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)
62 >
63 >
HIV Positive:
Iconict-shirtsthatshape
viewsandawareness
onthepandemic
By Dalli Weyers
Thedesignmostworthyofapplauseinpost-apartheid
SouthAfricacanbedescribedassimple,humble,
under-designed and basic. Yet the same design
speaksofcourage,ofaudacity,ofdaring,ofhope
andofpower.Efective,loved,cherished,feared,
ridiculed, challenged, despised, debated, worn,
torn,altered,exporteditsplaceinourfuture
designmuseumsandinournationalartgalleriesis
obvious.
TheHIVPositivet-shirtissuedbytheTreatment
ActionCampaign(TAC)wasbyfarthemostbeautiful
objectinSouthAfricaforanentiredecade.With
countlesscolours,shapesandsizes,diferentcam-
paignslogansandpicturesofdeceasedcomrades
printed,anestimatewouldbethatSouthAfrica
hasseenaminimumof100000oftheset-shirts.
Thefrstt-shirtwasproducedatthebeginningof
1999afterthebrutalmurderofGuguDlaminiin
December1998.Dlaminiwasmurderedbecauseof
herHIVpositivestatus.FromKwaMashu,atownship
ontheoutskirtsofDurban,shehadpubliclydis-
closedherHIVstatusonWorldAIDSDay.Afterher
disclosure,Dlaminiwasaccusedofshaminghercom-
munityandwasrepeatedlyassaultedandthreat-
ened.Hercallsforpoliceassistancewentunheeded.
Threeweekslater,shewasfatallyassaulted.Her
perpetratorssentamessagetoherboyfriendsay-
ing:Youcancomefetchyourdog.Wearefnished
withher.
InFighting for our Lives The History of the Treatment
Action Campaign 1998- 2010,HIVpositiveZackie
Achmat, co-founder of the TAC, retells how he
cameupwiththedesign:Thereisanapocryphal
storyabouttheKingofDenmarkwearingayellow
starinsolidaritywithJewsduringtheNazioccupa-
tionofhiscountry.TheHIVPositivet-shirtserves
asimilarpurpose.Allpeople,irrespectiveoftheir
status,canwearitandshowsolidaritywithpeople
withHIV.
Andsothet-shirtwasborn.Itsdebutalongwith
countlessotherofitsappearancesalsohappened
tobetelevisedonSiyayinqoba Beat It!,SouthAfricas
onlyHIVmagazinetelevisionshow.Producedby
theCommunityMediaTrust,theshow,nowinits
eighthseason,iswatchedbyonemillionpeople
everyweek.Providingreliable,scientifcally-based
information,theshowalsobecameavehiclefor
thet-shirtandallitstoodfor.
On12December2002,thefatherofthenation
himself, former President Nelson Mandela was
handedaHIVPositivet-shirtbyTACmemberMathew
64 >
DamaneataMdecinsSansFrontiresanti-retroviral
clinicinKhayelitsha.Mandelaimmediatelytook
ofhisshirtanddonnedtheHIVPositivet-shirt
overhisvest.Indoingsohenotonlydemonstrated
his unequivocal support for and solidarity with
thoseinfectedandafectedbyHIV,healsodemon-
stratedthathispositionwasunderscoredbyscience
andacommitmenttotheSouthAfricanConstitution
andhumanrights.Thet-shirthadcometorepresent
notonlysolidaritywithpeoplelivingwithHIV,but
alsoevidence-basedscience(asopposedtopseudo-
scienceandHIVdenial),thestruggleforlifeand
dignityandthesocio-economicrightsenshrinedin
theConstitution.
DuringtheTACsDying for Treatment Civil Disobe-
dience Campaignin2003activistCharleneWilson
passedaway.Shewasburiedinapublicfuneral
andlaidtorestinherHIVPositivet-shirtinaccord-
ancewithherwishes.Wilsonsfeelingsaboutthe
t-shirtcanarguablybefoundinTACmemberBeatrina
Mhlongosview:Puttingonthet-shirtwasmyway
ofjoiningthestrugglearelief.InshortMhlongos
emotionalexperiencefromputtingonthet-shirtfor
thefrsttimesuccinctlyarticulatesthattheper-
sonalispolitical,thatjoiningthestruggleforlife,
freedomanddignitywasahomecomingandthat
thestruggleitselfimbuesonewithdignity.Thet-
shirthadcometoalsosymboliseacommunity,a
politicalhomeandacommonpurpose.
Foreveralteringourpersonal,communal,socialand
politicallandscape,therecanbenodenyingthat
these t-shirts have had an indelible impact on
SouthAfricaandhavebeenindispensableinbreaking
downthestigmaandsecrecyaroundHIV.Today
theyareiconicandcontinuetorepresentthestrug-
gleforhumanrights.
1
2
3
65 >
1. VuyisekaDubula,TACsGeneralSecretary,protesting
outsideashebeeninKhayelitshawhere,on13Decem-
ber2003,LornaMlofana,amotherandacommunity
educator,wassexuallyassaultedandthenmurdered
whenherrapistlearntthatshehadHIV.TheTACs
workhasincludedprotestingviolenceagainstwomen
andadvocatingforacriminaljusticesystemthatworks
forrapesurvivors.Someversionsofthet-shirthave
refectedthisagenda.PhotocourtesyofTreatment
ActionCampaign.
2. TheHIVPositivet-shirt,issuedinvariouscoloursand
addressingmanyissues,hasbeenappropriatedin
countlessways.Hereprogressivetraditionalhealers,
inagreementthatanti-retroviralsaretheonlytreatment
forHIV,donthet-shirtundertheirstandarduniforms.
Therainbowfaginthedistancealsosuccinctlyillustrates
thediversityofidentitiesandcommunitiesincludedby
theTACinthestruggleforlifeanddignity.Photocourtesy
ofTreatmentActionCampaign.
3.TheTAChasconsistentlygonebeyondjustdemanding
thatgovernmentsmeettheirobligationsandthet-shirts
havealsorefectedthis.HeretheTACalongwithpartner
organisationsmarchtoaddressthe38
th
UnionWorld
ConferenceonLungHealththatwasheldinCapeTown
inNovember2008.ThedualepidemicofHIVandTBis
oneofthebiggestchallengesfacedbytheSouthAfrican
healthsystem.PhotocourtesyofGavinSilber.
4.ThisposterfortheTACsStand up for our livesmarch
inFebruary2003,whichsawbetween10000and15000
peoplemarchonparliamentduringThaboMbekisState
oftheNationaddress,refectstheconfuenceofthe
symbolismofNelsonMandelaandthesymbolismofthe
HIVPositivet-shirt.Inameta-textualmannerthisposter
wasalsoprintedonthebackoftheHIVPositivet-shirts
issuedforthemarch.PhotocourtesyofTreatment
ActionCampaign.
5. SinceitsinceptioninDecember1998theTreatment
ActionCampaignhasunderscoredthecentralityofactive
citizenshipinaconstitutionaldemocracy.Giventhelevels
ofinequalitythatSouthAfricafacesandthefactthat
theConstitutionenshrinessocio-economicrightsthe
needforcitizenstospeaktruthtopower,hereoutside
thenationallegislature,isparamount.Photocourtesy
ofDanKamen.
4
5
66 >
Someadditionaltakes/thoughts/musingson
theHIVPositivet-shirt:quotesfromFighting for
our Lives The History of the Treatment Action
Campaign 1998- 2010
IamproudtobeawalkingbillboardinTACsstrug-
gleforhumanrights.GeorgeChauke
Seeingsomanybeautifulpeoplewearingthet-shirt
gavemebacksomehopeandself-esteem.Itgaveme
couragetodisclose.NtombozukoKraai
Thet-shirtsymbolisesthelivesthathavebeenlost
andthesacrifcesthathavebeenmade.Itmarksusas
peoplewithacommonpurpose.NomfundoEland
ManyactivistshavesaidCometomyfuneralinyour
t-shirts,tellpeoplewhatIwentthroughandwhatI
didinTACspreadthemessage!Thatswhatwedo.
NonkosiKhumalo
Thet-shirtpromotesopennessandbreaksstigma.
YoullbechallengedAreyouHIVpositive?Thenyou
canstartengagingwithpeople.ThembekaMajali
Itleadstodiscussions,whisperings,theinternalaccept-
ancethatHIVisreal,andacultureofcomingforward.
PhilipMokoena
PeoplecallmeMaAIDSwhentheyseemyt-shirtand
comewithquestions.MariaKhambule
Abouttheauthor
DalliWeyersisasocialjusticeactivist,politicspost-
gradgraduateandanIndustrialDesigndropout.He
nowaimstomergedesignandpoliticsthroughsoar-
ingandeloquentlywrittenexaltationsofthevirtues
ofdesignandtherolethatitcanplayinSouthern
Africawherestructuralinequalitiesstillrelegatethe
majorityofpeopletosocio-economichardship.Heis
theauthoroftheblogwww.reclaimfre.co.za<
8
6
7
6. Havingtakenonaninternational
presencetheTACsHIVPositivet-shirthas
appearedinParliamentinCapeTownand
waswornbyGrammyAwardwinning
artistAnnieLennoxonanepisodeof
American Idol.InLondonithasbeenworn
bythephotographerandTurnerPrize
winnerWolfgangTilmansandaformer
BritishHighCommissionertoSouth
Africa,AnneGrant.InNewYorkithas
beenwornbyNkhensaniMavasa,from
ruralLimpopo,whenshewasthefrst
openlyHIVPositivepersontoaddressthe
UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly.Hereit
isworn,inruralLimpopo,byNkhensanis
comradeswhiletheyreadthelatest
editionoftheTACsmagazineEqual Treat-
ment.PhotocourtesyofTreatmentAction
Campaign.
7. HereformerPresidentNelsonMandela
wearsthet-shirt.OnhisrightisZackie
Achmat,co-founderoftheTACandthe
conceiverofthet-shirt.Photocourtesyof
TreatmentActionCampaign.
8.Takingthemessagetothecommunities
throughpamphletsandfiersbutalso
throughsimplywearingat-shirt.Photo
courtesyofTreatmentActionCampaign.
67 >
68 >
Lets
make
condoms
cool By Anton Ressel
69 >
A new product from the Cape-based
urban africa design studio is hoping to
get people talking about condom-use
and safe sex, by making it cool to be
responsible.
Ifarecentstudyistobebelieved,nearly50%of
teensinSAaresexuallyactivebythetimethey
turn16,butonly30%ofthemuseacondomevery
timetheyhavesex.Despiteahighlevelofunder-
standingofHIV/AIDSandawarenessofthedangers
ofunprotectedsex,acombinationofpeerpressure,
learnedsexualbehaviourandthestigmaaround
condomuseallcontributetotheseshockingsta-
tistics,accordingtothereport.
Protection for your protection
Anewproductonthemarketishopingtodoitsbit
to change attitudes to sex and condom-use
amongsttheyouthbymakingitcooltoberespon-
sible.Thesleekleatherpouch,designedtoholdup
tothreecondoms,hasbeendubbedtheSecond
SkinandismarketedwiththetaglineProtection
foryourProtection.
DesignerandurbanafricafounderVincentUrbain
believesthattheproductwillhelpopendialogue
amongst the youth around responsible sexual
practice.Therealityisthatyoungpeoplearehav-
ingsexandthisisnotsomethinggovernmentor
anybodyelsecanchange.Whatwecanchangehow-
ever,istheirattitudetowardssafeandresponsible
sex.Inmanycommunities,condomsarenotseen
Second skinprotectionforyourprotection.Cowleathersleevemadeforcondoms.
70 >
ascool,andthisisanareawecantarget.Weare
strivingtomakethecarryinganduseofcondoms
thenormamongstouryoungpeople,bypackaging
theminasexy,hipandpersonalisedway.According
toVincent,theSecond Skincanbeusedasakeyring,
anecklaceorattachedtoyourbelt.
Theslimlinepouch,smallerthanabusinesscard
holder,ismadealongsideurbanafricasmainstream
productionofdesignerbelts,bags,laptopsleeves
andotherleatherproducts.ThebrainchildofUrbain
anddesigninternJessikaBalzer,theideabehind
the Second Skin was to create something small
thatcouldhavealargeimpactonhowpeopletalk
andactsexually.Wewantedtomakesomething
inexpensivethatpeoplefeelproudtocarryaround,
showoftotheirfriendsandevenbuyasgiftsfor
peopletheycareabout,saysVincent.
Aloveofleather
Thegenesisofurbanafricaisaninterestingstory.
BorninBelgium,Vincentalwayshadaninterestin
handmadeworkandespeciallyhandcraftedleath-
eritemsandaccessories.Thewatersportfanatic
graduatedinEconomicsanddecidedtomoveSouth,
landinginCapeTownin2003wherehewind-surfed
andundertookdiferentjobs.Oneofthesewasthe
distributionofroughhandcraftedleathersandals
made by Tanzanian crafters on top of the Cape
Towntrainstation.
LTR:Carrwallet,Bookiecowleathernote/sketchbook,Empire belt invegtancowleather,Clutch
'n swingcowleatherclutchbaglinedwithgoatorsheepnapperleatherandiPhonesleeves.
71 >
Vincentsoonrealisedthatmorethandistributing,
hewantedtoexploretheintricaciesoftheworld
ofleatherfrsthandandstartedmakinghisown
pairshoesfromhide.Ittookhimthreedaysand
nightsofnon-stopwork,buthewashooked!Com-
pletelyself-taughtandhungrytolearn,hethen
movedontobagsandarmbands,andchangedthe
focusfromworkingwithhidestoleather.Therange
begantotakeshape,andin2005urbanafricawas
born.
Thebusinesshasgrownquickly,andtodayurban
africasuppliesnearly100outletsandexportsits
high-qualityleathercreationstoseveralcountries
internationally.RangesaredesignedbyVincent,
whofrequentlycollaborateswithotherdesigners
suchasReanneGray,JessikaBalzerandMaraime
Sow.Allofthepiecesareindividuallyhandmade
andaccordingtoVincentnotwopieceslookthe
same,unlessyoureallywantthemto!Becausewe
allliketohavesomethingunique,ourclientscan
choosetheirownleather,stitchingandrivetcol-
oursandwewillcustom-makeaccordingtotheir
specs.Theresultisthatourclients,whetherone-
ofbuyersorlargeretailoutlets,getexactlywhat
theywant.Inessenceweareoferingatailored
serviceinleatherwork.
Pieceswithintheurbanafricarangeincludehand-
bags,laptopsleeves,belts,wallets,books,foot-
wear,keyrings,Blackberryandcellphonepouches
and now condom holders. Behind each design,
thereisthesamecorevisionanddesignaesthetic
thatunderpinsallofVincentsworkminimalist,
Sincehischildhood,Vincent
Urbainhadalwaysbeenattracted
toleatherandhandmadework.
The2011urbanafricaproduct
rangeconsistsof31pieces.The
rangeisdesignedbyVincent,
ReanneGray,JessikaBalzerand
allpiecesareindividuallyhand-
madebyVincentandhisteam.No
twopieceslookthesame.
elegant,funky,timeless,understatedbutaspiring.
Iamattractedtodesignsthatallowforindividual
expression, but not in a loud or brash way. My
workisneverin-your-face,butIalwaystryandbe
originalandalittlebitedgy.
Thecompanyisenvironmentallyandsociallycon-
sciousandVincentandhisteamstrivetoworkin
waysthataresustainableandforward-thinking.In
2010,thebranddroppedtheliningformostofits
pieces,makingthebagslighter,softerandmore
fexible,butalsotominimisetheuseofharmful
gluesandreducewastage.Inaddition,urbanafrica
partnerswithanorganisationcalledAfrographic,
throughwhichleatheranimalkeyringsaremade
bytownshipwomeninCapeTownandmarketed
anddistributedbyurbanafrica.Theinitiativehas
beenahugesuccessandthekeyringsarenowsent
all over the world, creating sustainable income
and a sense of pride to these formerly unem-
ployedladies.
A philosophy of collaboration
and sharing of ideas
An interesting thing about Vincent and his ap-
proachistheapparentlackofegoandprecious-
nessaroundthedesignprocess.Heishappyto
sharehisownideaswithothersandactivelyen-
couragescollaborations.Wewelcomedesigners
fromallovertocomeandshowustheirdesigns
andideas.Ifwelikeitandallareinagreement,we
willdeveloptheseideastogetherintoafnalprod-
uct.Wewilllaunchitonoursiteandshowittoall
ourclients,andnegotiatearoyaltyorsomeother
arrangementsothatweallbeneft.Iseedesignas
a collaborative process, one that does not and
shouldnothappeninisolationoravacuum.After
all,manyheadsarebetterthanone,no?hesays
withasmile.
Arecentadditionaturbanafricahasbeenthede-
velopment of a series of leather workshops for
interestedmembersofthepublic.Theworkshops
takeplaceattheurbanafricastudioinRoeland
StreetinCapeTown,whichalsodoublesasashow-
roomandshop.Attendeescanchoosebetweena
rangeofitemstomake,andtheteamaturbanaf-
ricaprovidesallmaterials,facilitateandteachthe
basic skills of leathersmithing. Participants can
thentakehomewhatevertheycreate.
The business of business
Thesuccessandfocusofurbanafricaledtothe
companybeingselectedasoneofonlytenpartici-
pantsnationallyintheETUprogramme,abusiness
developmentinitiativefundedbytheEmbassyof
Finlandandimplementedbyenterprisedevelop-
ment specialists Fetola. Interventions include
workshops,e-learning,marketaccessopportunities
andmentoring.Vincentalsoreceivedamarketing
strategythroughtheprogrammethatheiscur-
rentlyimplementing.Althoughitisthecreative
processthatdrivesme,IstudiedEconomicsand
haveaninterestinbusiness.Ibelievethattherehas
tobeabalancebetweenthecreativeandbusiness
elementsforanybusinesstosucceed,hesays.
72 >
73 >
African dollscowleatherboxes.
74 >
Corporateapplications
Thesamephilosophyofopenness,collaboration
andsocialinterestledVincenttodevelopthecon-
dompouches,andonceagainhestrikesabalance
betweenthecreativeandthebusinessaspects.
The pouches can be branded or embossed with
logos, educational messages and other text or
branding,whichVincentbelievesmakesthema
suitableproductforcorporates,NGOsandother
organisationsthatkeentohelpspreadthesafe
sexmessage.Wearehopingthathipbrandsand
LEFT:Eggtailbluestonewashbagincowleather.
CENTRE:Quotidiencowleatherallaroundbag.
TOPRIGHT:Fishtailcowleatherbag.
BOTTOMRIGHT:Tulipcowleatherbag.
75 >
organisationsthattargettheyouthwillseethe
valueinthisproductandthemessagebehindit,
andapproachustodotheirownbrandedrangeof
Second Skinpouches.Thesecanbedistributedat
colleges,universities,concerts,ravesanywhere
youngpeoplegatherenmasse.Theyareadesign-
erproductwithagreatsocialmessageandimpact,
andinitialfeedbacksuggeststheywillworkwell
asapromotionalitemorcorporategift.
Going forward, Vincent is planning to partner
withexistingorganisationsthatpromoterespon-
siblesexualbehaviourandsexualhealthinorder
toincreasetheimpactoftheSecond Skinandits
message.Weneedtogetpeopletalkingaboutsafe
sex,tolessenthestigmaaroundthissubject.After
all,sexiscool,funandexcitingandsoeverything
thatgoeswithitshouldfeelthesameway!
TheSecond Skinisbeingpromotedthroughanumber
ofchannels,includingurbanafricaswebsite,via
selectretailersandoutletsaswellascorporate
andpromotionalgiftagencies.Click heretovisit
urbanafrica'ssite.<
76 >
77 >
Creating
complex objects
of desire
layer by layer
By Michaella Janse van Vuuren | Mypassionfor
creatingtechnicallycomplexdesignandartworks
hasitsrootsinmyschoolingatProArteHighSchool
fortheArtsinPretoria.HereImademarionettes
that were highly detailed, using innovative con-
structionandmanipulationmethods.Manyyears
on,myworkhasdrawnmeonceagainintoadirec-
tionwherethetechnicalandartisticmeet.Today,I
workasanelectricalengineermydayjobandin
myprivatetimeIfocusondesigning3Dprintingor
additivemanufacturing.IenjoydesigningandIfnd
thelimitationsanddifcultiesafascinatingchal-
lenge.Ilovethechallengeofcreatingsomething
thatisplannedandthendesignedoncomputerand
seeingifmyideaprintedoutasIenvisioned.
Theintersectionofart,designandtechnologyis
currenttlyundergoingatimeofexponentialgrowth
enabledbydigitalmanufacturing.Digitalmanufac-
turing methods such as additive manufacturing
havechangedthewaythatobjectsaredesigned
andmanufactured.Additivemanufacturingrefers
totheprocesswhereanobjectthathasbeencre-
atedinthevirtualworldofthecomputeristhen
realisedor3Dprinted,layerbylayer,bythemelting
ordepositingofmanufacturingmaterials.This
manufacturing process, developed in the 1980s,
wasinitiallyintendedforthemanufacturingofcus-
tomengineeredpartsandprototypesforindustrial
productdevelopment.Inrecentyearsthetechnol-
ogyhasbecomeaccessiblenotonlytoengineers,
industrialdesignersandaselectfew,butalsotoa
wider range of designers and artists like myself.
This change has been driven by the reduction in
costofthehardwareandsoftwareneededtocre-
atethelargeprototypingflesandalsodecreased
thecosttomanufactureobjectsmassoroneofs.
IncreasedInternetbandwidthhasalsomadeitpos-
sibletosendthelargerflesrequiredformanufac-
turingandanumberofstart-upcompanieshave
emergedwhonowprovideshort-runmanufactur-
ingservicesforindividualswhoproducetheirown
objects.Thedesigner/artistcannowlieatthecen-
treofthisexploration.Morethaninanyotherdis-
ciplineheorshehastheabilitytocreateandex-
plore without the limitations imposed by
traditionalsculptingmaterialsandtheirinherent
properties.
78 >
Icreatemyartbyfrstimaginingtheobject.Thisis
thentranslatedontopaper,andafteraseriesof
sketchestransformedintoatechnicaldrawing.This
drawing dictates the measurements and dimen-
sionsneededtotranslatetheartworkintothecom-
puter. The scale of the sculpture, distances be-
tweenpartsandmechanicalfunctionalityhaveto
bemeticulouslyplannedoutbeforeImoveonto
thecomputer.Iusesoftwareprogramstotranslate
theideaintoaprintabledigitaldesign.Diferent
softwarepackagesspecialiseinaspecifctypeof
functionalityandthereisnooneprogramthatful-
fllsallmydesignneeds.Idothe3Dsculptingin
Zbrush,thecreationofthemoveablepartsinRhino
andthe3Dmeshcheckinginnetfabb,tonamea
fewkeysoftwarepackages.Imovebackandforth
betweenprogramstocreatetheartwork.Zbrushis
adigitalsculptingprogramthatallowsyoutodo
organicandorfreeformsculpturalshapesthatare
verydifculttocreateintraditionalCADsoftware.
