Artists 4 Equity is an art-based initiative set up by @protest_aspraxis on Instagram to raise funds for community upliftment in the form of an online art auction.

The Nelson Mandela Day fundraiser will run from now until Sunday 19 July at 8pm – you will be able to bid on a large number of pieces created by local artists, with the money raised being donated to the artist’s charity of choice.

The organisations include:

• SWEAT
• Rape Crisis CT Trust
• Khayelitsha CAN
• Keep The Energy
• Restoring Hope
• Reclaim the City SA
• James  House
• Scalabrini Centre CT
• Femme Projects
• Happy Girls SA
• Feed SA

To bid on an artwork, you will need to comment on the artwork of choice and place your bid in increments of R100. The artist will send you the banking details of their chosen charity, which you will pay directly. Upon receiving a proof of payment, the artist will organise delivery of your piece. Delivery, shipping and collection of artworks is arranged between the artist and the buyer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCqIiVWJ2F8/

For more information and to bid, go to @artists4equity on Instagram.

The post Artists For Equity Fundraiser appeared first on Visi.

Local design company Being Frank has initiated a Pimp My Street Kitchen campaign to raise money to transform three South African street vendor trailers into fully equipped works of art.

The collective is made up of three creatives, Kirsten Townsend, Jo Theron and Shannon Davis, who aim to convert existing trading stalls into health and safety compliant, fully functioning kitchens, with a designer edge.

Being Frank are taking on the passion project in order to help these local businesses flourish. They have joined forces with three Joburg-based vendors, Ali, Busi and Johanna, working closely with them to create a unique identity for each business.

They also plan to upskill each chef with the business knowledge to grow their patron base and share the information with other vendors.

If you would like to contribute, find out everything you need to know about their Indigogo campaign here.

The post Pimp My Street Kitchen appeared first on Visi.

Sometimes those who peak early (think head prefects) achieve less later on in life, for whatever reason. Gabriel Ally, a former junior mayor of Johannesburg and recipient of the Allan Gray Fellowship does not fall into that category. He had a vision for a simple vehicle that could assist informal waste pickers to transport their cargoes easily and safely.

There are over 120 000 informal recyclers in South Africa that live from hand to mouth. Gabriel’s goal is to assist as many of these men and women as possible. The first GezaJozi prototype led to two more, and eventually the vehicle had transformed from a bicycle with a trailer to an electrically assisted cargo tricycle – now known as the GezaJozi e-trike.

The beauty of it is its simplicity. “We give our e-trikes to waste pickers for free and we fund the e-trikes with advertising revenue from corporate and public sponsors,” explains Gabriel.

“The vehicles are housed at a central location. The pickers collect them in the morning and travel along a predetermined route. We monitor their travels with a GPS tracking system and report these findings to our sponsors so that they can quantify a return on their advertising investment.

“The vehicles are returned at the end of the day so that they can be repaired and the pickers take home 100 percent of the waste revenue they collect. GezaJozi is a win-win-win – for the waste pickers, for private and public companies, and for society.”

Future projects include designing an electric tricycle that serves as a mobile spaza shop for aspiring entrepreneurs. And there’s another initiative in the pipeline.”I’m passionate about water scarcity in South Africa,” says Gabriel.”So I’m developing an agricultural irrigation product that reduces water wastage in the production of food.”

Recycling… business… water-wise initiatives… can someone make Gabriel Ally the senior mayor of Johannesburg, please?

This article was originally featured in IMAGINE. Find out more about GezaJozi at gezajozi.co.za.

The post SA’s Got Talent: GezaJozi e-Trike appeared first on Visi.

The winner of the annual Plascon Colour Design Awards 2016 was announced at 100% Design South Africa in Johannesburg.

Shani Bijleveld, a first year student from Design Time School of Interior Design in Cape Town, walked away with top honours. The winning design was chosen from 120 entries.

The theme for this year was #colourcan, with the aim to uplift and revive an existing educational institution or school using Plascon’s range of colours.

Inspired by Xhosa beadwork, Shani used shades of orange and blue to transform Oranjekloof Moravian Primary School in Hout Bay into a vibrant and colourful building with a strong local theme.

The judging panel consisted of Anne Roselt, Global Colour Manager at Plascon, Sumien Brink, Editor-in-Chief of VISI and Plascon Spaces magazines as well as New Media Books, Leana Schoeman, Editor of Sunday Times Lifestyle Magazine, Jodi Robertson, Director of International Trend Institute (ITI), Samantha van den Berg, organiser of the Plascon Colour Design Awards, Laurence Brick, MD of Platform Creative Agency and Creative Director of 100% Design South Africa and up-and-coming interior designer, Donald Nxumalo.

Shane’s prize is a trip to London Design Week 2016, valued at R40 000.

For more information, visit plasconspaces.co.za.

The post Winner: Plascon Colour Design Awards appeared first on Visi.