DESIG N

19Number

(group registrations available) 01 June - 31 July Book Now!40% off discount

Executive Vice President,Nokia / Former Prime Minister of Finland

Finland

EskoAho

BarryLamTaiwan(Chinese Taipei)

Chairman & CEO, Quanta Computer Inc.

PeterBishopFormer Deputy CEO,London Development Agency

United Kingdom

BobEltonChair of the Board of Directors,ImmigrantEmployment Council of British Columbia

CanadaFounder,

Foundation for Science,Technologyand Ecology

India

VandanaShiva

Research

For complete programme information,including afternoon parallel sessions: WWW.2011idacongress.com

Economic Development

Internet Biotechnology Urbanism InternationalMigration

Panellists

The primary event for dialogue between designers and non-design stakeholders in a summit format.

Emily Campbell, Director of Design, RSA (United Kingdom)Nila Leiserowitz, Managing Director, Gensler (United States)

, VP&Group Director,LPK Trends (United States)Valerle Jacobs

Duke University (United States)Bill Soenius,Director Of User Experience,Siemens (Germamy)Ruth Soenius,

CEO & Founder,Intuitive Automata (Hong Kong)Cory Kidd,chief Editor,Metropolis Magazine (United States)Susan Szenasy,

Marco Steinberg,, Design Director, Finnish Innovation Fund (Finland)Dunne + Raby (United States)Anthony Dunne,

Creative Director & Partner, Tatil (Brasil)Fred Gelli,LG Design Center (Korea)Dr. Lee Kumpho,

MIT SENSEable City Lab (Italy)Carlo Ratti,

Co-Founder,Mass Design (United States)Michael Murphy,

Keynote SessionsFlve international experts will offer themed keynote addesses followed by a panelof designers representing the three disciplines of the IDA.

The primary event for dialogue between designers and non-design stakeholders in a summit format.

w w w . b o w m a n . c o . z a

14 > Todaywewouldbekings:FridaLarios’NewMayaLanguage

26 > Makingamove:Atraveller’scompanionto

becomingafreelancerintheUK

38 > RobMills’convergenceofartand

technology

50 > ThewinnersofHiiibrand2010

62 > HIVPositive:Iconict-shirtsthatshapeviewsandawarenessonthepandemic

68 > Let'smakecondomscool

76 > Creatingcomplexobjectsofdesirelayerbylayer

5 >

CONTENTS

84 > 3Dwhat?

90 > Turningtalentintosuccess

98 > Supportingideasintoprototypes

104> SouthAfricalearnsfromtheSwedes

109> PRECIOSAilluminatesanotherOne&Onlycomplex

114> TheUpperEastSideHotel:Beautybycontrast

124> RadissonBluGautrainHotel:Symbolismindesign

134> AFGRIHeadOffice:Architecturethatfloats

6 >

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EURO

RSC

G 48

47/E

8 >

144> WaverleyOfficePark:Neo-Africaniconography

152> 15AliceLaneTowers:Raisingthebarincorporateheadofficedesign

166> 1ProteaPlace:Reflectingabrand’sidentitythrougharchitecture

178> ToEgyptwithlove:Anartist’sresponsetochange

182> PaulStopforth:Themanwhoretrievesthesoapandseesinitasliverofhistory

194> GerhardMarx:Cumulus

204> Workingwithnature

9 >

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CONTRIBUTORS

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Number19,June2011

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14 >

By Frida Larios | My journey to revive the

visual language of the ancient Maya started in

2004 when I was studying towards a masters

in Communication Design at Central Saint

Martins College of Art & Design in London,

located only two blocks away from the Brit-

ish Museum which holds some of the most

important lintels in the Maya world. I was

the first Salvadoran woman to study at Saint

Martins. How could I not look for my own

roots within an institution, and city, with

marked avant-garde tendencies? It was my

opportunity to show my peers and now the

world how the Maya are one of the founding

six pillars of the civilised world, inventors of

the notion of zero and of one of the most

accurate calendars in history. There is also a

lack of recognition of their intelligent and

advanced hieroglyphic language’s art form,

within Mesoamerica (modern Mexico, Guate-

mala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador) itself,

and beyond its boundaries. Now, as an am-

bassador for INDIGO (Icograda’s Interna-

tional Indigenous Design Network), it is my

privilege to promote part of this ancient

culture through my design work.

Today we would be kings: Frida Larios’

New Maya Language

15 >

My New Maya Language is a unique system,

in content and style, which rescues the ‘dead’

written language created by the Maya across

Mesoamerica as far back as 300 BC. My vision

for the New Maya Language is to recreate,

re-compose and develop contemporary appli-

cations in different media: art, product and

fashion design, brand identities, information

design, wayfinding and education systems

for archaeological sites and public spaces,

as well as children’s toys. Through these di-

verse applications I aspire to promote icon-

ographic meanings, education and play,

whether it is by instigating conceptual

thinking through a 0–12 year-old child’s

game, T-shirts or simply by creating appre-

ciation through my artworks, which to-date

have been acquired by collectors around

the world. Antonio Avia, Indigenous Educa-

tion Director for the Organisation of Iberoa-

merican States had this to say about my

artworks: “… your work presents another

form of seeing, understanding, recreating,

and above all, employing again in daily life,

millenary means of expression. I am fasci-

nated by this new vision of the glyphs.”

16 >

Before being historians, mathematicians or astron-

omers, the Mayan scribes were artists. Their writing

not only documented the political life and other

historical affairs, but were also works of art which

manifested through different mediums: stone

sculpture, ceramics, murals, calligraphic manu-

scripts, garments and utilitarian products. This

makes me think that there is not much differ-

ence between a practicing artist or designer to-

day and the Mayan scribes, right? The answer is:

No. The difference is that our profession is not

as valued today as in ancient times when, like

Mayanist Michael D. Coe says, “artists could be

kings.” It was indeed a royal profession.

I aim to preserve the ancestral artists’ spirit at the

time of creation, highlighting, and not merely

reproducing their strokes. Aptly, renowned Har-

vard Peabody Museum’s epigrapher Alexandre

Tokovinine described my work as follows: “Even

though there has been a growing body of scholarly

works devoted to the subject of Maya calligra-

phy, few artists systematically sought their inspi-

ration in Maya letters beyond mere reproduction

of certain glyphs and glyphic patterns, usually in

the context of contemporary indigenous art. Frida’s

project stands apart as an attempt to explore and

reinvent Maya calligraphy as a symbolic and aes-

thetic system from an artist’s viewpoint. The New

Maya Language creates its own world that blends

Maya imagery and symbolism with Frida’s unique

vision in a series of works which would make an

ancient calligrapher proud.”

17 >

The bookIwrote,illustratedanddesignedthe

120-pageNew Maya Languagebook

sothatpeoplecouldlearnaboutthe

originallanguageoftheMayaina

simpleandpracticalwayandtodecode

mynewinterpretationtoothers.The

mainchapterprovidestheformulafor

eachofmypictograms,originalhiero-

glyphsontheleftpageandthenew

hieroglyphsorresultontheright.Finally

Ishowcasevariousdesignapplications.

Theforewordtothebookiswritten

byHarvard’spost-doctorAlexandre

Tokovinine,whostates:“Manysignsof

theNew Maya Languageretainsimilari-

tiestotheirancientcounterparts.Yet

themostfascinatingpartofthebook

isaseriesofworksthatborrowfrom

thegrammaroftheMayasymbolic

languagetoinnovatecompletelynew

hieroglyphscorrespondingtovarious

objects,actions,andevenabstract

concepts.Frida’sworksdemonstrate

thatMayaglyphsstillhavethepower

notonlytopuzzleandastound,butto

encouragenewformsofartisticexpres-

sion,thattheMayaartandwritingare

aliveaslongasartistslookatitasa

sourceofinspirationandcreativity.”

18 >

Green Child PuzzleThesymbolicpictogramcalledGreen Child(orMotherEarth),

consistingofasix-piecesustainablewoodblockpuzzle,was

originallydesignedandinspiredbythebirthofmysonYax(his

namemeanstheresplendencyofthecoloursblueandgreenin

Maya).Thecornsproutingfromachild’searsymbolisesMother

Earthopeninguptothecreationoflifeandpreservationof

ourplanet’sseeds.IincludedtranslationsinMaya,Spanish

andEnglishatthebackofeachblockpiece.

ArtTheNew Maya Languageinspiredmetocreateoriginalartworks

whichIpaintingouacheonhigh-qualitywatercolourpaper.

Manyofthesehavefoundhomesindifferentpartsofthe

world.FeaturedattoprightisErupting volcano,London.

Centre:Family at home,Leipzig.BottomLTR:Ixchel goddess,

Supernatural portalandHacienda San Lucas symbol,Toronto.

19 >

Hacienda San LucasWhenthetimecame,afterresidinginLondon

andlivingthecitylife,Idecidedtoraisemynow

two-and-a-half-yearoldsonatmyhusband'sfamily

eco-lodge,HaciendaSanLucas,inthemountains

ofCopánRuins,Honduras.Thisofferedmethe

opportunitytostudytheancienthieroglyphsin

theiroriginalhabitatandbecomeinspiredbyone

ofthemostbeautifulplacesonearth,overlooking

oneofthemajorMayaarchaeologicalsites.We

nowliveinBerkeley,Californiawheremyhusband

isafellowatUCBerkeleyJournalismGraduate

School,butIambackatHaciendaSanLucasfor

thesummertomeet-upwithmymuseformy

nextfashionandpictogramcollection.

GaiaGaiaistheceremonialandyogacenteratHacienda

SanLucasoverlookingtheCopánValley,andone

ofthemajorMayaarchaeologicalsite’sinMeso-

america.Thespacewasinneedofdifferentiation

fromthemaincentenary-oldHaciendahouse,

sincemanyspecialeventsandweddingstake

placethere.Idesignedanewbrandidentity

inspiredbytheNew Maya Language. Abeautifully

reclaimedwood-carvedsigniscurrentlybeing

manufacturedtobeplacedatthefootoftheGaia

Hill,allinpreparationforthemajorMayaLong

CountCalendarendingon21December2012.

OneofmyothergoalswiththeNew Maya

Languageisforittoremaindemocraticand

accessible,notonlytonorthernhemisphere’s

academicswhoaretheoneswhocommandthe

hieroglyphicwritingknowledge,buttocom-

monMesoamericancitizens.AboveallIwant

ittobeinclusiveofnativeinhabitantsofthere-

gionsothattheyhavetheopportunitytorecre-

atethemselveswithit.Alotofthesepopula-

tionsareilliterateandtheNew Maya Language

touchestheircognitiveandemotionalfibers.It

isalanguagewithoutwordsthatmakesthem

feelincludedinaworldwherethelettersof

thealphabetaretheirforemostbarriers.

IbelievethatdesignersinCentralAmerica–and

inotherdevelopingregions–shouldimmerse

themselvesintheirhistoricrootstoreinforce

designwithanindividualidentityinsteadof

obsessingthemselveswithinfluencesfrom

Anglo-Saxoncountries.Thereareindeedpa-

rametersatthetimeofdesigningorinterna-

tionaldesigncannons,whichinfactwereborn

intheAnglo-Saxonworld.Butanchoringin-

spirationandidentityinindigenousheritageis

verydifferenttosearchingforinspirationbased

onEuropeanorNorthAmericaninfluences.

Whynotlookforinspirationinwhatisours,

which,bytheway,isverydifferenttotherest?

Ancientindigenouscultureshadmagnificent

artisticdevelopment,anchoringthemselvesin

theirnaturalandsocialenvironmentandre-

spectingit.IfirmlybelievethatifCentralAmer-

icandesignershadbeenabletocontinueto

reflecttheirindigenouscultureuntilourpresent

day–adevelopmentdefraudedbymanycon-

questsduringthecourseofover500years–

theroleswouldbereversedanditwouldbe

theWesternworldlookingforreferenceinour

culture.Today,wewouldbekings.<

20 >

21 >

IdentitiesTheNew Maya Languagesystemhasbeenappliedin

thedevelopmentofvariousidentityandvisual

communicationprojects.

WildHeart Vision WildHeartVisionisamediaorganisationbasedin

HelsinkiandCopenhagenthataimstogatherthe

largestcollectionofindigenousknowledgefromaround

theworld.Theorganisationcommissionedmeto

developapictogram,website(www.wildheartvision.com)

andbrandedcommunications.Thepictogramusedis

calledtz’ak,aMayahieroglyphthatmeans‘total’,

‘whole’or‘complete’.Thewordisrepresentedbythe

sumoftwoparts,whichintheMayaspiritualand

physicalworld,whereperceivedtobeeithercomple-

mentaryoropposing,onecouldnotexistwithoutthe

other.WildHeartVision’slogodepictsthestarsand

themooncorrespondingeachotherinthenightto

embodytheguidanceoftheancestralwisdomcarriers.

MUYAL es una línea de

productos para el cuerpo

que harmoniza el desarrollo

humano con mejoras

ecológicas. Todos sus

ingredientes son proveidos

ética y localmente.

En el mundo maya

MUYAL (nube) era un

símbolo de renovación

espiritual y fue la

inspiración para el diseño de

la tipografía y el logo.

MUYAL is a range of

bodycare products that

harmonises human

development and ecological

improvements. All its

ingredients are locally and

ethically sourced.

In the Maya world

MUYAL (cloud) was a symbol

of spiritual renovation–the

inspiration for the type and

logo design.

22 >

Los Sapos archaeological siteGraphicqualityandavailableproductionbudgetsare

constantconstraintsinthedevelopmentofsignage

forpubliclocationsinmostdevelopingcountries.The

thousand-year-oldLosSaposUNESCOWorldHeritage

archaeologicalsiteinHondurasneededaculturally

relevantandaffordablewayfindingdesignsolution.I

designedasingleinfographiccarvedinlocalstoneby

localartisansthatnowguidesvisitorsalongtheirway

tothehistoricsite.

New Maya Language accessoriesIworkedwithlocalMayastone-carverstodevelopa

uniquestyleformysignatureaccessorylinecomposed

ofjewellery,belts,bagsandshoesbasedonmyMaya

symbologyanduseofancestrallocalresources.The

designs,apartfromtheuseofleatherandsuede,

utilisedifferentshadesofjadeencrustedonlimestone

extractedfromthesameplacewheretheMayahistorically

minedfortheirmonuments.

23 >

24 >

Harvesting Hands fashion collectionSanFrancisco-basedExplodeLaModeapproachedme

tocomplementmyaccessorylinewithfashiondesigns

fortheir2011runwayshowintheheartofthefamous

Missiondistrict.Thiswasasignificanttrans-discipline

careermoveformeandIaddresseditwiththesame

ethosofpreviousprojects,usingmygraphicdesign

backgroundandtheNew Maya Languagetotreat

patterndrawings.Theresultwasadesign-oriented,

100%handcraftedfashionlinefeaturingNew Maya

Languagepictographs,allowingclientstoweara

story:themetaphoriclanguageandhistoryofthe

Mayaasinterpretedthroughmyeyes.Theconcept

behindthecollectionisplantingandharvestingseeds,

buildingahomewithyourownhandsandnourishing

yourselfandyourfamilythrougheatingbeanson

self-madeceramicvessels.Iintentionallycommis-

sionedSalvadoranwomentolovinglyhand-sewand

patchthegarmentstogivetheitemsuniquedimen-

sionsandpatchedtexture.Thiscollaborationresulted

inafashionrangethatishand-made,earth-tonedin

colourandmodern–marryingMayantraditionswith

moderneasy-to-wearsophistication.

PhotosbyTylerOrsburn.

25 >

26 >

27 >

By Matthew Schönborn | Dailytripsonthe

tube(thespiderwebnetworkofunderground

trains,astheyarereferredtointhiscity)and

lunchesintheparkaresomeofthethings

thathelpmekeeptrackofmydailyroutine.

Poundingthepavementandpassingbythe

hipsters,thehomelessandtheendlessseaof

blackcoatsandumbrellas,Irealisethatthisis

notwhatIamusedto,havinggrownupinthe

vastexpanseofAfrica,wherespaceissome-

timestakenforgranted.Oneofthemostob-

viousthingsInoticedwhenIfirstarrivedhere

overfouryearsago,wasthateveryonewalks

towheretheywanttogo...andtheywalkfast.

Backin2005,IgraduatedfromtheUniversity

ofPretoriawithadegreeinInformationDe-

signandtheWorldwasminetoconquer.After

spendingayearatanadvertisingagencyin

Johannesburg, I decided that I needed a

change.IhadalwayswantedtotraveltoEu-

ropewithitseverincreasingcosmopolitan

sensibilitiesandcentre-of-the-worldloca-

tion.SoImovedtoEngland–asmanySouth

Africanexpatsdo–anduseditasabaseto

seetheworldfromadifferentperspective

wherethetoiletsflushintheoppositedirec-

tion.Ibookedmyticketandsaidgoodbyeto

perfectweatherandpseudo-Tuscanhousing

estates,andhellotoone-waytraffic,chavvy

busstopsandimpossiblyhighrent.

Thefirststepisalwaysthehardesttotake

MyfirstjobintheUKwasactuallytestingvideo

gamesforElectronicArts.Therolewassimple:

playagamefor8hoursadayandfindandlist

asmanybugsasyoucouldandpunch-outat

fiveo’clock.AsmuchasIlovedvideogames,

thejobjustwasn’tformeasIfeltunstimulated

andunchallenged.Also,earning£7.50anhour

wasnotgoingtohelpmebuymyownPlaysta-

tioneither.

My first properdesign job in Londonwas

workingforasmalldigitalagencycalledDJM.

Wespecialisedinpharmaceuticalmarketing

anddesignandI’velostcounthowmanyrevo-

lutionarynewtreatmentswehadhelpedre-

lease.Sofroma‘maketheWorldbeabetter

MAKING A MOVE: Atraveller’scompaniontobecomingafreelancerintheUK

28 >

place’perspective,itwasquiterewardingtoknow

thatinsomeabstractway,Iwashelpingpeople

‘feelbetter’withthemedicinesIwaspromoting.

ThelearningcurvewasincrediblysteepasIhad

learnedthevalueinmulti-taskingandnewtech-

nologiesasIhadcodedmanyprogrammesand

websitesinAdobeFlash(learningbytrialander-

roraswellaswiththeassistanceofonlinetutori-

als).I learnedallaboutlighting,mise-en-scene,

filming,editing,soundtrackingandthepackaging

ofself-producedvideos.Ilearnedhowtoprioritise

workflowsandoptimisemyweaknessessothat

theywouldn’tbecomeahindrance.It’snotaneasy

rideinasmall,yetsuccessfulstudio,asyouhaveto

beontopofeveryaspectoftheproductionprocess

andbeskilledinmanyareasinordertodrivethe

businessforward.

3dtrackingBeingafreelancermeansdelvinginindustriesnot

necessarilyassociatedwith'highdesign'.Oneof

thefirstfreelancejobsMatthewdidwascreating

amarketingcampaignforworldwidevehicle

managementcompany,3dtracking.

29 >

Newspepper.comAsafreelancer,Matthewoftengetsapproachedby

startupcompanieslookingforacorporateidentity.One

oftheseisNewspepper.com,avideoproductionand

socialmediamanagementcompanythatmakeshigh-

quality,low-costvideosoptimisedfortheInternet.

30 >

Afterthreeyearsofpayingmyduesandmoving

uptheranks,Ihadseenthecompanygrowthree

timesinsizeandIhadfeltlikeIhadlearnedallIcould

fromthatexperienceandthereforedecidedtohave

agoonmyown.Iwantedtoknowwhatitwouldbe

likebeingcalleda‘freelancer’–thatmythicword

whichheldstrongadventurousconnotationsfor

myfree-spiritedandself-reliantmind.

Siftingthroughthechafftofindthegrain

Becomingafreelancerwasafrighteningdecision

formetomake.Nothavingthesecurityofamonthly

salaryandpaidholidaysisenoughtomakemany

peoplejumpatthethought.However,Ialsoreal-

isedthatIdidn’twanttoworkforsomeoneelsefor

therestofmylife.Ihadreachedapointinmycareer

whereIfeltlikeIhadlearnedenoughtoofferpeople

genuinelyvaluableskillsandIdidn’twanttobe

themiddle-agedcreativewho’swingshadbeen

clippedandwho’sneckcouldn’tarchtowardsthesky.

Oneofmymainstayclientrelationshipshasbeenwith

thefoundersofInternetstartup,Newspepper.com.

Ifoundthemonajobsitein2007whenIfirstarrived

inLondonwhentheywerelookingforsomeoneto

helpdesigntheirvisualidentity.“Exciting!Fresh!

Innovative!”weresomeofthewordstheyusedto

describetheirnewbusinesswhichwastocreate

richvideocontentforonlinedistribution.Iwasin-

vitedforaninterviewatabarinLondon’sSoho

districtwhichisanincrediblydiversepartofthe

cityanditscentralnervoussystem.Thefounder

turnedouttobea21yearoldjournalismstudent,

HermioneWay,whohadan‘idea’.Iwassuspicious.