Manyofmydesignshavemoveableparts.WhenI
needtocutthepartsoraddmechanicalpieceswith
precisedimensionsImoveovertoRhinoceros3D.
RhinocerosisanentrylevelCADprogram.
Whendesigningfor3Dprintingyouhavetokeepin
mindthelimitationsoftheprintingprocess.Unlike
designingforcomputerrendering,avisualrepre-
sentation,modelingfor3Dprintingrequiresalot
moreissuestoconsiderbeforeitisprintable.The
objectneedstobewatertightandmanifoldwithno
badedgestonamebutafew.Softwareprograms
suchasnetfabb,MeshlabandMagicshelptoevalu-
ateandrepair3Dfles,ormeshes,sothatthefle
canbeprinted.Ithelpstocheckyourflethrough-
out the design process for printing integrity as
manyhoursordaysofworkcanbelosttryingtofx
aflethathasbecomeunprintable.Youalsoneed
79 >
The Horse Marionettehasfullyfunctionaljoints
andmovablewings.Polyamide,203x193x166mm.
PartoftheSouthernGuildCollection2011.
Theseimagesshowarenderingofthe3Dflethat
issenttotheprinters.Theyillustratehowthe
individualpartsofthemarionetteareplacedinthe
3Dflesothatnoassemblyisrequiredafterwards.
Oncethepowderisremovedthemarionette
comestolife.
Click heretoseeThe Horse Marionetteinaction.
80 >
Rocking Springbuck.Polyamide,183x156x51mm.
TheSpringbuckwasdesignedwithallitsmoveablepartsinasingle
3Dfle.Rocking Springbuck hasrotatinggearsandtheymoveasthe
buckrocks.Click here toseeRocking Springbuckinaction.
81 >
tocomplywiththeprocesslimitations.Someaddi-
tive manufacturing processes allow for moving
parts,somerequirethattheobjectshouldbede-
signed as a single solid piece. Parts that are de-
signedtoosmallwilldisintegrateinthebuildand
moveablepartscannotbespacedtoocloseorthey
willfuseandnotbeabletomoveatall.
Therearediferentmaterialsavailablefor3Dprint-
ingsuchas,steel,sand,alumide,resin,ceramics,
glassandevenhumantissue.Myfavoritematerial
andprocessisselectivelasersintering.Thepolyamide
ornylonmaterialiswellsuitedtocreatingmovable
parts.Itisrelativelyrobust,dependingonthethick-
nessofthepart,andhasthetextureandlookof
coral.
Thedesignprocessistime-consumingandrelative-
lyexpensive.Ithereforehavetodesignmysculp-
tures to be as small as possible and I am always
pushingthelimitationsofwhatispossible.Thereis
alsonoroomforerror;onesmallmistakeintheme-
chanicscouldmeanthattheentiredesigndoesnot
workasIintended.
Whenadesignisfnished,Iemailthedigitalflesto
alocalorinternationalmanufacturer.Thesculp-
turesarethenbuiltupbyfusingthinlayersofnylon
powder.Whentheprintbuildisfnishedthepow-
derisremovedandtheobjectmagicallyemerges
from the heap of deposited powder. A few days
laterthecompletedsculpturesarriveatmydoor
readytobeunpacked.Thisisalwaysaverytense
moment.DidIthinkofeverything?Willitcomeout
asplanned?Alltheplanninganddesigningfocuses
onthisonemomentofpurejoywhenIholdadesign
thatlooksandfunctionsexactlyasIenvisionedit.
82 >
Some of my most recent work,The Horse Mario-
nette,Rocking SpringbuckandBirdman,werealldig-
itallydesignedinthismanner.Allthepartshave
beenplacedinthesameflewithnoassemblyre-
quiredafterwards.The Horse Marionettehasfully
functional joints and movable wings and when
strungupitcomestolife.TheRocking Springbuck
hasrotatinggearsthatmoveasthebuckrocks.Au-
tomataandmechanicaltoysinspiredtheBirdman
sculpture.Whentherodispulledthebeakcloses
83 >
and his arms drop to the sides. When the rod is
pushedhisbeakopensandthearmsmoveoutward.
The Horse MarionetteformspartoftheSouthern
GuildcollectionthatwillbelaunchedattheJohan-
nesburgArtFairinSeptember2011.<
Birdman. Polyamide,220x60x40mm.Automata
andmechanicaltoysinspiredBirdman.Whenthe
rodispulledthebeakclosesandhisarmsdropto
thesides.Whentherodispushedhisbeakopens
andthearmsmoveoutward.Click heretosee
Birdmaninaction.
84 >
By Kenneth van Rensburg | My frst encounter
withthe3Dprintingphenomenontranspireddur-
ingaworkingholidaysomeyearsagointheUK.
Beingabuddingindustrialdesignerandaself-con-
fessed car nerd, I jumped at the opportunity to
visittheJaguarfactoryinCoventry.Besidesvisit-
ing the assembly plant the tour also included a
visittoJaguarsR&Ddepartment,whichturned
outtobethehighlightofmyvisit.Waitinginan-
ticipation,Ihopedtoseecardesignerssketching
andmodel-makersvigorouslyfettlingandworking
awayatclaymodels.Instead,anarmyofdesigners
greeted me from behind their computers and a
dozen 3D printers were busy growing physical
modelsofpartstheyhadjustdesigned.Withina
coupleofhoursthedesignerscouldholdintheir
handsexactreplicasof,say,asteeringwheel,to
assess the part both visually and ergonomically
beforecommittingtotoolingandmanufacture.To
me this was mind blowing like a Replicator
straightoutofStarTrek!Needlesstosay,Inever
expectedtoberunningmyown3Dprintingcom-
panyonlyacoupleyearslater.
Now,ifyourenotfamiliarwiththetechnology,
youarelikelytobewonderingwhatonearth3D
3D
What?
printingisandwhyIcouldbegettingsoexcited
overthemodelofasteeringwheel?(Thesecond
question is perhaps a little harder to answer)
Unlikemanysubtractivemanufacturingprocesses
suchasCNC,wherematerialiscarvedormachined
awayfromablockorbilletofvirginmaterial,3D
printing is an additive manufacturing process
wherebythepartsarebuiltup,layerbylayer.As
eachlayerbindstothepreviousone,thecumula-
tive thin layers are transformed into a three-di-
mensionalobject.Crudelyput,itswhatwaspsand
swallowshavebeendoingforagesbuildingup
theirnests,onelayeratatime.Thismeansthat
complexshapes,completewithnegativesspaces
andtrickyundercutscanbegrownintoonesingle
pieceinaveryshortspaceoftime.By3Dprinting
amodel,valuabledevelopmentaltimeandcosts
aresaved,fast-trackingone'sdesigntothemarket.
Sowhythenisitreferredtoasprinting,youmight
ask?3Dprintingisreallyanumbrellatermfora
numberofadditivemanufacturingprocesses.Many
oftheseprocessesuseinkjetprint-headtechnology
todepositlayersofmaterialorbindingagentsto
builda3Dmodel.Unlikeadesktopprinter,which
printsa2Dimageontoafatsurfacesuchasasheet
85 >
I,thenidentifedareallocalneedtobridgethegap
betweenthedesignprocessandmanufacture,i.e.
prototyping.Wewererecently-qualifedindustrial
designerswhenwewerepresentedwiththeop-
portunitytostartasmallbusinessand3Dprinting
wasanobviouschoice.Aftermeetingwithvarious
internationalagentsitwasntlongbeforeour3D
printerwasshippedandourcompany,Protoform
RapidPrototyping,openeditsdoors.UnlikeinEu-
rope,weverysoonrealisedthatitwasdifcultto
specialise since no single local market was large
enoughtosupportthefedglinglocalprototyping
industry.Andso,castingournetsalittlewider,we
beganmarketingtoindustriesoutsideofourpri-
marytargetsindesignandengineering.
Onesuchindustrywasboat-buildingandsomeof
the first models that we produced were scale
yacht models for the Dean Catamarans sales
team.Thecompanysdesigner,RudolfJonker,im-
mediatelyrecognisedthat3Dscalemodelscould
provideahugeadvantageovertheircompetition:
LTR:AlayerofthebinderfortheSC20boatmodelbeingdeposited.Afterremovingmostoftheexcesspowder,
theSC20emergesfromthe3Dprinter.Thefnished1-15scalemodelpaintedandwithlasercutdetailing.The
realSC20afterproductioninaction
ofpaper,a3Dprinterdepositsalayerorcross-section
ontothemachinesbuildbed.Thebedthendrops
lessthan0.1mmandanewlayerisdepositedon
topoftheprecedingone.Theprocessofbuilding
thelayersisreferredrefertoasgrowingamodel.
3DPrintinginSouthAfrica
AlthoughrelativelynewtoSouthAfrica,thetech-
nologyitselfhasbeenaroundsincethe1980sand
thefrstmachinewasmadecommerciallyavailable
by 3D Systems in 1986. The first machine only
reachedSouthAfricanshoresin1991andonlya
handfulofmachineshavesincebeenavailableup
untiltheearly2000s.Ahandfulofsciencelabsand
tertiaryeducationinstitutionsacquiredthemajor-
ity;withasmallnumberusedcommercially,but
largelyin-house.
Itwasonlyin2008thatIsawthefrst3Dprinterin
SouthAfricafrsthand.Mycolleague,JonSmithand
86 >
Ithinkforus,themodelreallymadeadiference
infnalisingthelastexteriordesigndetails.Tobe
abletoshowascale-modeltoprospectivebuyers
before the first boat was even built gave our
marketing people a big head-start in marketing
thenewboat.
ItwasntlongbeforeProtoformweresupplying
boatmodelsabroadaswell.ScandinavianCruisers
founder,NisLorentzen,required1:15scale-models
ofhisSC20toassistwithbothdevelopmentand
marketing.AsNisexplains,"Buildingboatshasa
lottodowithapassionforboatingandthesea.
Beingabletotransform3Ddrawingsofanewboat
designintoacompletepaintedscalemodelwithin
justacoupleofweeks,asopposedtothemany
monthsittakestobuildtherealthing,isveryex-
citing.Itislikeseeingyourfrstbabybeingborn.
Bytheendof2008Protoformwasalsosupplying
prototypepartstotheautomotiveindustry,mod-
elsforsandcasting,trainingmodels,architectural
models,sculpturesandpropsforthemovieindustry.
Bythen,wevenoticedisthat3Dprintingwasoften
misunderstoodasaprocessstrictlyforengineering
prototypes,butthiscouldntbefurtherfromthe
truth and since then, Protoform has assertively
triedtomakediversepotentialusersawarethat
3Dprintingisalsoapowerfulandcreativetool.A
3Dprintercanreplicatealmostanythingthatyou
canmodeldigitally,beitlightfttings,shoes,artis-
ticsculpturesthepossibilitiesarealmostlimitless
and3Dprintedmodelscanbeusedasisorpaint-
edanddetailedforpresentation.Theymayeven
beusedtomakemouldsforcastinginplasticsand
metalsandfroma3Dprintedmaster,onecaneasily
makelowvolumeplasticcomponentswithaccu-
racy that competes with injection moulding. In
conjunctionwithothertechnologies,suchas3Dand
CTscanning,thepossibleapplicationsaretrulyin-
fnite.
OnesuchcreativeproposalcametoProtoformin
2008whentheprominentadagencyTheJupiter
TOPLEFT:Anengineeringmodel
showingthelevelofdetailthatis
possiblewith3Dprinting.
BOTTOMLEFT:1-10scalemodelsof
slurryvalvesusedinthemining
industry.
TOPRIGHT:1of5plasticcompo-
nentsforalargeautomotiveclient
usingthe3Dprintpartasthemaster
forthemould.
BOTTOMRIGHT:1-1scalecylinder
headforapassengervehicle.
RIGHT:Twoofthe3Dprintedsculp-
turesusedforthe2009Design
Indabaadvertisingcampaign.
87 >
DrawingRoomapproachedustorealisetheirconcept
forthe2009DesignIndabaadvertisingcampaign.
They needed to make tangible a concept that
showcasedtheideasandidentitiesoftheeinnova-
tors in the form of sculptures. The sculptures
neededtobesufcientlydetailedtoconveythe
personalitiesofthesubjectsaswellasincorporat-
ingeachinnovatorsideaintheformofanobject,
emergingfromtheirheads.Inordertomeetthe
brief, the heads of the chosen three innovators
were scanned to create digital 3D copies. The
modelsfortheirinventionswerethendigitallyma-
nipulated,togetherwiththescannedheadmodels
andmadetoappearasifemergingfromtheheads.
Thesewerethen3Dprintedatlife-sizeandassem-
bledtoproducefascinating,life-likesculptures.
Thesculptureswerephotographedandusedina
numberofapplicationsandthecampaignwenton
towinseveraladvertisingawards.
Anotherunexpectedbutexcitingapplicationof
3Dprintingisthemedicalindustry.Overthepast
threeyearsProtoformhasbeensupplyingmedical
modelstosomeofSouthAfricasleadingmaxilla-
facialsurgeons.Alargepercentageoftheirwork
entailsreconstructivesurgerytocorrectdamage
caused by tumors, gunshot wounds and severe
damage caused by burns. Typically, the patient
would be CT-scanned from which a radiologist
wouldpreparepre-operativeplanningmodelsofa
patients jaw or skull. We then 3D-print models
thatarethenusedastemplatesbysurgeonsto
accurately create customised implants these
modelscanevenbeproducedinaslittleasaday
in emergencies. According to radiologist, Carol
Spence, the time aforded by these models can
easilysavesurgeonsuptotwohoursofsurgery
time,andwiththeatreratesofaroundR100per
minute,thatsamassivefnancialsavingtoboth
patientsandmedicalaidschemes.Apartfromthe
monetarysavings,thisdramaticallyreducerisksto
thepatientsbecauseitreducestimeunderanesthesia
andensuresthatimplantsthatftprecisely.Previ-
ously,implantswouldhavetobecustom-shaped
88 >
andfttedundersurgery.Carolisquicktomention
that3Dprototypedmodelsmeanthatsurgeons
cannowevenftimplantsintra-operatively,leav-
ingthepatientwithminimalscarring.
TheFuture
So,whereis3Dprintingheaded?Well,forastart,
itwontbelongbeforewehavedesktop3Dprinters
insmallbusinessesandinhomes.AbasicRepRap
or Makerbot 3D printer already costs less than
whatadesktoplaserprinterdidin1985,whichto-
daywefndinalmosteveryofceandmiddle-class
home. For example, television celebrity and car
enthusiast,JayLeno,hasa3Dprinterinhisgarage
toproducesparepartsforhisclassiccarcollection.
So,perhapsinthefuture,ifyoubrokeahoseft-
ting,youcouldgrowareplacementovernightor
thatfrustratingmissingpiecefromafavouritetoy
orgadget.Sure,forlargerandmorespecialised
modellingyoudstillprobablymakeuseofapro-
fessionalserviceproviderfortheirexpertiseand
high-endequipment.Newmaterialsfor3Dprint-
ingarebeingdevelopedandexperimentedwith
almosteverydayvariousmetals(includingpre-
cious ones for jewellery design), new polymers,
ceramics,clay,sugar,sawdustandevenpasta!As
89 >
thisdevelopsandthetechnologybecomesmore
afordable,newindustrieswillstartup.
Forme,themostexcitingdevelopmentatpresent
is3D-printedorgans.Thatsright!Already,scien-
tists have developed prototype machines that
coulddothatandIpredictthatinacoupleofyears
doctorscouldbe3D-printingyouoralovedones
anewkidneyorheartvalveusingyourveryown
cellsasbuildingblocks.
Quitefrankly,thepossibilitiesof3dprintingare
endless.Ifyoucanthinkit,itcanhappen.Allyou
needisanidea.
Abouttheauthor
KennethvanRensburgisanindustrialdesigner
andpartneratCapeTown-basedProtoform Rapid
Prototyping.<
FARLEFT:Variousarchitecturalapplicationsof3Dprinting.
CENTRETOP:Sectionalmodelofapatient'sMaxialla.
CENTREBOTTOM:Pre-operativeplanningmodelforsurgery.
BOTTOM:LittlemirroredFiat500'semergingfromunderthe
powder.
90 >
TurningTalent
IntoSuccess
ACapeTownbusinessdevelopmentconsultancyis
makinganimpactnationallyinthefeldofenterprise
developmentandeconomicempowerment,witha
specialfocusonthecreativeindustries.
Fetola,aSothowordmeaningchangeorchanging,
specialisesinboostingemergingentrepreneurs,
creatives,grassrootsprojectsandcommunity-based
organisationstowardssustainability.BasedinWest-
lakeBusinessParkintheCapeandwithanational
footprint,Fetolawasfoundedin2006byenter-
prisedevelopmentpractitionerandentrepreneur
CatherineWijnberg.
WhatmakesusdiferentsaysCatherine,aZambian-
bornentrepreneurandMBAgraduatewithexperi-
enceinfvesectors,isthatweteachwhatwecall
theBusinessofBusiness.Ibelievethesuccessof
enterprisedevelopmentliesinunderstandingthe
dailychallengesfacedbysmallbusinessowners,
andoferingsimple,practicalandreplicablesolu-
tionsthatarerelevantwhetheroneissellingcraft,
cars,creativityorcabbages.Therearecertainbusi-
nessfundamentalsthatneedtobeinplaceinany
enterpriseforittobesustainableandsuccessful,
andthatiswhatwefocuson.
Theorganisationrunslong-termenterprisedevelop-
mentprogrammesaswellasworkingdirectlywith
entrepreneursandSMMEsonaneeds-basis.Ofer-
ingsarediverseandincludementoring,skillsdevel-
opmentandtraining,practicale-learningcourses,
systems development and strategic planning.
Whatsetsusapartisthatwehavewalkedthewalk,
especiallywhenitcomestothecreativeindustries.
91 >
Aselectionof
innovativelighting
productsdesigned
andproducedby
HeathNash,oneof
thenotablepartici-
pantswhoare
benefttingfromthe
ETUprogramme.
92 >
BambookitchenbyCabinetworks.
LuxuryleatheraccessoriesbyMajdaRabinofChimpel.
93 >
IwasProgrammeManagerattheCapeCraftand
Design Institute (CCDI) before opening Fetola,
whileourseniorconsultantAntonResselwasco-
founderofStreetwires,oneofthelargestsocial
enterprisesinSouthAfrica.Allourconsultantsand
mentors are business people themselves how
canyouteachentrepreneurialthinkingifyouhave
neverbeenanentrepreneur?asksWijnberg,in
referencetothetheory-heavy,chalk-and-talkof-
feringofmanyskillsdevelopmentorganisations
outthere.
TheLegendsProgramme
Fetolas fagship enterprise development initia-
tive,theOldMutual-supportedLegendsProgramme,
wasaFinalistinthecovetedMail & GuardianIn-
vesting in the Future Awards in the Best Enter-
priseDevelopmentProgrammecategoryin2010.
Legendsnowsupports67enterprisesinnineprov-
inces,andhasbecomeoneofthelargestvirtual
incubator programmes in South Africa. Partici-
pantsincludecraftanddesignorganisations,fur-
nituremanufacturers,skillstrainingorganisations,
NGOs,communityprojectsandanumberofup-
and-comingyoungentrepreneursintheflmand
designspheres.
Ifthefguresareanythingtogoby,Legendsisin-
deedhavingasignifcantimpactinitsaimstore-
duce poverty, create jobs and develop skills
amongstitsbenefciarynetwork.Annualpartici-
pantsalesturnoverincreasedfromZAR690000in
2007toZAR2.385millionin2010anincreaseof
290%,whiletheprogrammehasmorethandou-
bledinsizefromsupporting350benefciariesin
2008toover1000in2011.
TheETUSMMEAccelerator
Programme
A recent Fetola initiative aimed at more estab-
lished businesses is the ETU SMME Accelerator
Programme, funded by the Embassy of Finland.
ETUisaFinnishwordmeaningbeneft.Thispro-
gramme works with participants in the creative
sectorthatareprimedforgrowth,andincludes
amongstothers,internationallyrenownedlighting
designerHeathNash,high-endfurnitureandinte-
riorsbusinessCabinetworks,luxuryleatheracces-
soriesdesignerMajdaRabinofChimpel,Vincent
Urbainofurbanafricaandfast-growingceramics
studiosImisoCeramicsandZizamele.
Benefciariesofbothprogrammesreceiveasuite
ofsupportincludingpracticalbusinessskillstrain-
ingandongoingaccesstoabusinessmentor.Both
programmes utilise an innovative peer-to-peer
emailnetworkresource,enablingbenefciariesto
communicatewitheachother,sharelessonsand
askforadviceandsupportsimplybysendinganemail.
ThisresourceisalsousedbyFetolatodistribute
weeklye-learningtrainingondiversetopicssuch
as sales and marketing, finance, strategic plan-
ning,administrationandcostingandpricing.The
overallintentionistohelpbenefciariesbecome
morebusinesslike,competitiveandsustainable.
Whatwehavefoundovertheyearsisthatmany
creativepeoplefndthebusinesssideofthingsfar
lessinterestingthanthedesignandcreativeproc-
ess.Myresponsetothisthatiswhythereareso
manygifteddesignersinthepoorhouse!saysFe-
tolaconsultantAntonRessel.Inallseriousness,it
israretofndacombinationofcreativeexcellence
and business savvy in an entrepreneur or small
business, but the reality is that creative talent
aloneisnotenoughtosustainabusiness.There
are a number of fundamentals that must be in
94 >
placeforanybusinesstothrive,andthisiswhat
wetryandimpartthroughourwork.
FetolaProjectManagerChantaldeKockbelieves
that small business success begins with a solid
self-beliefandbusinessvision.Beyondthis,the
essentialbusinessfoundations-soundfnancial
andadministrativesystems,agoodunderstanding
ofmarketingandsales,aproductorservicewith
potential and a realistic gap in the market, are
wheretheedgeiscreated,sheadds.
