WORDS: Dylan Culhane
With the recent announcement that Cape Town is the very first African city to be declared World Design Capital in 2014, the latest issue of VISI interrogates the notion of being real in an age that often seems centred on the superficial.
Design (as it is commonly understood) is frequently a culprit in this regard; the creation of lavish and excessive objects and monuments that can seem removed from the daily reality of life.
Cape Town’s imminent tenure as World Design Capital brings with it a necessary re-evaluation of the very concept of what design is, and what it means for society as a whole. Already, exciting discusisons have begun about what the implications of this accolade will be for the average Joe, and not just the top design houses and luxury retailers. Design is, after all, not just about desk lamps, handbags and fashionable chairs. On the contrary, it is about thinking in a streamlined and efficient way, and making everyday life more fulfilling through the implementation of new ideas. In what is possibly the best definition of design I have yet discovered, brand identity guru Alina Wheeler refers to it as “intelligence made visible”. Heaven knows our society could do with a little bit more of that!
Fittingly, VISI 58’s spread of features moves away from the world of rock-star designers and palatial abodes to focus on a range of stories that we feel encapsulate the notion of being “real”.
Marianne Fassler graces the cover of our latest issue. The renowned fashion designer takes us into her Cape Town apartment – in itself something of an ode to local art and design – and discusses (amongst other things) the responsibility that we all have to support the South African design industry.
Managing editor Alma Viviers and deputy editor Annemarie Meintjes were fortunate enough to travel to Tanzania, where they visited Singita Explore – a new mobile camp in the Serengeti plains designed by Cécile and Boyd’s. Alma also describes her experiences in an exclusive feature for VISI.co.za.
Closer to home, Silvio Rech and Lesley Carsten’s adobe “mud hut” in the Waterberg offers an inspired re-imagination of the fatigued bush-lodge aesthetic. Adam Levin takes a closer look at this extraordinary piece of indigenous architecture.
In our second international feature, Vicki Sleet explores Istanbul – fast emerging as a design capital in its own right. Again, we have additional coverage on her trip available here for all our online readers. We highly recommend you take the time to flip through this in-depth article on a sexy destination that Financial Times readers have voted the most liveable city in the world for expats. You’ll also find out all you need to know about the upcoming Istanbul Design Biennial, and can even win return business-class tickets to attend, courtesy of Turkish Airlines.
Finally, be sure to check out a new ongoing feature on VISI.co.za called “Real Spaces”, where we showcase the living and working environments of real South Africans with an individual sense of style. In the absence of art directors, interior decorators and stylists, the photographs in this new section are as real as it gets.
Whether you’re browsing our award-winning website on your iPad, or flipping through the glossy pages of our latest stunning print edition, VISI has plenty to offer this summer. As 2012 rolls around, we will continue to be your number one source of information in the fields of decor, design and architecture.
We wish all our readers a happy and transformative festive season, and we thank you for all the support you’ve given us throughout 2011. Stay safe, and stay real!
