From a cabin made entirely of chocolate and a beehive-inspired house to Peter Tempelhoff’s new restaurant in Cape Town and a mixed-media exhibition by Koos Groenewald, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 253.

1. Beehive House

“Based on a traditional Japanese castle, this home by Jima Design makes use of a beehive-inspired structure,” says Online Editor Lindi Brownell Meiring. “The house is designed to stimulate both the mind and the body, with the idea being to keep the brain active through the use of unusual shapes and spaces.”

Image credit: Kazushi Hirano via Archdaily

2. The Chocolate Cottage

“Imagine spending a night in a home made entirely of chocolate,” says Content Producer Michaela Stehr. “Well, if you’re in France you can!  The Chocolate Cottage is made from roughly 1.5 tonnes of chocolate and is designed and manufactured by renowned artisan chocolatier Jean-Luc Decluzeau. Hansel and Gretel made a reality!”

Image credit: booking.com

3. FYN Restaurant

“I cannot wait to try Peter Tempelhoff’s new venture, FYN, set to open in November,” says Editor-in-Chief Sumien Brink. “The new location looks absolutely fabulous. I also love how the menu will be drawing inspiration from South African culture.”

Image credit: fynrestaurant.com

4. Palindroom Exhibition at Lemon Design Studio

“South African artist Koos Groenewald’s latest exhibition is a feast for the eyes,” says Deputy Editor Annemarie Meintjes. “The exhibition explores a variety of mediums, from photography to installation.”

Image credit: madebylemon.co.za

5. Orms X Streetwires

“For the 2018 ‘Orms Cares’ initiative, photography store Orms has commissioned a team of amazing Streetwires artists to produce a limited-edition range of beaded cameras,” says Managing Editor Samantha Charles. “Each piece retails at R750 and proceeds will go back into the Streetwires initiative.”

Image credit: ormsdirect.co.za

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 253 on picks of the week 232.

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Cape Town-based multi-disciplinary designer and founder of luxury bag brand BLAC, Hamzeh Al Farahneh, has collaborated with GUILD on a collection of one-of-a-kind fabricated ductile combs.

The collection, entitled Not Just a Comb, comes in a range of cheerful colours. Each comb is handmade, with some of the combs crafted in part by Monkeybiz beaders.

The designs are available in various styles, including the iconic African rake, wide tooth comb and styling comb.

“The project tells a story beyond the utility of the combs, hence the title,” explains Hamzeh. “The combs are merely an object of decorative design. They are very accessible and add an element of fun to any space.”

The combs start at R350 and are available at the GUILD store, located in the Silo District at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

For more information about Hamzeh’s designs, visit shopblac.com. 

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In 2014, Cape Town-based industrial designer Martin Doller was selected to be part of SaloneSatellite, an exhibition hosted as part of the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan. Intended to bring together promising young designers from all over the world, the initiative is a three-year programme that gives emerging creatives an opportunity to exhibit alongside the world’s biggest brands and leading designers.

This year was Martin’s second time on show. We caught up with him just before he jetted off to Milan.

Tell us about the concept you presented?

I developed a woven web-like structure using faceted crystal beads. Delicate spider webs covered in dew sparkling in the morning sun inspired the idea. I experimented with different weaves to create an intricate crystal web comprising different geometric patterns, which reference traditional African beading patterns. The web was then externally illuminated.

How does that work?

I didn’t want to complicate the see-through structure with piping, cabling or light bulbs, so a spotlight in the ceiling-mounted base illuminates it. The downward beam of light is refracted by the crystals, creating the illusion of a suspended structure that magically glows.

It must be expensive to exhibit in Milan…

The cost of getting my exhibition to the fair is astronomical. The Department of Trade and Industry through its export funding programmes has been incredibly supportive. Without it, the exposure on the international design stage would not be possible. I have a lot to thank them for.

For more information about Martin, visit martindoller.com.

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As supporters of local women in Khayelitsha in Cape Town, Monkeybiz is a non-profit organisation we love to shout about.

There’s a lot of excitement in the Monkeybiz camp at the moment, as not only did the organisation just return from NY NOW (read more) but they’ve also launched a new range.