Turningthelighton
OnenotablesuccessstoryistheworkFetolahave
been doing with Heath Nash. A gifted designer
withagrowinginternationalprofle,Nashjoined
theETUprogrammebecauseherecognisedthat
thebusinesssideofhiscompanyneededatten-
tion.Ihavealwaysfoundthedesignandcreative
processsomuchmorestimulatingthanthefnan-
cialoradministrativesideofthingsobviously!
saysNashwithasmile.However,Ifoundmyselfin
asituationwhereIwasworkingharderandharder
butnotreallymovingforwardinabusinesssense.
Sure, my profile was growing, but this was not
translatingintofnancialsuccessandsustainability
forthebusiness,becausethissideofthingswas
alwayssecondfddletothecreativeside.Thathas
changedsinceIjoinedETUandstartedworking
withFetola,andthebeneftshavebeenalmostim-
mediate,hesays.
ThestartingpointwastoempowerNashwithin-
formationabouthisbusinessthathecouldunder-
standandembrace.Thismeantregularsalesre-
ports,managementaccountsandaclearpictureof
whathisexpensesandincomewereonamonthly
basis.Istartedseeinghowmuchmoneywasbeing
wastedoninefcientproductionprocesses,un-
productivestafandpoormanagementofmaterials.
95 >
Asmallselectionofthevastproductrangeproduced
byETUSMMEAcceleratorProgrammeparticipant,
ImisoCeramics.
96 >
TOPLEFT:Fetolainterventionsincludework-
shops,mentoringandone-on-onebusiness
support.
TOPRIGHT:CatherineWijnberg,Director
Fetola&Associates.
LEFT:Fetolaprogrammeparticipant,Theresa
WormserofTWCeramics.
AselectionofproductsbyETUSMMEAcceleratorProgrammeparticipant,Zizamele.
97 >
Theknowledgewaslikeswitchingalighton!says
Nash.Athoroughrecostingofallhisproducts,re-
sulting in a new and more competitive pricing
structureandgreaterprofessionalisminthebusi-
ness, followed this. We are fortunate in that
Heath learns very quickly and is determined to
strengthenhisbusinessknowledge.Infact,Ithink
heactuallyfndsthebusinesssideofhiscompany
farmoreinterestingandexcitingthanheeverim-
aginedhewould!saysRessel.
Innovationequalssuccess
Givenitsgenesisandcloselinkswiththecreative
industries,itisnosurprisethatFetolapridesitself
on innovation. We are always looking for new
waystoincreaseourimpactanddomoreforless,
says Wijnberg. One example is the Mentor Hot-
line,a24-houremail,smsandtelephonehotline
thatprovidesfastaccesstoexperiencedbusiness
mentorsforbenefciaries.
AnotherrecentinnovationistheFetolaVolunteer
Mentorprogramme,anational(andpossiblyinter-
national)matchmakingprogrammethatpairsex-
perienced business people and entrepreneurs
withemergingentrepreneursandorganisationsin
needofbusinesssupport.
OurVisionistochangelivesforthebetter,for-
ever.WeseethedevelopmentoftheSMMEsector
asabsolutelyvitaltothegrowthandprosperityof
ourcountry,andfeelprivilegedtobeabletopart-
ner with corporates like Old Mutual and others
whoshareourvision.OurcreativetalentinSouth
Africaissohuge,ifthiscanbecoupledwithsound
businessknowledgeandskills,watchoutWorld!
concludesWijnberg.
Click heretolearnmoreaboutFetolaandthepro-
grammesthattheyrun.<
98 >
By Judy Bryant | Doyouhaveanideaforaproduct
ordesign,andwanttoexploreitfurther?Ifso,the
ProductSupportSpaceattheCapeCraftandDesign
Institute(CCDI)couldbeyournewplayground.
TheCCDIhasforsomeyearshoused,atitshead-
quartersinHarringtonStreet,CapeTownsonly
FabLabanassistedDIYcomputer-aideddesign/
manufacturingenvironment.Now,thisfacilityhas
evolved with more services, full-time staff and
state-of-the-artequipmentinanexpandedspace
ofabout300m.
AlanAlborough,theCCDIsProductSupportPro-
grammeManager,saysitisauser-friendlyenviron-
mentwhereuserscanexperimentandprogress
fromideaconceptualisationtophysicalmanifesta-
tion,withtheappropriatesupport,infrastructure,
tools and equipment. People have ideas, but
thesecangetlostbecausetheyarenotnurtured
andpeopledontknowhowtodevelopthemsays
Alan.Weareoferingaplacewhereusersfeelse-
cureandempoweredtodowhattheywanttodo.
Wemeetwithusersonanindividualbasistohelp
themtosolveproblemsaroundanyprocessorma-
Supportingideas
intoprototypes
terial.Ifsomeonecomesherewithanidea,they
candevelopitthroughtotheprototype.Issuesare
oftennotprocess-ormaterial-specifc;itisoften
acaseofhelpingpeoplethroughaproblem-solv-
ingprocess.
Thegoalistohavetheappropriatetechnology
forwhatneedstobedone,soequipmentranges
from basic hand tools and workshop machinery
suchasasanderandabandsaw,tomoresophisti-
cated, computerised equipment adds Product
SupportFacilitatorPieterCilliers.
ExistingFabLabmachines,originallyfundedbythe
DepartmentofScienceandTechnology,havebeen
supplementedbyadditionalmachinesbudgeted
forbytheCCDI.Thesearegroupedintodedicated
workstations.Safetyisparamount,andthestaf
(trainedinfrstaid)workcloselyalongsidevisitors
onaone-on-onebasis.
TheProductSupportSpaceissplitintotwomain
areas,theResearchandDesignAreaandtheTool
Room.TheResearchandDesignAreaconsistsofa
centralconsultationandplanningarea,andcom-
99 >
TOP&CENTRELEFT:MikeRichardsofPersonalityPensat
workintheProductSupportSpace.CENTRERIGHT:The
CCDIProductSupportSpaceexposedAlisonPresttoa
newtypeofresinthatenabledhertodevelopasuitable
fnishforherhandmadefowervessels.BOTTOMLEFT:
LindyGreylingandSibuleleTomworkingwiththeCCDI's
heatpress.BOTTOMRIGHT:Laser-engravedfabricand
heat-transfervinyldesignbyCarynnUnderhill.
100 >
putersforresearchanddesign.Theresearchcom-
putersareforanyonetousefreeforproduct-spe-
cifcInternetresearch.Thedesigncomputersare
allocatedforspecifcuses,sowhilesomearefor
designingtowardsfabrication(machinessuchas
laserandvinylcutters),othershaveprogramssuch
asdigitisingembroiderysoftware.Therearealso
twocomputerswithsurfacedesignsoftware,ideal
forcreatingpatternsanddesignsfortextilesand
prints.
TheToolRoomincludesawiderangeofconven-
tionalhandandpowertools,usedforfxing,cut-
ting,marking,scoring,gluing,andworkingwitha
widerangeofmaterialsaswellasthecomputer-
isedmachinessuchasthelaserandvinylcutters.
Thelatestpurchasesincludeaheatpressfortrans-
fers,alinebenderforbendingPerspexaccurately,
asmallvacuumformerformouldingthinthermo
plasticsandahotwirecutterforcuttingfoaminto
allkindsofshapes.
Full-timestafavailabletoworkalongsidevisitors
includeProductSupportFacilitatorPieterCilliers
who joined the CCDI as an intern in 2008 after
completinghisMFAspecialisinginsculpture;Prod-
uctSupportAdvisorDavidvanStadenwhofree-
lancedasagraphicdesigneraftercompletinghis
BA(FineArt)beforejoiningtheCCDIin2007;and
Product Support Advisor Caragh Barwise who
joinedtheCCDIin2009afterstudyingindustrial
design,completingajewellerycourse,andwork-
ingasacraftproducer.
Someofthecraftproducersanddesignerswho
havealreadyusedthefacilitiestoimprovetheir
productsormanufacturingprocessesincludeJohn
Bauer,AlisonPrest,MichaelRichardsandWalter
Zandamela,tonamejustafew.
CeramicartistJohnBauerisinspiredbysalvaged
itemssuchasantiquedoilies,mintleavesandChi-
neseNewYearsymbolsandrecreatesthesepat-
ternsinceramics.Johnhasbeenabletoenlargeor
diminishhispatternswithinputfromtheProduct
SupportSpace,enablinghimtopushthelimitsof
whathefndstechnicallypossibleinceramics.
HehasusedtheProductSupportSpaceasapro-
totypinglaboratorywherehecreatesworkona
lasercutterthatislaterincorporatedintoother
pieces.Forexample,hehasover1000doiliesin
hiscollectionandtakesnegativesandcreatestex-
turalreproductionsthataretrueandcanbeen-
largedorshrunken.Thissetshisworkapartasa
craftproducerasheachievesPhotoshop-typere-
sults,whileonlyusingadoilyoncebeforeputting
itbackintohisarchive.
TheProductSupportSpacestafhavealsohelped
Johntocreatestampsofhissignature,indiferent
sizes,includingsomeinChinese.Theseimprinthis
work.Yoursignatureiscritical,becauseifsome-
onelikesyourproductbutcantfndyourname,
theycantorderitfromyou,hesays.
JohnalsospecialisesincombiningProductSupport
Spacetechnologywithothertechniques.Forex-
ample,hisworkcouldincludelayersofblackand
whiteceramic,whichhebruisesonthesurfaceand
thenreintegratesintoasmoothskin,givingaghost
image.ThePerspexblockfromthePSScreates
101 >
TOPLEFT:AlisonPrestexperimentswith
resinduringamould-makingsessionat
theProductSupportSpace.
TOPRIGHT:CCDIProductSupport
facilitatorPieterCilliers.
CENTRELEFT:CCDIProductAdvisor
DavidvanStaden(centre)showsIsaque
Mohamed(left)andDionisiaMambo
fromMozambiquesomediferenttypes
ofheat-transferablevinylintheCCDI
ProductSupportSpace.
BOTTOMRIGHT:CeramicartistJohn
Bauer.
LEFT:CeramicworksbyJohnBauerwho
hasusedtheProductSupportSpaceto
expandtechnicalboundariesinhiswork.
102 >
anotherimageinthis.Johnhasshownhowphoto-
graphicimagesfromadriverslicencephotocan
be used to achieve a fne level of reproduction,
andsaysthistechniquecouldalsosuitcraftpro-
ducersmakingitemssuchassoaps,biscuitsand
candlestomakethemappearengraved.
AlisonPrestisaforaldesignerandauthorityon
plantsandsucculentswhoopenedtheSoanesbury
SchoolofAfricanFlowerDesigninCapeTown.Last
year Alison developed a range of plant vessels
madefromrecycledmaterialssuchasyoghurtand
margarinecontainers,papier-mchandresin.She
attendedamould-makingsessionattheProduct
SupportSpace,andwhenstrugglingtodevelopa
suitablefnishforherpots,thestafintroducedher
toanewtypeofresin.ThisenabledAlisontode-
velop her own mixture to finish her pots to the
standardshedesired.Herrangehasreceivedpub-
licityinrespecteddcorandlifestylemagazines
suchasElle DecorationandVisi.
MichaelRichardsofPersonalityPensstartedwork
asadraftsmaninDurbanandlatertookupwood
turning.Henowproducesbeautifulhand-turned
and fabricated pens that were selected for the
2011CCDIHandmadeCollection,whichlaunchedat
the iconic Design Indaba Expo. Product Support
SpacestafhavehelpedMichaeltoimprovehispro-
ductionability,throughmakingjigs(toolstocon-
trolthelocationandmotionofanothertool)and
templatesforimprovedmanufacturing.
Craftproducersfromneighbouringcountrieshave
also found inspiration at the Product Support
Space.TheKelloggFoundationfundedaseriesof
workshops, residencies and an internship pro-
grammewhichwasfacilitatedbytheCCDIandin-
cludedahalf-dayintroductiontotheProductSup-
portSpace.The2011residencygraduatesincluded
WalterZandamela,aMozambicanartistandtechni-
cianworkinginvariousmaterialssuchaswoodand
ceramics.AfterhissessionwiththePSS,Walter
continuedtoexplorevariousmaterials,especially
wood,makingarangeofobjectsthatcombinedAf-
ricanandAsiancultures.
ProductSupportSpaceaccessisonanappointment
basis.Click hereformoreinformation.<
103 >
TOP:Theproductsupportspaceincludesresearch
computerswherepeoplecansearchforinternet
resources.
LEFT:WalterZandamelafromMozambiqueexperi-
mentedwithwoodproductsatthePSS.
104 >
South
Africa
learns
from the
Swedes
InOctoberlastyear,RaymondEllerbeck,Directorof
C.O.Designs,accompaniedbyagroupof14South
Africansfromwithinthefurnitureindustry,visited
SwedenonaoneweekstudytouroftheSwedish
furniture industry. With the Swedes sharing a
wealthofpracticalexperienceandknowledge,the
SouthAfricanfurnitureindustryhaslearntmany
lessonsfromtheSwedishfurnitureindustry.
BELOW:C.O.DesignsConcept Deskisafullyfunctional
workstationwhichaimstoservicetheneedsofdesign-
ers in various industries. The desk includes a built-in
lightboxaswellasautilityrailwhichenablesthedesign-
ertooptimisetheworksurface.Thedeskincorporates
various ergonomic features including a sit/stand desk
framewhichallowstheusertoconvenientlyandseam-
lesslyalternatebetweenseatedandstandingpositions. By Stacey Rowan
105 >
TheSouthAfricanfurnitureindustryisunderthreat
andindecline.Thiscouldeithermeanapermanent
declineoranunfortunatebutinevitablepruningof
deadwoodinpreparationforarestructuredin-
dustrythatcansustainitself.Fortunatelyitisoften
smalladaptationsdoneproactivelythatensures
survivalofanyindustry.TheSwedishstudytouris
onesuchproactivemovetowardsgainingknowl-
edgeandnewinsightsandcreatingsolutionstoour
decliningfurnitureindustry.
HostedbytheTibrofurnitureindustryclusterinthe
Tibrodistrict(consistingofabout70furniturecom-
panies which manufacture a variety of furniture
products predominantly for the interior contract
market),theinformationgainedexposedtheSouth
Africangrouptotheindustryasawhole.Itcovered
responses to global trends, social and economic
threats, technology and human capital develop-
ment.Theinsightsgainedillustratedhowthestate
ofanyindustryisdefnedbythesocialandeconom-
icenvironmentwithinwhichitoperates.Inthiscon-
textthediscussionseemedtodriftawayfromfurni-
ture interests into culture, social commentary,
economicsandevenpolitics,butalltheseinfuences
shapethedestinyofanindustryandneedtobeun-
derstoodtoensurethefurnitureindustryssurvival.
SeverallessonsfortheSouthAfricanfurniturein-
dustry:
1.SouthAfricansmallcompaniescangrowintoglo-
bally competitive organisations, stay afloat and
gainmarketshareduringaneconomiclowtide.The
recipeissimpleconstant improvement and in-
novation.
2.Withindustries,likeourownfurnitureindustry,
clustering together and joining forces,individual
companiesdonothavetogrowintointernational
giantsinordertobecompetitiveintheworldmar-
kets.Companiescanratherstayoptimallysizedand
nimble,abletoadapttochangeandcollectivelypool
marketingandlogisticresourcesinpartnershipwith
regionalgovernment.Firstweestablishdominance
regionallyinternallyandtheninAfrica.
Thegoodnewsisthattheseverydynamicsarecur-
rentlyactivewithintheWesternCape,forexample
theWesternCapeFurnitureInitiative(WCFI),De-
signIndabaExpoandgovernment-sponsoredindus-
trydevelopmentinitiativesfacilitatedbytheDTI
andProductivitySA.

3.AstheSwedishmodelproves,awell educated
population could be the silver bullet to ensure
worldcompetitiveness.Educationdrivesinnova-
tionandsocialcooperationandtolerance,apow-
erfulformulaforsustainablesuccess.Wehaveto
investintheeducationofourpeople,apartfrom
technicalandliterateskillswhichindustryneeds;
italsobringslifeskills,creatingstablecommuni-
tiesandareliable,productiveworkethic.Govern-
mentsmandateistomanageschoolingandterti-
aryinstitutions,establishingapipelineforindustry.
As an industry we must take responsibility for
adult skills development within our work force,
focusingonbothhardandsoftskills.Largercom-
paniesmayhavetheHRresourcestomanagethis
whilesmallercompanieslacktheHRmanagement
knowhow.Governmentassistanceandsubsidies
forSMEsarethereforepoorlyutilisedandoppor-
tunitiesgotowaste.Asbusinessentrepreneurs,
HRdevelopmentshouldberecognisedasavalue
addingopportunityinasimilarlightasacquiring
newtechnologyandmachines.Thiswillallowusto
acceleratethedevelopmentofourindustrybyal-
lowingtechnologyandeducationtoleverageeach
other.Forexampleitcanensurethatinvestment
inproductiontechnologycanbefullymaximised
106 >
C.O.DesignsRuotare Unitisbasedonamodularconceptandits
innovativerotatingconstructionallowsittobeusedasaspace
divider,asaTVunitortoshowcaseproducts.Otherconfgurations
rangefromacompacthomeofcespacetoaversatilehospitality
serverincorporatepauseareas.Theproductisaresultofsuccessful
collaborationbetweenC.O.DesignsandChromeCherrywhoconcep-
tualisedtheproduct.ItismanufacturedfromHollowcore,amaterial
thatconsistsofarecycledcardboardhoneycombcorethatisfve
timeslighterthansolidwoodmaterial.
107 >
withthenecessaryexpertise,asfrequentlysophis-
ticatedmachinesarepoorlyrunandmaintained
withmanyinbuiltfeaturesbeingunderutiliseddue
toanunderskilledoperators.Technologyinvest-
mentneednotsacrifcejobsasaneducatedwork-
ercanfndjobopportunitiesinothersectors.
4.Innovation through designthemoderncon-
sumerwantsmorethanmereproductfunctionality
theywantstyle,aesthetics,andfashiontofuel
theiraspirationsanddefnetheirlifestyle.Ourfur-
nitureindustry,liketheSwedishneedstodefneits
ownbrand,drawnfromouruniqueAfricanculture.
Theleastattractivealternativeistoemulatesuc-
cessfulinternationalbrandsandtrends,attherisk
ofrelegatingourselvestotheroleoffollowerstry-
ing to keep up with the leaders and innovators.
ApartfromSweden,USA,Italy,GermanyandJapan
allhavetheirdistinctivefurnituredesignsignatures
drawn from their environment and culture and
even developing countries like Indonesia have a
uniqueparticularstyletheyareoferingtheworld.
Ourcraftindustrygivesinsightintotherichcrea-
tiveandculturaldiversitywehave.AsSouthAfri-
cansweneedtoovercomeouridentitycrisisand
fndourtrueselves.
5.Market and brand our products locallyandinter-
nationally.Weareblessedwithsomeoftheworlds
mostcreativeadvertisingandmarketingagencies.
ExpandtheProudlySouthAfricaandlocalislekker
themesinordertostrengthenourlocalindustry.
Allinall,keylearningswhichC.O.Designshaveim-
plementedaresimple:Constantimprovementand
innovation;clustertogetherandjoinforcesinorder
tobecompetitiveonaglobalscale;educationiskey
foracompetitiveedge;innovationthroughdesign
andmarketandbrandproductsbothlocallyandin-
ternationally.Theseareallvitaltoincludeinthe
businessstrategyandtoimplementtoensurethe
furnitureindustryinSouthAfricaisaglobalplayer
ininternationalmarkets.
Thelearningsfromthetour,whethertheybeglo-
baltrends,socialoreconomicarevitaltounder-
standwhenlookingattheglobalfurnitureindustry
asawhole.Allcountriesandthereforeindustries
arepartoftheglobalvillageandthereforedirectly
afectedbyglobaleconomics,aswillingorunwill-
ingparticipants,saysEllerbeck.
C.O.Designswasestablishedin1994withaprimary
focusonservicingthefurniturerequirementsof
corporateclients.Theirproductrangeincludesa
widespectrumofofcefurniture,desking,seat-
ing,screeningandfurnitureincommonareas.The
companyhasgrownconsistentlybothinsizeand
reputationbysuccessfullyapplyingaconsistent
customerfocusedstrategyofoferingmorethan
justofcefurniture.Theirserviceoferingincludes
productdesignanddevelopment,workstationde-
sign,manufactureandcountrywidedeliveryand
installation.
Asanestablishedcompanywithinthelocalindus-
try,theysupportdevelopmentasafoundermem-
ber of the Western Cape Furniture Initiative.
Throughcontinuousimprovementandtrainingin
conjunctionwithProductivitySA,C.O.Designsin-
vestinskillsdevelopmentandhelpensurethecon-
tinuationofkeyindustryskills.
AtC.O.Designswefeelthatweareleadersinthe
industrybecauseweunderstandandlearnfrom
countriessuchasSwedenandwehopetocontin-
uetoapply,deliverandadapttoaneverchanging
market,concludesEllerbeck.<
PRECIOSA
illuminates another
One & Only complex
109 >
DubainowboaststhesecondOne&Onlyhotelcomplex,One&OnlyThe
Palm,whichopenedontheartifcialislandofPalmJumeirainOctober
oflastyear.Theinteriorofthisstylishgem,whichisagainlitupbylamps
andfxturesfromPRECIOSA,isfullofenergy,emotionandsensuality.
110 >
ThiscolossalOne&OnlyThePalmproject,onwhich
PRECIOSAworkedforalmostthreeyears,isyet
anotherexampleofthevastdesignabilitiesand
productioncapabilitiesthatthisCzechcompany
hasinitsrepertoire.Ninehundredpiecesandover
150diferenttypesofluminaireswerecraftedby
thehandsofmasterglassmakersintherenowned
NorthernBohemianglassregion.
PRECIOSAsversatilityillustratesnotonlythediver-
sityofdesignstyles,butalsothemyriadofpossible
LEFT:TheOne&OnlyThePalm'slobbylounge.
RIGHT:Lobbyfountain.
111 >
lightingsolutions.Theuniquedesignscreatedfor
theOne&OnlyThePalmperfectlyharmonisewith
eachinterior,somuchsothattheyseemtobeanin-
delibleandintegralpartofeachspace.Contempo-
rary,traditionalandArabicdesignstylespermeate
thevariousrooms.Tocapturethespiritofrecent
trends,crystalspiralsandglobesweremadeto
createthefeelingofsteppingintoasparklingice
kingdom.Themostpopularoftrendsinlightingtoday
arealsorepresented,includingspectacularhang-
ingsculpturescomposedoffree-formhand-blown
glass.Incontrastwiththeseabstractpiecesarethe
curvesoftimelessclassics,adaptedtothiscentury
throughtheuseofsomeofthemostinteresting
moderndecorativecomponents.Lastly,typicalorien-
talchandeliersarealsopresent.Lanternsofvarious
shapes,eitheraloneorinexcuisiteclusters,are
furtherembellishedwithintricatelaser-cutdeco-
rativeelements.Whetheryoumeanderoutsideor
insideofthislargecomplex,youwillencountera
widerangeoffree-standingfxtures,tablelamps,
andsconceswhichdecoratemanyawall.