What21year-oldhadtheaudacitytothinkthey

couldstarttheirowncompany?Ihadreservations

duetoherage,butIoptedtogiveitagobecause

Ihadnothingtolose.

31 >

De ZuidenMatthewsetuphisowndesigncompany,DeZuiden,

inordertogetmorelucrativecontractsandapproach

largerclients.Associatinghimselfwithlike-minded

individualsindifferentareasofdesignallowshim

toofferawiderangeofservices.

Ihelpednewspepper.comdevelopanidentityback

in2007andastheyearswentby,theneedtorefocus

theirbusinessplanmeanttheywouldalsoneedto

re-evaluatetheirbranding.Throughclosecollabo-

rationwiththeboardofdirectors,Idevelopedan

identityforthecompanyandtheprocesswasincred-

iblysmoothandrapid,andalongwithredesigning

theirwebsite,everythingwasupandrunningwithin

amonth.Atestamenttohowquicklythingscanget

donewiththerightpeoplebehindthejob.

Itcanbequitedauntingforayoungandinexperi-

enceddesignerastheyareapproachedbynew

companies.Theytendtopromisetheworld,but

moreoftenthannot,willpayyouverylittle(ifany-

thing)ascompensation.Icannottellyouhowmany

timesI’vereadthewords,‘Deferredpayment’in

jobspecifications.Thosewordsmakemecringeas

Iknowtherearemanyyoungdesignerswhoendup

doingalotofworkforfree,withultimatelyverylittle

toshowforit.NowedaysItendtosteerclearof

those‘opportunities’butIoftendidworkforfree,

expectingahugepaycheckdownthelineasthe

companybecamesuccessful,butneverdid.Itwas

duetotheoptimismofmyyouthcloudingmybetter

judgement,butitdidhelpmehonemyskillsinrecog-

nisingagoodopportunitywhenitpresenteditself.

Embracingpassionswithbotharmsandopeneyes

Perhapsmybiggestpassionoutsideofgraphicde-

sign,isfilm.IfIwasn’tadesignerIwouldwanttobe

amotionpicturedirector.Thankfully,theUKhasa

prettyvastindependentfilmindustryandassuch,

Iwasapproachedbyadirectorandproducerofa

filmaftertheystumbleduponmyonlineportfolio.

Theirfilmfollowedayoungwoman’sstruggleto

dealwiththechoiceswhichcameasaresultofan

unplannedpregnancy.

32 >

33 >

Idesignedthefilm’slogotobeusedinboth

marketingmaterialandthetitlesequence.It

wouldalsohelpdictatetheartdirectionforthe

restofthecampaignincludingthewebsiteand

DVDcover.Thedirectorhadastrongideaof

theconceptandthestylethatshewantedfor

thefilm’spromotionalposter.Sincethecata-

lystofthefilmwasachemicalabortiondrug

(RU-486),she(thedirector)wantedapillbottle

tobethefocalpointoftheposterandhavevar-

iousscenescollagedinthebackground.Icon-

vincedherthathavingtoomanyelementswould

resultintheposterbeingunfocusedandcon-

fusingandinsteadweshouldhavethebottle

isolatedonastarkbackground.Theextratouch

wastohaveastillimagefromakeyscenere-

flectedinthebottle’sglass. It’sa ‘blinkand

you’llmissitmoment’,butitaddsweighttothe

campaignasthemessagingsaysquitealot,but

leavesyouwantingmore,whichiswhatafilm

postershoulddo.

Pastimesandairmiles

Havingahobbyoutsideofdesignis,Ithink,vitally

importantformaintainingabalancedperspective

ontheworldaroundyou.Livingandbreathing

design24/7canmakedesignersover-analytical

andslightlyobsessiveincritiquingourenviron-

ments.

Marina CelesteDeZuidenwasresponsibleforthepost-production

thelatestmusicvideofromtheartist,MarinaCeleste

ofNouvelleVaguefame.Utilisingrawdigitalfootage

ofMarinaperforminginfrontofagreenscreenand

incorporatinganimatedhand-drawnillustrationsas

wellasSuper8filmfootage, Love is the First Born

takesthevieweronanostalgicjourneythrough

suggestedemotionsanddreamlikewheatfield

imagery.Click heretoviewthevideo.

RU-486Movieposter,DVDcoverandwebsitefortheindepen-

dentfilm,RU-486.Alimitedcolourpalettewasused

andminimaldesign,whichisafeatureofMatthew's

style.Click heretoviewthetrailer.

34 >

Ispendmyfreetimeasaguitarist/vocalistforthe

alternativerockband,KingWillow.Abriefhistory

saysthat,afteraboutayearofwritingsongsand

practicingthem,thebanddecidedtoproducea

demooffivesongs,recordingthemourselvesin

mybedroomwithpillowsasmakeshiftsound-

proofing.

Ialsodesignedalogofortheband,whichneeded

tobestrong,solidandhaveanimposingpresence,

muchlikeit’snamesake.Atthesametime,froma

King WillowInterestsoutsideofdesignsuchashis

band,KingWillow,provideMatthew

opportunitiestodevelopotherpartsof

hiscreativespectrum.Click heretovisitKingWillow'ssite.

35 >

practicallevel,theKingWillow’sidentityhadtobe

bothboldandlegible,soitwouldlookgoodona

posterandt-shirt,aswellasafestivalbannerorweb-

site.Fortheband’sdemocoverartworkIhadim-

aginedadarkhorse,intheheatofbattleasitstrides

valiantlythroughthesmokeandchaosofawarzone.

Itwasastrikingimageinmyheadasasolitarystallion

chargesaheadwithprideeveninthemidstofde-

feat.ItwasalsoareactiontoJMWTurner’s,Death

on a Pale Horse,animagewhichhadhauntedme

sincestudyingRomanticismatuniversity.

Ifindthatdoingdesignoutsideofpaidworkand

personalexpressionhelpsmedrivemypassionfor-

ward.It’seasytofallintothetrapofjusttryingto

findthenextjobtopaytherentanditcanoften

leadtounrewardingandmenialprojectsforthesake

ofmoney.Youlosethefocusandthepassionnec-

essarytobecominga‘greatdesigner’.Also,having

diverseinterestssuchasmusic,photographyand

travelinghelpmekeepmytoeswetinexpressive

design,askillwhichisimmediatelyrecognisable

whendifferentiatingoneselffromthepack.

36 >

37 >

Itisonlythebeginning...

WhilstIhavealreadybeenintheUKforoverfour

yearsandhavingstartedmyowncompanyasa

freelanceartdirector,Iamonlynowstartingto

trulyappreciatetheopportunitiesavailabletome

bylivinginacomplexandcosmopolitanmetropo-

lis.Ihavebeenabletoworkforfilmproducers,

advertisers,startups,architects,bands,pharma-

ceuticalcompaniesandsomeofthebiggestbrands

intheworldandIcanconfidentlysaythatIstill

havealottolearnandmanymistakestomake,but,

moreoftenthannottheprocessisasrewardingas

theoutcome.<

Photography and travelMatthewsaysthatphotographyhelpshonehis

compositionalskillsandtravelingexpandshis

perspectiveofexistencebeyondthedailycommute.

38 >

Just Working Things

Out in My Head,2008.

Pigmentinkprint.

Fromexperimental

animation–drawing

anddancewith

MargaritaNaydenova.

39 >

Rob Mills’convergenceofartandtechnology

By Jacques Lange | Afterspendingtwodecadesworkingasanelectronicengineerandbroadcast

industrymanagerRobMillschangedtrackstofollow

hismuse.TodayheisoneofSouthAfrica’sforemost

fineartphotographersfocussingoncontemporary

andclassicaldanceashismainsubjectmatter.Mills

workswithavarietyofphotographicmediums

rangingfromclassicalfibre-basedtonedanddigital

pigmentprintstoanimation.Healsodevelopeda

signaturetechniquecomprisingricepaperprints

waxedontoglasswithbeeswaxusinghotairand

brush.Itisauniqueprocessthatproducesanextraor-

dinarytextureandtranslucenceunlikeanynormal

paperprint.

Millswasborn1958.Hisfatherwasanengineeratthe

SABCwhopioneeredtheSouthAfricanFMradio

andTVnetwork.“Myfatherusedtobringoldbitsof

transmitterequipmenthomeforustotakeapart.

Engineeringwasthusprogrammedinourbrains

fromanearlyage.”SaysMills.

Millsstruggledthroughschool,boredandfrustrat-

edwiththeprescriptivewaysofChristianNational

Education,anddoingtheminimumtogetby.“Aswith

mostcreativepeople,therewereafewteachers

whosawpotentialandnurturedit.Someonedis-

coveredthatIwasgoodatEnglishandusefulin

drama,bothonandoffstage.”

MillswentontostudyElectronicEngineeringat

theUniversityofStellenbosch.“Peoplethoughtthis

wasthethingforme.Actuallyitwasreallyjust

somethingIcouldnaturallydo.Ihadafeelingfor

design,arapportwithtechnologyandhatedthings

thatdidn'twork.”Mills’creativeinterestshowever

persistedandhecouldneverunderstandwhythe

FacultyofEngineeringwasadrearygreycollec-

tionofsteel,glassandconcreteblockssituatedon

theoutskirtsofcampuswhiletheArtandMusic

studentsgotbeautifulbuildingstoworkin.“Ire-

memberhangingaroundtheFacultyofArtslong-

ingtobeintheredoingwhattheyweredoing.”

Followinginhisfather’sfootsteps,Millsjoinedthe

SABCaftergraduating.“Mostofmyworkwasin

thefieldofaudioresearch;luckilyatatimewhen

theSABCstillcommandedinternationalrespect

fromthebroadcastingcommunity–atleastfrom

atechnologicalpointofview.Myjobtookmeinto

musicstudioswherethemusewasnotcompletely

lockedupintechnology.”

40 >

Angel,2000.Tonedfiberprint.Oneofthefirstworks

emergingfrommyworkwithAdeleBlank'sclasses

withtheFreeFlightDanceCompany.Limitedlight

withfilmandnotsogreatlensesforcedmetoevolve

atechniqueofabstractionwhichreflectedanintuitive

component.Theinstantdeliveryofthedigitalmedium

tendstoprejudicethiskindof‘blind’technique.

Nymph,2001.Tonedfibreprint.Anotherexampleof

abstractinginanenvironmentwithimpossiblycluttered

backgroundsbasedonacollaborationwithFreeFlight

DanceCompanyandAdeleBlank.

Barre,2003.Tonedfibreprint.ClasswiththeSABallet

Theatre.Ballethassomethingofanexcruciating

precisionaboutit.

Working Feet, Yolandi Olckers (at age 23),2007.

Pigmentinkprint.Likeinitiationscarsdancersfeet

showtheirjourney.Itwasaprivilegeformetodoa

portraitofafriend'sfeet,beautifulbeyondpretty,full

ofstrength,passionandshapedinserviceofherart.

41 >

Theartificialbarriersbetweenscience,technol-

ogyandarthavealwaysbeenaproblemforMills.

Hebelievesthattheworldhasreducedtechnol-

ogytoutility.“ThemostprofounddifferenceI

experiencedwhenIpursuedtheroleofanartist

wasthatIwasnolonger‘useful’.Peoplebought

thefruitsofmyeffortsbecausetheyweremoved

insomewayorfoundthembeautiful.Inother

times,otheragesthedividebetweenutilityand

aestheticwaslessofanissue.”

DancehasalsobeenanabidingpresenceinMills’

adultlife.“Imarriedadancer.Wemetthrougha

raggedbandof‘missionaries’intentonbringing

theartsbackintothechurch.”In1987heleftthe

SABCandheandhiswifePamjoinedagroupfull-

time,travelling,livingincommunity(onashoe-

string)andperforminginchurchesaroundthe

country.Healsoearnedalivingbyconsultingas

adesignengineer.

Thebirthoftheirfirstdaughterandanofferfrom

MNETluredMillsbackintofull-timeemployment

wherehespendadecade(1991-2000).“Thiswas

aintenseandamazingtimethatsawDSTVandcell-

phonesbecomepartofSouthAfricanlife.AsMNET

grewandunbundledintoMultichoice,spawning

MTNalongtheway,thetechnologygroupIwas

partof,Irdeto,aDutchcompany,focussingoncon-

ditionalaccesstechnologyforpay-TVoperations.”

HereMillsheadeduptheteamthatdeveloped

thecustomchipsandsmartcarddescrambling

forsatellitereceivers.Helatermovedintoa

moregeneralmanagementrolelookingafter

technologylicensinginAfricaandMiddleEast

aswellasmanagementoftheJohannesburg-

basedDevelopmentOffice.

Millsalsoreflectsontheunexpectedtestingand

grievingtimewhenaboarddecisionwasmadeto

movethekeyskillsinIrdetoSAtoHolland.“The

Hoverlings(workingtitle),2010.Pigmentink

print.Choreographedworkincollaboration

withKristinWilson.

Work in Progress,2010.Pigmentinkprint.

Fromananimationexploringidentityandimage.

CollaborationwithKristinWilson.

The Edge of Maybe 2,2009.Pigmentinkprint

fromananimationcollaboration(workin

progress)withKristinWilsonandDanceForAll.

42 >

closeknitfamilythatwehadbuiltwassuddenly

beingbrokenup.Allhellbrokeloose.Wehadone

suicide,anattemptedsuicideandamanicepisode.

Wehaddonetoomuchofagoodjobmakingpeo-

ple'sworkthecoremeaningintheirlives.Thisand

theillusionthatasetofrelationshipscouldbe

tradedbystrangersasatransferablecommodity

mademeseriouslyquestionwhetherIwantedto

bepartofbig-timecorporatelifeanymore.Some

18months later I finally lostmytemper inthe

boardroom,hurlingmyPDAacrosstheroomand

stormingout.Itwastimetomoveon,otherwiseIwas

goingtodamagemorethanahand-helddevice,”

explainsMills.

DuringthistimeMillswasalsoexposedtopsycho-

metricsandprocesspsychology(al laArnoldMin-

dell)throughhisinteractionswithpsychologists

MarethaPrinslooandMyrnaLewis.“In2000,Iset

outwiththeintentionofaddressingthehuman

conditionintheworldofwork,appalledbytheextent

towhichsomanypeoplespendmostoftheirpro-

ductivelivesinsomediminishedstateinajobthey

don'tenjoy.”Millsthenbeganfreelanceconsulting,

focusingonfacilitation,organisationaldevelop-

ment,managementcoachingandassessmentas

wellasdabblinginthinkingskillstraining.

RIGHT:Edge of Light 3,2005.Waxedricepaperprint

withoilsandgraphiteonglassfeaturingKristinWilson

inPieces of a DreambyNatalieFisher.Workingwith

theprint,waxingitandpaintingonitsomehow

allowedmetoownitmore.Sometimesitisnotenough

to'runanimagethroughamachine'.Onehastogeta

littlemorepersonal.

LEFT:Hecate's EmissariesfromDanceUmbrella2005.

Pigmentinkprint.Thisisoneofmyfavoritephoto-

graphs.OnewoulddowelltobefriendHecateand

heedhercounselwhennavigatingtheunderworld.

43 >

44 >

Heexplainsthatanotherpartofhisnewlifebeyond

thebondsoffull-timecorporateemploymentwas

hiscommitmenttorekindlehislife-longinterestin

photographyanddance.“Isetmyselfaprojectto

exploremovementwhichleadmetophotographing

AdeleBlank’sFreeFlightDanceCompany.Mywife

wasdoingclasseswiththematthattimeandAdele

kindlyletmebea‘flyonthewall’intheirstudio.Ifell

inloveagain–atlastIcouldengagewithanaesthetic

whichmovedmetotearsandparticipateinmyown

way.”Theworkthatemergedfromthisexperience

wasreceivedwithenthusiasmandprovidedMills

withsomethingthathecouldusetoapproachother

dancecompanies.Thesepursuitsgrewrapidlyand

hestartedgettingcommissionsfromotherdance

companies.EncouragedbyFineArtphotographer

BobCnoops,Millsalsostartedtoexhibithiswork

andtherest,astheysay,ishistory.

Millsbelievesthatphotographygavehimanentrance

tickettotheworldofdance.Heexplainsthatother

well-knownSouthAfricandancephotographerslike

SuzyBernsteinandJohnHoggarehappytophoto-

graphperformanceswithajournalisticslant.“Ihow-

everwantedCONNECTION.Iwantedtogettoknow

thesepeopleandshowthemhowbeautifulthey

are(oddlytheyoftencan'tseeit)...Tomakework

together,ratherthanobserveandreflect.”Andso

Millspursuedcollaborationswithdancersandcho-

reographerswhichhedescribesas“conversations

oftwomediums,twodifferentheadspaces.”

Millsspeaksofhoveringshylyinthebackgroundbe-

hindhiscamera.“Iwoulddescribemyselfasagregar-

iousintrovertwhichconfusespeople.AsIbecame

moreconfidentwithmyworkandroleinthatenviron-

ment,andgottoknowpeopleandbecamealittle

moreknown,thischanged.IfIphotographaper-

formanceorworkgoingoninastudioenvironment,

itisverymuchasanobserver.Now,mostoften,I

Portrait,2004.FromaworkshopwithJazzart

andAnandaFuchs.

Portrait of Thoriso Magongwa,2006.Pigment

inkprint.Abrilliantvirtuosoperformerand

oneofthefewpeopleIknowwhohasdeveloped

narcissismtoafineandgraciousart.

45 >

Breach of confidence,2008.Pigmentinkprint.PartofThe man in the Sensible Pants

projectreflectingonajourneyoutofcorporatelifetoartist.

Meditations from the Womb 2,2008.Waxricepaperprintonglass.Fromtheanimation

About the Floor,acollaborationwithMari-LouiseBasson.Thisbodyofworkreflectsthe

introductionofanindustrialaestheticwhichcontinuestoemergeinmycurrentwork.

46 >

observeasafriendratherthansomeoutsider.”He

preferstodevelopacloserongoingrelationshipwith

afewcompaniesandindividualdancers.“Photo-

graphingaperformancewhereyouneedtobere-

sponsivetoeverymoveamountstoaverydifferent

experiencethansittingandwatchingasapartof

theaudience.Forsomedancersittakesawhileto

letmeinandtofindtheiressence.”

MillssaysthathisfriendMyrnaLewisusedtotalk

abouthisworkas“seeingthebreathofGod"inthe

person–theiressence.“Itismorethandocumenting

something.Itsaddingalayerofinterpretationonto

thework.”HenotesthattheEdges of lightproject

whichhedidin2004isagoodexampleofthis.“I

followedthedevelopmentofthepiecefromcon-

ceptiontoperformancebutnotinadocumentary

way.Iwastheobserverbuttheworkwastheresult

LEFT: Tango Lesson,2001.Tonedfibreprint.Iwas

invitedtophotographatangosceneinCapeTown.

TheArgentineantangoisnotmuchtolookat,being

moreofanintimatepersonalnegotiationtobe

experiencedbythedancers.

RIGHT:Waiting for Morning,2007.YolandiOlckersin

WindowsbyAdeleBlankandMartinSchönberg.One

ofthosecompositionsonemightliketotakethe

creditforbutit’saperformancethatIwasmerely

eavesdroppingon.

47 >

ofwhattheprocessofengaginginthatwaydid

insideme–thepersonalmythologiesitawoke.

EventuallyIfoundmyselfputtingpaintandwaxonto

someoftheseworksasawayofgettingmorein-

volvedwiththem.”

Heexplainsthatitisquitedifferentinacollabora-

tivesettingsinceitbecomesasynthesiswhereits

difficulttoactuallyidentifywhatcamefromwhom.

“Iwoulddescribethisastheincarnationofacon-

versation.Iliketounderstandtheuniverseasahuge

communionofsubjectsinconversation.”Millssays

thathismostsuccessfulcollaborativeworktran-

spireswhentheconversationentailsanexchange

ofideasleadingtoaresolvetocreatesomething

new.Hementions About the Floor,astopmotion

animationasanexample,whichhecreatedwith

internationallyacclaimeddancer/choreographer

Mari-LouiseBasson.Theworkgrewfromachat

duringarehearsalbreak."I'vegotthedayoffon

Wednesday,let’smakeananimation…Andsoit

startedtotakeonalifeofitsownandsomethingis

madewithwhatevertimeresourcesandattention

canbeherdedtogether.IwastalkingtoMari-Louise

aboutsomethingIwroteinmypersonaljournalyears

beforeabout‘abeinginabox’andsoaworkgrew

fromsharedideasoflifeexperience.”

IncontrasthisworkwithKristinWilsonoriginated

fromideasaroundconsumerism,fashion,masksand

roles.HesaysofWilsonthatshehasanextraordi-

nary,playfulintelligencebeyondheramazingability

todancewhichsheisveryquietabout.“Thishas

beenalmostathree-year-longconversationofbits

apieces,comingtogether,workshoppingstuffinthe

studio,makingbigplans,andplansfallingthrough.

48 >

I'mnotsurewhatwillcomeofallthis.Wesomehow

justhavenotbeenabletofinishanythingreallyor

dojusticetothebitsandpieces.Perhapsitstime

isnotyetright.Perhapsitsreallyjusttheprocess

thatwasimportant.Onecan'tclingtothesethings,

chainthemdown.Itsaconfoundingtightropewalk

withopportunityandhappenstanceontheoneside

anddoggedintentontheother.”