Featuring intricately beaded baboons, French poodles and adorable porcupines, these new additions will make a great gift for someone special.

For more information, visit monkeybiz.co.za or facebook.com/Monkeybiz. 

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Three of the biggest worldwide trends – geometrics, Africa and handmade – converge on a very sweet spot that has our eyeballs dancing. To make it even sweeter, beads and weaves are best made right here in our backyard. Local is baie lekker! 

1. From R590, noush.co.za
2 + 3 + 4. R750, vukile.batyi@gmail.com
5. R5 300, siyazamaproject.dut.ac.za
6. R1 190, madwa.com
7. Prototype in development, siyazamaproject.dut.ac.za
8. R2 400 (150 x 75cm), designafrika.co.za

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Usually associated with ultra high-strength, high-tech steel, we couldn’t help but crack a smile at this life-size beaded replica of the brand new Mercedes Benz C-Class. Of course, the fact that handmade continues to be a prevailing worldwide trend in luxury goods perfectly expresses our feelings about the car too!

The world is abuzz about the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which will be revealed to an eager South African public soon. And in the wake of a R2-billion upgrade to the Eastern Cape plant, Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) decided to commemorate the event in innovative style. 

To celebrate the new W205 C-Class, six craftsmen from the Eastern Cape created a life-sized replica from wire and beads. Initially 24 local craftsmen were invited to submit miniature replicas of the luxurious new car – which were then shown to Mercedes-Benz workers who voted for their favourites.

The six chosen artists – Teddy Mutasa, Khayalethu Nqono, Eddie Jange, Johnson Sithole, Busana Sibanda and Mzoxolo Makalima – then became an integral part of the Mercedes-Benz family. Every day for a month, the six clocked in like everyone else and worked tirelessly on the ambitious craft project.

“I was excited from the beginning of this initiative,” says team leaser Mzoxolo. “It was a challenging experience.” The talented bead worker adds that building the model made him think about his childhood. “I used to make wire cars just to play with them, but now there stands before me a resounding success and I am proud.”

In total the car took 232 hours, 11km of wire and 3 million beads to create – and just like the real W205 C-Class, it’s a stunning work of art!

Production on the actual W205 C-Class has also started in earnest at the Eastern Cape Mercedes-Benz plant. The luxury vehicles will be exported to Europe, Australia, Japan and other Asian markets.

Originally published on mblife.co.za

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An enterprising group of KwaZulu-Natal crafters have pioneered the process of creating exquisite painting-like artworks from beads. Now their exhibition is showing at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, before embarking on a five-year global tour.

Amid the rolling hills of the picturesque KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, a quiet revolution has taken place. Ten mostly illiterate ladies have made the artistic world sit up and take notice as they have taken traditional Xhosa beading to giddy new heights.

Bev Gibson founded the self-funding Ubhule (Xhosa for beautiful) project in 2009, which was born of her passion for art and working with rural women. The enterprise started when she lived on a sugar cane farm on the KZN north coast where most of the cane cutters were Xhosa and their wives were unemployed. She utilised their traditional skills of ndwango – where glass beads are sewn on to clothing – instead using black fabric that was stretched like a canvas to produce a contemporary artwork.

When Bev moved to the Midlands, the ladies followed her and now, along with their families, live and work from the farm. The Ubuhle team consists of Bev’s partner, Ntombephi Ntobela, and 10 women beaders of which five have evolved to work as individual artists. “They have this incredible ability and the works come from their own souls,” explains Bev.

“Personally, I don’t want to grow beyond 10 beaders. We will happily train other people but I don’t want to get any bigger. We will train others so traditional talents don’t become lost – to show young people that even if you don’t have a matric, you can rely on traditional crafts,” she goes on.

Beautiful, intricate pieces are time consuming to create and a small piece measuring 35cm x 35cm takes a month to complete and sells for upwards of R15 000. Through their pieces, artists are able to celebrate, mourn, dream, pass social commentary and inspire.  “I love the abstract work. Original beadwork was used to adorn skirts and we call it abstract but there is the influence of the symbols they have grown up with. There are incredible stories behind them,” she says. “Animals are always incredibly popular in this country – goats, sheep, cows and chickens. A gallery might commission six cow pieces but it is up to them what type of cattle, the shape, the size and how many.”