112 >
LuxuriousdecorativechandeliersfromPRECIOSA
canalsobeseenthroughouttheOne&OnlyThe
Palm.Theybothcreateandcomplementthe
atmosphereofthereception,restaurant,well-
nesscentre,beachlounge,bathroomsand,of
course,theindividualhotelguestroomsand
villas.
AboutPRECIOSA
PRECIOSAisoneoftheworldsleadingproducer
ofcutcrystal,specialisingmainlyintheproduc-
tionofmachinecutchatons,beads,stonesand
LEFT:The101MarinaRestaurant&Bar/Lounge.
CENTRE:AlldaydiningatZest,theresortsmain
restaurant.
TOPRIGHT:Specialtyrestaurant.
BOTTOMRIGHT:Alldaydining.
113 >
otherfashionjewellerycomponentsoftopquality
andinabroadvarietyofshapes,colorsandsizes.
ThecompanysheadquartersisbasedinJablonec
nadNisouinNorthernBohemia,aregionwithhun-
dredsofyearsofglassmakingtradition.
PRECIOSAproducescrystaltrimmingchandeliers
aswellascontemporarydecorativelightingfxtures
inthetownofKamenickenov.Italsoproduces
custom-madelightingfxturesforawiderangeof
prestigiousbuildingssuchastheaters,hotels,lux-
urypalacesandprivateresidences.Examplesof
prominentlightingprojectsexecutedbyPRECIOSA
inrecentyearsincludetheBolshoyTheaterand
TheCzaricynoPalaceinMoscow,theEmiratesPalace
HotelandtheYasHotelinAbuDhabi,TheAddress
DowntownBurjDubai,RegencyCasinoMontParnes
inAthens,One&OnlyCapeTown,andtheover-
haulofhistoricallightingfxturesintheroomsof
PragueCastle,theseatoftheCzechPresident,to
namejustafew.<
Specialtyrestaurant
114 >
TheUpper
EastSide
Hotel:
Beautyby
Contrast
114 >
By Stacey Rowan
& Shiree Darley
Theopenspacesofthehotelhave
numerouslayersofunconventional
materials,rhythmicpatterns,vibrant
coloursandlightingandare
adornedwithindulgentaccessories.
115 > 115 >
LeCorbusier,aSwissarchitectandoneofthepioneersofModernarchitectureorthe
Internationalstyleoncesaid:Ihavedecidedtomakebeautybycontrast.Iwillfndits
complementandestablishaplaybetweencrudityandfnesse,betweenthedullandthe
intense,betweenprecisionandaccident.IwillmakepeoplethinkandrefectThis
statementaptlydescribestheoveralldesignconceptoftheUpperEastSideHotel
wherekeyinteriorarchitecturalelementspartitionandbreakupthespace,creatinga
somewhatambivalentatmosphere,asenseofmysteryandsurprisewhenwhatyou
thinkyouareseeingmaynotbewhatitseems.
116 >
TheUpperEastSideHotel,anewlyrevamped4-Star
CityHotelcompletedearlierthisyear,issetinone
oftheoldestsuburbsinCapeTownWoodstock
whichislocatedbetweenthedocksofTableBay
andthelowerslopesofDevilsPeak,justEastofthe
CityCentre.Thisurbanrenewalareaisservedby
tworailwaystations,resultinginanindustrialset-
tingtothearea.Woodstocksdilapidatedcharmis
whathasmadeitsuchanexcellentcontingentfor
theinner-cityrevivalthathasrecentlytakenthe
suburbbystorm.TheUpperEastSideHotelisonly
oneaspectofthisrevival,withvariousothercom-
ponents including Loft Apartments and a vibey
ShoppingCentreformingpartofthisurbanrenewal.
WithArchitecturedesignedbyDesign360Archi-
tectsforRedefneProperties,theclient,theUp-
per East Side Hotel features open plan, double
volumeandcombinedlowerceilingpublichotel
areasaccommodatingthereceptionlobby,conver-
sationlounges,atrendydiningareawithcocktail
Bar,businessmenslibrary,cigarbarandoutdoor
diningterrace.
DarleyInteriorArchitecturalDesign(DIAD)the
hotelspecialistinteriordesignteamdesignedand
createdtheinteriorsforthepublicareasoftheUp-
perEastSideHotelworkingwithintheparameters
oftheexistingstructure.Thisinvolveddeveloping
thearchitecturalframeworkbyconceptualisingand
designingtheinteriorspaces,space-planning,ac-
commodatingtheclient/operatorsrequirements,
themeingthediningandbarareasandselecting
anddetailingallfnishes,shopftting,panelingand
lightingallwithinapre-determinedbudgetand
veryfasttrackprogramme.Furnishingswherecus-
116 >
LEFT:Furnishingsarecustomdesigned,fabricsselect-
edandaccessoriessourcedtocreateconversationand
relaxationlounges.
RIGHT:Openplanspacesareskillfullyzonedusing
raisedplatforms,stoneboxes,screensandpostbox
framestocreateintimacy,butnottotalseparation.
117 >
tomdesigned,fabricsselected,artworkcommis-
sionedandchandeliersandaccessoriessourced.
Thesewereallthanprocuredandinstalledbythe
DIADteamincludingprojectmanagementofthe
shopfttinginstallation.
DIADfounddesigninspirationfromtheup-and-
coming Woodstock location with its underlying
industrialnuances.WiththeUpperEastSideHotel
aimedatamoreyouthfulmarket,bothinterna-
tionalandlocal,aswellasseekingtoencourage
residentandcorporatebasedprofessionalstofre-
quent the dining and bar venues, the interiors
neededtobestylishandchic.Thearchitecturalap-
proachisslickandminimalistsoDIADdecidedto
createayoungvibrantinteriorflledwithunusual
diversespacessothatpatronscouldhaveinter-
activeorindividualexperiences.
Fromaninteriordesignperspective,thevarious
visitoractivitiessuchasarrival,eating,business,
117 >
bar and relaxation have been combined and
plannedwithinthemainpublicareasmaximising,
where available, the generosity of the volumed
spaceswhichareframedbymezzaninelevels,and
thenplayingontheintimacyoftheexistinglow
ceilingareas.Ratherthanclosingofandseparat-
ingtheamenitiesthedesignphilosophywasto
accommodate all recreation within one space.
Thisledtothechallengeofdistinguishingthedif-
ferentopenplanspacesandcreatingintimacybut
nottotalseparation.
DIADachievedthisbyskillfullyzoningtheareas
withraisedplatforms,stoneboxes,screensand
postboxframes.Diferentcolourpalettesofplay-
ful light, texture and fabrics where then juxta-
posed.Thedesignconceptwaskeptcoherentwith
themonochromaticblackandwhitebackground
embellishedwithasignaturelanguageofdesign
patternswhichwererepeatedindiferentapplica-
tionsthroughouttheareas.
118 > 118 >
Theoverallconceptproducedthecreationofnumer-
ous layers of unconventional materials, rhythmic
patterns, vibrant coloured fabrics and lighting,
adornedwithindulgentaccessories,providingthe
clientelewithvisualdiscoveriesandillusionspro-
gressingfromspacetospace.
Diningoptionsoferedare
2and4seaters,casualbar
styleseatingandcomfort-
ableintimatebanquette
styleseating.
DesignConcept
Theinteriorswhereinspiredbytheblackandwhite
flmeraandartworkoftheRoaringTwenties,a
boisterousperiodcharacterisedbyrapidlychanging
lifestyles and the fast pace of technological ad-
vancements.Theeconomyinthe1920ssoaredaf-
tertheFirstWorldWar;muchasWoodstockhas
duringthisrenewalandrevampperiod,departing
fromthehistoryofaslightlyseedyneighbourhood.
Nightclubs and decadent restaurants were chic
119 > 119 >
placestomeetandbeseenandthisiswhatDIAD
setouttocreatefortheUpperEastSideHotel.
The1920sart,artistsandillustratorswereanad-
ditional source of inspiration to the DIAD team
whilstestablishingthedesignconcept.Thetwo
artmovementswhichhadtheirgenesisduringthe
1920swereSurrealismandArtDeco.Surrealism
beganinpostWorldWarIavant-gardeliterarycir-
clesandfeaturedelementsofsurprisewithunex-
pectedjuxtapositions.Photographyalsobecame
recognisedasanartforminthe20sanditsblack
andwhitedepictionsestablishedastrongmotiva-
tiontocreateabasethemeofamonotonearchi-
tecturalbackdrop.
Hence,theoverallbackgroundoftheinteriorsis
detailed and fitted out with refined black and
white finishes in opulent designs and patterns.
Thesearethenlayeredandsplashedwithbright
colours and a variety of contrasting finishes to
bringinthefunkyvibe.Thespacesareadorned
120 > 120 >
andlayeredwithclean-linedfurnitureiniridescent
fabrics,cascadesofcrystalsandboldpatterned
wallcoverings.Acontemporarytakeontheexcite-
mentofthe1920sera,thisdesignthemegener-
atesthethrilloftheexcessandindulgenceofa
theatricalpastime.
DesignWalkthrough
Strollingthroughtheinternalshoppingplazafrom
the Porte Cochere, past the caf style terrace
seating,oneentersadoublevolume,openspaced
entrancelobby.Thecrispwhitestonereception
desk with a soft glowing blue circle patterned
glassinsert,contrastsagainsttheblackrefective
foorandissetagainstapaisleywallpaperedback
dropdisplayingoneofthecommissionedartwork
pieces.
Surreptitiously tucked behind the custom de-
signedhighbackedbanquetseatisthediningven-
ueLibertysfeaturingaversatileconversation
piecethecontemporarystyledButchersBlock
which is transformed into two large tables cen-
teredintherestaurantforthebreakfastbufet
set-upandthenplacedinamirroredniche,ele-
gantly decorated with ornate black accessories
duringthelunchanddinnerservices.Diningop-
tionsoferedare2and4seaters,casualbarstyle
seating for the single businessmen with laptop
spaceandcomfortableintimatebanquettestyle
seating.
121 > 121 >
Fromthediningarea,theguestmovesthrougha
screenopeningintotheprivatelibraryareawith
oversizedacidgreenrecliningchairsforcomfort-
ableTVviewingorrelaxedreading,withgenerous
selectionsofcomplimentarynovelswhichlinethe
oversized,glamorouslyaccessorisedbookshelves.
Featuredbehindasandblastedglassdooristhe
cigarbarwithtranslucentglasswinedisplayssur-
roundingtheguestwithanextensiveselectionfor
personalisedchoicefromcognactochampagne.
The focal wall is lined with a voluptuous, full
height plum banquette seat and intimate tur-
quoisetubchairsnestlearoundfunkytimberand
glasstables.Asenseofhumourhasbeenaddedto
thisspacewiththepolishedchromehorsehead
sculpturessurveyingtheroomfromfoatingniches
andthewallofclocksalltotheirowntimecreat-
ingatimelinespin.
Glamwithloadsoffunkistheonlywaytodescribe
thecocktailbarEstreet.Anenormousmirrored
andglassbackbardwarfsthebarmanbelow,exag-
geratingthedoublevolumesurroundsandcreating
adeceptivemyriadof3Drefectedimages.With
thebraveuseofthestrongblackandwhitestripe
wallcovering,themirrorsparkleswiththerefec-
tionofcascadingcrystalchandeliersandlasercut
patternedscreens,creatingaconstantlyanimat-
ed,livelyspacewhichvariesaccordingtothelight-
ing levels. The vibe here varies with the adjust-
ment of the lighting which glows from the bar
panelsaswellasceilingrecesses,betweentrendy
cocktailtodecadentnightclub.
Thewhitestonewallscontrastwith
againsttheblackrefectivefoor.
Theyoungvibrantinteriorsarestylist
andchic,withaminimalistlook.
122 >
Inspiredbythe1920serawiththedeliciousness
ofexcessandindulgences,themonotoneblack
andwhitebackgroundislayeredwithcolour,deca-
denttextures,overscaledpatternedwallfnishes,
crystalchandeliersandornateaccessories,with
theslicknessofthedesigndetailingcreatingan
undeniablesenseofglamour.
Reasoningbehindthedesign
DIADsetouttobreaksomeoftherulesoncontem-
porarydesign,creatinganalluringandwhimsical
interior,butwithcarefulattentiontodetail,comfort
andscale,providinganexpressiveinnercityliving
destinationwithvibrant,interactivespaces.
Withphotographybeingarecognisedartformin
the1920s,itsblackandwhitedepictionsestab-
lishedastrongmotivationtousethemonotone
architecturalbackdropthatDIADexplored,then
bringinginthelayersandsplashesofvibrantcol-
our with fabric selections and lighting panels
theseallinspiredbythefashionoftheday.
TheinspirationofSurrealismandArtDecoisevident
inDIADsdesignwiththecircularpatternscreating
aconsistentthemewiththecounterfronts,screens
andcarpetdesignssetagainstavarietyofindulgent
patternsandtheblendingofman-madematerials
ofbacklitart-glass,lasercutscreens,polishedtechni-
stoneandmirroredstainlesssteel.
122 >
123 >
Opulentdesignsandpatterns,
splashedwithbrightcoloursand
layeredwithclean-linedfurni-
turebringinafunkyvibe.
123 >
HoweverDIADhavestillputanemphasisonsim-
plicity, functionality, efficiency and economy.
Open spaces were retained and similar fnishes
usedthroughouttocreateaunifedinteriorwith
adefnitecontinuitycreatedbytheconsistentuse
of diferent material combinations in diferent
applications.
KeyElementsandDesign
Innovation
Oneofthekeyinnovativefeaturesofthisproject
wasDIADscreationofagatheringplacewithin
thehotelspublicspaceswhereclientelecando
business,dine,relaxandsocialise,encouragingan
interactivespacethatneversleeps.Thechallenge
ofestablishingdistinctpathsforfunctionalhotel
operationandfoodandbeverageservices,within
theopenplanspaces,withoutimposingorintrud-
ingontheguests,wasmanagedwiththeskillful
partitioningofthespaceusingkeyarchitectural
elements. These included laser-cut screens and
postboxframesmanufacturedfromacombination
ofmaterialsofmetal,sandblastedglassandtim-
ber,givingrisetoaplayonpositiveandnegative
spaceswiththeirpatterningandflteringoflight-
ing,creatingadesignvernacularuniquetothisin-
ternationalawardwinninghotel.<
124 > 124 >
RadissonBluGautrainHotel:
Symbolismindesign
ByStaceyRowan
125 > 125 >
Beingspoiltforchoice,guestscanenjoya
cocktailontheoutdoorpoolterrace.
Giventhecrucialnatureofitslocality,TheRadisson
BluGautrainHotel,locatedintheheartofSandton
nexttotheGautrainrailstation,bearssymbolismin
itsdesign.Basedonthethemeofatrainstation,
the concept of the hotel design is represented
throughthemanytrain-likedesignsymbolsused
withinthehotel,witheveryelementtalkingto,
andgivingreferenceof,theGautrainthatfacesop-
positeit.
RadissonBluGautrainHotelisdesignedaccording
toatraintheme.Thefoorcolourswithredlevels
andyellowlevelssymbolisediferenttrainroutes.
Thelinesonthecarpetrepresentarailwayandat
theendofeachcorridorapictureofatrain,subway
oratrainstationcanbeviewed.Theroomnumbers
onthedooraredesignedasadigitalclock,similar
tothoseintrains,andonthe3
rd
foornexttothe
guestliftadiferentdesign,infuencedbyasub-
way,wasused.ThisallkeepsinlinewiththeGau-
trainthemeanditpromotesrapidlink,saysJesper
Henriksen,GeneralManager,RadissonBluGautrain
Hotel.
ForthearchitectsTowerDesignStudioArchitects,
led by Werner Alberts the design had to draw
peopleinfromthetrainstation,whilstcapitalising
on the idea of the international traveller who is
usedtotheideaofpublictransport.
126 >
Notonlywerethearchitectsresponsibleforcreat-
ingthissymbolicdesign,butinternationalinterior
designerMariaVafadis,ofMKVDesign,alsocon-
tributedtoputtingthisdesignconceptonthefast
track.AccordingtoMaria,theuseofalocaltheme
shouldneverbeunoriginal.Ifitis,thenthehotel
itselfrisksbecomingjustanimitationoftheGau-
train,failingtocelebratethethemeitself.Cleverly,
MKVDesignmadetheirdesignforthehotelrefer-
encetrains,butinthemostsubtleway.Oneexam-
pleofthisentailedtheparquetfooring,usedex-
tensively throughout the public areas using an
Africanteak,beinglaidinthemannerofrailway
tracks and sleepers instead of conventional
straight-laidplanks.
Settinganewarchitectural
standardintheSouthAfrican
hospitalityindustry
Thefvedistinctbrandsundertheprestigiousinter-
nationalRezidorHotelgroupsportauniquestyle
andfeelfromworld-classluxuryatRegent;afash-
ionablestayatHotelMissoni;cosyhospitalityat
CountryInnanddynamicambiancewithParkInn
andtheRadissonisnoexception.Fromthearchi-
tecturewithitsclassic,cleanlinesrightthroughto
thetrendydcor,theRadissonBluGautrainHotel,
managedbyRadissonBluHotels&Resorts,setsa
new architectural standard in the South African
hospitalityindustry.
127 >
LEFT:Theinterior,withitselegantfurniture,issophisticated,modernandavant-garde.
CENTRE:Theredcarpetcolour,combinedwithitsstraightlines,representatrainrouteanotherfeature
contributingtothesymbolismindesign.
RIGHT:Artworkpieces,bylocalartists,areplacedthroughoutthehotel,integratingSouthAfricanculture
andheritanceintothehotel.
TowerDesignStudioArchitectscantakeownership
ofthisnewachievement.Thebriefgiventothear-
chitectsentaileddesigningahighrise,mixed-use
developmentthatcouldaccommodateahotel,a
retailcomponentaswellasofcespace.Inorder
forthistobeachieved,thedesignhadtobefexible
enoughtoaccommodatealltheseaspects,together
withundergroundparkinggarages.
Acentralcore(orrigidspine)withinthebuilding
wascreated,whichisusedtosupportstructuralcol-
umnswhichfowtotheperimeters.Duetobudget
limitations,pre-castpanelsfortheexteriorofthe
newhotelwereputinplace.Withallthisstructural
mass, and the buildings high density bulk, the
RadissonBluGautrainHotelmaybedescribedas
masculine,borderingonimposing.However,with
thearchitecturaldesignofthehotelbeingofasim-
ple,clean,modernandplainstyle,itcreatesfora
contemporaryfeel,decreasingitsheavyappear-
anceonitssurroundings.
Anotheruniquearchitecturalfeatureofthehotelis
itsroofspaceusage.Beingbothindemandandin
shortsupplyinJohannesburg,roofspacehasbe-
comeanarchitecturaltrend.Cleverly,theRadisson
BluGautrainHotelquicklyfollowedthistrend,with
itscreationofZAR,afunkynewbarvenue,located
onthetopofthehotel.
Itisthroughtheseachievements,amongstmany
others,thattheRadissonBluGautrainHotelhas
128 >
129 > 129 >
nowsetanewarchitecturalstandardinthehotel
industryallthisbeingaccomplishedwithintwo
years,fromdesigntocompletion.
Originalinterior,
internationalbrand
EventhoughtheRadissonBluGautrainHotelbe-
longstotheRezidorHotelgroup(whichholdssimi-
laritiesthroughoutitshotels),itwasimportantfor
MKVDesigntoachieveinteriorsthatareoriginal
anddistinct.Throughviewingtheinsideoftheho-
tel, with its glazed elements and flow of public
spaces,itisevidentthatthefowandmovementof
thestationareasispickedupintheinteriordesign.
AccordingtoMariaVafadis,theRadissonBluGau-
train is sophisticated, modern and avant-garde.
MKVDesignsusedamonochromaticcolourpalette
togetherwithmodernclassicfurniture,whichadds
adistinctiveelegance.
MKVDesignsmadesurethatthenewexperienceof
thishotelhaditsownauthenticstory;thatitworks
asahotelandthatithasitsownsoul.
TheRadissonBluGautrain,althoughbeingcreated
fromaninternationalbrand,withaEuropeanper-
spective,hadtostillintegratelocalSouthAfrican
cultureandheritancewithinit.Thiswasachieved
through placing local artwork pieces within the
hotel,whichwerecreatedentirelybylocalartists.
TheproudlySouthAfricanartwork,amixofdif-
ferent media as well as conventional paintings,
aidesincombingtheinternationalbrandwithits
localsetting.
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130 >
Spoiltforchoicewith
World-classamenities
Withalltheworld-classamenitiesthattheRadisson
BluGautrainHotelofersincludingaftnesscen-
tre;cocktaillounge;boutiqueretailemporium;up-
marketrestaurants;hautecoutureclothingbou-
tiques;arelaxingspa;trendyhairsalonsandZAR,
guestsarespoiltforchoice.Withsumptuouscui-
sineprovidedbyCentralOneBar&Restaurantand
cocktailsbytheoutdoorpoolterrace,inadditionto
alloftheotheroferings,guestsneedntleavethe
hotel.
VisitorsarespoiltforchoicebecauseWerea
multipurposebuildingwithavarietyofoptionsun-
deroneroof,saysJesper.
Forthosejustwantingtorelaxintheirrooms,216
MariaVafadisdesignedcontemporaryrooms,
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130 >
allwithbreathtakingviewsoverSandton,areavail-
able.Wehaveapenthouse,standardrooms,busi-
nessclassrooms,ajuniorsuiteandacornersuite
available. Modern amenities such as free high-
speed wireless Internet are available within the
rooms.Notforgettingabreakfastbufetaftera
goodnightsrest.
Forthoseonbusinesstime,theRadissonBluGau-
trainHotelofersitsbusinessvisitorsversatilecon-
ferencespaces,seatingupto235delegates,and
state-of-the-art meeting facilities which include
freehighspeedinternetandthelatestaudio-visual
equipment.Thishotelprovidesforbothbusiness
andleisure.
131 > 131 >
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.