Whilesharingdetailsofhiscreativeprocessand

techniques,Millssurprisinglyconfessesthathestrug-

gleswiththeconceptofcolourinhiswork:“It’stoo

normaland itdoesnotmakeus lookcarefully

enough.Ithinkthecurrenttrendinsocialdocumen-

taryworkincolourlosessomething.”Hesaysthat

hehardlyeverleavesanartprintuntouched.“Iwent

throughastagewhereIwouldkeeponecolourand

de-saturateeverythingelse.Mostofmyartphoto-

graphsnowhavethecolourmanipulatedinsomeway.

Ihavenoqualmsaboutdigitalmanipulation.”Hecom-

mentsthatsomepeoplegetpreciousaboutthis,sug-

gestingthatthisissomehowcheatingortakinga

shortcutandthereforenot‘realart’.Heemphatically

states:“That'srubbishreally.Artisaboutinterpreta-

tionandincarnatingintent.Howyoudothatisup

toyouasanartist.Craftisperhapsarealmwhereone

mightbemorefaithfultoaparticularskillandone

mightplyacraftexquisitelyinthemakingofart.”

HavingsaidthatIliketheideaofsettingconscious

boundariesandworkingwithinthem.”Anexample

ofthisisMills’increasingfascinationwithsequences

ofimagesandhisexplorationswiththemediumof

stopmotionanimation.“Ideliberatelysticktostatic

imagesandseektoreconstructtime–manuallyas

itwere.Ihavethusfarresistedthepulltojustgrab

avideocameraandgetonwithit.InthisrespectI

relatealottoPaulEmanuelwhomakesphotorealistic

imagesbychippingawayatexposedemulsiononpho-

tographicpaper.Somethingextraordinaryemerges.”

Concentration,2010.Pigmentinkprint.

Thereisjustsomethingaboutpipes...

Commissionedpipespeakerinstallationfor

afashiondeliinLongStreet,CapeTown,2011.

Gate,2003.Photographicprint.Namibrand,

Namibia.Anexampleofmydiscomfortwith

fullcolourimages.

49 >

Likemostfineartphotographers,Millsearnsafair

shareofhisregularincomefromworkingasacom-

mercialphotographer,andhealsodoesadhoc

engineeringconsultancy,bothofwhichhewittily

referstoas‘actsofsurvival’.Hesaysthatcommer-

cialphotographyisgreatinmanyways:“Acommercial

commissionhasaclearbeginningandend.Youdo

thework,processanddeliverandthat’sit.”Bycon-

trast,“engineeringconsultingcanmeangoodmoney

butitnormallyinvolveshighlevelsofresponsibility,

lotsofconsequenceandtimeframesofatleast

monthsifnotyears.”AccordingtoMills,mostartists,

evensomefamousones,struggletomakeasteady

andcomfortableliving.“I liketothinkthatthe

worldischangingandthosewiththecapacityto

interpret,createmetaphorsandinnovatewillbe

morevaluedthaninthepast.”

Millsnotesthatheonceaskedprominentlocalartist

RogerBallenifheeverfoundthenittygrittypracti-

calitiesofbeingapracticinggeologistworkingin

aminingenvironmentinterferingwithhiscreative

work.AccordingtoBallen’sresponseitseemednot.

ForMills,however:“Ihavefoundthatworkingand

adeterministicheadspaceoflogicandreasonsome-

howshutsdownasensitivityandcapacitytotune

intothemuseinanalarmingway.I'mgettingbetter

atit.It’saconstantstruggleformetore-framea

lifeofleftbrainprogramming.”

Whenaskedhowheperceivesthefutureoffine

artphotographyinSouthAfrica,Millsclaimsthat

photographynowholdsitsheadhighasafineart

medium.“IwouldsaythatSouthAfricanowreflects

aglobaltrend–around60%ofallfineartexhibited

isphotographyinsomeformoranother.Thiswas

notthecaseevenfiveyearsago.IthinktheSouth

Africanartsceneloadsphotographytoomuchpoliti-

cally.Thesocialdocumentarygenreisverydominant

becauseofourhistory.Isometimesthinkweare

stuckinasocialdocumentaryrut–asiflifehasno

meaningwithoutanenemy.”Millsfeelsthatthere

isstilladifferencebetweenphotography(photog-

raphers)andartusingthemediumofphotography

(artists).“Icallmyselfanartistasastatementof

intentratherthanbyvirtueofsomeclamorousfol-

lowing.”MillsconcludeswithoneofhisFacebook

posts:“Werethatfamouspenthrustintomyhand

andablankpagedrawnfromyourmuddleddepths

Iwouldwritethis:Thatpossibilitystretches in

frontlikeaskin,fragile,taut,threadedwithlife:

Askingtobetouched,perhapsevenbroken.”<

Power housing,2010.Pigmentinkprint.Partofcommis-

sionedworkforBafokengadministrationrelatingto

environmentalissuesandmining.Abandoned,incomplete

RDPhousesunderhightensionlines.

50 >

ThewinnersofHiiibrand2010

New Graphic,oneofthebiggestandmostinfluential

Chinesedesignpublicationsrecentlyannounced

thewinnersof itsHiiibrand2010International

LogoDesignAward.Gatheringsubmissionsfrom

enterprises,designstudios,designersandstudents,

Hiiibrandrewardsexcellentlogosandthecompa-

niesthatcommissionthem.Theawarddistinguishes

itselffromothersasitonlyconsidersinnovation,

craftingandeffectivenessofasingleelement,the

logoorbrandmark,ratherthantheextendedvisual

manifestationofabrandingprogramme.

ThisyearHiiibrandreceived4136submissions

fromover60countries.Througharigorousfive-

monthselectionprocess,sevenrenownedinterna-

tionaljurorsmadethefinalselection.Theresults

provideanidealopportunitytoplotbroadinterna-

tionaltrendsinlogodesignandthejury’sreport

offersvaluablereflectionsonthecomplexworld

ofhowbrandsarevisuallymanifestedthrougha

singleelementofthevastbrandinglandscape.

BorisLjubicicfromStudioInternationalinCroatia

officiatedasthejurychairperson.Othermembers

ofthejurywereWallyOlins(Chairman,Saffron

BrandConsultants,UK),JoeDuffy(Principaland

Chairman,Duffy&Partners,USA),MinWang(Dean

ofSchoolofDesignatCAFA,China),TommyLi

(TommyLiDesignWorkshop,HongKong),Bart

Crosby(President,CrosbyAssociatesInc.,USA)

andCristianKitPaul(Co-founderandCreativeDi-

rectorofBrandient,Romania).

Thejuryfirstscoredtheentriesindividuallybefore

allmarkswereaddeduptoidentifythetopcon-

tenders.Theythenproceededtodeliberatewhich

entriesqualifiedforGold,Silver,BronzeandMerit

awards.Eachjurymemberthenalsoselecteda

personalJuror’sAwardwinner.

Intheintroductiontothejury’sreport,Ljubicic

statesthat“Logodesignformthebasisforcreating

asuccessfulbrandidentity.Itisthemostimportant

andoftenthemostcomplexpartofthevisualcom-

municationprocess.Asmallgraphicortypographic

markmustcontainastrongmessageandreflectan

organisation’svaluesforquiteabitoftime.”He

saysthatthelifespanofalogoissometimesaslong

51 >

Gold|Agency:Bulldog

Designer:RenSpiteri(Ireland)

Client:BirdlifeMalta

Silver|Designer:Nido(UK)

Client:elephruit(Pakistan)

Silver|Agency:Brandberry

Designer:ValeraNamazov(Russia)

Client:TravelWorld.su(Russia)

Silver|Designer:NanbuToshiyasu

(Japan)|Client:JapanGraphic

DesignerAssociation

Bronze|Designer:TanHuang(China)

Client:GentlemanCoffee(China)

Bronze|Designer:AndreWeier

(Germany)|Client:NALINDESIGN

(Germany)

Bronze&BartCrosbyJuryAward

Designer:ChenHuarong(China)

Client:ColourBookstore(China)

Bronze&TommyLiJuryAward

Designer:LinShaobin(China)

Client:GuilinGruel(China)

Bronze|Agency:Hulsbosch

(Australia)|Client:Qantas

(Australia)

52 >

as50yearsandsomecasesevenacentury.“This

meansthatthedesignershouldthinkinadvanceof

hisorhertimetoensurethatthedesignsolution

haslongevity.”

AccordingtoLjubicic,typographicsolutionsseem

tobetheeasierroutetofollow,asitonlyentails

readingofwords.Hehoweverprefersfreegraphic

signsthatmeansomethingthroughtheirshapeor

graphicqualityandhestatesthat“Thesekindsof

logosoftentakemoretimetobememorised,but

theystayinthememorylonger.”

Commentingontheoverallstandardandhisper-

sonalJuror’sAward,Ljubicicsaysthattheprofes-

sionalcategoryofHiiibrand2010didnotdelver

manyextraordinaryinnovations.Forhim,theonly

entrythatdeservea10gradeisthelogoforOcean

ArtPavilion,designedbyDuXiaoxiao,whichwonhis

voteforaJuryAward.“Thisworkaestheticallycom-

binesthetypographywithagraphiccompositionof

rectangularbluelinesthatdepictthemotionofthe

oceanandthewhitesquaresinsertedinbetween

evokethepavilion.”Hesaysthatthedesignerman-

agedtocreateauniquenarrativeandabeautiful

graphicwhichhedescribesas‘aworkofart’.

JoeDuffyselectedthelogoforDivaparfumerie,

designedbyPavelSurovy,ashisJuryAward."Ilove

thesimplicityofthelogotypecombinedwiththe

mark.Theycomplimenteachotherperfectly.The

doubleentendreimpliedinthemark(perfumeand

thefemaleform)adddepth,meaningandasense

ofdiscoverytotheidentity,"saysDuffy.

MinWang'sJuryAwardwenttothelogofor14th

YugoslavTheatreFestival,designedbyNikolaVuka-

sinovic. “The dramatic design agreeswith the

themeoftheactivityitreveals.Intheformofori-

gami,ananthropomorphicexpression,thefigure

14representsaflashofhumorwithimpressivevis-

ualeffects,”saysWang.

Bronze|Designer:ChenYongxin

(China)|Client:liyiArchitects&

Associate(China)

Bronze|Designer:PeterVasvari

(Hungary)|Client:Brandstack,LLC.

(USA)

Merit|Agency:Babushke(Croatia)

Designer:TinaBauer,MarijaJuza,

GordanaPavlek(Croatia)|Client:

CroatianChamberofEconomy(Croatia)

53 >

Bronze|Designer:ZouYu(China)

Client:LiuShiBambooweave

(China)

Bronze|Designer:Morandini(Brazil)

Client:BESC(Brazil)

Bronze|Agency:GDesignStudio

(Greece)|Client:Universityof

Patras(Greece)

JoeDuffyJuryAward|Agency:

CommunicationAgency(Slovakia)

Designer:PavelSurovy(Slovakia)

Client:Divaparfumerie(Belgrade,

Serbia)Client:BirdlifeMalta

Merit&MinWangJuryAward

Designer:NikolaVukasinovic(Serbia)

Client:NationalTheatreUzice(Serbia)

BorisLjubicicJuryAward|Designer:

DuXiaoxiao(China)|Client:Ocean

ArtPavilion(China)

Merit&CristianKitPaulJuryAward

Designer:ZhaoGang(China)

Client:TianweiTextiles(China)

Merit&BillDarlingJuryAward

Designer:MariaAdamFernandes

(Germany)|Client:Minimal

(Austria)

Merit|Designer:ZhangGongyu

(China)|Client:ODA(China)

54 >

Merit|VictorAdCorp(Taiwan)

Designer:KuoChugnYuan(Taiwan)

Client:greenest(Taiwan)

Merit|Designer:VěraMarešová

(CzechRepublic)|Client:Polyclinic

Vinicni(CzechRepublic)

Merit|Designer:LiuJiangping

(China)|Client:BLACKFISH

(China)

Merit|Designer:SunDawang(China)

Client:RicetalkChineseFastFood

(China)

Merit|Agency:2M2InformationUN

(China)|Designer:WangLingyuan

(China)|Client:N2MultimediaArtLab

(China)

Merit|Jamfactory(HongKong)

Designer:AndrewTang(Hong

Kong)|Client:Grin(HongKong)

Merit|GDDesignStudio

Designer:AlexandraBubnova(Russia)

Client:place(Russia)

Merit|Designer:JohnCarlson(USA)

Client:HappyNoodleHouse(USA)Merit|Designer:Heino

Prunsvelt(Estonia)|Client:The

MinistryofCulture(Estonia)

55 >

BartCrosby'sJuryAwardwenttotheColourBook-

storelogo,designedbyChenHuarong.crobysays

thatitis"Asimple,distinctiveandmemorableso-

lution.It'scuriousandplayful–notforcedorover

donelikemanyoftheothers."

TommyLichosethelogoforGuilinGrueldesigned

byLinShaobin,ashisJuryAward.“Itisneveran

easytasktodepictthebeautyofGuilin'sscenery

inanicon,emergingnotonlythespecificcharac-

teristic,butalsoelegantprospect,”saysLi.

CristianKitPaul'sJuryAwardwenttoalogodesigned

byZhaoGang.Hesaysthat:"Itwasdifficulttopick

oneasmy'bestofshow',butIfinallydecidedfor

TianweiTextiles,probablybecausemyownback-

groundisbasedonrebrandingoflargeentities

andIknowhowchallengingahigh-stakeprogram

canbe.TheTTsymbolisapowerfulandwittymon-

ogram,accompaniedbyasimpleandfunctional

wordmarkinaclearyetvibrantcomposition."

BillDarling'sJuryAwardwenttothelogoforMini-

mal,designedbyMariaAdamFernandes."It'savery

functionalsolutionforwhatitis:kidsclothing.For

Merit|Designer:ZhangNing(China)

Client:Pdadmusicbar(China)

Merit|Agency:SebastianyBranding

(Brazil)|Client:Ecolabor(Brazil)

Merit|Agency:Bruketa&ZinicOM

(Croatia)|Designer:ImeldaRamovic,

MirelHadzijusufovic(Croatia)|Client:

SOSChildren'sVillagesCroatia(Croatia)

Merit|Agency:G8Design(Brazil)

Designer:MarceloPierro(Brazil)

Client:GraficaComunicare(Brazil)

56 >

example,the'continuous'lineapproachofthelogo

wouldtranslatewelltostitching/embroidery.'Min-

imal'isapowerfulwordwhentalkingaboutdesign

andimpossibletoignore,especiallywhenitisthe

nameofyourcompany!Ilikehowthesolutionis

expressiveandyettruetotheword'minimal'–a

hardbalancetoachieve.Thestyleinwhichthelogo

isdrawncouldeasilybeextendedtoillustrationsof

thegarments,secondarytypography,animation,

etc.Overall,thelogoisanicesolutionthatachieves

therightbalanceoffunction+emotion."

Thejuryfeltthattherewerefewuniquedifferenc-

esorinnovationsbetweentheentriesthatreceived

grades8and9andtherest.Afterreviewingthe

visualappearanceofthetop-rankedentries,the

juryidentifiedsomecommonthemes:

– Worksbasedonpuregeometricalshapes(cir-

cles,squaresandtriangles)ratherthantypogra-

phyandasmallernumberbasedonfreedrawing

orsymbolsfeaturingbasicideasintheshapeof

man,house,nature,gameandhospitalityand

others;

– Worksbasedpurelyontypography;

– Combinationsoftypographyandfreegraphic

forms;

– Worksbasedonnumerals.Thejuryparticularly

highlightedthisasaninnovativetrendsincethe

entries,particularlythosefromChina,showed

innovationandhumour;

– Nature,manandbookremainsaconstant;

– Photographyisalesser-usedreference,and

– Conceptuallogosthatreflectaspecialstory.

Itwasthelatterapproachthatconvincedallofthe

jurymemberstoawardtheHiiibrand2010Gold

Awardintheprofessionalcategoryforthelogode-

signedforBirdlifeMalta,designedbyRenSpiteri

fromIreland.Theentryeloquentlycombinestext

andimage,resultinginanarrativethatmergespop-

ularculturewithecologicalconservation.

Merit|Designer:MichaelSpitz(USA)

Client:BuzzdogGroup(USA)

Merit|Designer:StanislavLevin

(Russia)|Client:GauchoWineLtd

(New-Zealand)

Merit|Agency:PiaochongDesign

(China)|Client:Oldboatwood

furniture(China)

57 >

Merit|Designer:ShayIsdale(USA)

Client:SiteSteet(USA)

Merit|Designer:ChenYu,

ShenWeiwei(China)

Client:sock(China)

Merit|Designer:FengJianjun(China)

Client:boxuepuworkshop(China)

Merit|Agency:Cubo(Spain)

Client:SaragossaCouncil(Spain)

Merit|Designer:Agnieszka

Ziemiszewska(Poland)

Client:CastAway(Poland)

Merit|Designer:LiuMing(China)

|Client:AushiLanguageand

CultureSchool(China)

Merit|Agency:daydayupdesign

studio(China)|Designer:HongWei

(China)|Client:greenest(Taiwan)

Merit|Designer:Kirill

Demidenko(Russia)

Client:muzecafé(Australia)

Merit|Designer:ChrisTrivizas

(Greece)|Client:Pavlos

Papalamprakopoulos(Greece)

58 >

StudentGold|Title:heartmedicine

Designer:NatalieDinnikova(Russia)

StudentSilver|Title:Dolonge

Designer:ZhuangErqiang(China)

StudentSilver|Title:EDShotel

DesignerDesigner:WangZhiqi(China)

StudentBronze|Title:BrokenCocoon

Designer:HuangSheng(China)

StudentMerit|Title:Birdie

Designer:GregCuellar(USA)

StudentMerit|Title:uchino

Designer:ZhangJing(China)

StudentMerit|Title:dbc–deathby

chocolate|Designer:DeniseFranke

(Germany)

StudentMerit|Title:buy-zone.ru

Designer:IgorRyabov(Russia)

StudentBronze|Title:Union

Designer:LangTian(China))

StudentBronze|Title:Ideas

Designer:WilliamSii(Malaysia)

StudentBronze|Title:PONZUSushi

House|Designer:KeoPierron(USA)

StudentMerit|Title:LoopBarcelona

Designer:FranRosa(Spain)

59 >

Commentingonthestudentcategory,Ljubicic

saysthat:“Iexpectedmoreexperimentsandmore

freedomininterpretation,whichwasnotthecase.”

Overall,thereportprovidedbytheHiiibrand2010

jurydoesnotbodewellwhenweconsiderthecre-

ativeinnovationofdesignersengagedinthedevel-

opmentofcorporateidentitiesandbranding.The

juryconcludesthattheywouldliketoseelogode-

signersstepupontheirgameandexperimentmore

whenenteringtheHiiibrand2011International

LogoDesignAward.EntriesforHiiibrand2011will

beopeninJune.Moreinformationcanbefound

atwww.hiiibrand.com<

StudentMerit|Title:KlimaBochenska

Gallery|Designer:FilipTofil(Poland)

StudentBronze|Title:GlassHouse

Designer:LangTian(China)

StudentMerit|Title:OutStanding

Home|Designer:HouJunwei(China)

StudentMerit|Title:OhFashionShop

Designer:SuYue(China)

StudentMerit|Title:KEEP

Designer:TrinityTuen(China)

StudentMerit|Title:RoomsCafé

Designer:WangHaishan(China)

60 >

Creativity is unusual stuff: It frightens. It deranges. It’s subversive. It mistrusts what it sees, what it hears. It dares to doubt. It acts even if it errs. It rattles established certitudes. It incessantly invents new ways, new vocabularies. It provokes and changes points of view. It impacts the environment and society.

Fabrica is looking for people — working in visual design, illustration, photography, product design, video, music, interaction and writing — who share this vision. At Fabrica people work together, not just individually. At a maximum of 25 years old, Fabrica’s residents come from the four corners of the earth.

61 >

Fabrica is looking for people — working in visual design, illustration, photography, product design, video, music, interaction and writing — who share this vision. At Fabrica people work together, not just individually. At a maximum of 25 years old, Fabrica’s residents come from the four corners of the earth.

To apply for a Fabrica residency and full study grant you can upload your curriculum vitae, statement of purpose and a concise pdf presentation of your work at:

www.fabrica.it/apply

(Art

dire

ctio

n: A

riann

a D

i Bet

ta)

62 >

63 >

HIV Positive: Iconict-shirtsthatshapeviewsandawarenessonthepandemicBy Dalli Weyers

Thedesignmostworthyofapplauseinpost-apartheid

SouthAfricacanbedescribedassimple,humble,

under-designedandbasic.Yetthesamedesign

speaksofcourage,ofaudacity,ofdaring,ofhope

andofpower.Effective,loved,cherished,feared,

ridiculed,challenged,despised,debated,worn,

torn,altered,exported–it’splaceinourfuture

designmuseumsandinournationalartgalleriesis

obvious.