An exhibition of their work, Ndwango, is currently showing at the famous Smithsonian Museum in Washington, until September 2014, and thereafter is set to travel for five years. Bev concedes that the biggest challenge is going to be meeting the supply as international exposure and local commissions continue to increase.

What does the future hold for the entrepreneurial ladies? The hope is that by the end of the exhibition each of the five artists will have a gallery representing them and, closer to home, there are plans to build a shop and museum on the farm and to transfer ownership of some of the land to the ladies and build them homes.

083 794 4995, ubuhle.co.za

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It’s official! Spring is here and to get us into the mood are Umcebo Design’s pretty weatherproof flower chandeliers made of recycled ice cream containers and cable ties for the Diakonia Centre in Durban. 

Inspired by Umcebo Design’s recycled chandeliers, shortlisted for the World Design Capital 2014, the Diakonia Centre collaborated with Umcebo to come up with their own delightful beauties. Studded with solar-powered fairy lights, they are brightening up the Diakonia Centre’s courtyard and neighbouring streets as we speak.

Forming part of the Diakonia Centre’s Vines of Hope drive, the gorgeous clumps of powered-up plastic petals are shining their way from the Centre, all along the trees, to the Durban Music School and Old House Museum in an effort to raise awareness for the often complex issues surrounding social justice.

Robin Opperman, director of Umcebo Designs, hopes that these lights will also spark excitement in the community to start seeing recycling as a part of everyday life. The Diakonia Centre’s Vines of Hope project will culminate in a programme of special events on 19 October.

See Umcebo’s Facebook page for ongoing updates about this and other fabulous projects they are working on. Website: www.umcebodesign.co.za

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By applying their creative vision to craft projects, Durban-based sisters Janet and Angela Shaw hope to elevate the status of master craftsmen in South Africa. VISI love the contemporary energy that they are infusing into Zulu craft.

“In Japan and Europe master craftsmen are revered. Here it is seen more as part of the traditional realm,” says Janet Shaw, who is one half of the Shaw Sisters duo.

Together with her sister Angela, the two have combined their love for craft and design with a vision to change current perceptions around what it means to be a “master craftsman” in South Africa. In their opinion, master craftsmen should be accorded recognition equal to highly specialised professionals. Not everyone is blessed with the level of skill and talent to qualify them as master craftsmen, and the sisters take great pains to find the best with whom to collaborate.

Working with a spectrum of crafters from ilala palm and wire weavers to wood carvers and artisanal glass blowers, the Shaw Sisters brand has been responsible for overseeing the creation, production and marketing of a range of beautifully crafted and original pieces. Janet’s seperate venture, the Zulu Beadwork Project, operates in the same way but with a focus on beadwork catering to overseas fashion buyers.

For Janet and Angela the process of creating an object, from the seed of an idea to the final item, is the most fun and yet challenging aspect of their involvement. Getting to know the craftsmen and their skills, developing ideas, drafting technical specs, workshopping prototypes, and the time spent with the crafter through to final production, can be intense and take months. The majority of these crafters work in their homes or small workshops dotted around KZN, and many of their family members, seeing the benefits, have become involved too.

“It’s really tough to get each item produced to spec and of the highest quality. Even master craftsmen can take more than one attempt to get there ” confesses Angela. “But when they get it right it’s amazing!”

Their challenging briefs and unwavering standards of quality set the benchmark for an expanding community of crafters in KwaZulu-Natal. The fresh eyes and original ideas of these sisters have cleverly redesigned well-known traditional items such as wooden platters, woven baskets and beaded necklaces. New techniques in dyeing and raw materials have also been employed, with inspired outcomes.

“There’s such a wealth of talent and skills in KZN that we needn’t look elsewhere” they agree. They are kept busy enough by their local projects, so much so that this year the two sisters are having to restructure their business, with Janet managing the Zulu Beadwork Project full time, and Angela similarly taking the reins of the Shaw Sisters brand. Their shared vision remains though.