Shopwithfullwallets
Notonlyisthehotelasuccessinitself,but,equally
important,theretailarcade,withinthehotelcom-
plex,hasproventobeasuccessasahighendbrand
initsownright.
The shopping arcade, consisting of stores that
rangefromexclusivecofeeshopstohighendlux-
urygoodsstores,isacrucialaspectofthewhole
architectural design. Like the hotel, the arcade
wasalsodesignedwiththetrainthemeinmind.
Theentranceoftheshopssitsdirectlyopposite
theroadfromthestation,andassuch,thehigh
endstoreshadtoappealtointernationaltravel-
lerswhowantedtoshopinahurry.Fundamental-
ly,theshoppingspace,intermsofdesign,hadto
echothatofthehoteltocreateacohesivewhole.
GuestscannowshopwithfullwalletsusingATMs,
withinthehotel,suppliedbyATMSOLUTIONS,the
proudpreferredATMsupplierofchoice.Moreand
moreSouthAfricanhotelsandhospitalitygroups
are installing ATMS due to the safe, convenient
andinstantaccesstocashtheyprovidefortheho-
telsguests.Asidefromtheconvenienceofcash,
their ATMs add value to any location, like the
Radisson,astheyaredesignedandmanufactured
tobevisuallyappealing.ATMSolutions,leadersin
ATM operation and deployment, installs bank
brandedATMSforeightofSouthernAfricaslarg-
estbanksandhasbeenintheindustryforoverten
years deploying over 4000 of-premise ATMs to
date,whicharesupportedthroughadedicatednet-
workofservicecentresandtechniciansthrough-
outtheregion.
132 > 132 >
Easyreach
Apartfromthesefantasticamenities,thehotels
primelocation,situatedonRivoniaRoad,allows
gueststoenjoyvisitingSandtonCity,multinational
corporations,NelsonMandelaSquare,theSandton
InternationalConventionCentre,GautrainStation,
variousshoppingupmarketshoppingmallsandthe
JohannesburgStockExchange,allofwhicharein
walkingdistance.
Inaddition,departingfromtheO.R.TamboInter-
national Airport and travelling by Gautrain at
speedsofupto160km/h,visitorstotheRadisson
BluGautrainHotelwilltakeonly15minutesfrom
theairporttoreachthehotelsdoorstep.Thisis
anotherfactorthatmakesthehoteluniquefrom
anyotherhotelwiththehotelgroup.
YesIcan!
AspartoftheRezidorHotelGroup,gueststothe
RadissonBluGautrainHotelnotonlyenjoyallthat
thehotelhastooferarchitecturally,buttheyare
alsoassuredofimpeccabletreatmentandatten-
tionbasedontheGroupsworldwideYes,Ican!
serviceexcellencephilosophy.
133 > 133 >
YesICan!,theserviceculturethathasbecomea
wayoflifetothosethatworkthere,hasbuiltserv-
iceexcellencewithintheRezidorHotelGroupand
has been proven to successfully contribute to a
proactive, creative service performance and to
higherguestsatisfaction.ThismakesRadisson,in
termsofitsservice,diferentfromanyotherhotel.
AsJespermentioned:YesICan!embodiesthevi-
sionandphilosophyofRadissonSASbeingthe
cornerstoneofthehotelscommitmenttobuilding
one-on-onerelationshipswithourguestsandaper-
sonaluniqueserviceapproach.TheH.E.A.R.T.of
RadissonSASunderlinestheapproachthatitall
comesfrompositiveattitudeandfromtheheart
beingtheabbreviationfor'Host,Engaged,Always,
ResponsibilityandTeamwork.Allinall,thehotel
ofersexcellence,bothinthespheresofexcellence
andinarchitecture.
Whenconsideringtheresponsefromguestswho
havestayedatthehotel,Jesperconcludes:There
hasbeenapositiveresponsefromguestswhofnd
thenewageaccommodationvibrant;thelocation
convenientandtheservicetobeexcellent,ofwhich
weprideourselvesfor.<
216MariaVafadisdesigned
contemporaryrooms,with
breathtakingviewsofSandton
areavailable.
134 > 134 >
135 > 135 >
AFGRIHEADOFFICE
Architecturethatfoats
By Stacey Rowan
WhenitcomestotheAFGRIHeadOfce,thearchitectsParagonArchitectscan
beseenasmagicians.Theyhavewavedtheirarchitecturalwandandhavedefed
gravity,creatingabuildingthatholdstheillusionoflevitation.Withitsstarkwhite
contrastingcolourandlargeglasscurtainwalls,theAFGRIheadofceisanim-
maculatefoatingapparition.
136 > 136 >
LEFT:Thebasementlevels
andfourofcelevelsareall
supportedbycolumns.
RIGHT:Asanimmaculate
foatingapparition,the
buildingholdstheillusionof
levitation.
137 > 137 >
WhenitcomestotheAFGRIHeadOfce,thearchi-
tectsParagonArchitectscanbeseenasmagicians.
Theyhavewavedtheirarchitecturalwandandhave
defedgravity,creatingabuildingthatholdsthe
illusionoflevitation.Withitsstarkwhitecontrast-
ingcolourandlargeglasscurtainwalls,theAFGRI
headofceisanimmaculatefoatingapparition.
LocatedbetweentheJohnVosterandBothaAvenue
of-rampsinCenturion,theAFGRIheadofce,the
frstbuildinginafutureofceparkcomplex,isnes-
tlednexttotheN1highway.Asthesiteisvisible
fromthehighway,this,fortheclient,gaverisetoan
opportunity.Withtheenvironmentbeingthebig-
gestinfuenceofdesign,thiswasachancetoshow-
case an image of a forward-thinking company,
throughthevisiblearchitectureofthebuilding.
Thebrief,fromM&TDevelopment,wastodesign
abuildingthatwouldtakefulladvantageoftheex-
posuretothehighway,whilemaintainingmorepri-
vateexternalseatingandlandscapedareas.Thebuild-
ingwedesignedturnsitslouveredNorthfaade
towardsthehighwayitisstrikingandsculptural.
Thecurvedlouversseemtofowwiththemovement
ofthetrafc,whilescreeningtheoccupantsinthe
buildingfromthenoiseandanydirectsunlight.Pri-
vateseatingareaswerealsocreatedontheSouth
sideofthebuilding,takingfulladvantageofthe
wetlandarea,saysEstelleMeiring,Projectarchi-
tect&associate,ParagonArchitects.
AFRGIHeadOfcecomprisestwosquare-shaped
basementlevelsandfourofcelevels,allsupported
bycolumns.Thebasementisdedicatedtoparking
andefectivelyliftsthelevelsofofcespaceofthe
site.Pushingthebasementoutofthegroundmeant
thatthegroundlevelhadtoberaisedhigherthan
theusualofcefoor,whichinefect,madeitex-
tremelylight.Thelightnesswasachievedbyweaving
curvedglasswallsalongtheslab.Theglassitself
onlyhasfns,ratherthananaluminumstructure,
whichwouldhaveweighedthefaadedown.
Post-tensionedslabsfromthefrstfoortorooflevel
wereused.Concreteslabswerecastaspost-ten-
sionedstructuresinordertospeeduptheconstruc-
tion process. Conventional slabs were however
138 >
139 > 139 >
usedonthegroundlevelandforthebasements.
Thegablewallswerethenconstructedasinsitu
concretestructuresandthecurtainwallsinstalled
ontheedgesoftheslab.Thedesignofthesupport
workforeachcompletedwallslabwasmostcritical
forsuccessfulconstructionofthegablesandhadto
bespecifcallyengineered.Theengineersdesigned
thesupportworkfor2m-highwetconcretewithall
theweightiftheshutteringandrebar.Aplatform
wasbuiltfromthegroundfoortothebeginningof
thewallbeingcast.Supportworkisthenerected
fromtheplatformuptothecurvedshuttering.As
eachnewsectionofthewalliscast,itjutsoutfurther
overtheplatform.Thesupportworkisthenshifted
andrealignedtosupportthenextwallslabuntilit
cures.Thisprocessisrepeatedsixtimesperwall.The
gablewalls,topandbottomslabedgeandsoft,
werethencladdedinwhitebrokentiles.Thisbroken
ceramictilefacing,knownasazelejos quebrados,was
madepopularagainbySantiagoCalatravainrecent
years.Thebrokentilecladdingthatwasusedis,we
believe,afrstinSouthAfricaandweareverypleased
withtheoutcome.
Theatrium,atthecentreofthekappa-shapedstruc-
ture,housestheliftandthetoiletcore.Twopavil-
ionsofofces,joinedatthehipandsetatarakish
angle,arecocoonedinacurvaceousconcreteskin.
Theysitabovethelifestylezonespreadontheground
foor.Theglasslinefollowsadiferenttuneofits
own,shieldingcompressedandexpandingspaces
fromthesun,weatherandnoise.Wheretheglassskin
istooindecentlyexposedtothesun,acurvaceous
secondskinoflaser-cutshimmeringaluminumlou-
vers,tailoredtosuit,coversthedenudeareas.
Thebuilding,initsdesign,isstrikingandsculptural.
140 > 140 >
Allthematerialsthatwereusedarestandardand
readilyavailable,however,theywereusedininnova-
tiveways.Ittooklotsoffaithfromtheclient,lotsof
planningfromthemainbuildingcontractor,lotsof
inspectionandfeedbacktimeforusonsiteand,lastly
butmostimportantly,averyskilledanddedicatedtiling
subcontractor,addsEstelle.
Consideringthecolourpaletteused,externallyand
internally,Estelleexplains:theexternalcolourswere
keptsimple.Thecurtainwallshaveadarkgreyappear-
ance,duetotheperformanceglassused,andtheshells
arecoveredincrispwhitetiles.Theinternalcolours
LEFT:Anexternalviewofthe
buildingatnight.
CENTRE:Wheretheglassskinis
tooindecentlyexposedtothe
sun,acurvaceoussecondskinof
laser-cutshimmeringaluminum
louvers,tailoredtosuit,covers
thedenudeareas.
RIGHT:Twopavilionsofofces,
joinedatthehipandsetata
rakishangle,arecocoonedina
curvaceousconcreteskin.
141 > 141 >
werealso,ingeneral,quitesimple,withflashes
ofcolourtogiveinterest.
Itisthroughtheuseofallthesematerials,thecol-
ourpaletteandtheimplementationofthediferent
designelementsthatmakesforanutterlyunusual
Paragon-designedbuilding,whichboastsanoverall
foatingefect.Leaningtothemoresculpturalside
ofBrazilianModernism,thebuildingsdistinctive
silhouettehasalreadymadewavesinthearchitec-
turalindustry.
Obstaclesovercome
Afterageographicalinvestigationofthesite,the
teamrealizedthatpiling,insteadofaconventional
raftfoundation,hadtobeusedduetothedolomitic
conditions.Thesoilconditionsmeantthatwehad
touseaspecialtypeofpileincertainareasandthis
causedquitealargedelaytothestartoftheproject,
says Estelle. When discussing other challenges,
shecomments:TheEastandWestinsituconcrete
shellswerealsoquiteachallenge,bothstructurally
andfromabuildingcontractorspointofview.The
constructionofthescafoldingalonewasquitea
processanditendeduplookingverymuchlikeaskate
boardinghalfpipe.
142 >
143 > 143 >
Thediferencebetweenmediocre
andgreat
Althoughthebuildingisownedanddevelopedby
M&TDevelopment,thebuildingwasalsodesigned
according to AFGRIs requirements. In terms on
designingforanofce,onethingthatdistinguishes
betweenamediocreofcebuildingandagreatone,
ishowusabletheofceplatesare;howmanypeople
canbecomfortablyfttedontooneplate,saysEs-
telle.Shecontinues:Weachievedahighlyefcient
platebyplacingthebathroomcoreandliftsinthe
atriumspace,linkedwithbridgesfromthetwoofce
plates.Anotherfactortoconsiderwhendesigning
foranofceisgoodcommunication.AsEstelleex-
plains,peoplefromdiferentdepartmentsneedto
beabletoreacheachotherwithoutpassingthrough
longcorridors.Thiswasachievedbythecentral
atrium,withitslinkbridges,allowingnaturallightto
flterintothefoorplates,whilecreatingacovered
linkbetweenthediferentareas.Whendesigning
foranydevelopment,thepurposeofthebuildingand
itsfuturefunctiontakestoppriorityintermsof
thelistofthingstokeepinmind.AFGRIiswell
suitedtoitsfunction.Wehavecreatedabuilding
flledwithnaturallight,thatfeelsspaciousandin-
viting and offers a lot of lifestyle components,
whilestillretainingprivacyandquietnesswhere
needed,saysEstelle.Fulfllingitspurposeasawork
environment,thebuildingalsohasabasementpark-
ing,canteenareawithinternalandexternalseating,
meetingroomsandtrainingrooms.
WhenitcomestoAFRGIheadofce,thereisnocom-
parison.WhatmakesAFGRIinteresting,accordingto
Estelle,isthatithasanaestheticthatcannotbe
comparedtoanythingelsebuiltinSouthAfricaupto
now.Wereallyenjoythefactthatthegeneralpublic
seemstobenoticinganddiscussingthebuilding;eve-
ryonehasanopinionaboutit,concludesEstelle. <
Theatrium,atthecentreofthekappa-shapedstructure,housestheliftandthetoiletcore.
144 >
Waverley
OfficePark:
Neo-African
iconography
144 >
By Stacey Rowan
145 > 145 >
Withtheexpectationsofbecomingoneofthe
mostprominentofceparkdevelopmentsinthe
Southern Sandton area, the Waverley Office
Pwarkneededanarchitecturalimagethatwas
suitableforadevelopmentofthisnatureina
21stcenturyGautengenvironment.Thatarchi-
tecturalimagewouldarisefromNeo-African
iconography.
146 > 146 >
TheiconographychosenforWaverleyOfcePark,
whileittakesitsinspirationfrominternationalde-
velopments of this kind, is to be distinctly neo-
African.Itishopedthatthecombinationoftheele-
ments,coloursandmaterialsusedandtheoverall
design(thatrefectsanemergingAfricanesquear-
chitecture)willinsomewayinspirethewayforward
in the quest for something truly architecturally
SouthAfrican.
WaverleyOfceParkisdevelopedbyNewOrder
Investments,ajointventurebetweenpropertyde-
velopersandinvestorsVlaming(Pty)Limited,Devcon
Projects (Pty) Limited and Top-Flite Properties
(Pty)Limited.
DesignedbyMessarisWapenaarPartnershipCon-
sultingArchitects,alongmodernbuildingprinci-
ples, thevisionforWaverleyOfceParkwasto
createavisuallystrikingbuildingwithlayersand
depththatensuresapositiveworkenvironment
whichmaximiseson,andfuseswith,thepositive
elementsofthesiteandsurroundings,blending
withtheoutdoorelements.
Thelandmarkofceparkfeaturesavisuallyspec-
tacularduoofsymmetricalofceblocks,linkedby
anarch,whichisalsothefocalpointofthedevel-
opment.Thearch,whichistiledwithhigh-grade
porcelaintiles,servesasawelcominganddirec-
tional element to visitors, who enter the ofce
147 > 147 >
parkthroughanunder-statedgatehouse.Tocom-
plimentthetiledarch,thebaseofthebuildinghas
alsobeentiledwithhighgradeporcelaintiles,cre-
atingaheavybase.
Onceinthepark,thebuildingssurroundaboule-
vard, creating an internalised park-like environ-
ment. In this environment the architectural ele-
ments,whilecloselymatchingthoseoftheexternal
ones,arebroughtdowntoamorehumanscale.
Thehorse-shoeshapedbuildingswithinthedevel-
opmenthaveacurvedoutershellinlayerspaying
respecttothosedevelopmentsofarchitectslike
RenzoPianoandthelike.Thebuildingachievesa
slick and modern feel through the use of these
curvedlayers,whicharesetofagainstthecrisp
sharpnessofthefullheightglazingofthecorners.
Aglazedcurtainwallontheoutsideofthebuild-
ing also helps to achieve this slick and modern
feel.
Inaddition,thebuildingshavebeendesignedusing
cavitywallconstructionanddeepsetnarrowfenes-
tration on the majority of the elevations to ad-
dresstheAfricanclimate.Thishastheefectof
dramaticallyreducingtheclimatecontrolrequired
in the buildings, and consequently contributing
enormouslytotheenvironmentalconsiderations
surrounding the development. The West facing
148 >
ofsuburbiatookthedevelopersagreatdealof
timeandefort,asdidthetownplanning.

Consideringtheenduser
WhendevelopingWaverleyOfcePark,thede-
signofthefnalproductwasconstantlychang-
ing,notonlytomeetthechangingextentof
thepark,andphasingofthetownplanning,but
faadeshavesunscreens,whichdoubleupassig-
nagesupportforthefreeway.
Thematerialsusedfortheconstructionarelocal,and
asenvironmentallyfriendlyasispossibleinthecon-
textofadevelopmentofthisnature.Althoughthe
developersanddesignersdeliberatelysteeredaway
fromplasticsandanynoxioustypesofmaterialfor
theproject,itwasuptotheenduserstodecidehow
fartheywerepreparedtogotopursuetheenviron-
mentalconsiderations,whichthedesignhasiniti-
ated.Thedevelopersalsorecommendedtheomis-
sionofgeysersfromthisprojectaltogether,however,
thechoicelaywiththeuser,astowhethertheyare
preparedtogowithrecommendationsofthisnature,
andastohowtheyultimatelyliveinthebuildings
intermsofwastemanagementandthelike.
Technicallytheprojectusestraditionalconcrete
frameconstruction,withbrickinfll,aluminiumwin-
dowsandsheetmetalroofng.Thedevelopersusu-
allyapproachnewtechnologies,usedwithindifer-
entprojects,withadegreeofcaution,untiltheyare
provenoveraperiodoftime.Thisparkwasnoexcep-
tion.Thebuildingmethodsandmaterialsarechosen
toinsurethelongevityofthebuildingswithinthepark.
Apartfromtheexterior,afterconsultingwithin-
teriordesigners,itwasdecidedthattheinterior
shouldfeatureaneutralpaletteandbackground
withfocalareas.Highgradefnisheswereincor-
porated,andnowsetthetonefortherestofthe
development
Overall,thechallengeintheplanningofthisparticu-
larofceparklayinthefactthattheprecinctconsists
ofblocksofsuburbia.Theconsolidationoftheseblocks
149 >
also the specific needs of the end users of each
building.Thiswasdone,whilstretainingtheinteg-
rityoftheoriginalconceptforthepark.
Whenbuildinganydevelopment,theendusermust
alwaysbeconsideredinthiscase,theofceten-
ants,likethepersonneloftheGautengGambling
BoardHeadOfce.Primeofcespaceisstillavail-
ablefortenantswhorequireareasrangingfrom
250sqmupto2400sqm.
Locatedinabusynode,variouselementswerein-
corporatedintothedesigntoabsorbanddefect
noisewithoutafectingthetenants.Inthisway,the
buildingactsasatransitionzonebetweenthebus-
tlinghighwayandleafyresidentialzone.Curved
walls,layersontheoutsideofthebuildingandwin-
dows are strategically placed to help eliminate
noisedistraction,creatingapeacefulworkingenvi-
ronment.Thehorse-shoeshapedesignofthebuild-
ing, which creates an enclave, also helps create
150 >
morenaturalsetting,saysJanVlaming,Vlaming
(Pty)Ltd.
WiththesitehavingcloseproximitytotheM1
highway,MelroseArchandwithexcellentvis-
ibilityaccessibilityfromCorlettDrive,thisof-
fers corporate tenants maximum benefits
fromthegreathighwayfrontage,maximising
on its location in a busy node and creating
depthofseparationfrombusystreetsandinter-
sectionstocreatealevelofprivacyfortheofce
tenants. Corner windows allow beautiful scenic
viewsofsurroundingparks,aswellastheenergy
pointofCorlettDrive,whichcreatesacomforta-
bleworkenvironment.
Apartfromthemeasuresundertakentocreatea
harmoniousandwelldesignedindoorofcespace,
thedevelopersalsoconcentratedontheoutdoors,
inordertocreateawell-roundedofceparkforall
who work at the park. Waverley features green
outdoorspaces,withindigenoustreesfortenants
toenjoyandrelaxin.Terracesthatappearonthe
groundandlowergroundfoorhelptenantstoin-
teractwiththeoutdoorspaceslocatedwithinthe
ofcepark.Inaddition,acofeeshopisalsoavail-
ableforpersonnel.
Toaddtothenature-likeatmosphereoftheofce
park,apondwascreatedwithinthedevelopment
asameansofattenuatingstormwater.Although
theattenuationofstormwaterwasfrstseenasa
challenge,thepondnowofersanopportunityto
createanareathatwillenhancetheoutdoorspace
oftheofcepark,beneftingthetenants.
Designedtofourish
inurbannode
PerchedinprimepositiononthecornerofCorlett
DriveandtheM1Highway,theparkiscentrallylo-
catedbetweenthehighwayandsurroundingresi-
dentialareas,creatingaspacethatdrawsfrom
theenergeticnodewhisthavingthepleasureofa
151 > 151 >
brandingopportunities.Withthisinmind,value
underpinstheWaverleyofcePark.
Everyelementofitssurroundingsandthemaximisa-
tionofopportunitiesweretakenintoaccountwhen
theofceparkwasdesigned,saysVlaming.Waver-
leyOfceParkwillofertheperfectenvironmentfor
aharmoniousandproductiveworkplace,whilststill
oferingadynamiclocationclosetoallamenities.<
152 >
153 > 153 >
15ALICELANETOWERS:
Raisingthebarincorporate
headofcedesign
By Stacey Rowan | Thebarhasbeenraisedincorporateheadofcedesignin
SouthAfrica,withthecompletionofthe15AliceLaneTowers,memorableforits
iconicbuildingformcomposedoftwocurvaceoustowersandaglassandaluminium
faade.Notonlyhavethestandardsofdesignbeenraised,but,asahigh-risebuild-
ing,thisdevelopmenthasalsoredefnedandreshapedtheskylineofmetropolitan
Johannesburg.
154 >
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Tough enough?
155 > 155 >
Completedinlate2010,15AliceLaneTowersnow
providesultra-desirableheadofcespaceforthe
newoccupants,DeneysReitzAttorneys.Designedby
AnthonyOrelowitz,RajPatelandAndrewButcher,
fromParagonArchitects,forco-developersZenprop
HoldingsandTiberProjects,theofcetowerisan
exceptional high-profle addition to the area of
Sandton.
Setatopasix-storeyparkingbasementstructure,
thetwotowersrise17storeysintotheSandtonsky.