TheHIVPositivet-shirtissuedbytheTreatment

ActionCampaign(TAC)wasbyfar‘themostbeautiful

object’inSouthAfricaforanentiredecade.With

countlesscolours,shapesandsizes,differentcam-

paignslogansandpicturesofdeceasedcomrades

printed,anestimatewouldbethatSouthAfrica

hasseenaminimumof100000oftheset-shirts.

Thefirstt-shirtwasproducedatthebeginningof

1999afterthebrutalmurderofGuguDlaminiin

December1998.Dlaminiwasmurderedbecauseof

herHIVpositivestatus.FromKwaMashu,atownship

ontheoutskirtsofDurban,shehadpubliclydis-

closedherHIVstatusonWorldAIDSDay.Afterher

disclosure,Dlaminiwasaccusedofshaminghercom-

munityandwasrepeatedlyassaultedandthreat-

ened.Hercallsforpoliceassistancewentunheeded.

Threeweekslater,shewasfatallyassaulted.Her

perpetratorssentamessagetoherboyfriendsay-

ing:“Youcancomefetchyourdog.Wearefinished

withher.”

InFighting for our Lives – The History of the Treatment

Action Campaign 1998- 2010,HIVpositiveZackie

Achmat,co-founderoftheTAC,retellshowhe

cameupwiththedesign:“Thereisanapocryphal

storyabouttheKingofDenmarkwearingayellow

starinsolidaritywithJewsduringtheNazioccupa-

tionofhiscountry.TheHIVPositivet-shirtserves

asimilarpurpose.Allpeople,irrespectiveoftheir

status,canwearitandshowsolidaritywithpeople

withHIV.”

Andsothet-shirtwasborn.It’sdebutalongwith

countlessotherofitsappearancesalsohappened

tobetelevisedonSiyayinqoba Beat It!,SouthAfrica’s

onlyHIVmagazinetelevisionshow.Producedby

theCommunityMediaTrust,theshow,nowinits

eighthseason,iswatchedbyonemillionpeople

everyweek.Providingreliable,scientifically-based

information,theshowalsobecameavehiclefor

thet-shirtandallitstoodfor.

On12December2002,thefatherofthenation

himself,formerPresidentNelsonMandelawas

handedaHIVPositivet-shirtbyTACmemberMathew

64 >

DamaneataMédecinsSansFrontièresanti-retroviral

clinicinKhayelitsha.Mandelaimmediatelytook

offhisshirtanddonnedtheHIVPositivet-shirt

overhisvest.Indoingsohenotonlydemonstrated

hisunequivocalsupportforandsolidaritywith

thoseinfectedandaffectedbyHIV,healsodemon-

stratedthathispositionwasunderscoredbyscience

andacommitmenttotheSouthAfricanConstitution

andhumanrights.Thet-shirthadcometorepresent

notonlysolidaritywithpeoplelivingwithHIV,but

alsoevidence-basedscience(asopposedtopseudo-

scienceandHIVdenial),thestruggleforlifeand

dignityandthesocio-economicrightsenshrinedin

theConstitution.

DuringtheTAC’sDying for Treatment Civil Disobe-

dience Campaignin2003activistCharleneWilson

passedaway.Shewasburiedinapublicfuneral

andlaidtorestinherHIVPositivet-shirtinaccord-

ancewithherwishes.Wilson’sfeelingsaboutthe

t-shirtcanarguablybefoundinTACmemberBeatrina

Mhlongo’sview:“Puttingonthet-shirtwasmyway

ofjoiningthestruggle–arelief.”InshortMhlongo’s

emotionalexperiencefromputtingonthet-shirtfor

thefirsttimesuccinctlyarticulatesthattheper-

sonalispolitical,thatjoiningthestruggleforlife,

freedomanddignitywasahomecomingandthat

thestruggleitselfimbuesonewithdignity.Thet-

shirthadcometoalsosymboliseacommunity,a

politicalhomeandacommonpurpose.

Foreveralteringourpersonal,communal,socialand

politicallandscape,therecanbenodenyingthat

these t-shirtshavehadan indelible impacton

SouthAfricaandhavebeenindispensableinbreaking

downthestigmaandsecrecyaroundHIV.Today

theyareiconicandcontinuetorepresentthestrug-

gleforhumanrights.

1

2

3

65 >

1. VuyisekaDubula,TAC’sGeneralSecretary,protestingoutsideashebeeninKhayelitshawhere,on13Decem-

ber2003,LornaMlofana,amotherandacommunity

educator,wassexuallyassaultedandthenmurdered

whenherrapistlearntthatshehadHIV.TheTAC’s

workhasincludedprotestingviolenceagainstwomen

andadvocatingforacriminaljusticesystemthatworks

forrapesurvivors.Someversionsofthet-shirthave

reflectedthisagenda.PhotocourtesyofTreatment

ActionCampaign.

2. TheHIVPositivet-shirt,issuedinvariouscoloursandaddressingmanyissues,hasbeenappropriatedin

countlessways.Hereprogressivetraditionalhealers,

inagreementthatanti-retroviralsaretheonlytreatment

forHIV,donthet-shirtundertheirstandarduniforms.

Therainbowflaginthedistancealsosuccinctlyillustrates

thediversityofidentitiesandcommunitiesincludedby

theTACinthestruggleforlifeanddignity.Photocourtesy

ofTreatmentActionCampaign.

3.TheTAChasconsistentlygonebeyondjustdemandingthatgovernmentsmeettheirobligationsandthet-shirts

havealsoreflectedthis.HeretheTACalongwithpartner

organisationsmarchtoaddressthe38thUnionWorld

ConferenceonLungHealththatwasheldinCapeTown

inNovember2008.ThedualepidemicofHIVandTBis

oneofthebiggestchallengesfacedbytheSouthAfrican

healthsystem.PhotocourtesyofGavinSilber.

4.ThisposterfortheTAC’sStand up for our livesmarch

inFebruary2003,whichsawbetween10000and15000

peoplemarchonparliamentduringThaboMbeki’sState

oftheNationaddress,reflectstheconfluenceofthe

symbolismofNelsonMandelaandthesymbolismofthe

HIVPositivet-shirt.Inameta-textualmannerthisposter

wasalsoprintedonthebackoftheHIVPositivet-shirts

issuedforthemarch.PhotocourtesyofTreatment

ActionCampaign.

5. SinceitsinceptioninDecember1998theTreatment

ActionCampaignhasunderscoredthecentralityofactive

citizenshipinaconstitutionaldemocracy.Giventhelevels

ofinequalitythatSouthAfricafacesandthefactthat

theConstitutionenshrinessocio-economicrightsthe

needforcitizenstospeaktruthtopower,hereoutside

thenationallegislature,isparamount.Photocourtesy

ofDanKamen.

4

5

66 >

Someadditionaltakes/thoughts/musingson

theHIVPositivet-shirt:quotesfromFighting for

our Lives – The History of the Treatment Action

Campaign 1998- 2010

“IamproudtobeawalkingbillboardinTAC’sstrug-

gleforhumanrights.”–GeorgeChauke

“Seeingsomanybeautifulpeoplewearingthet-shirt

gavemebacksomehopeandself-esteem.Itgaveme

couragetodisclose.”–NtombozukoKraai

“Thet-shirtsymbolisesthelivesthathavebeenlost

andthesacrificesthathavebeenmade.Itmarksusas

peoplewithacommonpurpose.”–NomfundoEland

“Manyactivistshavesaid‘Cometomyfuneralinyour

t-shirts,tellpeoplewhatIwentthroughandwhatI

didinTAC–spreadthemessage!’That’swhatwedo.”

–NonkosiKhumalo

“Thet-shirtpromotesopennessandbreaksstigma.

You’llbechallenged‘AreyouHIVpositive?’Thenyou

canstartengagingwithpeople.”–ThembekaMajali

“Itleadstodiscussions,whisperings,theinternalaccept-

ancethatHIVisreal,andacultureofcomingforward.”

–PhilipMokoena

“PeoplecallmeMaAIDSwhentheyseemyt-shirtand

comewithquestions.”–MariaKhambule

Abouttheauthor

DalliWeyersisasocialjusticeactivist,politicspost-

gradgraduateandanIndustrialDesigndropout.He

nowaimstomergedesignandpoliticsthroughsoar-

ingandeloquentlywrittenexaltationsofthevirtues

ofdesignandtherolethatitcanplayinSouthern

Africawherestructuralinequalitiesstillrelegatethe

majorityofpeopletosocio-economichardship.Heis

theauthoroftheblogwww.reclaimfire.co.za<

8

6

7

6. Havingtakenonaninternational

presencetheTAC’sHIVPositivet-shirthas

appearedinParliamentinCapeTownand

waswornbyGrammyAwardwinning

artistAnnieLennoxonanepisodeof

American Idol.InLondonithasbeenworn

bythephotographerandTurnerPrize

winnerWolfgangTilmansandaformer

BritishHighCommissionertoSouth

Africa,AnneGrant.InNewYorkithas

beenwornbyNkhensaniMavasa,from

ruralLimpopo,whenshewasthefirst

openlyHIVPositivepersontoaddressthe

UnitedNation’sGeneralAssembly.Hereit

isworn,inruralLimpopo,byNkhensani’s

comradeswhiletheyreadthelatest

editionoftheTAC’smagazineEqual Treat-

ment.PhotocourtesyofTreatmentAction

Campaign.

7. HereformerPresidentNelsonMandela

wearsthet-shirt.OnhisrightisZackie

Achmat,co-founderoftheTACandthe

conceiverofthet-shirt.Photocourtesyof

TreatmentActionCampaign.

8.Takingthemessagetothecommunities

throughpamphletsandfliersbutalso

throughsimplywearingat-shirt.Photo

courtesyofTreatmentActionCampaign.

67 >

68 >

Let’s make condoms cool By Anton Ressel

69 >

A new product from the Cape-based

urban africa design studio is hoping to

get people talking about condom-use

and safe sex, by making it ‘cool’ to be

responsible.

Ifarecentstudyistobebelieved,nearly50%of

teensinSAaresexuallyactivebythetimethey

turn16,butonly30%ofthemuseacondomevery

timetheyhavesex.Despiteahighlevelofunder-

standingofHIV/AIDSandawarenessofthedangers

ofunprotectedsex,acombinationofpeerpressure,

learnedsexualbehaviourandthestigmaaround

condomuseallcontributetotheseshockingsta-

tistics,accordingtothereport.

Protection for your protection

Anewproductonthemarketishopingtodoitsbit

to change attitudes to sex and condom-use

amongsttheyouthbymakingitcooltoberespon-

sible.Thesleekleatherpouch,designedtoholdup

tothreecondoms,hasbeendubbedtheSecond

Skinandismarketedwiththetagline‘Protection

foryourProtection.’

DesignerandurbanafricafounderVincentUrbain

believesthattheproductwillhelpopendialogue

amongst theyoutharound responsible sexual

practice.“Therealityisthatyoungpeoplearehav-

ingsexandthisisnotsomethinggovernmentor

anybodyelsecanchange.Whatwecanchangehow-

ever,istheirattitudetowardssafeandresponsible

sex.Inmanycommunities,condomsarenotseen

Second skin–protectionforyourprotection.Cowleathersleevemadeforcondoms.

70 >

as‘cool’,andthisisanareawecantarget.Weare

strivingtomakethecarryinganduseofcondoms

thenormamongstouryoungpeople,bypackaging

theminasexy,hipandpersonalisedway.”According

toVincent,theSecond Skincanbeusedasakeyring,

anecklaceorattachedtoyourbelt.

Theslimlinepouch,smallerthanabusinesscard

holder,ismadealongsideurbanafrica’smainstream

productionofdesignerbelts,bags,laptopsleeves

andotherleatherproducts.ThebrainchildofUrbain

anddesigninternJessikaBalzer,theideabehind

theSecondSkinwastocreatesomethingsmall

thatcouldhavealargeimpactonhowpeopletalk

andactsexually.“Wewantedtomakesomething

inexpensivethatpeoplefeelproudtocarryaround,

showofftotheirfriendsandevenbuyasgiftsfor

peopletheycareabout,”saysVincent.

Aloveofleather

Thegenesisofurbanafricaisaninterestingstory.

BorninBelgium,Vincentalwayshadaninterestin

handmadeworkandespeciallyhandcraftedleath-

eritemsandaccessories.Thewatersportfanatic

graduatedinEconomicsanddecidedtomoveSouth,

landinginCapeTownin2003wherehewind-surfed

andundertookdifferentjobs.Oneofthesewasthe

distributionofroughhandcraftedleathersandals

madebyTanzaniancraftersontopoftheCape

Towntrainstation.

LTR:Carréwallet,Bookiecowleathernote/sketchbook,Empire belt invegtancowleather,Clutch

'n swingcowleatherclutchbaglinedwithgoatorsheepnapperleatherandiPhonesleeves.

71 >

Vincentsoonrealisedthatmorethandistributing,

hewantedtoexploretheintricaciesoftheworld

ofleatherfirsthandandstartedmakinghisown

pairshoesfromhide.Ittookhimthreedaysand

nightsofnon-stopwork,buthewashooked!Com-

pletelyself-taughtandhungrytolearn,hethen

movedontobagsandarmbands,andchangedthe

focusfromworkingwithhidestoleather.Therange

begantotakeshape,andin2005urbanafricawas

born.

Thebusinesshasgrownquickly,andtodayurban

africasuppliesnearly100outletsandexportsits

high-qualityleathercreationstoseveralcountries

internationally.RangesaredesignedbyVincent,

whofrequentlycollaborateswithotherdesigners

suchasReanneGray,JessikaBalzerandMaraime

Sow.Allofthepiecesareindividuallyhandmade

andaccordingtoVincent“notwopieceslookthe

same,unlessyoureallywantthemto!Becausewe

allliketohavesomethingunique,ourclientscan

choosetheirownleather,stitchingandrivetcol-

oursandwewillcustom-makeaccordingtotheir

specs.Theresultisthatourclients,whetherone-

offbuyersorlargeretailoutlets,getexactlywhat

theywant.Inessenceweareofferingatailored

serviceinleatherwork.”

Pieceswithintheurbanafricarangeincludehand-

bags,laptopsleeves,belts,wallets,books,foot-

wear,keyrings,Blackberryandcellphonepouches

andnowcondomholders.Behindeachdesign,

thereisthesamecorevisionanddesignaesthetic

thatunderpinsallofVincent’swork–minimalist,

Sincehischildhood,Vincent

Urbainhadalwaysbeenattracted

toleatherandhandmadework.

The2011urbanafricaproduct

rangeconsistsof31pieces.The

rangeisdesignedbyVincent,

ReanneGray,JessikaBalzerand

allpiecesareindividuallyhand-

madebyVincentandhisteam.No

twopieceslookthesame.

elegant,funky,timeless,understatedbutaspiring.

“Iamattractedtodesignsthatallowforindividual

expression,butnot ina loudorbrashway.My

workisneverin-your-face,butIalwaystryandbe

originalandalittlebitedgy.”

Thecompanyisenvironmentallyandsociallycon-

sciousandVincentandhisteamstrivetoworkin

waysthataresustainableandforward-thinking.In

2010,thebranddroppedtheliningformostofits

pieces,makingthebagslighter,softerandmore

flexible,butalsotominimisetheuseofharmful

gluesandreducewastage.Inaddition,urbanafrica

partnerswithanorganisationcalledAfrographic,

throughwhichleatheranimalkeyringsaremade

bytownshipwomeninCapeTownandmarketed

anddistributedbyurbanafrica.Theinitiativehas

beenahugesuccessandthekeyringsarenowsent

allovertheworld,creatingsustainableincome

anda senseofpride to these formerlyunem-

ployedladies.

A philosophy of collaboration and sharing of ideas

An interestingthingaboutVincentandhisap-

proachistheapparentlackofegoand‘precious-

ness’aroundthedesignprocess.Heishappyto

sharehisownideaswithothersandactivelyen-

couragescollaborations.“Wewelcomedesigners

fromallovertocomeandshowustheirdesigns

andideas.Ifwelikeitandallareinagreement,we

willdeveloptheseideastogetherintoafinalprod-

uct.Wewilllaunchitonoursiteandshowittoall

ourclients,andnegotiatearoyaltyorsomeother

arrangementsothatweallbenefit.Iseedesignas

acollaborativeprocess,onethatdoesnotand

shouldnothappeninisolationoravacuum.After

all,manyheadsarebetterthanone,no?”hesays

withasmile.

Arecentadditionaturbanafricahasbeenthede-

velopmentofaseriesofleatherworkshopsfor

interestedmembersofthepublic.Theworkshops

takeplaceattheurbanafricastudioinRoeland

StreetinCapeTown,whichalsodoublesasashow-

roomandshop.Attendeescanchoosebetweena

rangeofitemstomake,andtheteamaturbanaf-

ricaprovidesallmaterials,facilitateandteachthe

basicskillsofleathersmithing.Participantscan

thentakehomewhatevertheycreate.

The business of business

Thesuccessandfocusofurbanafricaledtothe

companybeingselectedasoneofonlytenpartici-

pantsnationallyintheETUprogramme,abusiness

developmentinitiativefundedbytheEmbassyof

Finlandandimplementedbyenterprisedevelop-

ment specialists Fetola. Interventions include

workshops,e-learning,marketaccessopportunities

andmentoring.Vincentalsoreceivedamarketing

strategythroughtheprogrammethatheiscur-

rentlyimplementing.“Althoughitisthecreative

processthatdrivesme,IstudiedEconomicsand

haveaninterestinbusiness.Ibelievethattherehas

tobeabalancebetweenthecreativeandbusiness

elementsforanybusinesstosucceed,”hesays.

72 >

73 >

African dollscowleatherboxes.

74 >

Corporateapplications

Thesamephilosophyofopenness,collaboration

andsocialinterestledVincenttodevelopthecon-

dompouches,andonceagainhestrikesabalance

betweenthecreativeandthebusinessaspects.

Thepouchescanbebrandedorembossedwith

logos,educationalmessagesandothertextor

branding,whichVincentbelievesmakesthema

suitableproductforcorporates,NGO’sandother

organisationsthatkeentohelpspreadthesafe

sexmessage.“Wearehopingthat‘hip’brandsand

LEFT:Eggtailbluestonewashbagincowleather.

CENTRE:Quotidiencowleatherallaroundbag.

TOPRIGHT:Fishtailcowleatherbag.

BOTTOMRIGHT:Tulipcowleatherbag.

75 >

organisationsthattargettheyouthwillseethe

valueinthisproductandthemessagebehindit,

andapproachustodotheirownbrandedrangeof

Second Skinpouches.Thesecanbedistributedat

colleges,universities,concerts,raves–anywhere

youngpeoplegatherenmasse.Theyareadesign-

erproductwithagreatsocialmessageandimpact,

andinitialfeedbacksuggeststheywillworkwell

asapromotionalitemorcorporategift.”

Goingforward,Vincent isplanningtopartner

withexistingorganisationsthatpromoterespon-

siblesexualbehaviourandsexualhealthinorder

toincreasetheimpactoftheSecond Skinandits

message.“Weneedtogetpeopletalkingaboutsafe

sex,tolessenthestigmaaroundthissubject.After

all,sexiscool,funandexciting–andsoeverything

thatgoeswithitshouldfeelthesameway!”

TheSecond Skinisbeingpromotedthroughanumber

ofchannels,includingurbanafrica’swebsite,via

selectretailersandoutletsaswellascorporate

andpromotionalgiftagencies.Click heretovisit

urbanafrica'ssite.<

76 >

77 >

Creating complex objects of desire layer by layer

By Michaella Janse van Vuuren | Mypassionfor

creatingtechnicallycomplexdesignandartworks

hasitsrootsinmyschoolingatProArteHighSchool

fortheArtsinPretoria.HereImademarionettes

thatwerehighlydetailed,usinginnovativecon-

structionandmanipulationmethods.Manyyears

on,myworkhasdrawnmeonceagainintoadirec-

tionwherethetechnicalandartisticmeet.Today,I

workasanelectricalengineer–mydayjob–andin

myprivatetimeIfocusondesigning3Dprintingor

additivemanufacturing.IenjoydesigningandIfind

thelimitationsanddifficultiesafascinatingchal-

lenge.Ilovethechallengeofcreatingsomething

thatisplannedandthendesignedoncomputerand

seeingifmyidea‘printedout’asIenvisioned.

Theintersectionofart,designandtechnologyis

currenttlyundergoingatimeofexponentialgrowth

enabledbydigitalmanufacturing.Digitalmanufac-

turingmethodssuchasadditivemanufacturing

havechangedthewaythatobjectsaredesigned

andmanufactured.Additivemanufacturingrefers

totheprocesswhereanobjectthathasbeencre-

atedinthevirtualworldofthecomputeristhen

realisedor3Dprinted,layerbylayer,bythemelting

ordepositingofmanufacturingmaterials.This

manufacturingprocess,developedinthe1980s,

wasinitiallyintendedforthemanufacturingofcus-

tomengineeredpartsandprototypesforindustrial

productdevelopment.Inrecentyearsthetechnol-

ogyhasbecomeaccessiblenotonlytoengineers,

industrialdesignersandaselectfew,butalsotoa

widerrangeofdesignersandartistslikemyself.

