Bringing together the best in local design – textiles, furniture, accessories, interiors and more – the sixth instalment of 100% Design South Africa takes place 7 – 11 August 2019 in Midrand, alongside Decorex Joburg.

In addition to an exciting line-up of exhibitors, the collaborative feature stands are not to be missed, with themes that cover every aspect of our lives, from work and play to refuelling and resting.

Here are 5 things to look forward to:

1. Feature Designer & Feature Artist 

As the Feature Designer of the Year multidisciplinary creative Laduma Ngxokolo of MAXHOSA BY LADUMA will showcase his distinctive aesthetic in a homeware range that includes rugs, cushions, throws, upholstery and wallpaper, as well as some exciting new developments. Street artist r1 is the inaugural Feature Artist. He’ll be illustrating the intrinsic relationship between art and interiors and how they inform one another in a cohesive space.

Laduma Ngxokolo

r1.

2. 100% Lounge & 100% Dine

Design heavyweights Haldane Martin and John Vogel are behind this year’s 100% Lounge and 100% Dine showcases respectively. With 25 years in the furniture and interior design industry, Haldane combines his thorough understanding of how spaces function and knowledge of product design for the show’s ultra-stylish leisure space. Vogel Design, known for its contemporary, African-inspired creations, will be introducing a new collection in the hospitality context at the 100% Dine stand.

3. 100% Work & 100% Workspace

With co-working and flexible workspaces gaining global popularity, as well as a greater understanding of how a workspace’s design can impact productivity, engagement and wellbeing, smart office solutions are being developed to meet this demand.

Taking inspiration from a visit to Milan Design Week, Letizia Verona of DSGN will be spearheading the design of a “Collaborative Workplace”, while INOVA, an expert in the design and fitting out of modern working environments, will be exhibiting Bene products. This Austrian-based office furniture and service company views the office as a living space with products that encourage communication and collaboration, and the stand will demonstrate the potential of an agile workplace.

4. 100% Café 

Tracy Lynch, Creative Director of both Studio Leelynch and Nando’s Design Programme, which includes Clout, a talent incubator, is behind this year’s 100% Café (aka The Clout Café). Tracy will be drawing on the work of a number of well-known South African design brands and rising talents for the installation – Mash. T Design Studio, Wolkberg Casting Studios, Pedersen + Lennard, Wiid Design and Naturalis, amongst others. As always, the 100% Café promises to be the centrepoint not only for inspiration, but for socialising, connecting and engaging during the show.

The development of young talent, fundamental in Tracy and Nando’s collaborative approach, will not only be reflected in the pieces featured in the café, but will also be the focus of the Clout Designers’ Days. Taking place on 9 and 10 August in the 100% Workspace arena, emerging designers will be invited to pitch their work to a panel of industry professionals that includes Tracy, Michael Spinks, Nando’s Property and Development Director, and 100% Design South Africa Creative Director Laurence Brick.

The best pieces will be supported with a showcase at 100% Design South Africa 2020 and included on the Nando’s Portal to Africa (read more about that here), which creates a platform for exposure and commerce for emerging local designers.

5. 100% Sleep 

With the wellness trend highlighting the importance of quality sleep, so the bedroom, a space where design and comfort converge, comes under under the spotlight. The dynamic design trio that make up 99 Juta’s Apartment 2B collective – Monique Vee, Thabisa Mjo of Mash. T Design Studio and Mpho Vackier of TheUrbanative – have come together to create the 100% Sleep stand. We’re looking forward to the debut of an exclusive range created in collaboration with Weylandts.

100% Design South Africa is on at Hall 1, Gallagher Convention Centre, 19 Richards Drive, Midrand, from 7 – 11 August 2019, 10am – 6pm. Tickets, which can be purchased at the door or from Computicket, are R120 for adults, R100 for students/pensioners and R20 for kids under 12. Trade can register online to gain complimentary access; on-site registration costs R100.

For more information, visit 100percentdesign.co.za and get updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Having previously featured his Sound of Light and Hidden Trophy installations, we were very excited to learn that South African artist r1. has completed a new street art installation in the Johannesburg CBD.

For r1., the street is a blank canvas. “I work with urban interventions and collect every day found materials, transforming them and placing them back where they came from, to become a part of the city’s journey,” he says on his website. “The resulting artwork is tactile, moving within the motion of the cityscape. Like the street, the work finds its meaning once an interaction with the passer-by takes place.”

The latest 11m x 6m piece, which is inspired by the design of the traditional chevron street signs found across South Africa, is made up of 180 street signs, using 500 reflective vinyl stencils and 400 drilled holes.

“The steel plates are ordered from a company that manufactures street signs for the city,” he explains. “I then used reflective vinyl on the plates and pasted the geometric colours together like mosaics.”

View more of r1.’s work at r1r1r1.net.

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South African artist r1.’s latest temporary installation (which was dismantled the day after it was created) made use of 1000 CDs installed onto the walls of an abandoned farm house.

The piece reflects the sun’s rays, creating a spectrum of colour as you move past.

