Breaking news: The internationally acclaimed War Horse by Cape Town’s own Handspring Puppet Company will finally be showing in South Africa for the first time. The show comes to Montecasino in Fourways, Joburg, from 22 October to 30 November and to Artscape Opera House in Cape Town from 5 December to 4 January. There’s already entire shows sold out, so book at Computicket now!

If the term ”national treasure“ were applied to any of our local design practitioners, then the Handspring Puppet Company holds a map with an X marking the spot. “Puppets?” you ask. Yes, but this is no Punch and Judy outfit.

For those unfamiliar with the extraordinary multimedia performances of the Handspring Puppet Company, know this: they breathe life into the astonishing moment when fine art merges with drama. That, and the shows are mainly for adults.

Recognised as global leaders in puppetry and production design, Handspring has created over 16 award-winning productions in the space of 30 years. The company was founded in 1981 by artistic director Adrian Kohler and executive producer Basil Jones, who have been joined by director Janni Younge. Since the ongoing production of War Horse first wowed London in 2007, the company’s success has multi­plied to the extent that last year Handspring was busy with eight productions on three continents!

If you have yet to experience a Handspring show, Ubu and the Truth Commission is being revived this year to mark the 20th anniversary of our democracy. Keep an eye on its website for performance and exhibition dates.

021 709 0269, handspringpuppet.co.za

Feeling the year of the horse energy? Count the horses and win in our April/May 2014 REWIND REDO RENEW edition, now on shelves.

The post War Horse finally comes to SA appeared first on Visi.

The fair is the brainchild of Trevyn and Julian McGowan – renowned for their work on the Southern Guild exhibitions of collectible South African design, as well as putting local design in big international retailers such as Anthopologie and the Conran Shops through their company Source SA. Trevyn also guides the Design Network Africa initiative that brings together leading designers from around the continent.

In celebrating Cape Town as World Design Capital 2014, instead of taking South African and African design to the world, as they have been doing since 2008, Guild brings the world to South Africa. To Cape Town, in specific, thanks to a partnership with Arcelor Mittal South Africa, sponsorship from Absa Private Banking and association with the V&A Waterfront and WDC2014. 

The fair’s featured designer is Eindhoven-based Nacho Carbonell, named Designer of the Future by Design Miami in 2009. He is known for his distinctive design-art pieces featuring organic forms and animated surfaces that challenge conventional perceptions of design. Sponsored by BMW, Nacho will show his Playground Closes At Dusk interactive exhibition based on the five senses.

Nacho’s gallerist, Rossana Orlandi, often referred to as the fairy godmother of design for her trailblazing work with emerging designers, will also be presenting an exhibition  of avant garde European design. Provocative São Paulo-based gallery, Coletivo Amor de Madre will do the same for South America.

From New York, the R20th Century gallery present a compelling narrative about the history and future of US design since 1960, through the work of Wendell Castle, Jeff Zimmerman, David Wiseman, The Haas Brothers and Thaddeus Wolfe.

The Agents of the 3D Revolution will show how the most innovative international 3D print designers and artists are shaping new technology to serve their creative needs. In contrast, the V&A Museum of London will present contemporary British design and “making”. This will also entail the launch of the Makers Library Network with Daniel Charney thanks to a commission from the British Council’s ConnectZA programme.

With all these international luminaries heading south, what will we show them? The Design Origins Africa South exhibition by the Origins Centre in Joburg will challenge visitors to question ideas of “advancement” and “function” by displaying objects that attest to human ingenuity from the deep past, from the very first objects produced by man 110 000 years ago, through to modern times.

Puppets from the Handspring Puppet Company’s acclaimed War Horse production, the Design Network Africa exhibition that showed at London Design Week last year, and a selection of the best Southern Guild designs over the year will complete our country and continent’s representation at the fair.

More than just a fair for beautiful objects, Guild represents the coming together of dedicated, focused curators, designers and institutions who are striving to preserve and provoke unique, groundbreaking design. The exhibition will be complemented by public and professional seminars, workshops and walkabouts.

“Some of the Guild participants are commercial galleries, some are organisations, some are institutions. What they share is a desire to articulate and shape our understanding of the importance of this category of design driven by heart, skill and vision – the most human forms of expression,” explains Trevyn.

“When designers are deeply involved in the process of what they make – hands on, immersed – a different kind of work emerges, the distance between what is rapidly made, mass-produced or machine-led and what is a result of process, intimacy and narrative, becomes greater. Handmade pieces are what really contain meaning for society and for the people who own them.”

Guild, The Lookout, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, guilddesignfair.com

Read VISI’s in-depth feature on the world trend of “collectible design” and the Guild exhibition in the WILD DESIGN issue, now on shelves.

The post Guild Design Fair is here appeared first on Visi.