Thischangehasbeendrivenbythereductionin

costofthehardwareandsoftwareneededtocre-

atethelargeprototypingfilesandalsodecreased

thecosttomanufactureobjects–massoroneoffs.

IncreasedInternetbandwidthhasalsomadeitpos-

sibletosendthelargerfilesrequiredformanufac-

turingandanumberofstart-upcompanieshave

emergedwhonowprovideshort-runmanufactur-

ingservicesforindividualswhoproducetheirown

objects.Thedesigner/artistcannowlieatthecen-

treofthisexploration.Morethaninanyotherdis-

ciplineheorshehastheabilitytocreateandex-

plore without the limitations imposed by

traditionalsculptingmaterialsandtheirinherent

properties.

78 >

Icreatemyartbyfirstimaginingtheobject.Thisis

thentranslatedontopaper,andafteraseriesof

sketchestransformedintoatechnicaldrawing.This

drawingdictatesthemeasurementsanddimen-

sionsneededtotranslatetheartworkintothecom-

puter.Thescaleofthesculpture,distancesbe-

tweenpartsandmechanicalfunctionalityhaveto

bemeticulouslyplannedoutbeforeImoveonto

thecomputer.Iusesoftwareprogramstotranslate

theideaintoaprintabledigitaldesign.Different

softwarepackagesspecialiseinaspecifictypeof

functionalityandthereisnooneprogramthatful-

fillsallmydesignneeds.Idothe3Dsculptingin

Zbrush,thecreationofthemoveablepartsinRhino

andthe3Dmeshcheckinginnetfabb,tonamea

fewkeysoftwarepackages.Imovebackandforth

betweenprogramstocreatetheartwork.Zbrushis

adigitalsculptingprogramthatallowsyoutodo

organicandorfreeformsculpturalshapesthatare

verydifficulttocreateintraditionalCADsoftware.

Manyofmydesignshavemoveableparts.WhenI

needtocutthepartsoraddmechanicalpieceswith

precisedimensionsImoveovertoRhinoceros3D.

RhinocerosisanentrylevelCADprogram.

Whendesigningfor3Dprintingyouhavetokeepin

mindthelimitationsoftheprintingprocess.Unlike

designingforcomputerrendering,avisualrepre-

sentation,modelingfor3Dprintingrequiresalot

moreissuestoconsiderbeforeitisprintable.The

objectneedstobewatertightandmanifoldwithno

badedgestonamebutafew.Softwareprograms

suchasnetfabb,MeshlabandMagicshelptoevalu-

ateandrepair3Dfiles,ormeshes,sothatthefile

canbeprinted.Ithelpstocheckyourfilethrough-

outthedesignprocessforprinting integrityas

manyhoursordaysofworkcanbelosttryingtofix

afilethathasbecomeunprintable.Youalsoneed

79 >

The Horse Marionettehasfullyfunctionaljoints

andmovablewings.Polyamide,203x193x166mm.

PartoftheSouthernGuildCollection2011.

Theseimagesshowarenderingofthe3Dfilethat

issenttotheprinters.Theyillustratehowthe

individualpartsofthemarionetteareplacedinthe

3Dfilesothatnoassemblyisrequiredafterwards.

Oncethepowderisremovedthemarionette

comestolife.

Click heretoseeThe Horse Marionetteinaction.

80 >

Rocking Springbuck.Polyamide,183x156x51mm.

TheSpringbuckwasdesignedwithallits’moveablepartsinasingle

3Dfile.Rocking Springbuck hasrotatinggearsandtheymoveasthe

buckrocks.Click here toseeRocking Springbuckinaction.

81 >

tocomplywiththeprocesslimitations.Someaddi-

tivemanufacturingprocessesallowformoving

parts,somerequirethattheobjectshouldbede-

signedasasinglesolidpiece.Partsthatarede-

signedtoosmallwilldisintegrateinthebuildand

moveablepartscannotbespacedtoocloseorthey

willfuseandnotbeabletomoveatall.

Therearedifferentmaterialsavailablefor3Dprint-

ingsuchas,steel,sand,alumide,resin,ceramics,

glassandevenhumantissue.Myfavoritematerial

andprocessisselectivelasersintering.Thepolyamide

ornylonmaterialiswellsuitedtocreatingmovable

parts.Itisrelativelyrobust,dependingonthethick-

nessofthepart,andhasthetextureandlookof

coral.

Thedesignprocessistime-consumingandrelative-

lyexpensive.Ithereforehavetodesignmysculp-

turestobeassmallaspossibleandIamalways

pushingthelimitationsofwhatispossible.Thereis

alsonoroomforerror;onesmallmistakeintheme-

chanicscouldmeanthattheentiredesigndoesnot

workasIintended.

Whenadesignisfinished,Iemailthedigitalfilesto

alocalorinternationalmanufacturer.Thesculp-

turesarethenbuiltupbyfusingthinlayersofnylon

powder.Whentheprintbuildisfinishedthepow-

derisremovedandtheobjectmagicallyemerges

fromtheheapofdepositedpowder.Afewdays

laterthecompletedsculpturesarriveatmydoor

readytobeunpacked.Thisisalwaysaverytense

moment.DidIthinkofeverything?Willitcomeout

asplanned?Alltheplanninganddesigningfocuses

onthisonemomentofpurejoywhenIholdadesign

thatlooksandfunctionsexactlyasIenvisionedit.

82 >

Someofmymostrecentwork,The Horse Mario-

nette,Rocking SpringbuckandBirdman,werealldig-

itallydesignedinthismanner.Allthepartshave

beenplacedinthesamefilewithnoassemblyre-

quiredafterwards.The Horse Marionettehasfully

functional jointsandmovablewingsandwhen

strungupitcomestolife.TheRocking Springbuck

hasrotatinggearsthatmoveasthebuckrocks.Au-

tomataandmechanicaltoysinspiredtheBirdman

sculpture.Whentherodispulledthebeakcloses

83 >

andhisarmsdroptothesides.Whentherodis

pushedhisbeakopensandthearmsmoveoutward.

The Horse MarionetteformspartoftheSouthern

GuildcollectionthatwillbelaunchedattheJohan-

nesburgArtFairinSeptember2011.<

Birdman. Polyamide,220x60x40mm.Automata

andmechanicaltoysinspiredBirdman.Whenthe

rodispulledthebeakclosesandhisarmsdropto

thesides.Whentherodispushedhisbeakopens

andthearmsmoveoutward.Click heretoseeBirdmaninaction.

84 >

By Kenneth van Rensburg | Myfirstencounter

withthe3Dprintingphenomenontranspireddur-

ingaworkingholidaysomeyearsagointheUK.

Beingabuddingindustrialdesignerandaself-con-

fessedcarnerd,Ijumpedattheopportunityto

visittheJaguarfactoryinCoventry.Besidesvisit-

ingtheassemblyplantthetouralsoincludeda

visittoJaguar’sR&Ddepartment,whichturned

outtobethehighlightofmyvisit.Waitinginan-

ticipation,Ihopedtoseecardesignerssketching

andmodel-makersvigorouslyfettlingandworking

awayatclaymodels.Instead,anarmyofdesigners

greetedmefrombehindtheircomputersanda

dozen3Dprinterswerebusy‘growing’physical

modelsofpartstheyhadjustdesigned.Withina

coupleofhoursthedesignerscouldholdintheir

handsexactreplicasof,say,asteeringwheel,to

assessthepartbothvisuallyandergonomically

beforecommittingtotoolingandmanufacture.To

me thiswasmind blowing – like a Replicator

straightoutofStarTrek!Needlesstosay,Inever

expectedtoberunningmyown3Dprintingcom-

panyonlyacoupleyearslater.

Now,ifyou’renotfamiliarwiththetechnology,

youarelikelytobewonderingwhatonearth3D

3D What?

printingisandwhyIcouldbegettingsoexcited

overthemodelofasteeringwheel?(Thesecond

questionisperhapsalittlehardertoanswer…)

Unlikemanysubtractivemanufacturingprocesses

suchasCNC,wherematerialiscarvedormachined

awayfromablockorbilletofvirginmaterial,3D

printing is an additivemanufacturingprocess

wherebythepartsarebuiltup,layerbylayer.As

eachlayerbindstothepreviousone,thecumula-

tivethinlayersaretransformedintoathree-di-

mensionalobject.Crudelyput,it’swhatwaspsand

swallowshavebeendoingforages–buildingup

theirnests,onelayeratatime.Thismeansthat

complexshapes,completewithnegativesspaces

andtrickyundercutscanbe‘grown’intoonesingle

pieceinaveryshortspaceoftime.By3Dprinting

amodel,valuabledevelopmentaltimeandcosts

aresaved,fast-trackingone'sdesigntothemarket.

Sowhythenisitreferredtoas‘printing’,youmight

ask?3Dprintingisreallyanumbrellatermfora

numberofadditivemanufacturingprocesses.Many

oftheseprocessesuseinkjetprint-headtechnology

todepositlayersofmaterialorbindingagentsto

builda3Dmodel.Unlikeadesktopprinter,which

printsa2Dimageontoaflatsurfacesuchasasheet

85 >

I,thenidentifiedareallocalneedtobridgethegap

betweenthedesignprocessandmanufacture,i.e.

prototyping.Wewererecently-qualifiedindustrial

designerswhenwewerepresentedwiththeop-

portunitytostartasmallbusinessand3Dprinting

wasanobviouschoice.Aftermeetingwithvarious

internationalagentsitwasn’tlongbeforeour3D

printerwasshippedandourcompany,Protoform

RapidPrototyping,openeditsdoors.UnlikeinEu-

rope,weverysoonrealisedthatitwasdifficultto

specialisesincenosingle localmarketwas large

enoughtosupportthefledglinglocalprototyping

industry.Andso,castingournetsalittlewider,we

beganmarketingtoindustriesoutsideofourpri-

marytargetsindesignandengineering.

Onesuchindustrywasboat-buildingandsomeof

the firstmodels thatweproducedwere scale

yachtmodelsfortheDeanCatamaran’ssales

team.Thecompany’sdesigner,RudolfJonker,im-

mediatelyrecognisedthat3Dscalemodelscould

provideahugeadvantageovertheircompetition:

LTR:AlayerofthebinderfortheSC20boatmodelbeingdeposited.Afterremovingmostoftheexcesspowder,

theSC20emergesfromthe3Dprinter.Thefinished1-15scalemodelpaintedandwithlasercutdetailing.The

realSC20afterproductioninaction

ofpaper,a3Dprinterdepositsalayerorcross-section

ontothemachine’sbuildbed.Thebedthendrops

lessthan0.1mmandanewlayerisdepositedon

topoftheprecedingone.Theprocessofbuilding

thelayersisreferredrefertoas‘growing’amodel.

3DPrintinginSouthAfrica

AlthoughrelativelynewtoSouthAfrica,thetech-

nologyitselfhasbeenaroundsincethe1980sand

thefirstmachinewasmadecommerciallyavailable

by3DSystems in1986.Thefirstmachineonly

reachedSouthAfricanshoresin1991andonlya

handfulofmachineshavesincebeenavailableup

untiltheearly2000s.Ahandfulofsciencelabsand

tertiaryeducationinstitutionsacquiredthemajor-

ity;withasmallnumberusedcommercially,but

largelyin-house.

Itwasonlyin2008thatIsawthefirst3Dprinterin

SouthAfricafirsthand.Mycolleague,JonSmithand

86 >

“Ithinkforus,themodelreallymadeadifference

infinalisingthelastexteriordesigndetails.Tobe

abletoshowascale-modeltoprospectivebuyers

beforethefirstboatwasevenbuiltgaveour

marketingpeopleabighead-startinmarketing

thenewboat.”

Itwasn’tlongbeforeProtoformweresupplying

boatmodelsabroadaswell.ScandinavianCruisers’

founder,NisLorentzen,required1:15scale-models

ofhisSC20toassistwithbothdevelopmentand

marketing.AsNisexplains,"Buildingboatshasa

lottodowithapassionforboatingandthesea.

Beingabletotransform3Ddrawingsofanewboat

designintoacompletepaintedscalemodelwithin

justacoupleofweeks,asopposedtothemany

monthsittakestobuildtherealthing,isveryex-

citing.Itislikeseeingyourfirstbabybeingborn”.

Bytheendof2008Protoformwasalsosupplying

prototypepartstotheautomotiveindustry,mod-

elsforsandcasting,trainingmodels,architectural

models,sculpturesandpropsforthemovieindustry.

Bythen,we’venoticedisthat3Dprintingwasoften

misunderstoodasaprocessstrictlyforengineering

prototypes,butthiscouldn’tbefurtherfromthe

truthandsincethen,Protoformhasassertively

triedtomakediversepotentialusersawarethat

3Dprintingisalsoapowerfulandcreativetool.A

3Dprintercanreplicatealmostanythingthatyou

canmodeldigitally,beitlightfittings,shoes,artis-

ticsculptures–thepossibilitiesarealmostlimitless

and3Dprintedmodelscanbeused‘asis’orpaint-

edanddetailedforpresentation.Theymayeven

beusedtomakemouldsforcastinginplasticsand

metalsandfroma3Dprintedmaster,onecaneasily

makelowvolumeplasticcomponentswithaccu-

racythatcompeteswith injectionmoulding. In

conjunctionwithothertechnologies,suchas3Dand

CTscanning,thepossibleapplicationsaretrulyin-

finite.

OnesuchcreativeproposalcametoProtoformin

2008whentheprominentadagencyTheJupiter

TOPLEFT:Anengineeringmodel

showingthelevelofdetailthatis

possiblewith3Dprinting.

BOTTOMLEFT:1-10scalemodelsof

slurryvalvesusedinthemining

industry.

TOPRIGHT:1of5plasticcompo-

nentsforalargeautomotiveclient

usingthe3Dprintpartasthemaster

forthemould.

BOTTOMRIGHT:1-1scalecylinder

headforapassengervehicle.

RIGHT:Twoofthe3Dprintedsculp-

turesusedforthe2009Design

Indabaadvertisingcampaign.

87 >

DrawingRoomapproachedustorealisetheirconcept

forthe2009DesignIndabaadvertisingcampaign.

Theyneeded tomake tangiblea concept that

showcasedtheideasandidentitiesoftheeinnova-

tors in the formof sculptures.The sculptures

neededtobesufficientlydetailedtoconveythe

personalitiesofthesubjectsaswellasincorporat-

ingeachinnovator’sideaintheformofanobject,

emergingfromtheirheads.Inordertomeetthe

brief,theheadsofthechosenthreeinnovators

werescanned tocreatedigital3Dcopies.The

modelsfortheirinventionswerethendigitallyma-

nipulated,togetherwiththescannedheadmodels

andmadetoappearasifemergingfromtheheads.

Thesewerethen3Dprintedatlife-sizeandassem-

bledtoproducefascinating,life-likesculptures.

Thesculptureswerephotographedandusedina

numberofapplicationsandthecampaignwenton

towinseveraladvertisingawards.

Anotherunexpectedbutexcitingapplicationof

3Dprintingisthemedicalindustry.Overthepast

threeyearsProtoformhasbeensupplyingmedical

modelstosomeofSouthAfrica’sleadingmaxilla-

facialsurgeons.Alargepercentageoftheirwork

entailsreconstructivesurgerytocorrectdamage

causedbytumors,gunshotwoundsandsevere

damagecausedbyburns.Typically,thepatient

wouldbeCT-scannedfromwhicha radiologist

wouldpreparepre-operativeplanningmodelsofa

patient’sjaworskull.Wethen3D-printmodels

thatarethenusedastemplatesbysurgeonsto

accuratelycreatecustomised implants– these

modelscanevenbeproducedinaslittleasaday

inemergencies.Accordingtoradiologist,Carol

Spence,thetimeaffordedbythesemodelscan

easilysavesurgeonsuptotwohoursofsurgery

time,andwiththeatreratesofaroundR100per

minute,that’samassivefinancialsavingtoboth

patientsandmedicalaidschemes.Apartfromthe

monetarysavings,thisdramaticallyreducerisksto

thepatientsbecauseitreducestimeunderanesthesia

andensuresthatimplantsthatfitprecisely.Previ-

ously,implantswouldhavetobecustom-shaped

88 >

andfittedundersurgery.Carolisquicktomention

that3Dprototypedmodelsmeanthatsurgeons

cannowevenfitimplantsintra-operatively,leav-

ingthepatientwithminimalscarring.

TheFuture

So,whereis3Dprintingheaded?Well,forastart,

itwon’tbelongbeforewehavedesktop3Dprinters

insmallbusinessesandinhomes.AbasicRepRap

orMakerbot3Dprinteralreadycosts lessthan

whatadesktoplaserprinterdidin1985,whichto-

daywefindinalmosteveryofficeandmiddle-class

home.Forexample,televisioncelebrityandcar

enthusiast,JayLeno,hasa3Dprinterinhisgarage

toproducesparepartsforhisclassiccarcollection.

So,perhapsinthefuture,ifyoubrokeahosefit-

ting,youcould‘grow’areplacementovernightor

thatfrustratingmissingpiecefromafavouritetoy

orgadget.Sure,forlargerandmorespecialised

modellingyou’dstillprobablymakeuseofapro-

fessionalserviceproviderfortheirexpertiseand

high-endequipment.Newmaterialsfor3Dprint-

ingarebeingdevelopedandexperimentedwith

almosteveryday–variousmetals(includingpre-

ciousonesforjewellerydesign),newpolymers,

ceramics,clay,sugar,sawdustandevenpasta!As

89 >

thisdevelopsandthetechnologybecomesmore

affordable,newindustrieswillstartup.

Forme,themostexcitingdevelopmentatpresent

is3D-printedorgans.That’sright!Already,scien-

tistshavedevelopedprototypemachines that

coulddothatandIpredictthatinacoupleofyears

doctorscouldbe3D-printingyouoralovedone’s

anewkidneyorheartvalveusingyourveryown

cellsasbuildingblocks.

Quitefrankly,thepossibilitiesof3dprintingare

endless.Ifyoucanthinkit,itcanhappen.Allyou

needisanidea.

Abouttheauthor

KennethvanRensburgisanindustrialdesigner

andpartneratCapeTown-basedProtoform Rapid

Prototyping.<

FARLEFT:Variousarchitecturalapplicationsof3Dprinting.

CENTRETOP:Sectionalmodelofapatient'sMaxialla.

CENTREBOTTOM:Pre-operativeplanningmodelforsurgery.

BOTTOM:LittlemirroredFiat500'semergingfromunderthe

powder.

90 >

TurningTalentIntoSuccessACapeTownbusinessdevelopmentconsultancyis

makinganimpactnationallyinthefieldofenterprise

developmentandeconomicempowerment,witha

specialfocusonthecreativeindustries.

Fetola,aSothowordmeaning‘change’or‘changing’,

specialisesinboostingemergingentrepreneurs,

creatives,grassrootsprojectsandcommunity-based

organisationstowardssustainability.BasedinWest-

lakeBusinessParkintheCapeandwithanational

footprint,Fetolawasfoundedin2006byenter-

prisedevelopmentpractitionerandentrepreneur

CatherineWijnberg.

“Whatmakesusdifferent”saysCatherine,aZambian-

bornentrepreneurandMBAgraduatewithexperi-

enceinfivesectors,“isthatweteachwhatwecall

‘theBusinessofBusiness.’Ibelievethesuccessof

enterprisedevelopmentliesinunderstandingthe

dailychallengesfacedbysmallbusinessowners,

andofferingsimple,practicalandreplicablesolu-

tionsthatarerelevantwhetheroneissellingcraft,

cars,creativityorcabbages.Therearecertainbusi-

nessfundamentalsthatneedtobeinplaceinany

enterpriseforittobesustainableandsuccessful,

andthatiswhatwefocuson.”

Theorganisationrunslong-termenterprisedevelop-

mentprogrammesaswellasworkingdirectlywith

entrepreneursandSMME’sonaneeds-basis.Offer-

ingsarediverseandincludementoring,skillsdevel-

opmentandtraining,practicale-learningcourses,

systems development and strategic planning.

“Whatsetsusapartisthatwehave‘walkedthewalk’,

especiallywhenitcomestothecreativeindustries.

91 >

Aselectionof

innovativelighting

productsdesigned

andproducedby

HeathNash,oneof

thenotablepartici-

pantswhoare

benefittingfromthe

ETUprogramme.

92 >

BambookitchenbyCabinetworks.

LuxuryleatheraccessoriesbyMajdaRabinofChimpel.

93 >

IwasProgrammeManagerattheCapeCraftand

Design Institute (CCDI)beforeopeningFetola,

whileourseniorconsultantAntonResselwasco-

founderofStreetwires,oneofthelargestsocial

enterprisesinSouthAfrica.Allourconsultantsand

mentorsarebusinesspeoplethemselves–how

canyouteachentrepreneurialthinkingifyouhave

neverbeenanentrepreneur?”asksWijnberg,in

referencetothetheory-heavy,‘chalk-and-talk’of-

feringofmanyskillsdevelopmentorganisations

outthere.