LocatedatthewesternedgeoftheSandtonCentral
acropolis-like setting, the buildings silhouette,
and curved faade, is at its most striking when
seen across the lush forests of Johannesburgs
north-westernsuburbs.
156 >
157 >
Theglass-andaluminium-cladtowersarelinkedby
adramaticcanyon-like,verticalatriumspacethat
isonlysixmetreswideatitsnarrowestpoint.Each
tower has glazed wings which cantilever 2.5 m
pasttheirgableends.Northandsouthfacadesare
wrappedinahighlypatternedskinofseemingly
randompanesofclear,darkgrey,andwhitetrans-
lucentglass.Theresultingefectisoneofascale-
lessbuilding,inwhichitisalmostimpossibleto
gauge the number of floors. East and West fa-
cadesareconstructedtoexcludedirectsun,with
sculpturalhand-formedwarmmetallic-coloured
aluminiumboxessetarounddeeplyincisedglass
lines.
Walkwaysandbridgesspiralupwardsandarear-
rangedinafan-likepattern,whichcreateadramatic
internal environment. These walkways connect
thetwotowersbelowanatriumroofwithvoluptu-
ousfunnel-likeskylights.Internally,thelobbyof-
fershighceilingsandgenerousvolumestocreate
asenseofopulenceonentry,andextendsintothe
manyfoorsofpremierofcespace.Theinterior
ft-outforDeneysReitzwasundertakenbyParagon
157 >

Main Contractors
(Tel): 011 430 7700
(Fax): 086 502 2404
tiber@tiber.co.za
12 Desmond Street
Kramerville
Sandton

15 ALICE LANE TOWERS
159 > 159 >
Interface,thespaceplanningandinteriorft-out
businessintheParagonGroup.MarilizevanDyk,
Kirsty Schoombie and Leanie Roestorf made up
theParagonInterfaceteam.
Viewedfromallangles,thebuildingpresentsahighly
patternedandhighlyabstractedsurfaceofarchitec-
turalelementsthatchangeconstantlywiththechang-
ingtimeandatmosphereoftheday.Low-energyglass
andbasicrulesoforientationandcommon-sense
detailingassistedinminimisingenergyusage,to-
getherwithcontrolandbuildingmanagementsys-
temsthatarenowbecomingindustrystandards
amongstresponsibledevelopersandtenants.
Occupantsrequirements
Withtheleadinglawfrmsexistingpremisesno
longer big enough for its expanding business,
DeneysReitzneededtomovetoalargerbuilding.
Anumberofcompaniesproposedtheirdevelop-
mentstoDeneysReitzAttorneysandultimately
Zenpropwasselectedfortheirabilitytodeliverto
thepracticesspecifcrequirementsanddosoat
anappropriatemarketrental.
TherequirementssoughtbyDeneysReitzwere
precise:theefciencyandenvironmentalfriendli-
nessofthebuilding,qualityofspaceandfacilities
160 >
site
Tel: +27 (0)12 667 2780
Fax:+27 (0)12 667 4104
info@insitegroup.co.za
www.insitegroup.co.za
Head Office (Centurion)
96 Koranna Ave
Doringkloof, 0157
161 >
forstafandclients,andtobelocatedwithinthe
Sandtonlocation.WithsevenofSouthAfricasmajor
lawfrmsalllocatedwithinakilometreofeachother
within the Sandton Central node, the attorneys
wantedtostaywithinthisareawhichhasbecome
thecentralfnancialandlegaldistrictofJohannes-
burg.
Thebuildingoferstherequisiteinfrastructurein
termsoffunctionalofcescomplementedbyad-
equate consulting rooms and an auditorium to
hostseminars.
AliceLaneOfceTowersalsomeetsthepractices
needforfutureexpansionoptionswithinthebuild-
ing.Withsome500stafmembersthebuildingof-
ferstheoccupantsthespacetheyrequire,withroom
tospareforfutureexpansion.
Iconicarchitectureand
environmentalimpact
15AliceLaneisnotonlyiconicinitsdesign,butit
isalsopushestheboundariesintheenvironmental
principles that were used during construction.
Carefulthoughtandenvironmentalconsideration
wasgiventoeveryelementofthebuildingfrom
itspositionintheheartofAfricasmostvibrantand
prestigiousbusinesshub,tothebuildingsenergy
footprint.
Materialselection,theplacementofthebuilding
itselfandattentiontodetailwereusedtoachieve
the best possible energy performance for this
high-risecommercialproperty.Boththeeastern
andwesternfacadesarethermallyinsulatedwith
161 >
162 > 162 >
punchedwindowstoreduceglazedareas;andthe
northernandsouthernfacadesaredouble-glazed
tocutenergycosts.Thedesignensuresthattheend
wingsofthenorthernandsouthernfaadesare
shadedwithblindstoreducetheheatload.The
buildingsgreennatureishighlightedbyitsloca-
tioninanextensivegreen-scapesurroundedby
refectivepondsandwaterelements.
Glassprintingtechnology
Theprojectusesglassprintingtechnologynewto
SouthAfrica,andinnovativefacadeassemblytech-
niquesthatminimisescafoldingcostsandensure
thatmoreofthebuildingcostendsupinthebuilt
product,andlessinthebuildingprocessitself.
GlassSouthAfrica(GSA)suppliedtheglassfrom
thenewGraphixArtrange.Variousglasstypeswere
used which included 24mm Insulvue; double
glazingcomprisingEclipseAdvantageGreywithand
withoutastripe;ArmourplateEclipseAdvantage
Grey6mmToughenedSafetyGlass;complement-
ing Armourplate single glazing comprising
EclipseAdvantageGreyand6mmArmourplate
clear;ArmourscreenLowIron6mmToughened
SafetyGlass.Thiswasthefrstmajorinstallation
oftheGraphixArtrangeofglassinanarchitec-
turalproject.TheglasswasmanufacturedatAd-
vanceArmourGlassinIsando.
Qualityclaybrickproduction
15AliceLaneTowersisoneofthelatesthigh-pro-
fle,high-risestructureswhereOconbricksleader-
shipinqualityclaybrickproductionwasharnessed.
Morethan1500000Oconbrickclaystockbricks
wererolledontotheSandtonsitesinceconstruc-
tionbegan.Thefrstdeliverywason1April2009,
163 > 163 >
andthelasttruckloadfromthecompanysMeyer-
tonplantunloadedon4November2010.Through
the18-monthconstructionperiod,prioritydeliver-
ies to building contractor, Tiber Bonvec, were
doneregularlyandmetdeadlines.
15AliceLaneTowerswasone,amongstmany,of
Oconbricksproductionanddeliverychallenges,at
atimewhennewcorporateheadquarters,hotels,
shoppingmallsandbusinesscomplexeswererising
abovethecityhorizon.
Largeclaystockbrickordershaveincluded2-million
bricksforABSATowers,thebanksnewthree-block
AfricacorporateheadquartersincentralJohan-
nesburg,androughlythesamequantitywasre-
quiredforconstructionworkatTheZonecommer-
cial and shopping centre in Rosebank. Other
importantprojectsaretheexpansionoftheHobart
RoadretailcentreinBryanston,andtheStation
PlacehotelandretailcomplexandProteaPlace
ofceblockinSandton,alsodesignedbyParagon
Architects.
These are all high-profile corporate projects
whichcarryspecifcationsforbrickworkofequally
highquality,saysNicoKemp,operationsdirector,
Oconbrick.
AnotherbigorderforOconbrickhasbeen2.5-million
bricksforamosque,school,clinicandshopping
centreinMidrand.
Although the current downturn in the building
constructionindustryhasseenaslowingdemand
for bricks, Oconbrick is maintaining production
levelsthatcontinuetoensureof-the-shelfavail-
abilityofstock.
We understand that some clay brick suppliers
have been forced to scale back on production,
leadingtosomesupplyshortages,butOconbrick
Dcor Interior Contracts is the contractual division of
Dcor Wallcoverings, and have been involved with the
installation of wallcoverings for over 40 years.
We have built up a very strong, reliable association with
all the major construction, architectural, design and
project management companies throughout the country.
The following are just some of the major clientele and contracts
that we have been responsible for:
Dcor Wallcoverings is engaged in the
development, production and distribution of high
quality and well thought out wall coverings. We
are market leaders in the southern African contract
and hospitality market. Thanks to a varied and
comprehensive range of colours and designs, our
products greatly enhance the appearance of every
possible interior in the contract market.
Dcor stands for quality both in technology
and design. A variety of designs and durable
materials form the basis of our exclusive and
original collections. With this, we optimally
satisfy the aesthetic and functional requirements
of offices, hotels, financial institutions, and
corporates to name a few. Long lasting success
is characterised by our constant strive to present
the latest trends.
One of todays major trends is the advent of
digitally produced and printed wallpapers, which
make it theoretically possible to get anything you
want. Avant-garde art, ecological, wild and crazy
retro designs are some of the latest choices in
ART wallcoverings. At Dcor Wallcoverings we
offer a huge repertoire of great diversity, either
from existing collections or bespoke.
DCOR INTERIOR
CONTRACTS
Standard Bank Nationwide
Absa Nationwide
Liberty Life Corporate
Anglo American
Sheraton Hotel Group
Southern Sun
Intercontinental Hotel
Rosebank Hotel
Mount Grace Hotel
Radison Hotel Group
Momentum Life
Rand Merchant Bank
Microsoft
Sappi Head Quarters
Value Logistics
New Head Quarters South African Intelligence
The Hilton Hotel Johannesburg
Melrose Arch Hotel
Sandton City Refurbishments
Ellerines Group (6 brands)
Trevenna Business Park (Pretoria)
Waverley Ofce Park
Vodacom
MTN
Cell C
Nedcor
Lindsay Keller Attorneys
Werksman Attorneys
Nokia
Nashua Mobile
Our expertise in handling all types of
wallcoverings is second to none.
We are also proud of our BEE Status with a recognition rating level 3.
Head Ofce 201-205 President St, Johannesburg PO Box 1056, Johannesburg, 2000
Tel: +27 (0) 11 402 1960 Fax: +27 (0) 11 402 7674 E-mail: decorwp@global.co.za
Cape Town Wallpaper Inc., The Palms Centre, 145 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock
Tel: +27 (0) 21 465 6547 Fax: +27 (0) 21 465 1711 Cell: +27 (0) 82 920 4174
Pretoria Cell: +27 (0) 82 594 1594 Cell: +27 (0) 76 812 2164
Durban Linda-Lee Smith, 45 Claribel Rd, Morningside, Durban, 4001
Tel: +27 (0) 31 564 7775 Fax: +27 (0) 86 648 3591 Cell: +27 (0) 82 780 1368
Eastern Cape Windovert, 130 Paterson Rd, Northend, Port Elizabeth
Tel: +27 (0) 41 484 4670 Fax: +27 (0) 41 484 5981 Cell: +27 (0) 82 556 8895 Cell: +27 (0) 82 954 2743
www.decorwp.co.za
165 >
continues to have a healthy order book, says
Kemp.Eventhoughwearenotrunningatfullca-
pacity,wearewell-equippedtomeetallcurrent
andfuturedemandforbricks.
In addition to commercial and private develop-
mentsprojects,Oconbricksorderbooksidentify
infrastructuralprojectstootypicallyschools,uni-
versitybuildings,andotherpubliceducationalfacili-
tiesintheregion.
InvestinginJohannesburg
Thedevelopmentof15AliceLaneisacontinua-
tionofZenpropHoldingsandTiberProjectscom-
pany strategy to be invested in Sandton, South
Africaspremierofcenode.
Commissionedandbuiltentirelywithinthehard-
esteconomicrecessionthattheworldhasseen,
thisbuildingisastatementoffaithinthefutureof
Johannesburg,andameasureofwhatcanbeachieved
whenwell-integratedteamsmeetaroundsingular
challenges.Thebestdesignandmanagementskills
of all involved companies were focused on this
project,andexceptionalvalueandskillisembedded
inabuildingthatwouldhavebeendifculttobuild
atthiscostandwiththisleveloftechnicalambition
inamorepressurisedeconomicenvironment.<
165 >
166 > 166 >
Inarchitecture,especiallywhenitcomestoa
companysidentity,frstimpressionsareevery-
thing.Atfrstglance,thespaceorbuildingin
whichabusinessoccupiestellsalotaboutthe
businessitselfandthepeoplethatworkwithin
it.OccupiedbyClifeDeckerHofmeyr,1Protea
Placeisaniconicstructurethatrefectsthelaw
frmsprogressivebrandidentity.
1 PROTEA PLACE
Refectingabrandsidentity
througharchitecture
By Stacey Rowan
167 > 167 >
PhotobyAndrweBell
168 > 168 >
Although1ProteaPlacewasdesignedpredominantly
forlongtermvalueforthedeveloperZenprop,the
needsofClifeDeckerHofmeyrwerealsoamajor
designconsideration.Asaresult,thebuildingnow
providesthebestpossiblesolutiontothetenants
specifcrequirements.Theintentionofthedesign
teamwastodeliveracontemporarybuildingwith
crisp,cleanlines,forbothparties,saysKorinaHolley,
projectarchitect,ParagonArchitects.
1ProteaPlaceconsistsofsevenparkinglevels,of
whichfveareunderground,andnineofcelevels
whichriseabovethevisibleparkingpodium.The
basicfootprintofthebuildingiscomposedoftwo
towers enclosing a central atrium, set atop the
heavierbaseoftheparkinglevels.Thecentralatrium
haseastandwestfacingglasswalls.Theeastern
atriumwallopensupoverawaterfeature,allowing
pedestrianstoenterthebuildingbycrossingthe
water surface. Korina continues: The internal
atriumadmitsgenerousamountsofnaturallight
intothebuildinganditsofceplatesandprovides
activeawarenessofboththeinteriorandexterior
environmentsofthebuilding.Thus,averyopen
andairyfeeliscreatedwithintheofces.Theatrium
wallofthesoutherntowerrakesouttowardsthe
centreoftheatrium,andaddsadramaticefectto
the otherwise rational composition of the two
towers.Stripskylightsintheatriumroofprovide
aneverchangingplayoflightwithintheatrium
volume. The two towers are connected by link
bridges spanning across the atrium space. The
towersarecoveredbyalargefoatingroofthat
soarsovertheeasternentrancefaade,explains
Korina.Thewestfaadeofthenorthtowerand
theeastfaadeofthesouthtowerformacombi-
nationofthelightsee-throughglazedfacesand
Itsprominentshapemakes1ProteaPlace
oneofthemosticonicstructuresinSandton.
PhotobyAndrweBell.
169 > 169 >
thesolidM1,andconcrete,elements.Accordingto
Korina,thesolidstripsarerandomlyinterspersed
withverticalstripwindowssettingupadynamic
relationshipbetweentheelements.Thematerial
choiceforthesolidstripsonthewestfaadeof
thenorthtowerandtheeastfaadeofthesouth
towerwentthroughalongdevelopmentprocess
butourchoiceofmaterialendedupbeingapanel
madeupofM1,anorganiccompositematerialcon-
sistingofamineralcrystalbaseandawater-based
acrylicresin.Thefoorsandcolumnsarecastcon-
creteandthefaadecomprisesofglassandM1
panelsinacurtainwallsystem.
Theprimarymassingofthebuildingisarticulated
throughtheuseofalimitedmaterialpalettegiving
dueprominencetothesculpturalefectsofthe
architecture.Thefacadesareshapedaccordingto
theirorientationandfunctionasanintegralpart
ofthebuilding.Themainformofthebuildingislight
andglazed,contradictedbyasolidsculpturalof-
shutterconcretetowerintheSouthWest.Toen-
hance the sculptural massing of the building,
glazedfacadesareexpressedasonemasswithas
littlediferentiationbetweenthevisionandspan-
drelpanelaspossible.Beingexposed,theglass
has to comply with strict performance figures.
Thusthechoiceofglazingbecameaveryimpor-
tantdecisionandthefnalchoiceofabluegreylow
eglassbyGuardianwasbasedonmanystringent
criteria,saysKorina.
AnewwayofapplyingM1
afrstinSA
M1wasusedasaunitisedfaadecladdingelement
onthe1ProteaPlacedevelopment.Thisisthefrst
timeinSouthAfricawherethismaterialhasbeen
usedinthisapplication,saysKorina.
170 > 170 >
Shecontinues:Thelightnessandversatilityof-
feredbytheM1materialmakesitanidealfaade
claddingmaterial.Thepre-mouldedM1panelsare
fixed into the unitised faade cladding system,
purelyasadecorativeelement.
M1hasmanyuniquepropertiescontributingtoits
strength,durability,weighttostrengthratio,non-
toxicity, ease of manufacture and its ability to
comply with the test requirements of the con-
structionindustry,specifcallythoseinregardto
performance in fire and under impact. Another
beneftisitslowtoxicitybothinitscomponent
partsandinitsmanufacturingprocess,makingita
greener product than most conventional clad-
dingmaterials.
TheglassandM1panelsareever-changingintheir
appearance,dependingonthelightangleandevery
facadehasauniquefeaturemakingitaninteresting
structureviewedfromalldirections.
171 > 171 >
Theactualmaterialhasbeenusedquiteexten-
sivelyaroundthecountryintheformofmouldings
forcasinosaswellasforsculpturalpurposes.We
arethusassuredofitsperformanceandabilityto
withstandweathering.Botharchitectsanddevel-
opersareveryexcitedabouttheproductasany
shape or material can be emulated by theM1
whichopensupalotofdesignopportunitiesforthe
future.Duetoitssuperiorqualityandmoreenvi-
ronmentally friendly quality to glass reinforced
concrete(GRC),themanufacturersareexpecting
M1toreplacemostGRCapplicationsusedexten-
sively in tall buildings around the world, adds
Korina.
Designingforofces
Designinganofcespaceisdiferenttodesigninga
shoppingmallorhotel.Oneneedstoconsiderthe
functionofthespaceandhowthebuildingwillbe
wellsuitedtoitspurpose.Asoneofthetenants
requirements,thefoorsfortheofcebuilding,
andtheshapeoftheofceplates,neededtobe
designedtoprovidethetenantwithfexible,and
efcient,spaceplanningintermsofcombiningcel-
lularofcesandopenplanseating.Thisisachieved
byhavinglargeopenspansbetweencolumnsand
providingfexibleglazingmodulesforcellularof-
fceconfgurations.Serviceco-ordinationbetween
alltheelectricalandmechanicalrequirementsin
anofcebuildingisamajorpartinthedesignand
oftenhasdesignimplications,saysKorina.
173 > 173 >
Notonlydoesthefexiblespaceplanningand
service co-ordination aide in creating a good
workingenvironmentfortheemployees,butother
facilitieswithinthebuilding,alsocontributeto
ahappyworkforce.Employeescaneatatthe
canteenwhichopensupintoacommoninternal
atriumspaceandexternaldeckortheycanen-
joyadrinkafteraharddaysworkontheeighth
foorbar,whichopensupontoanexternalbal-
cony.Meetingrooms,amongstotherfacilities
provided,arealsoavailable.
Asplashofnaturalcolour
Theinteriorpalettehasbeenchosencarefully
to add warmth to the environment. Natural
coloursandmaterialsinthetiles,timberwall
claddinganddetailsareofsetagainsttheclean
glazedlinesoftheatrium.Thecloserelation-
shipbetweenthearchitectureandtheinterior
fnishingiscarriedthroughtothedetailing,fur-
nishing,fttingsandartworks,tocreateaseam-
lesswholewithcarefullychosenpointsofdra-
ma and interest. The internal palette of
materialsiscorporateyetwarmandnon-clinical
incontrasttothecleanmodernexteriorofthe
building, reflecting the tenants progressive
identity,explainsKorina.
Theexteriorpaletteisgreybasedwiththedark
grey M1 panels, the off-shutter wall and the
bluegreyglassontheremainderofthefaades.
Dedicationovercomes
challenges
Theprocessofbuildingadevelopmentalways
comeswithitschallenges,andresultingsolu-
tions.Thesitebeingsotightprovidedmany
Theexteriorpaletteisgreybasedwiththedarkgrey
M1panels,theof-shutterwallandthebluegreyglass
ontheremainderofthefaades.
174 > 174 >
challenges.Therestrictedaccessandmovement
ofmaterialsintoandoutofthesitewasadeter-
mining limiting factor in the construction se-
quenceoftheundergroundportionsofthebuild-
ing.Thisprogrammingandsequencingdecision
hadanextensiveimpactonthesequenceofarchi-
tecturalandotherdesignwork.Theverytightpro-
grammewasanotherchallengeMurrayandRob-
erts had one and a half years to complete the
building.Thebuildingwascompletedontimedueto
averydedicatedsiteteamandawellorganised
programme,saysKorina.
Location,Location,Location
Occupying a prominent site in Sandton, the re-
quired16000m
2
ofaccommodationhadtoftonto
averytightandrestrictivesite,whichprovedtobe
themostchallengingrequirementoftheclients
brief.Theshapeofthesitebecamethemaindesign
driverwithregardstodeterminingtheshapeof
thebuilding.Inordertoaccommodatetheneces-
sarysize,thebuildingsfootprintneededtotake
ontheshapeofthesitetomaximiseoncoverage.
Thedesignofthebuildinghassuccessfullyutilised
thesitetoitsfullextent,yetstillprovidesalotof
lightandgreenery.Theresultingbuildingappears
to be a self-evident planning solution, without
seeminglikeithasbeenforcedintoatightspace,
explainsKorina.
Goinggreen
Withlocalarchitecturaltrendsnowpointinginthe
greendirection,architectsonthe1ProteaPlace
alsocontributedtothegoinggreenmovement.
Thedesignteaminconjunctionwiththedeveloper,
whohadaninterestinthebuildingbeingdesigned
175 > 175 >
asgreenaspossible,haveendeavouredtoincor-
porateasmanygreenelementsintothebuildingas
werefnanciallyfeasible.Themainelementsincluded
solarhotwater(solarpanelsontheroofwillgen-
eratethebuildingshotwater);evaporativecool-
ingintheatriumtocontroltheairtemperatureand
theglasswhichwasusedextensivelyonthefaades
isaloweglasswithsomeofthebestperformance
fguresofanyloweglasstype.Otherwaysinwhich
wewentgreeninclude:thetopbasementlevels
being designed to allow for natural ventilation;
theofceplatesbeingdesignedtoallowasmuch
lightinandviewsoutaspossible;usingM1clad-
dingmaterialwhichhasalowtoxicitybothinits
componentpartsandinitsmanufacturingprocess;
occupancysensing;double-glazingtovisionpanels
androofinsulation,saysKorina.