“It’s about changing perceptions of handmade products: their value, and the craft and commitment it takes to produce them,” says Angela. “Essentially we’re applying a greater economic vision to these traditional skills whereby an individual can be economically independent and empowered, and sustain themselves by their own hand.”

shawsisters.co.za

Read more of our articles about design, decor and architecture in Durban.

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VISI’s ubiquitous editor-at-large, Malibongwe Tyilo finally had a moment to pen his style observations from the Joburg Art Fair. Fashion and craft is what caught his eye.

Fashion fair

“Art fairs are the new fashion weeks” I overheard someone say as I was trying to photograph Marie Claire editor Aspasia Karras’s gorgeous skirt.

I think there definitely is some level of truth to that statement. I’ve been photographing and blogging about style at art openings for the past two years, and I have absolutely no doubt that for most attending these events, the swag is as important as the art on the wall.

Opening night itself was quite the buzz and the outfits were well calculated. In fact I felt the same way I feel when I am snapping away at fashion week; a quick peck on both cheeks, a brief conversation before one’s chat partner spots another person of interest and there’s another short-lived union of cheeks and lips, giving me a brief moment to snap pictures.

By the end of the evening I hadn’t paid nearly as much attention to the art as I should have, so I gave up and decided to revisit the fair on the last day by myself, sans camera.

Craft in art 

I was struck by how much a lot of the pieces on show, while being respectable art pieces that pose the predictable range of socio-political questions, also would do just as well as pretty decor pieces. In recent times, a lot of artists have gone beyond merely questioning or celebrating society in their works.

More and more artists are now challenging the very media they work in. Although Zander Blom did not show at the fair, think of his blobs of oil paint that are no longer about just creating an image but also about pushing the craft of oil painting.

Artists showing at the fair who made outstanding work that pushed this trend towards craft-driven art were Liza Lou who showed a magnificent piece made up of over 1.2-million beads. Wayne Barker created his typically irreverent work but instead of paint and the usual selection of found objects, he used glass beads. I didn’t get the bead count on that but I have no doubt it’s close to Liza’s.

Two other artists that have been pushing craft in their art since their beginnings are Athi-Patra Ruga and Dan Halter. Athi-Patra is as famous for his intricate and subversive tapestries as he is for his video installations. Dan’s woven paper manuscripts have to be seen to be believed. They suggest a rather obsessive compulsive personality, and that’s before we even get into their subject matter.

Redesign the medium 

There were many more artists whose works presented a leaning toward craft – Ed Young, Michael McGarry, Georgina Gratrix and Mohau Modisakeng’s costumes, to name but a few. I could go on and on about them, but that would require a different kind of article.

I am more fascinated by how this new love for craft changes the landscape, especially where decor and art meet. Back in Cape Town, I went to an opening recently with a group of friends who were also at the Joburg Art Fair. It was a bunch of paintings dealing with a variety of subject matter. While the paintings were nice enough, we felt a bit cheated.

We started asking ourselves how the artists could have maintained their questioning stance on socio-political issues but moved beyond it by challenging their medium, therefore challenging themselves.

Malibongwe “Mali” Tyilo is VISI’s ubiquitous editor-at-large, to be seen at all the fashionable openings snapping away for Skattie What Are You Wearing. Follow him on Twitter @skattie_what.

More Joburg Art Fair news

Kudzanai the rockstar
Winner of this year’s FNB Art Prize, Kudzanai Chiurai’s exhibition will form the centerpiece of the Joburg Art Fair, which starts tomorrow.

Shopping for art
With art fever in Jozi this week, we asked the likes of Sean O’Toole, Marianne Fassler, Ross Douglas, Roelof Petrus van Wyk, Joost Bosland, Jonathan Garnham, Fiona Mauchan, Gavin Rooke, Justin Rhodes and Michelle Constant: how do you start an art collection?

The verdict: Joburg Art Fair
Novelist Kathryn White donned her high heels, grabbed her champers and air-kissed her way through the Joburg Art Fair to bring us her personal verdict.

More art in Joburg

Our new street art blog
Photographer and visual anthropologer Sydelle Willow Smith is photo-blogging the I Art Joburg project in the Maboneng Precinct for us. 

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