TheLegendsProgramme

Fetola’sflagshipenterprisedevelopmentinitia-

tive,theOldMutual-supportedLegendsProgramme,

wasaFinalistinthecovetedMail & GuardianIn-

vestingintheFutureAwardsintheBestEnter-

priseDevelopmentProgrammecategoryin2010.

Legendsnowsupports67enterprisesinnineprov-

inces,andhasbecomeoneofthelargestvirtual

incubatorprogrammes inSouthAfrica.Partici-

pantsincludecraftanddesignorganisations,fur-

nituremanufacturers,skillstrainingorganisations,

NGO’s,communityprojectsandanumberofup-

and-comingyoungentrepreneursinthefilmand

designspheres.

Ifthefiguresareanythingtogoby,Legendsisin-

deedhavingasignificantimpactinitsaimstore-

duce poverty, create jobs and develop skills

amongstitsbeneficiarynetwork.Annualpartici-

pantsalesturnoverincreasedfromZAR690000in

2007toZAR2.385millionin2010–anincreaseof

290%,whiletheprogrammehasmorethandou-

bledinsizefromsupporting350beneficiariesin

2008toover1000in2011.

TheETUSMMEAcceleratorProgramme

ArecentFetolainitiativeaimedatmoreestab-

lishedbusinessesistheETUSMMEAccelerator

Programme,fundedbytheEmbassyofFinland.

‘ETU’isaFinnishwordmeaning‘benefit’.Thispro-

grammeworkswithparticipantsinthecreative

sectorthatareprimedforgrowth,andincludes

amongstothers,internationallyrenownedlighting

designerHeathNash,high-endfurnitureandinte-

riorsbusinessCabinetworks,luxuryleatheracces-

soriesdesignerMajdaRabinofChimpel,Vincent

Urbainofurbanafricaandfast-growingceramics

studiosImisoCeramicsandZizamele.

Beneficiariesofbothprogrammesreceiveasuite

ofsupportincludingpracticalbusinessskillstrain-

ingandongoingaccesstoabusinessmentor.Both

programmesutilisean innovativepeer-to-peer

emailnetworkresource,enablingbeneficiariesto

communicatewitheachother,sharelessonsand

askforadviceandsupportsimplybysendinganemail.

ThisresourceisalsousedbyFetolatodistribute

weeklye-learningtrainingondiversetopicssuch

assalesandmarketing,finance,strategicplan-

ning,administrationandcostingandpricing.The

overallintentionistohelpbeneficiariesbecome

morebusinesslike,competitiveandsustainable.

“Whatwehavefoundovertheyearsisthatmany

creativepeoplefindthebusinesssideofthingsfar

lessinterestingthanthedesignandcreativeproc-

ess.Myresponsetothis–thatiswhythereareso

manygifteddesignersinthepoorhouse!”saysFe-

tolaconsultantAntonRessel.“Inallseriousness,it

israretofindacombinationofcreativeexcellence

andbusinesssavvyinanentrepreneurorsmall

business,butthereality isthatcreativetalent

aloneisnotenoughtosustainabusiness.There

areanumberoffundamentalsthatmustbe in

94 >

placeforanybusinesstothrive,andthisiswhat

wetryandimpartthroughourwork.”

FetolaProjectManagerChantaldeKockbelieves

thatsmallbusinesssuccessbeginswithasolid

self-beliefandbusinessvision.“Beyondthis,the

essentialbusinessfoundations-soundfinancial

andadministrativesystems,agoodunderstanding

ofmarketingandsales,aproductorservicewith

potentialandarealisticgapinthemarket,are

wheretheedgeiscreated,”sheadds.

Turningthelighton

OnenotablesuccessstoryistheworkFetolahave

beendoingwithHeathNash.Agifteddesigner

withagrowinginternationalprofile,Nashjoined

theETUprogrammebecauseherecognisedthat

thebusinesssideofhiscompanyneededatten-

tion.“Ihavealwaysfoundthedesignandcreative

processsomuchmorestimulatingthanthefinan-

cialoradministrativesideofthings–obviously!”

saysNashwithasmile.“However,Ifoundmyselfin

asituationwhereIwasworkingharderandharder

butnotreallymovingforwardinabusinesssense.

Sure,myprofilewasgrowing,butthiswasnot

translatingintofinancialsuccessandsustainability

forthebusiness,becausethissideofthingswas

alwayssecondfiddletothecreativeside.Thathas

changedsinceIjoinedETUandstartedworking

withFetola,andthebenefitshavebeenalmostim-

mediate,”hesays.

ThestartingpointwastoempowerNashwithin-

formationabouthisbusinessthathecouldunder-

standandembrace.Thismeantregularsalesre-

ports,managementaccountsandaclearpictureof

whathisexpensesandincomewereonamonthly

basis.“Istartedseeinghowmuchmoneywasbeing

wastedoninefficientproductionprocesses,un-

productivestaffandpoormanagementofmaterials.

95 >

Asmallselectionofthevastproductrangeproduced

byETUSMMEAcceleratorProgrammeparticipant,

ImisoCeramics.

96 >

TOPLEFT:Fetolainterventionsincludework-

shops,mentoringandone-on-onebusiness

support.

TOPRIGHT:CatherineWijnberg,Director

Fetola&Associates.

LEFT:Fetolaprogrammeparticipant,Theresa

WormserofTWCeramics.

AselectionofproductsbyETUSMMEAcceleratorProgrammeparticipant,Zizamele.

97 >

Theknowledgewaslikeswitchingalighton!”says

Nash.Athoroughrecostingofallhisproducts,re-

sulting inanewandmorecompetitivepricing

structureandgreaterprofessionalisminthebusi-

ness, followed this. “Weare fortunate in that

Heathlearnsveryquicklyandisdeterminedto

strengthenhisbusinessknowledge.Infact,Ithink

heactuallyfindsthebusinesssideofhiscompany

farmoreinterestingandexcitingthanheeverim-

aginedhewould!”saysRessel.

Innovationequalssuccess

Givenitsgenesisandcloselinkswiththecreative

industries,itisnosurprisethatFetolapridesitself

on innovation.“Wearealways lookingfornew

waystoincreaseourimpactanddomoreforless,”

saysWijnberg.OneexampleistheMentorHot-

line©,a24-houremail,smsandtelephonehotline

thatprovidesfastaccesstoexperiencedbusiness

mentorsforbeneficiaries.

AnotherrecentinnovationistheFetolaVolunteer

Mentorprogramme,anational(andpossiblyinter-

national)matchmakingprogrammethatpairsex-

periencedbusinesspeopleandentrepreneurs

withemergingentrepreneursandorganisationsin

needofbusinesssupport.

“OurVisionistochangelivesforthebetter,for-

ever.WeseethedevelopmentoftheSMMEsector

asabsolutelyvitaltothegrowthandprosperityof

ourcountry,andfeelprivilegedtobeabletopart-

nerwithcorporateslikeOldMutualandothers

whoshareourvision.OurcreativetalentinSouth

Africaissohuge,ifthiscanbecoupledwithsound

businessknowledgeandskills,watchoutWorld!”

concludesWijnberg.

Click heretolearnmoreaboutFetolaandthepro-

grammesthattheyrun.<

98 >

By Judy Bryant | Doyouhaveanideaforaproductordesign,andwanttoexploreitfurther?Ifso,the

ProductSupportSpaceattheCapeCraftandDesign

Institute(CCDI)couldbeyournewplayground.

TheCCDIhasforsomeyearshoused,atitshead-

quartersinHarringtonStreet,CapeTown’sonly

FabLab–anassistedDIYcomputer-aideddesign/

manufacturingenvironment.Now,thisfacilityhas

evolvedwithmoreservices,full-timestaffand

state-of-the-artequipmentinanexpandedspace

ofabout300m².

AlanAlborough,theCCDI’sProductSupportPro-

grammeManager,saysitisauser-friendlyenviron-

mentwhereuserscanexperimentandprogress

fromideaconceptualisationtophysicalmanifesta-

tion,withtheappropriatesupport,infrastructure,

tools andequipment. “Peoplehave ideas,but

thesecangetlostbecausetheyarenotnurtured

andpeopledon’tknowhowtodevelopthem”says

Alan.“Weareofferingaplacewhereusersfeelse-

cureandempoweredtodowhattheywanttodo.

Wemeetwithusersonanindividualbasistohelp

themtosolveproblemsaroundanyprocessorma-

Supportingideasintoprototypes

terial.Ifsomeonecomesherewithanidea,they

candevelopitthroughtotheprototype.Issuesare

oftennotprocess-ormaterial-specific;itisoften

acaseofhelpingpeoplethroughaproblem-solv-

ingprocess.”

“Thegoalistohavetheappropriatetechnology

forwhatneedstobedone,soequipmentranges

frombasichandtoolsandworkshopmachinery

suchasasanderandabandsaw,tomoresophisti-

cated,computerisedequipment”addsProduct

SupportFacilitatorPieterCilliers.

ExistingFabLabmachines,originallyfundedbythe

DepartmentofScienceandTechnology,havebeen

supplementedbyadditionalmachinesbudgeted

forbytheCCDI.Thesearegroupedintodedicated

workstations.Safetyisparamount,andthestaff

(trainedinfirstaid)workcloselyalongsidevisitors

onaone-on-onebasis.

TheProductSupportSpaceissplitintotwomain

areas,theResearchandDesignAreaandtheTool

Room.TheResearchandDesignAreaconsistsofa

centralconsultationandplanningarea,andcom-

99 >

TOP&CENTRELEFT:MikeRichardsofPersonalityPensat

workintheProductSupportSpace.CENTRERIGHT:The

CCDIProductSupportSpaceexposedAlisonPresttoa

newtypeofresinthatenabledhertodevelopasuitable

finishforherhandmadeflowervessels.BOTTOMLEFT:

LindyGreylingandSibuleleTomworkingwiththeCCDI's

heatpress.BOTTOMRIGHT:Laser-engravedfabricand

heat-transfervinyldesignbyCarynnUnderhill.

100 >

putersforresearchanddesign.Theresearchcom-

putersareforanyonetousefreeforproduct-spe-

cificInternetresearch.Thedesigncomputersare

allocatedforspecificuses,sowhilesomearefor

designingtowardsfabrication(machinessuchas

laserandvinylcutters),othershaveprogramssuch

asdigitisingembroiderysoftware.Therearealso

twocomputerswithsurfacedesignsoftware,ideal

forcreatingpatternsanddesignsfortextilesand

prints.

TheToolRoomincludesawiderangeofconven-

tionalhandandpowertools,usedforfixing,cut-

ting,marking,scoring,gluing,andworkingwitha

widerangeofmaterialsaswellasthecomputer-

isedmachinessuchasthelaserandvinylcutters.

Thelatestpurchasesincludeaheatpressfortrans-

fers,alinebenderforbendingPerspexaccurately,

asmallvacuumformerformouldingthinthermo

plasticsandahotwirecutterforcuttingfoaminto

allkindsofshapes.

Full-timestaffavailabletoworkalongsidevisitors

includeProductSupportFacilitatorPieterCilliers

whojoinedtheCCDIasan intern in2008after

completinghisMFAspecialisinginsculpture;Prod-

uctSupportAdvisorDavidvanStadenwhofree-

lancedasagraphicdesigneraftercompletinghis

BA(FineArt)beforejoiningtheCCDIin2007;and

Product SupportAdvisorCaraghBarwisewho

joinedtheCCDIin2009afterstudyingindustrial

design,completingajewellerycourse,andwork-

ingasacraftproducer.

Someofthecraftproducersanddesignerswho

havealreadyusedthefacilitiestoimprovetheir

productsormanufacturingprocessesincludeJohn

Bauer,AlisonPrest,MichaelRichardsandWalter

Zandamela,tonamejustafew.

CeramicartistJohnBauerisinspiredbysalvaged

itemssuchasantiquedoilies,mintleavesandChi-

neseNewYearsymbolsandrecreatesthesepat-

ternsinceramics.Johnhasbeenabletoenlargeor

diminishhispatternswithinputfromtheProduct

SupportSpace,enablinghimtopushthelimitsof

whathefindstechnicallypossibleinceramics.

HehasusedtheProductSupportSpaceasapro-

totypinglaboratorywherehecreatesworkona

lasercutterthatislaterincorporatedintoother

pieces.Forexample,hehasover1000doiliesin

hiscollectionandtakesnegativesandcreatestex-

turalreproductionsthataretrueandcanbeen-

largedorshrunken.Thissetshisworkapartasa

craftproducerasheachievesPhotoshop-typere-

sults,whileonlyusingadoilyoncebeforeputting

itbackintohisarchive.

TheProductSupportSpacestaffhavealsohelped

Johntocreatestampsofhissignature,indifferent

sizes,includingsomeinChinese.Theseimprinthis

work.“Yoursignatureiscritical,becauseifsome-

onelikesyourproductbutcan’tfindyourname,

theycan’torderitfromyou,”hesays.

JohnalsospecialisesincombiningProductSupport

Spacetechnologywithothertechniques.Forex-

ample,hisworkcouldincludelayersofblackand

whiteceramic,whichhebruisesonthesurfaceand

thenreintegratesintoasmoothskin,givingaghost

image.ThePerspexblockfromthePSScreates

101 >

TOPLEFT:AlisonPrestexperimentswith

resinduringamould-makingsessionat

theProductSupportSpace.

TOPRIGHT:CCDIProductSupport

facilitatorPieterCilliers.

CENTRELEFT:CCDIProductAdvisor

DavidvanStaden(centre)showsIsaque

Mohamed(left)andDionisiaMambo

fromMozambiquesomedifferenttypes

ofheat-transferablevinylintheCCDI

ProductSupportSpace.

BOTTOMRIGHT:CeramicartistJohn

Bauer.

LEFT:CeramicworksbyJohnBauerwho

hasusedtheProductSupportSpaceto

expandtechnicalboundariesinhiswork.

102 >

anotherimageinthis.Johnhasshownhowphoto-

graphicimagesfromadriver’slicencephotocan

beusedtoachieveafinelevelofreproduction,

andsaysthistechniquecouldalsosuitcraftpro-

ducersmakingitemssuchassoaps,biscuitsand

candlestomakethemappearengraved.

AlisonPrestisafloraldesignerandauthorityon

plantsandsucculentswhoopenedtheSoanesbury

SchoolofAfricanFlowerDesigninCapeTown.Last

yearAlisondevelopedarangeofplantvessels

madefromrecycledmaterialssuchasyoghurtand

margarinecontainers,papier-mâchéandresin.She

attendedamould-makingsessionattheProduct

SupportSpace,andwhenstrugglingtodevelopa

suitablefinishforherpots,thestaffintroducedher

toanewtypeofresin.ThisenabledAlisontode-

velopherownmixturetofinishherpotstothe

standardshedesired.Herrangehasreceivedpub-

licityinrespecteddécorandlifestylemagazines

suchasElle DecorationandVisi.

MichaelRichardsofPersonalityPensstartedwork

asadraftsmaninDurbanandlatertookupwood

turning.Henowproducesbeautifulhand-turned

andfabricatedpensthatwereselectedforthe

2011CCDIHandmadeCollection,whichlaunchedat

theiconicDesignIndabaExpo.ProductSupport

SpacestaffhavehelpedMichaeltoimprovehispro-

ductionability,throughmakingjigs(toolstocon-

trolthelocationandmotionofanothertool)and

templatesforimprovedmanufacturing.

Craftproducersfromneighbouringcountrieshave

also found inspiration at theProduct Support

Space.TheKelloggFoundationfundedaseriesof

workshops, residencies and an internship pro-

grammewhichwasfacilitatedbytheCCDIandin-

cludedahalf-dayintroductiontotheProductSup-

portSpace.The2011residencygraduatesincluded

WalterZandamela,aMozambicanartistandtechni-

cianworkinginvariousmaterialssuchaswoodand

ceramics.AfterhissessionwiththePSS,Walter

continuedtoexplorevariousmaterials,especially

wood,makingarangeofobjectsthatcombinedAf-

ricanandAsiancultures.

ProductSupportSpaceaccessisonanappointment

basis.Click hereformoreinformation.<

103 >

TOP:Theproductsupportspaceincludesresearch

computerswherepeoplecansearchforinternet

resources.

LEFT:WalterZandamelafromMozambiqueexperi-

mentedwithwoodproductsatthePSS.

104 >

South Africa learns

from the Swedes

InOctoberlastyear,RaymondEllerbeck,Directorof

C.O.Designs,accompaniedbyagroupof14South

Africansfromwithinthefurnitureindustry,visited

SwedenonaoneweekstudytouroftheSwedish

furniture industry.With the Swedes sharing a

wealthofpracticalexperienceandknowledge,the

SouthAfricanfurnitureindustryhaslearntmany

lessonsfromtheSwedishfurnitureindustry.

BELOW:C.O.Designs’Concept Deskisafullyfunctional

workstationwhichaimstoservicetheneedsofdesign-

ers in various industries. The desk includes a built-in

lightboxaswellasautilityrailwhichenablesthedesign-

ertooptimisetheworksurface.Thedeskincorporates

various ergonomic features including a sit/stand desk

framewhichallowstheusertoconvenientlyandseam-

lesslyalternatebetweenseatedandstandingpositions.By Stacey Rowan

105 >

TheSouthAfricanfurnitureindustryisunderthreat

andindecline.Thiscouldeithermeanapermanent

declineoranunfortunatebutinevitablepruningof

‘deadwood’inpreparationforarestructuredin-

dustrythatcansustainitself.Fortunatelyitisoften

smalladaptationsdoneproactivelythatensures

survivalofanyindustry.TheSwedishstudytouris

onesuchproactivemovetowardsgainingknowl-

edgeandnewinsightsandcreatingsolutionstoour

decliningfurnitureindustry.

HostedbytheTibrofurnitureindustryclusterinthe

Tibrodistrict(consistingofabout70furniturecom-

panieswhichmanufactureavarietyoffurniture

productspredominantlyfortheinteriorcontract

market),theinformationgainedexposedtheSouth

Africangrouptotheindustryasawhole.Itcovered

responsestoglobaltrends,socialandeconomic

threats,technologyandhumancapitaldevelop-

ment.Theinsightsgainedillustratedhowthestate

ofanyindustryisdefinedbythesocialandeconom-

icenvironmentwithinwhichitoperates.Inthiscon-

textthediscussionseemedtodriftawayfromfurni-

ture interests into culture, social commentary,

economicsandevenpolitics,butalltheseinfluences

shapethedestinyofanindustryandneedtobeun-

derstoodtoensurethefurnitureindustry’ssurvival.

SeverallessonsfortheSouthAfricanfurniturein-

dustry:

1.SouthAfricansmallcompaniescangrowintoglo-

ballycompetitiveorganisations,stayafloatand

gainmarketshareduringaneconomiclowtide.The

recipeissimple–constant improvement and in-

novation.

2.Withindustries,likeourownfurnitureindustry,

clustering together and joining forces,individual

companiesdonothavetogrowintointernational

giantsinordertobecompetitiveintheworldmar-

kets.Companiescanratherstayoptimallysizedand

nimble,abletoadapttochangeandcollectivelypool

marketingandlogisticresourcesinpartnershipwith

regionalgovernment.Firstweestablishdominance

regionally–internallyandtheninAfrica.

Thegoodnewsisthattheseverydynamicsarecur-

rentlyactivewithintheWesternCape,forexample

theWesternCapeFurnitureInitiative(WCFI),De-

signIndabaExpoandgovernment-sponsoredindus-

trydevelopmentinitiativesfacilitatedbytheDTI

andProductivitySA.

3.AstheSwedishmodelproves,awell educated

population couldbethesilverbullettoensure

worldcompetitiveness.Educationdrivesinnova-

tionandsocialcooperationandtolerance,apow-

erfulformulaforsustainablesuccess.Wehaveto

investintheeducationofourpeople,apartfrom

technicalandliterateskillswhichindustryneeds;

italsobringslifeskills,creatingstablecommuni-

tiesandareliable,productiveworkethic.Govern-

ment’smandateistomanageschoolingandterti-

aryinstitutions,establishingapipelineforindustry.

Asan industrywemusttakeresponsibility for

adultskillsdevelopmentwithinourworkforce,

focusingonbothhardandsoftskills.Largercom-

paniesmayhavetheHRresourcestomanagethis

whilesmallercompanieslacktheHRmanagement

knowhow.Governmentassistanceandsubsidies

forSME’sarethereforepoorlyutilisedandoppor-

tunitiesgotowaste.Asbusinessentrepreneurs,

HRdevelopmentshouldberecognisedasavalue

addingopportunityinasimilarlightasacquiring

newtechnologyandmachines.Thiswillallowusto

acceleratethedevelopmentofourindustrybyal-

lowingtechnologyandeducationtoleverageeach

other.Forexampleitcanensurethatinvestment

inproductiontechnologycanbefullymaximised

106 >

C.O.Designs’Ruotare Unitisbasedonamodularconceptandits

innovativerotatingconstructionallowsittobeusedasaspace

divider,asaTVunitortoshowcaseproducts.Otherconfigurations

rangefromacompacthomeofficespacetoaversatilehospitality

serverincorporatepauseareas.Theproductisaresultofsuccessful

collaborationbetweenC.O.DesignsandChromeCherrywhoconcep-

tualisedtheproduct.ItismanufacturedfromHollowcore,amaterial

thatconsistsofarecycledcardboardhoneycombcorethatisfive

timeslighterthansolidwoodmaterial.