“The CD installation was strategically placed in an open landscape (facing west) to capture the sunlight as it mirrors back a magnificent ‘sound’ of colour,” explains r1.

Watch how the process came together below.

Haven’t seen r1.’s Hidden Trophy installation yet? View it here. For more, visit r1r1r1.net.

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Located in the Joburg suburb of New Doornfontein, artist r1.’s latest installation is a creative kaleidoscope of colour, made out of 100 chevron road signs.

Each individual road sign is secured to the wall to create the illusion of one large image.

The 5 m high and 5 m wide geometric piece features a hidden blue wildebeest inside the hypnotic pattern. Cleverly placed on a wall facing a T-junction, the reflective danger signs illuminate at night in the face of passing headlights.

Watch the video of the process below:

Visit r1r1r1.net to view more clever projects.

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From photographic art and a minimalistic coffee press to upcycled pallets and a rainbow bin in Copengagen, here are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 66. 

1. Creative Cloud mosaic piece by Kylli Sparre

“Flowers, photography and music. Simply beautiful!” says editorial and online assistant Chantel Hans.

Image credit: sparrek.org

2. Brothers in Benches by r1

“I just love this new life for old pallets in Maboneng,” says editor-in-chief Sumien Brink.

Image credit: r1r1r1.net/proj

3. Copenhagen Pride x Vipp Trash Your Prejudice

Deputy editor Annemarie Meintjes was impressed by this cool Vipp campaign supporting equal rights, that encouraged everybody to trash their prejudice in a giant rainbow painted bin during Copenhagen Pride.

Image credit: vipp.com

4. Push Coffee Maker by Mette Duedahl for Muuto

“The new Muuto range includes candlestick holders, chairs and tables, but I just loved this coffee press. Simple, functional design at its best,” says online editor Lindi Brownell Meiring.

Image credit: muuto.com

5. Tilia by Alicja Prussakowska

“Too pretty to actually use, so I’ll probably keep draping my towels over the bathroom door and leaving my clothes on the floor,” admits features editor Bibi Slippers.

Image credit: alicjaprussakowska.com

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 66 on picks of the week 268.

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April 2014: We found public artist r1 at work again and this time round it was the turn of a dreary Jozi street corner to be brightly and boldly accosted with no less than 100 yield signs arranged in a fractal. Produced in conjunction with the Johannesburg Development Agency’s Urban Upgrade Program, r1 created the artwork to help spread some good vibes in neglected parts of the city.

August 2013: South African street artist r1 has a wayward way with barrier tape and paper. Insisting on anonymity, he and/or she either wraps up parts of electric poles and traffic signs in his homeland or window dresses an empty shop window with paper in England. But, it’s the seductive play of the wayward wind with the blue-and-white tape in the bus stop intervention, which caught our eye. Intrigued, we tried to pin the shadow behind the barriers down.

Who are you?

I am a street artist with a fine arts background. England has been my home for several years, but I am South African and now live in Johannesburg. I like to remain anonymous to keep my freedom to intervene in the city, without boundaries or expectations.

Is there a reason you intervene with specific objects and places or do you just randomly act when inspired?

I like to play with familiar places and public objects, and imagine different alternatives. Sometimes ideas come randomly, but there is a lot of brainstorming before I start working. Then, it’s action. I usually discover a material and then an interesting location where the material would better ‘speak its message’. Before I execute a project I have a vision of what it will look like and I plan it carefully. An important aspect of my work is not only the intervention itself, but also the documentation of the process and the dialogue that it generates.

What inspires you?

The city and my surroundings. Inspiration finds me when I am active, moving and working. I try to revive places and objects we take for granted.

Do the interventions happen as part of an exhibition or do you act independently?

I act independently, although I never sign the work I put up in public spaces. I believe the work belongs to the street. It’s a selfless act and its emphasis is that the piece has a life of its own. When I put the work up, I document it and walk away; to me that is when I let it go. The artwork will still carry on living in its own time but I have detached myself from it.

We love the interaction between the barrier tape and wind in the bus stop in SA. Was this interplay part of the idea behind the work?

It’s often the case that a project can turn out different to what I expect. Especially in the street, it’s impossible to fully control what happens around me, especially while I am doing the intervention. Too much happens at once! Most times I take the role of the mediator, the tool through which the piece acquires its own life. I recently posted a short story specifically based on this random process via good.is.

How do you make a living?

With difficulty. It’s not easy being an artist and specifically doing what I do. But it makes “making a living” a whole lot more interesting!

Why do you do it and what do you hope to achieve through your work?

I always believed that a larger percentage of art should be placed in the street; especially in a country like South Africa with such a rich variety of languages and cultures. It often seems that we have little to say about how cities are set up around us, we just take it as it is. Public artistic interventions create a dialogue between the people living in the city. 

What can we look forward to next?

I’m planning to use barrier tape for upcoming projects in South Africa. I’m also trying to work closer to the community to execute some of the projects. New ideas and projects can change over time, just like my environment; I follow the journey.

www.r1r1r1.net

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