Aninterestingstructure
Itsprominentshapeandmaterialpalettemakes
1ProteaPlaceoneofthemosticonicstructuresin
Sandton.TheglassandM1panelsareever-changing
intheirappearance,dependingonthelightangle
andeveryfaadehasauniquefeaturemakingitan
interestingstructureviewedfromalldirections,
concludesKorina.<
OccupyingaprominentsiteinSandton,therequired16000m
2
ofaccommodationhadtoftontoaverytight
andrestrictivesite.
176 >
120374
177 >
Rich aroma.
Refined taste.
Find your inspiration
178 >
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TOPLEFT:We changed Egypt.
TOPRIGHT:Our future to be.
BOTTOMLEFT:We made history.
BOTTOMRIGHT:People's revolution.
179 >
Therecentpopularuprisingandresultingdemo-
craticrevolutioninEgyptinspiredmanypeople
aroundtheworld.Manyvisualartistswhoswork
focusontheeverydaylivingconditionsintrans-
formingsocietieshaveactivelyparticipatedin
thehistoricalevensandthroughtheircreative
workensuredthatitwascapturedforgenera-
tionstocome.OnesuchartistisHossamHassan
whotooktothestreetsanddocumentedthe
tryingandtensemomentsoftherevolution.
Inspiredbyhisexhaustivedocumentationofthe
events,designerandartist,Hassanhassubse-
quentlyproducedabodyofworktitledEgyptian
Revolution Collection,whichformpartoftheTo
Egypt with love exhibitionwithfellowemerging
photographersAlaaTaherandBassemSamir.To
Egypt with lovewasfrstexhibitedattheSafar
KhanGalleryinCairoinMarchandAprilbefore
travellingtothefamousPalaisPorciainVienna
inlateMay.
Hassan,aged32,wasbornandraisedinCairo.He
saysthatthebusy,multiculturalcitywithitsrich
heritageinspiredhimasayoungstertoexplore
theworldaroundhimandtrainedhisimagina-
tiontoaspiretotheundefnedandtoreachto
thestarsandbeyond.Aftergraduatingfromthe
FacultyofAppliedArtsatHelwanUniversityin
2000,heworkedasagraphicdesigneratamulti-
nationaladvertisingagencybeforesettinguphis
owndesignstudioin2005.
Sincethen,Hassandevelopedadeepinterestin
calligraphyanditsrelationtofneart.Heasser-
tivelyhonedhisknowledgeandskillsbypartici-
patinginnumerousgraphic,fneart,photography
andcreativityworkshops.Thesediverselearning
experiencesenabledhimtodevelopasignature
style that now allows him to produce daring
180 >
andinnovativegraphicandmixed-mediaartworks
oncanvaswhichheexhibitsatvariousprivate
galleriesandartshowrooms.Inrecentyears,
Hassanhasdevelopedaloyalfollowingamong
artcollectorsandhisworksnowformpartof
collectionsinEgyptandtheMiddleEast.
Merginghispassionforart,histalentasapainter
and his innovation in graphic design, Hassan
capturedhisvisionandexperiencesoftheradical
transformativesocio-politicaleventsthattran-
spiredsinceearly2011.ThroughhisEgyptian Revo-
lution Collectionwewitnessthebeauty,pride
andpassionofthegreatlandofEgyptandits
proudpeople.
InitiallyIhadstartedtakingpictureswhilepro-
testingasapersonalrecord.ThenIstartedtaking
picturesandconsideringhowIwasgoingtotrans-
latetheseimagesintopostersorontocanvas.
Theexperiencewasextremelyspontaneous,just
liketherevolution.Hesaysthathewasalsoin-
triguedbythefuidandinspiringnatureofthe
revolution.Shootinguncontrollably,hefoundit
hardtostoptakingpictureswhiletheevents
wereunfolding.Throughoutthisrivetingprocess,
theartistassembledhisphotographs,likepieces
ofapuzzle,tocreateaseriesofultimatelyreveal-
ingdigitalartandmixedmediacompositions.
ThewholecountrywasinastateoffuxandI
feltthatitwasimpossibletoencapsulatethe
eventsinsingleframes.
Hassanexplainsthathisintensionwastocap-
turetheessenceofpowerandemotionandto
portrayuniquemomentsfromtherevolution.
Usinghissignaturegraphictechnique,hecom-
binedhundredsofphotographstotransform
hiscanvasesintolargeandcomplexscenesthat
capturethefeelingsofeverypersonrevoltingin
181 >
TahrirSquareinCairo.Hesaysthattheresulting
artworks portray the feelings of the huge
crowdsandeachworksignalsadiferentmes-
sageandmomentastherevolutionunfolded.The
strongimpactofpeoplegatheredtogether,all
foroneaimandallunitedwiththesamedreams
andhopesarewhatmadethisrevolutionimpres-
sivetotherestoftheworld.
AnimportantfeatureinHassansEgyptian Revolu-
tion Collectionistheincorporationofcalligraphy.
Hecombinedcalligraphyandwordsthatpeople
usedinTahrirSquarewithdigitallyalteredphoto-
graphsandboldsplashesofcolour,resultingin
visuallycomplexlayersthatchallengeviewers
tolookcloserandengagewiththeworkson
variouslevels.
Hesaysthat:Myaimisthatfromtheminute
youstandinfrontofmyartworksyoucannot
feelanythingotherthanbutbeingpartofthe
realevents.Theworksconveythepowerofthe
crowd.Youcanhearthenoiseandyoucanfeel
theessenceofrevolt.Iwanttomakepeoplesee
thingsthattheireyesusuallydon'tsee,engage
themandshowthemimagesthatrefectwhat
theyfeel.

HassanconcludesthatthesuccessoftheTo Egypt
with loveexhibitionsinCairoandViennaisjustthe
beginningofhisaimtospreadthemiraculous
revolution in Egypt all over the world and to
commemorateitaesthetically.Theworldhas
beenwatchingtheEgyptianrevolutionclosely.
ThereforeIbelievethatitismydutyasanartist
torepresenttheinspirationalgloryoftherevolu-
tionandtohonourthosegloriousdaysforever
byshowingtheworldthatEgyptiancultureisin
acontinuousstategrowthandtransformation.<
TOPLEFT:A story to tell.TOPRIGHT:We died to live.
CENTRELEFT:Days to remember.CENTRERIGHT: Days
of departure.BOTTOMLEFT:Leave! Leave!BOTTOM
RIGHT:To freedom.
182 >
PAUL STOPFORTH
Themanwhoretrievesthesoap
andseesinitasliverofhistory
By Judith Mason
183 >
Somedecadesago,acertainmandiedwhilebeing
interrogatedbytheSouthAfricanPolicessecurity
branch.Thathehadslippedonsomesoapinthe
showerwastheofcialexplanation,justoneof
manyrisibleexcusesoferedbythepoliceforthe
deathsofpeopleintheircustody.Someindetention
felldownstairsorleaptoutofwindows,andordi-
narycarbolicsoapseemedpeculiarlydangerous.
Soapisnotthestufofmartyrdom.Itisslapstick,
liketheproverbialbananapeel.Togodowninahail
ofbulletsorbehangedbytheneckuntildeadis
something.Buttodieasaresultofasillyaccidentis
tobestrippedsomehowofthelastdignityaforded
one.Insuchcases,wequicklyburythedeadandthey
aresoonlosttoourcollectivememory.PaulStopforth
isoneoftheguardiansofthatmemory,andhewill
notallowustoforget.
LEFT:PaulStopforthwithoneofhismaturestudents,CatherineKrupnick.
CENTRE&RIGHT:InstallationviewsofTorture and Deaths in Detention,1977.Mixedmedia.
184 >
TOPLEFT:The Interrogators,1979.Mixedmediaonpaperandwoodpanel.
TOPRIGHT:Freedom Dancer (The South African),1992.Oiloncut-outbirch
plywood.CollectionoftheConstitutionalCourtofSouthAfrica,Johannesburg.
BOTTOM:End of Empire,2002.Walldrawing,mixedmedia.TheSchoolhouse
Gallery,Provincetown,MA,USA.
185 >
Spurninggrandgestures,heistheartistofthe
quieticon,themanwhoretrievesthesoapand
seesinitasliverofhistory.Fromthefrstshocking
lifecastsinhis1978exhibitionatTheMarket
Theatre Gallery, where the falling, wretched
figuresperformedaghastlyballetofstate-
sanctionedabuse,tomorerecentworkinwhich
mundaneobjectstestifytothegrandeurand
sordidnessofthestruggle,Stopforthhasad-
dressedhimselftothishistory,evenasitisun-
folding.Thesoapwasthereinthatfrstexhibi-
tion,atthetopofthesteps.Topickonesway
throughthosefgureswastobecomecomplicit,
drawnintothemoralcoreoftheinstallation.
When,later,StopforthdrewSteveBikosbruised
corpse,theviewerfeltthatshewasattheautop-
sy,spinningawebofliesandjustifcationswith
thepolice,yetweepingwithBikosfamilybeside
hisnakedyoungbody.Eventhirtyyearsago,
Stopforthdidnoteditoutthebadstuf.Hegave
usthefactsandexpectedustorespondwith
whateverhumanitywecouldmuster.Following
thisearlywork,Stopforthcreated,inthe1980s,
severalquasi-portraitsofthefactotumsofthe
apartheidsystem.ThepeopleportrayedinThe
Interrogatorswereself-caricaturingintheStroess-
ner/Vorster/Pinochetmolddarkglasses,grim-
facedwithmustacheslikeduellingscars.Stopforth
usedalimitedpaletteanddarkbackgrounds,and
heenlargedthefgurestocreatetheimpression
ofsomanyBigBrotherswatching,bloatedwith
power.Lookingattheseimagessomedecades
later,attheirinsidiousforensicclarity,onerecalls
theinterminablemenaceofthosedays.
Bythelate80s,Stopforthwasregardedbycol-
leaguesandcriticsalikeasoneofthemostun-
compromisinginterpretersofourmoralquagmire.
Then,in1988,heemigratedtotheUnitedStates.
HetaughtfortheSchooloftheMuseumofFine
ArtsatTuftsUniversity,andin1996wasappointed
Triangle,2007.Gouacheonwoodpanel.
186 >
to the faculty of the Visual and Environmental
StudiesDepartmentatHarvardUniversity.Histeach-
ingpositionlefthimsometimeinwhichtopaint.
Forawhilehisworkseemedfreeofhisearlierpolitical
concernsandtheengagementthesedemanded.
Hisrichlypaintedsurfacesandnuggetyfgurines
characterisedbymatricesofdotsthatcontradict-
edandenlivenedtheimagesseemedtoengage
withanentirelydiferentaestheticandadmirers
oftheworkwouldhavelittlesenseofthedifcul-
tiesoftranslocationwithwhichhestruggled.Around
thetimeofSouthAfricasfrstdemocraticelections
in1994,however,StopforthsAmericanexperience
hadbeguntoblendwithhisSouthAfricanpastto
informworkthatwasmorerefectiveandmore
complexthaneverbefore.Apartheidwascollapsing
andStopforthwatchedwithinterestaseventsun-
folded. His large cut-out piece, Freedom Dancer
(The South African)(1993),whichnowhangsinthe
foyeroftheConstitutionalCourt,anticipatedthe
cominggleeoftheelections:amineringum-boots
atonceasymbolofservitudeandfreedomjumps
onthedevilinthemannerofadherentsofoneof
southernAfricasAfricanIndependentchurches.
Thejoyofthisworkispalpableanditsquasi-Pop
sensibilitysignalsasubtleshiftinStopforthswork
oftheperiod.Similarly,thelargewall-piece,End of
Empire(2002),celebratesliberation.Likethedanc-
er,itisdeceptivelysimpleinexecution.ItsPopand
Postmodernelementscombinewithallusionsto
Tibetantopographicalpaintingtocreateasynthe-
sisthatisalmostcinematic.Althoughitssubjectis
theZuluWar,thisworkconjuresthehordesand
heroes of pre-industrialised warfare anywhere,
fromtheGobiDeserttothehillsofKwaZulu-Natal.
Healer #1,2003.Mixedmediaonpaper.
187 >
Healer #2,2003.Mixedmediaonpaper.
In2004,Stopforthwasinvitedtospendsomeweeks
onRobbenIslandasanartist-in-residence.Thework
heproducedduringandafterhisvisitmakessophis-
ticateddemandsontheviewerandiskeytounder-
standinghisoeuvre.Stopforthscommitmentto
bearingwitnesshereassumesasubtletythatwas
notpossibleduringhisSouthAfricanyears.Then
weneededtheshockofdeedsrevealed.Butnow
theartistasksustocollaborateinaphilosophical
andaestheticpartnershipthatrequiresadiferent
kindofengagementwiththework.Centraltohis
newapproachisTriangle(2007).Twooxenone
facingtheother,onelookingtowardstheviewer,
both set in a pink colour-field that resembles a
driedsaltpanarethemeansbywhichhedefnes
ourroleasparticipants:thetitlesuggeststhatthe
vieweristhethirdbeastinanoddtrio.Stopforth
eschews nobler beasts for that bovine scrutiny
thatissomewhatcomic,somewhatfrightening,
whollyplatteland.Itremindsusofhowinquisitive
cattleare,ofhowfghterpilotsfyingoverEurope
duringWorldWarIIdreadedlandinginfeldsfor
fearofbeingringedbycuriouslivestockwhosebe-
haviourwouldgivetheirpositionsaway.
OnRobbenIsland,Stopforthfoundthesoapthat
hadcausedsuchhavocinourhistory.Nowhesees
itasiconic,assynecdochic,thefragmentthatcon-
tainsthewhole.InHealer #1 (Sunlight)(2004)the
soapisalintel:archaic,African,refectinglightand
creatingaspacethroughwhichtheskycanbeseen
andentered.Wesmellkelpandcarbolic.Forafrac-
tionofamomentwebecomeNelsonMandela,and
thisactofidentifcationisprofoundlyhealing.On
theotherhand,itisacakeofsoaponadingysur-
face:thesmellofrespectablebutimpoverished
188 >
childhoodrisestothenose.Thepainthasabeautiful,
washboardfeeltoit,andthepromiseofSunlight.
InHealer #2 (Lifebuoy) (2004)weseethesustaining
wordLifebuoypressedintosoapsetinascumof
grey paint. It suggests endurance without the
promiseofrelease.Bothworksconveytheresil-
ienceandthehopeofislandprisoners,thetedium
ofeverydaylife,thewilltomaintaincleanliness
anddignity,andtheprospectofsoap,cakeafter
cake,washingtheuserintoacaptiveinfnity.These
piecesremindusthatthehappyendingofRobben
Islandwasnotsharedbyallofherinmates.
Consider,forexample,Bethesda(2004).Robben
Islandwas,atonetime,alepercolonyandStopforth
invokesthelong,sadhistoryofthediseasethe
rottingfeshthatmadepeopleoutcastsfromsociety
andthat,evennowthatitiscurable,instillshorror
inus.Ourassociationswithitarebiblical.Thevision
ofpeopleringingbellsanddeclaringthemselves
unclean,uncleanhasthepowertohauntusstill,
especiallyasitresonateswithourtendencytosee
theotherassomehowdefled.Itevokesracism,
xenophobia,thecontagiousdiseasesofthemind.
ButinBethesdaStopforthalsoalludestothesimple,
sadstoryofleprouswomenbathinginatidalpool,
hopingthatthewaterwillhealtheirsores.Hein-
vitesustoperformanactofidentifcation.Inthe
absence of human figures, we engage with the
landscapeasthelepersdid.Wewatchthetidecome
inbeyondtherocks.Westepacrossthegrassto-
wardsthemirageofhealinginthebrackishwater
anditspromise,Bethesda.Overtherocksandthe
The Island #8: Bethesda,2004.Mixedmediaonpaper.
189 >
TOP: Trinity,2005.Mixedmediaonpanel.BOTTOM: Monument,2005.Mixedmediaonpanel.
cementandwaterfallsthecolourofsunsetorserum,
andweareamongsttheIslandssequesteredsouls.
TheexperienceofoneofRobbenIslandsmostfa-
mousprisoners,RobertMangalisoSobukwe,resem-
bledthetreatmentoflepers.Hewaskeptinsolitary
confnementunderthenotoriousSobukwe Clause,
wellbeyondhisthree-yearterm,becausethegovern-
mentfearedthathewouldinfectotherprisoners
withhisPan-Africanism.InTouchstone(2007),Stop-
forthmovesawayfromthecommunalpoolofBethes-
datothesmallhand-basininSobukwescottage.
ThebasinisdryandthesoapofHealer #1and#2
isconspicuousbyitsabsence.Itisabereftandhumble
image,madesadderstillbyitsjuxtapositionwith
thebasketofbones.Thetwointeracttocreatean
elegyforamanofgreatmoralstaturewhosehealth
wasbrokenbyhisextendedconfnement.Asthe
PolishpoetJuliaHartwigwrites,Theimage...carries
usinthemostextraordinarywayintoaninvisible
sphere...Theexperienceofrealitythusbecomes
akindoftranscendentalexperience.
1
Inthiswork
theartistscapacitytopropelustowardsanactof
identifcationisverystrong.Itisreinforcedbythe
poignantsamplerofsquaresembroideredbytown-
shipwomen.Touchstonetouchesoneverythingfrom
itssubjectssolitude,tohisdevotedfamily,tohis
untimelydeath.Incontrast,Trinity(2005)reminds
usofthecompanionshipthatANCprisonersshared.
Threesimplestools,produced,nodoubt,bythe
prisonworkshop,acquiredignityfromthefractured
shadowsofthetitle,whichloomsbehind.Theleft
andrightstoolsaresetatangles,outwards,andtheir
invisibleoccupantstakeabroadview,asiftheyareat
akgotla.
2
Thisisnotaconfrontationaltriumvirate
190 >
191 >
TOPLEFT:Touchstone,2007.Gouacheonpanel.
CENTRE:Another Country,2007.Gouacheonpanel.
BOTTOMLEFT: Homage,2008.Gouacheonpanel.
RIGHT: Incident,2007.Gouacheonpanel.
andthescrubbedfurnituretakesongreatermean-
ingnowthatSouthAfricansaretiringofcorrupt
politicians and the studded, ormolu-infested
thronespreferredbydespots.InMonument(2005),
ablanketpin,surelyoneofthemostbeautifulutil-
itarianshapeseverdevised,isseeninsalt-corroded
silhouetteonarustybackground.Oureyesfollow
itsbendsandcurvesanditbecomesapieceofland-
art,carvedintoamassiverock-face.Yetweknow
perfectlywellthatthismonumentissmallandin-
signifcant.Theartisttakesusintothebarrenness
ofacellwherewefndthatamundaneobjectisa
workofart.Beautyisagrace,heremindsus,and
contemplatingitmaykeepussane.
Fromthevastnessofasmallpintothevastnessof
asmallisland:thetopographicallyunremarkable
bloboflandofCapeTownscoastloomslargeinthe
worldsconsciousness.Itisalreadyiconic,sothe
artistteasesuswithashimmering,liquidshape,
evokingthehazeandthetidesandthecomingand
goingofitslonghistoryasadumpinggroundfor
lepers,lunatics,prisonersandsoldiers.Thestippled
surfacesoftheRobbenIslandworkscreateanalmost
hallucinogenicenergy,theseaalivewithmoisture
andsmallcraftwhilethelandradiatespointsoflight
asifitslayersofhistoryfickeraboveandaround
thecommonplacegeographyofprisonandlanding
strip.TogetherwiththeIslandworks,Stopforth
producedothersthatarelessspecifc,moreenig-
matic.InAnother Country(2007),weseeontheleft
aglimpseofbushveldrockand,ontheright,an
ominousaspectoftheIslandprisonyard.Thecar
mirrorrefectstheislandasamemory.InIncident
(2007)weparticipateinadysfunctionaltriangle.
Weseefguresbrawlingonalawn:arape,abeating,
aschoolyardreprisal?Aninteriorblackframesets
eachimagewithinunusuallysullenbarsofcolour.
Ontheleft,alegtearsthepark-likegrassbackto
reveal the dirt beneath. On the right, a surveil-
lancecamerapeersoutward,butdoesnotseemto
connectwiththeincident.Doesitwork?Isitob-
servingus?Arewebystandersorvoyeurs?Inthis,
192 >
themostdisconcertingofStopforthsrecent
works,ourclamourforanswersisignored.
JuliaHartwigwrites,Iftheattitudetowards
realityisthenerve-centreofeveryaesthetic,
whetherinliteratureorinart,visiblerealityhas
alwaysbeenaconstantpointofreferencefor
me.
3
InHomage(2008),weseeStopforthcreat-
ingasmallandprettypieceofvisiblereality,
pinning its bright nerve-centre to the canvas
andmakingitanobjectofmeditation.Abougain-
villeablossomsplitsthecanvasintotwoalmost
identicalparts,amirroringdevicethatcanof-
tencreateanalmostintolerabletensionbetween
images;butherewefndourselvesthethirdpart
ofaveryagreeabletriangle.Wecould,forthat
matter,bethebaseofascalewhosecontents
areinperfectpoise,orsomebodyatacross-
roads.Inotherworkscontainingthetriangle
motif,theartistmakesuslookoutwards.The
gameheplayswithushereisexistential,per-
sonal.Wereadeachtenderlypaintedveininthe
fabricofleavesasifwehadneverreallylooked
before.Ourcataractshavebeenremoved.Trans-
lucentceriseandscarletpulsateagainstfelds
ofbrokenyellow.Wewanttomeasurethespace
betweenthecolours.Istheyellowalandscape
away?Aninchaway?OrisitlikeHildegardof
BingensfeatheronthebreathofGod,lighter
thanair?Here,toquoteHartwigagain,theimage,
accessibletouscarriesusinamostextraor-
dinaryway,intoaninvisiblesphere.
4
Despite
theimportantandobviousshiftsinStopforths
workovertheyears,hiscommitmenttobearing
witnesshasneverchanged.Hehaslookedat
objects,people,incidentsandfactsinaclear-eyed
and compassionate way, and deduced that a
kindoftruthresidesinanagglomerationofall
ofthesethings.
TOP:Singer: Siren Song,2010.Mixedmediaonpanel.
ApaintingofthesirenontheroofoftheRobben
Islandprison.
CENTRE: Intake: Breath,2009.Gouacheonpanel.The
BritishgunemplacementsontheIslandhadunder-
groundbunkerswhereammunitionandfoodwere
stored.
BOTTOM: Source,2010.Gouacheonpanel.Animage
oftheubiquitousoldbrasstapsthatwereattached
tobarrelsonfarmsthatcollectedpreciousrainwater.