107 >

withthenecessaryexpertise,asfrequentlysophis-

ticatedmachinesarepoorlyrunandmaintained

withmanyinbuiltfeaturesbeingunderutiliseddue

toanunderskilledoperators.Technologyinvest-

mentneednotsacrificejobsasaneducatedwork-

ercanfindjobopportunitiesinothersectors.

4.Innovation through design–themoderncon-

sumerwantsmorethanmereproductfunctionality

–theywantstyle,aesthetics,andfashiontofuel

theiraspirationsanddefinetheirlifestyle.Ourfur-

nitureindustry,liketheSwedishneedstodefineits

ownbrand,drawnfromouruniqueAfricanculture.

Theleastattractivealternativeistoemulatesuc-

cessfulinternationalbrandsandtrends,attherisk

ofrelegatingourselvestotheroleoffollowerstry-

ingtokeepupwiththeleadersandinnovators.

ApartfromSweden,USA,Italy,GermanyandJapan

allhavetheirdistinctivefurnituredesignsignatures

drawnfromtheirenvironmentandcultureand

evendevelopingcountrieslikeIndonesiahavea

uniqueparticularstyletheyareofferingtheworld.

Ourcraftindustrygivesinsightintotherichcrea-

tiveandculturaldiversitywehave.AsSouthAfri-

cansweneedtoovercomeouridentitycrisisand

findourtrueselves.

5.Market and brand our products locallyandinter-

nationally.Weareblessedwithsomeoftheworld’s

mostcreativeadvertisingandmarketingagencies.

Expandthe‘ProudlySouthAfrica’and‘localislekker’

themesinordertostrengthenourlocalindustry.

Allinall,keylearning’swhichC.O.Designshaveim-

plementedaresimple:Constantimprovementand

innovation;clustertogetherandjoinforcesinorder

tobecompetitiveonaglobalscale;educationiskey

foracompetitiveedge;innovationthroughdesign

andmarketandbrandproductsbothlocallyandin-

ternationally.Theseareallvitaltoincludeinthe

businessstrategyandtoimplementtoensurethe

furnitureindustryinSouthAfricaisaglobalplayer

ininternationalmarkets.

“Thelearning’sfromthetour,whethertheybeglo-

baltrends,socialoreconomicarevitaltounder-

standwhenlookingattheglobalfurnitureindustry

asawhole.Allcountriesandthereforeindustries

arepartoftheglobalvillageandthereforedirectly

affectedbyglobaleconomics,aswillingorunwill-

ingparticipants,”saysEllerbeck.

C.O.Designswasestablishedin1994withaprimary

focusonservicingthefurniturerequirementsof

corporateclients.Theirproductrangeincludesa

widespectrumofofficefurniture,desking,seat-

ing,screeningandfurnitureincommonareas.The

companyhasgrownconsistentlybothinsizeand

reputationbysuccessfullyapplyingaconsistent

customerfocusedstrategyofofferingmorethan

justofficefurniture.Theirserviceofferingincludes

productdesignanddevelopment,workstationde-

sign,manufactureandcountrywidedeliveryand

installation.

Asanestablishedcompanywithinthelocalindus-

try,theysupportdevelopmentasafoundermem-

ber of theWestern Cape Furniture Initiative.

Throughcontinuousimprovementandtrainingin

conjunctionwithProductivitySA,C.O.Designsin-

vestinskillsdevelopmentandhelpensurethecon-

tinuationofkeyindustryskills.

“AtC.O.Designswefeelthatweareleadersinthe

industrybecauseweunderstandandlearnfrom

countriessuchasSwedenandwehopetocontin-

uetoapply,deliverandadapttoaneverchanging

market,”concludesEllerbeck.<

www.preciosa.com

PRECIOSA illuminates another One & Only complex

109 >

DubainowboaststhesecondOne&Onlyhotelcomplex,One&OnlyThe

Palm,whichopenedontheartificialislandofPalmJumeirainOctober

oflastyear.Theinteriorofthisstylishgem,whichisagainlitupbylamps

andfixturesfromPRECIOSA,isfullofenergy,emotionandsensuality.

110 >

ThiscolossalOne&OnlyThePalmproject,onwhich

PRECIOSAworkedforalmostthreeyears,isyet

anotherexampleofthevastdesignabilitiesand

productioncapabilitiesthatthisCzechcompany

hasinitsrepertoire.Ninehundredpiecesandover

150differenttypesofluminaireswerecraftedby

thehandsofmasterglassmakersintherenowned

NorthernBohemianglassregion.

PRECIOSA’sversatilityillustratesnotonlythediver-

sityofdesignstyles,butalsothemyriadofpossible

LEFT:TheOne&OnlyThePalm'slobbylounge.

RIGHT:Lobbyfountain.

111 >

lightingsolutions.Theuniquedesignscreatedfor

theOne&OnlyThePalmperfectlyharmonisewith

eachinterior,somuchsothattheyseemtobeanin-

delibleandintegralpartofeachspace.Contempo-

rary,traditionalandArabicdesignstylespermeate

thevariousrooms.Tocapturethespiritofrecent

trends,crystalspiralsandglobesweremadeto

createthefeelingofsteppingintoasparklingice

kingdom.Themostpopularoftrendsinlightingtoday

arealsorepresented,includingspectacularhang-

ingsculpturescomposedoffree-formhand-blown

glass.Incontrastwiththeseabstractpiecesarethe

curvesoftimelessclassics,adaptedtothiscentury

throughtheuseofsomeofthemostinteresting

moderndecorativecomponents.Lastly,typicalorien-

talchandeliersarealsopresent.Lanternsofvarious

shapes,eitheraloneorinexcuisiteclusters,are

furtherembellishedwithintricatelaser-cutdeco-

rativeelements.Whetheryoumeanderoutsideor

insideofthislargecomplex,youwillencountera

widerangeoffree-standingfixtures,tablelamps,

andsconceswhichdecoratemanyawall.

112 >

LuxuriousdecorativechandeliersfromPRECIOSA

canalsobeseenthroughouttheOne&OnlyThe

Palm.Theybothcreateandcomplementthe

atmosphereofthereception,restaurant,well-

nesscentre,beachlounge,bathroomsand,of

course,theindividualhotelguestroomsand

villas.

AboutPRECIOSA

PRECIOSAisoneoftheworld’sleadingproducer

ofcutcrystal,specialisingmainlyintheproduc-

tionofmachinecutchatons,beads,stonesand

LEFT:The101MarinaRestaurant&Bar/Lounge.

CENTRE:AlldaydiningatZest,theresort’smain

restaurant.

TOPRIGHT:Specialtyrestaurant.

BOTTOMRIGHT:Alldaydining.

113 >

otherfashionjewellerycomponentsoftopquality

andinabroadvarietyofshapes,colorsandsizes.

Thecompany’sheadquartersisbasedinJablonec

nadNisouinNorthernBohemia,aregionwithhun-

dredsofyearsofglassmakingtradition.

PRECIOSAproducescrystaltrimmingchandeliers

aswellascontemporarydecorativelightingfixtures

inthetownofKamenickýŠenov.Italsoproduces

custom-madelightingfixturesforawiderangeof

prestigiousbuildingssuchastheaters,hotels,lux-

urypalacesandprivateresidences.Examplesof

prominentlightingprojectsexecutedbyPRECIOSA

inrecentyearsincludetheBolshoyTheaterand

TheCzaricynoPalaceinMoscow,theEmiratesPalace

HotelandtheYasHotelinAbuDhabi,TheAddress

DowntownBurjDubai,RegencyCasinoMontParnes

inAthens,One&OnlyCapeTown,andtheover-

haulofhistoricallightingfixturesintheroomsof

PragueCastle,theseatoftheCzechPresident,to

namejustafew.<

Specialtyrestaurant

114 >

TheUpperEastSide

Hotel:BeautybyContrast

114 >

By Stacey Rowan & Shiree Darley

Theopenspacesofthehotelhave

numerouslayersofunconventional

materials,rhythmicpatterns,vibrant

coloursandlightingandare

adornedwithindulgentaccessories.

115 > 115 >

LeCorbusier,aSwissarchitectandoneofthepioneersofModernarchitectureorthe

Internationalstyleoncesaid:“Ihavedecidedtomakebeautybycontrast.Iwillfindits

complementandestablishaplaybetweencrudityandfinesse,betweenthedullandthe

intense,betweenprecisionandaccident.Iwillmakepeoplethinkandreflect…”This

statementaptlydescribestheoveralldesignconceptoftheUpperEastSideHotel

wherekeyinteriorarchitecturalelementspartitionandbreakupthespace,creatinga

somewhatambivalentatmosphere,asenseofmysteryandsurprisewhenwhatyou

thinkyouareseeingmaynotbewhatitseems.

116 >

TheUpperEastSideHotel,anewlyrevamped4-Star

CityHotelcompletedearlierthisyear,issetinone

oftheoldestsuburbsinCapeTown–Woodstock–

whichislocatedbetweenthedocksofTableBay

andthelowerslopesofDevil’sPeak,justEastofthe

CityCentre.Thisurbanrenewalareaisservedby

tworailwaystations,resultinginanindustrialset-

tingtothearea.Woodstock’sdilapidatedcharmis

whathasmadeitsuchanexcellentcontingentfor

theinner-cityrevivalthathasrecentlytakenthe

suburbbystorm.TheUpperEastSideHotelisonly

oneaspectofthisrevival,withvariousothercom-

ponents includingLoftApartmentsandavibey

ShoppingCentreformingpartofthisurbanrenewal.

WithArchitecturedesignedbyDesign360Archi-

tectsforRedefineProperties,theclient,theUp-

perEastSideHotelfeaturesopenplan,double

volumeandcombinedlowerceilingpublichotel

areasaccommodatingthereceptionlobby,conver-

sationlounges,atrendydiningareawithcocktail

Bar,businessmen’slibrary,cigarbarandoutdoor

diningterrace.

DarleyInteriorArchitecturalDesign(DIAD)–the

hotelspecialistinteriordesignteam–designedand

createdtheinteriorsforthepublicareasoftheUp-

perEastSideHotelworkingwithintheparameters

oftheexistingstructure.Thisinvolveddeveloping

thearchitecturalframeworkbyconceptualisingand

designingtheinteriorspaces,space-planning,ac-

commodatingtheclient/operatorsrequirements,

themeingthediningandbarareasandselecting

anddetailingallfinishes,shopfitting,panelingand

lighting–allwithinapre-determinedbudgetand

veryfasttrackprogramme.Furnishingswherecus-

116 >

LEFT:Furnishingsarecustomdesigned,fabricsselect-

edandaccessoriessourcedtocreateconversationand

relaxationlounges.

RIGHT:Openplanspacesareskillfullyzonedusing

raisedplatforms,stoneboxes,screensandpostbox

framestocreateintimacy,butnottotalseparation.

117 >

tomdesigned,fabricsselected,artworkcommis-

sionedandchandeliersandaccessoriessourced.

Thesewereallthanprocuredandinstalledbythe

DIADteamincludingprojectmanagementofthe

shopfittinginstallation.

DIADfounddesigninspirationfromtheup-and-

comingWoodstocklocationwithitsunderlying

industrialnuances.WiththeUpperEastSideHotel

aimedatamoreyouthfulmarket,bothinterna-

tionalandlocal,aswellasseekingtoencourage

residentandcorporatebasedprofessionalstofre-

quentthediningandbarvenues, the interiors

neededtobestylishandchic.Thearchitecturalap-

proachisslickandminimalistsoDIADdecidedto

createayoungvibrantinteriorfilledwithunusual

diversespaces–sothatpatronscouldhaveinter-

activeorindividualexperiences.

Fromaninteriordesignperspective,thevarious

visitoractivitiessuchasarrival,eating,business,

117 >

bar and relaxation have been combined and

plannedwithinthemainpublicareasmaximising,

whereavailable,thegenerosityofthevolumed

spaceswhichareframedbymezzaninelevels,and

thenplayingontheintimacyoftheexistinglow

ceilingareas.Ratherthanclosingoffandseparat-

ingtheamenities–thedesignphilosophywasto

accommodateallrecreationwithin“onespace”.

Thisledtothechallengeofdistinguishingthedif-

ferentopenplanspacesandcreatingintimacybut

nottotalseparation.

DIADachievedthisbyskillfullyzoningtheareas

withraisedplatforms,stoneboxes,screensand

postboxframes.Differentcolourpalettesofplay-

ful light,textureandfabricswherethenjuxta-

posed.Thedesignconceptwaskeptcoherentwith

themonochromaticblackandwhitebackground

embellishedwithasignaturelanguageofdesign

patternswhichwererepeatedindifferentapplica-

tionsthroughouttheareas.

118 > 118 >

Theoverallconceptproducedthecreationofnumer-

ouslayersofunconventionalmaterials,rhythmic

patterns,vibrantcolouredfabricsandlighting,

adornedwithindulgentaccessories,providingthe

clientelewithvisualdiscoveriesandillusionspro-

gressingfromspacetospace.

Diningoptionsofferedare

2and4seaters,casualbar

styleseatingandcomfort-

ableintimatebanquette

styleseating.

DesignConcept

Theinteriorswhereinspiredbytheblackandwhite

filmeraandartworkofthe“RoaringTwenties”,a

boisterousperiodcharacterisedbyrapidlychanging

lifestylesandthefastpaceoftechnologicalad-

vancements.Theeconomyinthe1920’ssoaredaf-

tertheFirstWorldWar;muchasWoodstockhas

duringthisrenewalandrevampperiod,departing

fromthehistoryofaslightlyseedyneighbourhood.

Nightclubsanddecadentrestaurantswerechic

119 > 119 >

placestomeetandbeseenandthisiswhatDIAD

setouttocreatefortheUpperEastSideHotel.

The1920’sart,artistsandillustratorswereanad-

ditionalsourceofinspirationtotheDIADteam

whilstestablishingthedesignconcept.Thetwo

artmovementswhichhadtheirgenesisduringthe

1920’swereSurrealismandArtDeco.Surrealism

beganinpostWorldWarIavant-gardeliterarycir-

clesandfeaturedelementsofsurprisewithunex-

pectedjuxtapositions.Photographyalsobecame

recognisedasanartforminthe20’sanditsblack

andwhitedepictionsestablishedastrongmotiva-

tiontocreateabasethemeofamonotonearchi-

tecturalbackdrop.

Hence,theoverallbackgroundoftheinteriorsis

detailedandfittedoutwith refinedblackand

whitefinishesinopulentdesignsandpatterns.

Thesearethenlayeredandsplashedwithbright

coloursandavarietyofcontrastingfinishesto

bringinthefunkyvibe.Thespacesareadorned

120 > 120 >

andlayeredwithclean-linedfurnitureiniridescent

fabrics,cascadesofcrystalsandboldpatterned

wallcoverings.Acontemporarytakeontheexcite-

mentofthe1920’sera,thisdesignthemegener-

atesthethrilloftheexcessandindulgenceofa

theatricalpastime.

DesignWalkthrough

Strollingthroughtheinternalshoppingplazafrom

thePorteCochere,past thecaféstyle terrace

seating,oneentersadoublevolume,openspaced

entrancelobby.Thecrispwhitestonereception

deskwithasoftglowingbluecirclepatterned

glassinsert,contrastsagainsttheblackreflective

floorandissetagainstapaisleywallpaperedback

dropdisplayingoneofthecommissionedartwork

pieces.

Surreptitiously tuckedbehind the customde-

signedhighbackedbanquetseatisthediningven-

ue–Liberty’s–featuringaversatileconversation

piece–thecontemporarystyledButcher’sBlock

whichistransformedintotwolargetablescen-

teredintherestaurantforthebreakfastbuffet

set-upandthenplacedinamirroredniche,ele-

gantlydecoratedwithornateblackaccessories

duringthelunchanddinnerservices.Diningop-

tionsofferedare2and4seaters,casualbarstyle

seatingforthesinglebusinessmenwithlaptop

spaceandcomfortableintimatebanquettestyle

seating.

121 > 121 >

Fromthediningarea,theguestmovesthrougha

screenopeningintotheprivatelibraryareawith

oversizedacidgreenrecliningchairsforcomfort-

ableTVviewingorrelaxedreading,withgenerous

selectionsofcomplimentarynovelswhichlinethe

oversized,glamorouslyaccessorisedbookshelves.

Featuredbehindasandblastedglassdooristhe

cigarbarwithtranslucentglasswinedisplayssur-

roundingtheguestwithanextensiveselectionfor

personalisedchoicefromcognactochampagne.

The focalwall is linedwith a voluptuous, full

heightplumbanquette seat and intimate tur-

quoisetubchairsnestlearoundfunkytimberand

glasstables.Asenseofhumourhasbeenaddedto

thisspacewiththepolishedchromehorsehead

sculpturessurveyingtheroomfromfloatingniches

andthewallofclocksalltotheirowntimecreat-

ingatimelinespin.

Glamwithloadsoffunkistheonlywaytodescribe

thecocktailbar–Estreet.Anenormousmirrored

andglassbackbardwarfsthebarmanbelow,exag-

geratingthedoublevolumesurroundsandcreating

adeceptivemyriadof3Dreflectedimages.With

thebraveuseofthestrongblackandwhitestripe

wallcovering,themirrorsparkleswiththereflec-

tionofcascadingcrystalchandeliersandlasercut

patternedscreens,creatingaconstantlyanimat-

ed,livelyspacewhichvariesaccordingtothelight-

inglevels.Thevibeherevarieswiththeadjust-

mentofthelightingwhichglowsfromthebar

panelsaswellasceilingrecesses,betweentrendy

cocktailtodecadentnightclub.

Thewhitestonewallscontrastwith

againsttheblackreflectivefloor.

Theyoungvibrantinteriorsarestylist

andchic,withaminimalistlook.

122 >

Inspiredbythe1920sera–withthedeliciousness

ofexcessandindulgences,themonotoneblack

andwhitebackgroundislayeredwithcolour,deca-

denttextures,overscaledpatternedwallfinishes,

crystalchandeliersandornateaccessories,with

theslicknessofthedesigndetailingcreatingan

undeniablesenseofglamour.

Reasoningbehindthedesign

DIADsetouttobreaksomeoftherulesoncontem-

porarydesign,creatinganalluringandwhimsical

interior,butwithcarefulattentiontodetail,comfort

andscale,providinganexpressiveinner–cityliving

destinationwithvibrant,interactivespaces.

Withphotographybeingarecognisedartformin

the1920s,itsblackandwhitedepictionsestab-

lishedastrongmotivationtousethemonotone

architecturalbackdropthatDIADexplored,then

bringinginthelayersandsplashesofvibrantcol-

ourwithfabricselectionsandlightingpanels–

theseallinspiredbythefashionoftheday.

TheinspirationofSurrealismandArtDecoisevident

inDIAD’sdesignwiththecircularpatternscreating

aconsistentthemewiththecounterfronts,screens

andcarpetdesignssetagainstavarietyofindulgent

patternsandtheblendingofman-made materials

ofbacklitart-glass,lasercutscreens,polishedtechni-

stoneandmirroredstainlesssteel.

122 >

123 >

Opulentdesignsandpatterns,

splashedwithbrightcoloursand

layeredwithclean-linedfurni-

turebringinafunkyvibe.

123 >

HoweverDIADhavestillputanemphasisonsim-

plicity, functionality, efficiency and economy.

Openspaceswereretainedandsimilarfinishes

usedthroughouttocreateaunifiedinteriorwith

adefinitecontinuitycreatedbytheconsistentuse

ofdifferentmaterialcombinationsindifferent

applications.

KeyElementsandDesignInnovation

Oneofthekeyinnovativefeaturesofthisproject

wasDIAD’screationofagatheringplacewithin

thehotel’spublicspaceswhereclientelecando

business,dine,relaxandsocialise,encouragingan

interactivespacethatneversleeps.Thechallenge

ofestablishingdistinctpathsforfunctionalhotel

operationandfoodandbeverageservices,within

theopenplanspaces,withoutimposingorintrud-

ingontheguests,wasmanagedwiththeskillful

partitioningofthespaceusingkeyarchitectural

elements.Theseincludedlaser-cutscreensand

postboxframesmanufacturedfromacombination

ofmaterialsofmetal,sandblastedglassandtim-

ber,givingrisetoaplayonpositiveandnegative

spaceswiththeirpatterningandfilteringoflight-

ing,creatingadesignvernacularuniquetothisin-

ternationalawardwinninghotel.<

124 > 124 >

RadissonBluGautrainHotel:Symbolismindesign

ByStaceyRowan

125 > 125 >

Beingspoiltforchoice,guestscanenjoya

cocktailontheoutdoorpoolterrace.