193 >
NOTES
1.CitedinBenjaminPalof,PersonalHistories,
The Nation(30Jwune2008).
2.KgotlaisaSetswanaword.Itreferstoapublic
gatheringorcommunitycouncilcalledbyavillage
headmantodecideimportantorjudicialmatters.
3.CitedinBenjaminPalof,PersonalHistories,
The Nation(30June2008).
4.Ibid.
ThisessaywasfrstpublishedinPaul Stopforth:
TAXI-015, published by David Krut Publising in
2010.PhotosbySusanByrne.
About the author
JudithMasonwasborninPretoria,in1938.She
studiedattheUniversityoftheWitwatersrandin
the 1950s, obtaining a BA Degree in Fine Art in
1960andheldherfrstsoloshowin1964.Today,
withacareerthatspansalmost50years,Masonisone
ofSouthAfricasmostdistinguishedandprolifc
artists.HerworkisrepresentedinallmajorSouth
Africanartcollectionsandmuseumsandinterna-
tionallyrepresentedinbothprivateandpubliccol-
lectionsinEurope,USAandAustralia.Click here
toreadmoreaboutMason.<
Tidal pool: Bethesda #1, 2 and 3,2010.Gouacheonpanel.RecentworksbasedonthetidalpoolcalledBethesda.
194 >
GerhardMarx:
Cumulus
Review by Gavin Younge
195 >
GerhardMarxpresentednewworksthat
arebornoutofhisownself-designedproc-
esses,whichinvolveskillfulmanipulation
ofmaterialscollectedaspartofanengage-
mentwiththeartistsphysicalurbancon-
text.AsaCumuluscloudconstantlyverges
oncollapse,Marxssubjectsborderbe-
tweenformandformlessness,alwaysrich
inassociativeandconnotativedensity.
Marx presented several compositions
madeentirelyoutofthedriedstalksof
plantmaterial.Eachwispystrandhasbeen
carefullysortedthrough,andthosewith
therightbend,orformhavebeenpasted
downontolargesheetsofcottonpaper.
Theoverallefectisthatofalinedrawing
onemadewiththefnest-tippednib.
Although he calls these compositions
Cumulus I,IIandIII,theyinfactreference
thehumanskeleton.Compositeskeletons
asonemightfndinanarchaeologists
gravesite.Humerus,scapulaandribbone
lieupononeanother,disturbedperhaps
bytheactionsofscavengers,orlaiddown
randomlyasinamassgrave.Theartistsays
oftheseworksonpaperthattheyfocus
onunstableformsandindeterminacy.
ThecloudformationwecallCumulus,is
an accretion or accumulation prior to
Nimbus,whenmoisturevapourreaches
saturationanditstartstorain.
Marxisaliterateartist,andthenotesthat
accompanytheworksonexhibitiontease
outaspectsthatmaynotbeimmediately
apparenttotheviewer.Taketheconnec-
tionbetweendrawnskeletalremainsand
cloudformations.Hisnotes,whichare
freelyavailable,guideanyoneinterested
inwhathetermstheforensicgazeofthe
viewer,toaless-narrativelybasedunder-
standingoftheseworks.Inotherwords,
Cumulus I, II and III are not only burial
sites;theyarealsositesofmoregeneral
disintegration.
Marxalsopresentsworksrelatingtothe
gardenanditswall.Henotesthattheety-
mologyofthewordparadisepointsto
a walled garden, and that the word is
closelyimbricatedintheGardenofEden
inbothitsChristianandJewishmanifes-
tations.Bitsofthegardenthataresuper-
fuous,ordiseased,arediscarded.Inhis
case,assomeonelivinginJohannesburg,
these mauvais herbes are bagged and
leftonthepavementforthe[Johannes-
burgCity]Counciltocollect,butnotbe-
foreMarxhasrummagedthroughthis
detritusandgatheredtwigsandbranches
that may suit his purpose. In Scion, a
bronzedsetofbranchesintheshapeof
aribcage,hehascuratedtheskeletonof
anewbody.Thiscrazyconjunction,the
Johannesburg-based visual artist, theatre director and flmmaker Gerhard Marx
presented his frst exhibition with the Goodman Gallery earlier this year where
he showed new works based on his signature creative process and interest in the
urban locus. Gavin Younge reviewed the exhibition titled Cumulus.
TOPLEFT:Skull I,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.
CENTRE:Skull II,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.
TOPRIGHT: Skull III,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.
BOTTOMLEFT:Cumulus I, 2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,153x103cm
BOTTOMRIGHT: Cumulus II, 2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,153x103cm
196 >
197 >
newly-bornoutoftherecently-departed,isa
trueMarxism.
OnehundredandfftyyearsbeforeCarolus
Linneausestablishedhisplant-namingsystem
inthe1700s,LucaGhiniproducedthefrst
herbariumordriedgarden.Marxcelebrates
thisfeatthroughthreeworksinwhichthe
originalformofvariousweedshavebeentrans-
posedintolineandcolour.Thesearedigital
prints,buttheyderivefromcollageshemade
usingroadmaps.Weareallfamiliarwiththe
red-bounded,yellowlinesthatdesignatemajor
routesconnectingSouthAfricastownsand
cities;thethickandthinredlinesthatdesig-
nateminortarredroads;and,ifthescaleis
largeenough,thedottedlinesofajeeptrack.
ThetechniqueofusingfoundlinesisMarxs
alone.HehasgonetocourttoprotecthisIP,
andwon.[In2006Marxwonalandmarkout
ofcourtsettlementresultingfrominfringe-
mentofhissignaturecreativeprocesswhich
wasappropriatedbyamajoradvertisingagency
inacampaigndevelopedforamajorinterna-
tionalautomotivebrand.]
Sowhatarethesetwistedandmangledmap
forms?Linneaussplant-namingsystemwas
basedonsharedsimilaritiesbetweenfower-
ingplants.Hissystemhasgivenwaytotrue
phylogeneticsystems,onesthatarepredic-
tive,andthatarebasedonDNAsampling.Thus
thethreegenesfoundinallplantsgiverise
to565foweringplantspeciesworldwide.Marx
hassingledoutplantsthatgrowopportunis-
tically on pavements and on the verges of
roads.Theretheybeneftfromtheincreased
run-off of precipitation, and there they
whither,exhaustedbyexhaustfumes.These
weedsareMarxsdrygarden.Meticulously
198 >
Hortus Siccus (for Luca Ghini) I,2011.Pigmentinkson
cottonpaper,92x92cm.
199 >
process-driven,hehasmappedtheirformin
threedimensions.Thearterialroadscoalesce
orcrossoveroneanother,topographicalref-
erenceshavebeenabandoned,andtheviewer
isleftwithanindexicalasopposedtoasym-
bolicalobject.
Inawaytheseprints,andthelargecollageen-
titled Hortus Siccus Bush, could reference
Nepenthes alataoneoftheso-calledfesh
eaters,orpitcherplants.Inthiswaythein-
tendedconnectionbetweenroadmaps(which
are,afterall,codifeddesiretrails),andthe
gesturalindexofre-makingtheplantworldas
ahybridisedstructurewouldbecomeclearer.
Marxalsopresentstwolarge,sculpturalac-
cretions of a quotidian object the school
ruler,andaquotidiansubjecttheweather.
Hereheiscarefultopointtotheemotional
connotationsweallattachtothisendlessly
measured, and palpably unpredictable phe-
nomenon.Helikesthefactthattheruler,as
a measure of all things, is based on human
proportions; that of the foot, or 12 thumb
breadths. Strangely behind the times, the
UnitedKingdomstillusesmiles,yards,feetand
inchesonitsroadways,despitehavingchanged
tometresin1936forallgeodeticpurposes.
Bylaw,beerissoldinpintsanddairyproduce
inlitres.
But Marx is not overly concerned with this
confusion;heisinterestedinincrementalcali-
brationandthewayinwhichthecalibrated,
objectifedabstractionoftherulercollapses
intophenotype.Theerrorofparallaxdictates
thattherulermustbeinclosecontactwith
thatwhichitismeasuring.Buttheweatheris
notsolelyrainfallandwindspeed,itbrings
Hortus Siccus: Bush,2011.Cutandreconstructed
mapfragments,150x150cm.
200 >
withitemotionalsubjectivity.InthiswayGerhard
Marxhopestobringtheworld(naturalphenome-
na)tothebody,andthebodytotheworld.
Notstrictlyeye-candy,theseworksextendtheart-
istssignatureworkwithroadmapsandthefound
line,theyalsogivethemindfulvieweraglimpse
ofhisparadisethegardenbehindthewalls.His
gardenisthecolourofdrymesquiteandasdeli-
cateandephemeralasplacenames.Despitethe
prevalenceofblack(Scion,andWeather 1andII),
theworkshaveaninternalluminance.Theyarealso
possessing.Onefeelsandseestheirinnerlogic.
Photos courtesy of Mike Hall and the Goodman
Gallery.
About the author
Gavin Younge is a professor at the Michaelis
SchoolofFineArt,UniversityofCapeTownand
worksinternationallyasasculptor,author,flm-
makerandcurator.Click heretoreadmoreabout
Young.<
Scion,2011.Bronze,70x100x30cm.
201 >
TOP LEFT & CENTRE: Weather I, 2011. Plastic rulers on
black wooden substrate, 83 x 140 x 10 cm.
TOP RIGHT: Weather II, 2011. Plastic rulers on black
wooden substrate, 56 x 76 x 10 cm.
BOTTOM LEFT: Weather I, 2011. Pigment ink on cotton
paper, 62 x 91.5 cm.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Weather II, 2011. Pigment ink on
cotton paper, 62 x 91.5 cm.
202 >
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203 >
Creativity takes courage.
Just ask Guy du Toit.
Overcoming ones fears is easier said than done. Thats why we sponsor the
Absa LAtelier an art competition that rewards brave, young artists with the
opportunity to live and learn at the world-renowned Cit Internationale des
Arts in Paris. As a look through the list of past winners will testify, when courage
and this kind of opportunity come together, greatness is sure to follow suit.
Visit www.absa.co.za for entry details.
204 >
Working
with nature
View of Andrew van der Merwe's Inside Fibonacci.
205 >
Armed with an assortment of materials ranging
from sticks, sand, water and grass, some of the worlds
top land artists joined local artists to temporarily
transform the picturesque town of Plettenberg Bay
and the Bitou municipal area where South Africas
first international land art event, Site_Specific,
took place at the end of May.

Site_Specifc is a new, non-proft entity established
in 2011 by artists, educators and business people
who are passionate about the magic of land art.
The initiatives organisers and supporters believe
that by viewing the diferent projects, visitors will
gain appreciation for their diverse natural, histori-
cal and cultural heritage. In the process, the frst
Site_Specifc event delivered art and environmental
education and contributed to skills development,
job creation and growth of cultural tourism.
By linking art, culture, history and the environment,
Site_Specifc aims to created a sustainable model
for using the power of land art to challenge and
change peoples perceptions about their natural
environment. Site_Specifc is determined to make
land art inclusive and accessible. We are thrilled that
top international land artists and some of South
Africas most innovative conceptual artists have
volunteered to mentor and collaborate with artists
from the Bitou community and to lead educational
206 >
207 >
outreach programmes for local learners, says
HeatherGreig,Site_Specifcco-founder.
Morethan30artistsparticipatedintheevent,includ-
inginternationallyacclaimedlandartistsStrijdom
van der Merwe (South Africa), Urs Twellmann
(Switzerland)andGabrieleMeneguzziandVincenzo
Sponga(bothfromItaly).Thelistalsoincludedprom-
inentSouthAfricanartistssuchasGordonFroud,
AngusTaylor,MarcoCianfanelli,Andrewvander
Merwe,JanvanderMerwe,SimonMaxBannister
(MAX), Anni Snyman, Hannelie Coetzee, Marcus
Neustetter,MarkWilby,JamesWebbandTyrone
Tewson.LocalartistslivingintheBitouMunicipality
also joined in the action, either as participating
artistorashostsofexhibitions,studiotoursand
workshop.TheywereCharlesLevine,CarolNathan-
Levin,MyfanwyBekker-Balajadia,MatthewBrouck-
aert,IngridCoerling,ZaneCoetzee,WillieGouws,
AngusGreig,DarrenLyon,AmosLwana,KateMuller,
KlausOppenheimer,DeePellumReid,MartyRedder-
ing,StephenRosinandAnjaWiehl.
TheworkofItalianartists,GabrieleMeneguzzi&
VincenzoSponga,betterknowntotheSite_Specifc
crewasItaly1andItaly2,isincrediblysubtleanduses
onlynaturalmaterialssourcedfromthesite.Our
ideawasbornbylookingattheseafromthetopof
ourworkfromtherocks,andwethoughthowbeauti-
fulitcouldbetosewtogetherrocks,sandandseaas
iftheywerediferentarts.Sowecreatedalaneinthe
sandandathreadusingonlygrass,andonthebeach,
wefoundabeautifuldriedtreefromwhichwecutthe
branchestomakeitlooksimilartoaneedle.
208 >
AlloftheartistsandtheSite_Specifcteamcon-
tributedtheirtimeforfreeandpaidtheirownway
toPlettenbergBaywhilemanylocalbusinesses
andindividualsoferedaccommodation,logistical
support,materials,equipmentandstudiospaces.
Land art has always been at the extreme of art
makingsinceitoperatesoutsidethegalleryset-
tingandusestheterrainasitscanvasandanything
fromoneshandstoearthmovingequipmentas
paintbrushorchisel.Landartisoftentemporary
andinmanyinstancestheonlyartworksthatremain
forpurchasearephotographsdocumentingthe
interventions.
"Weretakingartofthepedestalandputtingit
onthesandandintheland,"saysStrijdomvander
Merwe,Site_Specifcco-founder.
Site_Specifcranovereightdays,startingwitha
welcomeandsiteorientationon22May.Reney
Warrington,oneofthedocumentersoftheevent
blogged:WespentthemorninghikingtheMilk-
wood Trail and looking at all the possible sites.
Artistshadtoclaimtheirspot,spendtheafter-
noonplanning/scheming/dreamingandthenstart
placingordersforsticks,stones,boats,tractors
andtheoddchainsaw.Someartistsarrivedwith
plansmadewhileothersmadetheirplansafter
selectingthesitesfortheirworksandassessing
whatmaterialswereattheirdisposal.Thefollow-
ingfvedayswereoccupiedbyartistsslavingaway
andcreatingmostlyephemeralpiecesoflandart.
Concurrently,creativeworkshopsandsitevisits
wereconductedwithcommunitygroupsandlocal
209 >
GordonFroudandTyroneTewson
employedrecycledmouldsmadefor
previoussculpturalworkstocreate
theirinstallationtitledAbout potential.
WebroughtmouldsofSperm babies
[Froud]andFat men[Tewson]withus.
Intothesemoulds,wepressedslabsof
clayfromthelocalVantellBrickworks
tocreateforms.Theseformswereheat
sealedtostrengthenthembutwerenot
bakedasweintendedthemtodisinte-
grateandreturntotheearth,metaphor-
icallyimplyingourjourneyonthisplanet.
Eachformhasatwigofwillowinserted
fromwhichithangsthisistoprovide
anaturaltwineandtoleavenoartifcial
footprintonthesite.Wehopethatthe
weather,timeandinteractionwillresult
inthebreakdownoftheforms.
CharlesLevinsperformancepiece
Homagedealswiththe2011Thoku
earthquakeandtsunamiandthe
resultingnuclearaccidentatthe
FukushimaINuclearPowerPlant.
Click here toviewthevideo.
schools.Thesealsoincludedvisitsbyschoolgroups
whoobservedandinteractedwiththeSite_Specifc
artistswhiletheywerecreatingtheirartworks.
On28and29May,artlovers,membersofthelocal
communityandtouristsparticipatedinthepublic
launch with guides leading them through the
uniqueopen-airartdisplaysona3kmwalkfrom
PlettenbergBaysCentralBeachtotheMilkwood
TrailinthePiesangRiverValley.
TheorganisersdescribetheinauguralSite_Specifc
eventasaformofcommunionwiththelandthat
changesonesperceptionsofgivensurroundings.
210 >
AngusTaylor'sworktitledLosconsistsof
twoabstractedhumanfguresconstruct-
edfromwoodwhichheinstalledatthe
mouthofthePiesangRiverestuary.The
workdealswiththefuid,liminalspaces
andritesofpassageofsocialreality
inspiredbythewritingsofphilosopher
VictorTurner.
211 >
Itislikebeinggivenneweyes.Evenaftertheart
hasbeenreabsorbedintonature,thememoryof
itpersistsandinformsonesinteractionwiththe
landscape. It doesnt demand huge amounts of
visualliteracyoreducationtobemovedbytheex-
perienceofagreatlandartpiece,itisimmediate
anditenhancesonesownsenseofbeinginthe
world.
Land art allows one to integrate the often split
conceptsofcultureandnature.Sometimesitis
acelebrationofthelandthatsustainsus,oftenit
remindsusofthetemporarynatureofourshared
existence.<
Credits
Informationandphotographsincludedinthisarticle
wereprovidedbytheSite_Specifcorganisersand
ReneyWarrington.Warringtondescribesherself
asawriter,photographerandbloggerobsessed
withflm,music,artandespresso.Herfrstnovel
isscheduledforreleaseinthefrsthalfof2012
andhernextphotographicexhibitionwillfollowa
fewmonthslater.Click heretoviewmoreofWar-
rington'swork.
Click here toseemoreworksfromSite_Specifc.
212 >
MarcoCianfanellisinstillation
titledDriftismadeofmildsteel
andfounddriftwoodofwhichthe
largestdimensionisapproximately
2.4m.FortheSite-Specifc
projectIbroughtlaser-cutsteel
wordswithme,withtheintention
ofattachingthemtotrees.On
arrivinginPlettenbergBay,Ifelt
thatthebeachwastheright
contextandtheavailabledrift-
woodasuitablevehicletocarry
thewordsformysite-specifc
intervention.Ifoundtwolarge
piecesofdriftwood.Theonehad
astrongarchitecturalquality,like
aCorinthiancolumn,whichI
combinedwithwordsthatreferto
society.Theotherwasvery
organicandgnarled,whichI
pairedwithwordsthatreferto
theindividual.Inthecontextof
thebeachandshoreline,these
worksevokeideasofarrival,
imposition,lossandredundancy
buttheyalsoevokeasenseof
growthandtransformation,like
barnaclesonaforeignobject.
213 >
214 >
UrsTwellmannsartworktitled
Stranded Aliensconsistsof
about70discscutfromblue
gumtrees.Eachdiskishollowed-
outwiththeaidofachainsaw
toallowthemtocontainwater.
Theartistarrangedandrear-
rangedthepiecesatdiferent
placesalongthecoastandthe
nearbyrivertoallowthetides
andavailablelighttodictate
ever-changingconfgurations,
refectionsandmotionsdictated
byNaturesfux.
215 >
216 >
StrijdomvanderMerweusedthebeachashis
canvastocreatealargeartwork.ForSite_SpecifcI
becameawareoftheamountofdriftwoodthat
washeduponthebeachandthecontinuousdeposit
ofmaterialsduringhightide.Thisletmettoideaof
usingarakeanddrawingcirclesonthebeachin
varioussizesasifithadwashedupduringhightide
justtobewashedawayduringthenexttide.This
work,asinmanyofmyotherworks,takepartinthe
cyclesofnature.Itshowsthefragilityofbeauty,
whilenotlamentingitspassing.
SimonMaxBannistersAardmoeders(EarthMothers)
isoneofthefewpermanentartworkscreatedduring
Site_Specifc.Thesculpture,situatedatKranshoek,
iscarvedfromlocalbouldersanddepictsthree
elephants.Thesculptureisthefrstofmanyplanned
tobeinstalledalongtheEdentoAddoGreatCorridor
creatingSouthAfricasfrstlandartroute.Asa
conservationinitiative,theEdentoAddoLandArt
Routeaimstoestablishalivingcorridoralongold
elephantmigratorypathslinkingtheGardenRoute
NationalParktotheAddoElephantNationalPark
350kmtotheeast.PhotosbyElizabethOlivierKahlau.
217 >
218 >
219 >
AndrewvanderMerwecreatedtwo
verydiferentworkstitledInside
FibonacciandBeach Calligraphy.Inside
Fibonacciisandinstallationofblack-
enedgumtreepoles.Thepolesare
laidoutinthepatternformedbythe
seedsontheheadofasunfowera
patternofspiralspresentinmost
fowers.Whenonestandsatthecentre,
thepoleslookrandomlyplacedand
therearenoradiallinesandanythree
polesthatlineupwouldsupposedly
representaweaknessinthefower
head.However,ifonemovesintoitfrom
anangle,thespiralsbecomeevident.
Thereare13longclockwisespiralsand
21shortanti-clockwisespiralsleading
tothecentreofwhich13and21are
consecutivenumbersintheFibonacci
sequence.
Beach Calligraphydrawsonvander
Merwespassionforcalligraphy:Iam
acalligrapherbyprofessionandcarving
fantasticallettersalloverthebeachis
awelcomebreakfromworkingata
deskonsmallpiecesofpaper.Thetools
andtechniquesareonesIhaveevolved
overthepasteightyears.Beforethat,
likeanyoneelse,Iusedsticksandshells
andobjectfoundonthebeach.Much
ofmyworkhastheappearanceofletters
carvedinstonebutitiscompletely
temporal.Icallitcalligraphy,notcarving,
becausethelettersarecutdirectlyand
ataspeedclosetothatofwriting.The
formsareafunctionofthemovement.
220 >
HannelieCoetzeesFamily Portrait
consistsof13stackedstonesculp-
turesfacingtheoceanonLookout
Beach.Thesculpturesrepresent
familymembersandformpartof
theartistsongoingexplorationof
herAfrikanerheritage.Theartists
saysthatallofthestoneshave
visiblequartzlinesthatsymbolise
themarksthatparentsandtheir
beliefsystemsimpressontheir
children.ForfvedaysCoetzees
builtandrebuiltFamily Portrait
aftereverycycleoftidaldestruction.
221 >
222 >
JanvanderMerwesinstallation
titledUprootedconsistsoffve
separatestructuresmadeofthe
stumpsofuprootedtreesattached
topiecesofsecond-handfurniture.
Alltheobjectshavetheappearance
ofhavingbeenscorchedorblack-
enedbyfre.Theartistssaysthat
workmayrefertothedisplacement
ofpeople,butalsosuggestsnatural
andhumanproductionprocesses.
Inthebackground(farright)is
MalcolmSolomonsinstallation
titledBarcoded Africa.
223 >

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