Giventhecrucialnatureofitslocality,TheRadisson

BluGautrainHotel,locatedintheheartofSandton

nexttotheGautrainrailstation,bearssymbolismin

itsdesign.Basedonthethemeofatrainstation,

theconceptofthehoteldesign isrepresented

throughthemanytrain-likedesignsymbolsused

withinthehotel,witheveryelement‘talkingto’,

andgivingreferenceof,theGautrainthatfacesop-

positeit.

“RadissonBluGautrainHotelisdesignedaccording

toatraintheme.Thefloorcolourswithredlevels

andyellowlevelssymbolisedifferenttrainroutes.

Thelinesonthecarpetrepresentarailwayandat

theendofeachcorridorapictureofatrain,subway

oratrainstationcanbeviewed.Theroomnumbers

onthedooraredesignedasadigitalclock,similar

tothoseintrains,andonthe3rdfloornexttothe

guestliftadifferentdesign,influencedbyasub-

way,wasused.ThisallkeepsinlinewiththeGau-

trainthemeanditpromotesrapidlink,”saysJesper

Henriksen,GeneralManager,RadissonBluGautrain

Hotel.

Forthearchitects–TowerDesignStudioArchitects,

ledbyWernerAlberts–thedesignhadtodraw

peopleinfromthetrainstation,whilstcapitalising

ontheideaoftheinternationaltravellerwhois

usedtotheideaofpublictransport.

126 >

Notonlywerethearchitectsresponsibleforcreat-

ingthissymbolicdesign,butinternationalinterior

designerMariaVafiadis,ofMKVDesign,alsocon-

tributedtoputtingthisdesignconceptonthefast

track.AccordingtoMaria,theuseofalocaltheme

shouldneverbeunoriginal.Ifitis,thenthehotel

itselfrisksbecomingjustanimitationoftheGau-

train,failingtocelebratethethemeitself.Cleverly,

MKVDesignmadetheirdesignforthehotelrefer-

encetrains,butinthemostsubtleway.Oneexam-

pleofthisentailedtheparquetflooring,usedex-

tensively throughout thepublicareasusingan

Africanteak,beinglaidinthemannerofrailway

tracks and sleepers instead of conventional

straight-laidplanks.

SettinganewarchitecturalstandardintheSouthAfricanhospitalityindustry

Thefivedistinctbrandsundertheprestigiousinter-

nationalRezidorHotelgroupsportauniquestyle

andfeel–fromworld-classluxuryatRegent;afash-

ionablestayatHotelMissoni;cosyhospitalityat

CountryInnanddynamicambiancewithParkInn–

andtheRadissonisnoexception.Fromthearchi-

tecturewithitsclassic,cleanlinesrightthroughto

thetrendydécor,theRadissonBluGautrainHotel,

managedbyRadissonBluHotels&Resorts,setsa

newarchitecturalstandardintheSouthAfrican

hospitalityindustry.

127 >

LEFT:Theinterior,withitselegantfurniture,issophisticated,modernandavant-garde.

CENTRE:Theredcarpetcolour,combinedwithitsstraightlines,representatrainroute–anotherfeature

contributingtothesymbolismindesign.

RIGHT:Artworkpieces,bylocalartists,areplacedthroughoutthehotel,integratingSouthAfricanculture

andheritanceintothehotel.

TowerDesignStudioArchitectscantakeownership

ofthisnewachievement.Thebriefgiventothear-

chitectsentaileddesigningahighrise,mixed-use

developmentthatcouldaccommodateahotel,a

retailcomponentaswellasofficespace.Inorder

forthistobeachieved,thedesignhadtobeflexible

enoughtoaccommodatealltheseaspects,together

withundergroundparkinggarages.

Acentralcore(orrigidspine)withinthebuilding

wascreated,whichisusedtosupportstructuralcol-

umnswhichflowtotheperimeters.Duetobudget

limitations,pre-castpanelsfortheexteriorofthe

newhotelwereputinplace.Withallthisstructural

mass,and thebuilding’shighdensitybulk, the

RadissonBluGautrainHotelmaybedescribedas

masculine,borderingonimposing.However,with

thearchitecturaldesignofthehotelbeingofasim-

ple,clean,modernandplainstyle,itcreatesfora

contemporaryfeel,decreasingitsheavyappear-

anceonitssurroundings.

Anotheruniquearchitecturalfeatureofthehotelis

itsroofspaceusage.Beingbothindemandandin

shortsupplyinJohannesburg,roofspacehasbe-

comeanarchitecturaltrend.Cleverly,theRadisson

BluGautrainHotelquicklyfollowedthistrend,with

itscreationofZAR,afunkynewbarvenue,located

onthetopofthehotel.

Itisthroughtheseachievements,amongstmany

others,thattheRadissonBluGautrainHotelhas

128 >

HQ Store: 150 West St CNR Maude St, Sandton Shop 16, Sandton Eye, CNR West & Rivonia Rd, Sandton

T: +27 11 384 5600 www.africanromance.com

EXCELLENT CUT DIAMONDS. AFRICA’S FRIST LUXURY

129 > 129 >

nowsetanewarchitecturalstandardinthehotel

industry–allthisbeingaccomplishedwithintwo

years,fromdesigntocompletion.

Originalinterior,internationalbrand

EventhoughtheRadissonBluGautrainHotelbe-

longstotheRezidorHotelgroup(whichholdssimi-

laritiesthroughoutitshotels),itwasimportantfor

MKVDesigntoachieveinteriorsthatareoriginal

anddistinct.Throughviewingtheinsideoftheho-

tel,with itsglazedelementsandflowofpublic

spaces,itisevidentthattheflowandmovementof

thestationareasispickedupintheinteriordesign.

AccordingtoMariaVafiadis,theRadissonBluGau-

train issophisticated,modernandavant-garde.

MKVDesignsusedamonochromaticcolourpalette

togetherwithmodernclassicfurniture,whichadds

adistinctiveelegance.

MKVDesignsmadesurethatthenewexperienceof

thishotelhaditsownauthenticstory;thatitworks

asahotelandthatithasitsown“soul”.

TheRadissonBluGautrain,althoughbeingcreated

fromaninternationalbrand,withaEuropeanper-

spective,hadtostillintegratelocalSouthAfrican

cultureandheritancewithinit.Thiswasachieved

throughplacinglocalartworkpieceswithinthe

hotel,whichwerecreatedentirelybylocalartists.

The‘proudlySouthAfrican’artwork,amixofdif-

ferentmediaaswellasconventionalpaintings,

aidesincombingtheinternationalbrandwithits

localsetting.

Sumptuouscuisineisprovided

foratthe

up-m

arketrestaurantswithinthe

hotel.

130 >

SpoiltforchoicewithWorld-classamenities

Withalltheworld-classamenitiesthattheRadisson

BluGautrainHoteloffers–includingafitnesscen-

tre;cocktaillounge;boutiqueretailemporium;up-

marketrestaurants;hautecoutureclothingbou-

tiques;arelaxingspa;trendyhairsalonsandZAR,

guestsarespoiltforchoice.Withsumptuouscui-

sineprovidedbyCentralOneBar&Restaurantand

cocktailsbytheoutdoorpoolterrace,inadditionto

alloftheotherofferings,guestsneedn’tleavethe

hotel.

Visitorsare‘spoiltforchoice’because“…We’rea

multipurposebuildingwithavarietyofoptionsun-

deroneroof,”saysJesper.

Forthosejustwantingtorelaxintheirrooms,216

–MariaVafiadisdesigned–contemporaryrooms,

Guestscanalsorelaxinstyleatthelobbybar.

130 >

allwithbreathtakingviewsoverSandton,areavail-

able.“Wehaveapenthouse,standardrooms,busi-

nessclassrooms,ajuniorsuiteandacornersuite

available.”Modernamenitiessuchasfreehigh-

speedwirelessInternetareavailablewithinthe

rooms.Notforgettingabreakfastbuffetaftera

goodnightsrest.

Forthoseonbusinesstime,theRadissonBluGau-

trainHoteloffersitsbusinessvisitorsversatilecon-

ferencespaces,seatingupto235delegates,and

state-of-the-artmeetingfacilitieswhichinclude

freehighspeedinternetandthelatestaudio-visual

equipment.Thishotelprovidesforbothbusiness

andleisure.

131 > 131 >

Theoutdoorterraceandpoolw

ithaview

ofsurroundingJohannesburg.

Shopwithfullwallets

Notonlyisthehotelasuccessinitself,but,equally

important,theretailarcade,withinthehotelcom-

plex,hasproventobeasuccessasahighendbrand

initsownright.

Theshoppingarcade,consistingofstoresthat

rangefromexclusivecoffeeshopstohighendlux-

urygoodsstores,isacrucialaspectofthewhole

architecturaldesign.Likethehotel,thearcade

wasalsodesignedwiththe‘train’themeinmind.

Theentranceoftheshopssitsdirectlyopposite

theroadfromthestation,andassuch,thehigh

endstoreshadtoappealtointernationaltravel-

lerswhowantedtoshopinahurry.Fundamental-

ly,theshoppingspace,intermsofdesign,hadto

echothatofthehotel–tocreateacohesivewhole.

GuestscannowshopwithfullwalletsusingATM’s,

withinthehotel,suppliedbyATMSOLUTIONS,the

proudpreferredATMsupplierofchoice.Moreand

moreSouthAfricanhotelsandhospitalitygroups

areinstallingATMSduetothesafe,convenient

andinstantaccesstocashtheyprovidefortheho-

tel’sguests.Asidefromtheconvenienceofcash,

theirATMsaddvalue toany location, like the

Radisson,astheyaredesignedandmanufactured

tobevisuallyappealing.ATMSolutions,leadersin

ATMoperation anddeployment, installs bank

brandedATMSforeightofSouthernAfrica’slarg-

estbanksandhasbeenintheindustryforoverten

yearsdeployingover4000off-premiseATMsto

date,whicharesupportedthroughadedicatednet-

workofservicecentresandtechniciansthrough-

outtheregion.

132 > 132 >

Easyreach

Apartfromthesefantasticamenities,thehotel’s

primelocation,situatedonRivoniaRoad,allows

gueststoenjoyvisitingSandtonCity,multinational

corporations,NelsonMandelaSquare,theSandton

InternationalConventionCentre,GautrainStation,

variousshoppingupmarketshoppingmallsandthe

JohannesburgStockExchange,allofwhicharein

walkingdistance.

Inaddition,departingfromtheO.R.TamboInter-

nationalAirport and travellingbyGautrain at

speedsofupto160km/h,visitorstotheRadisson

BluGautrainHotelwilltakeonly15minutesfrom

theairporttoreachthehotel’sdoorstep.Thisis

anotherfactorthatmakesthehoteluniquefrom

anyotherhotelwiththehotelgroup.

“YesIcan!”

AspartoftheRezidorHotelGroup,gueststothe

RadissonBluGautrainHotelnotonlyenjoyallthat

thehotelhastoofferarchitecturally,buttheyare

alsoassuredofimpeccabletreatmentandatten-

tionbasedontheGroup’sworldwide“Yes,Ican!”

serviceexcellencephilosophy.

133 > 133 >

“YesICan!,theserviceculturethathasbecomea

wayoflifetothosethatworkthere,hasbuiltserv-

iceexcellencewithintheRezidorHotelGroupand

hasbeenproventosuccessfullycontributetoa

proactive, creativeserviceperformanceandto

higherguestsatisfaction.ThismakesRadisson,in

termsofitsservice,differentfromanyotherhotel.

AsJespermentioned:“YesICan!”embodiesthevi-

sionandphilosophyofRadissonSAS–beingthe

cornerstoneofthehotel’scommitmenttobuilding

one-on-onerelationshipswithourguestsandaper-

sonaluniqueserviceapproach.The‘H.E.A.R.T.of

RadissonSAS’underlinestheapproachthatitall

comesfrompositiveattitudeandfromtheheart–

beingtheabbreviationfor'Host,Engaged,Always,

ResponsibilityandTeamwork.’Allinall,thehotel

offersexcellence,bothinthespheresofexcellence

andinarchitecture.

Whenconsideringtheresponsefromguestswho

havestayedatthehotel,Jesperconcludes:“There

hasbeenapositiveresponsefromguestswhofind

thenewageaccommodationvibrant;thelocation

convenientandtheservicetobeexcellent,ofwhich

weprideourselvesfor.”<

216MariaVafiadisdesigned

contemporaryrooms,with

breathtakingviewsofSandton

areavailable.

134 > 134 >

135 > 135 >

AFGRIHEADOFFICEArchitecturethatfloats

By Stacey Rowan

WhenitcomestotheAFGRIHeadOffice,thearchitects–ParagonArchitects–can

beseenasmagicians.Theyhavewavedtheirarchitecturalwandandhavedefied

gravity,creatingabuildingthatholdstheillusionoflevitation.Withitsstarkwhite

contrastingcolourandlargeglasscurtainwalls,theAFGRIheadofficeisanim-

maculatefloatingapparition.

136 > 136 >

LEFT:Thebasementlevels

andfourofficelevelsareall

supportedbycolumns.

RIGHT:Asanimmaculate

floatingapparition,the

buildingholdstheillusionof

levitation.

137 > 137 >

WhenitcomestotheAFGRIHeadOffice,thearchi-

tects–ParagonArchitects–canbeseenasmagicians.

Theyhavewavedtheirarchitecturalwandandhave

defiedgravity,creatingabuildingthatholdsthe

illusionoflevitation.Withitsstarkwhitecontrast-

ingcolourandlargeglasscurtainwalls,theAFGRI

headofficeisanimmaculatefloatingapparition.

LocatedbetweentheJohnVosterandBothaAvenue

off-rampsinCenturion,theAFGRIheadoffice,the

firstbuildinginafutureofficeparkcomplex,isnes-

tlednexttotheN1highway.Asthesiteisvisible

fromthehighway,this,fortheclient,gaverisetoan

opportunity.Withtheenvironmentbeingthebig-

gestinfluenceofdesign,thiswasachancetoshow-

caseanimageofaforward-thinkingcompany,

throughthevisiblearchitectureofthebuilding.

“Thebrief,fromM&TDevelopment,wastodesign

abuildingthatwouldtakefulladvantageoftheex-

posuretothehighway,whilemaintainingmorepri-

vateexternalseatingandlandscapedareas.Thebuild-

ingwedesignedturnsitslouveredNorthfaçade

towardsthehighway–itisstrikingandsculptural.

Thecurvedlouversseemtoflowwiththemovement

ofthetraffic,whilescreeningtheoccupantsinthe

buildingfromthenoiseandanydirectsunlight.Pri-

vateseatingareaswerealsocreatedontheSouth

sideofthebuilding,takingfulladvantageofthe

wetlandarea,”saysEstelleMeiring,Projectarchi-

tect&associate,ParagonArchitects.

AFRGIHeadOfficecomprisestwosquare-shaped

basementlevelsandfourofficelevels,allsupported

bycolumns.Thebasementisdedicatedtoparking

andeffectivelyliftsthelevelsofofficespaceoffthe

site.Pushingthebasementoutofthegroundmeant

thatthegroundlevelhadtoberaisedhigherthan

theusualofficefloor,whichineffect,madeitex-

tremelylight.Thelightnesswasachievedbyweaving

curvedglasswallsalongtheslab.Theglassitself

onlyhasfins,ratherthananaluminumstructure,

whichwouldhaveweighedthefaçadedown.

Post-tensionedslabsfromthefirstfloortorooflevel

wereused.Concreteslabswerecastaspost-ten-

sionedstructuresinordertospeeduptheconstruc-

tionprocess.Conventionalslabswerehowever

138 >

139 > 139 >

usedonthegroundlevelandforthebasements.

Thegablewallswerethenconstructedasinsitu

concretestructuresandthecurtainwallsinstalled

ontheedgesoftheslab.Thedesignofthesupport

workforeachcompletedwallslabwasmostcritical

forsuccessfulconstructionofthegablesandhadto

bespecificallyengineered.Theengineersdesigned

thesupportworkfor2m-highwetconcretewithall

theweightiftheshutteringandrebar.Aplatform

wasbuiltfromthegroundfloortothebeginningof

thewallbeingcast.Supportworkisthenerected

fromtheplatformuptothecurvedshuttering.As

eachnewsectionofthewalliscast,itjutsoutfurther

overtheplatform.Thesupportworkisthenshifted

andrealignedtosupportthenextwallslabuntilit

cures.Thisprocessisrepeatedsixtimesperwall.The

gablewalls,topandbottomslabedgeandsoffit,

werethencladdedinwhitebrokentiles.Thisbroken

ceramictilefacing,knownasazelejos quebrados,was

madepopularagainbySantiagoCalatravainrecent

years.“Thebrokentilecladdingthatwasusedis,we

believe,afirstinSouthAfricaandweareverypleased

withtheoutcome.”

Theatrium,atthecentreofthekappa-shapedstruc-

ture,housestheliftandthetoiletcore.Twopavil-

ionsofoffices,joinedatthehipandsetatarakish

angle,arecocoonedinacurvaceousconcreteskin.

Theysitabovethelifestylezonespreadontheground

floor.Theglasslinefollowsadifferenttuneofits

own,shieldingcompressedandexpandingspaces

fromthesun,weatherandnoise.Wheretheglassskin

istooindecentlyexposedtothesun,acurvaceous

secondskinoflaser-cutshimmeringaluminumlou-

vers,tailoredtosuit,coversthedenudeareas.

Thebuilding,initsdesign,isstrikingandsculptural.

140 > 140 >

“Allthematerialsthatwereusedarestandardand

readilyavailable,however,theywereusedininnova-

tiveways.Ittooklotsoffaithfromtheclient,lotsof

planningfromthemainbuildingcontractor,lotsof

inspectionandfeedbacktimeforusonsiteand,lastly

butmostimportantly,averyskilledanddedicatedtiling

subcontractor,”addsEstelle.

Consideringthecolourpaletteused,externallyand

internally,Estelleexplains:“theexternalcolourswere

keptsimple.Thecurtainwallshaveadarkgreyappear-

ance,duetotheperformanceglassused,andtheshells

arecoveredincrispwhitetiles.Theinternalcolours

LEFT:Anexternalviewofthe

buildingatnight.

CENTRE:Wheretheglassskinis

tooindecentlyexposedtothe

sun,acurvaceoussecondskinof

laser-cutshimmeringaluminum

louvers,tailoredtosuit,covers

thedenudeareas.

RIGHT:Twopavilionsofoffices,

joinedatthehipandsetata

rakishangle,arecocoonedina

curvaceousconcreteskin.

141 > 141 >

werealso,ingeneral,quitesimple,withflashes

ofcolourtogiveinterest.”

Itisthroughtheuseofallthesematerials,thecol-

ourpaletteandtheimplementationofthedifferent

designelementsthatmakesforanutterlyunusual

Paragon-designedbuilding,whichboastsanoverall

floatingeffect.Leaningtothemoresculpturalside

ofBrazilianModernism,thebuilding’sdistinctive

silhouettehasalreadymadewavesinthearchitec-

turalindustry.

Obstaclesovercome

Afterageographicalinvestigationofthesite,the

teamrealizedthatpiling,insteadofaconventional

raftfoundation,hadtobeusedduetothedolomitic

conditions.“Thesoilconditionsmeantthatwehad

touseaspecialtypeofpileincertainareasandthis

causedquitealargedelaytothestartoftheproject,”

saysEstelle.Whendiscussingotherchallenges,

shecomments:“TheEastandWestinsituconcrete

shellswerealsoquiteachallenge,bothstructurally

andfromabuildingcontractor’spointofview.The

constructionofthescaffoldingalonewasquitea

processanditendeduplookingverymuchlikeaskate

boardinghalfpipe.”

142 >

143 > 143 >

Thedifferencebetweenmediocreandgreat

Althoughthebuildingisownedanddevelopedby

M&TDevelopment,thebuildingwasalsodesigned

accordingtoAFGRI’srequirements.Intermson

designingforanoffice,onethingthatdistinguishes

betweenamediocreofficebuildingandagreatone,

is“howusabletheofficeplatesare;howmanypeople

canbecomfortablyfittedontooneplate,”saysEs-

telle.Shecontinues:“Weachievedahighlyefficient

platebyplacingthebathroomcoreandliftsinthe

atriumspace,linkedwithbridgesfromthetwooffice

plates.”Anotherfactortoconsiderwhendesigning

foranofficeisgoodcommunication.AsEstelleex-

plains,“peoplefromdifferentdepartmentsneedto

beabletoreacheachotherwithoutpassingthrough

longcorridors.Thiswasachievedbythecentral

atrium,withitslinkbridges,allowingnaturallightto

filterintothefloorplates,whilecreatingacovered

linkbetweenthedifferentareas.”Whendesigning

foranydevelopment,thepurposeofthebuildingand

itsfuturefunctiontakestoppriorityintermsof

thelistofthingstokeepinmind.“AFGRIiswell

suitedtoitsfunction.Wehavecreatedabuilding

filledwithnaturallight,thatfeelsspaciousandin-

vitingandoffersalotoflifestylecomponents,

whilestillretainingprivacyandquietnesswhere

needed,”saysEstelle.Fulfillingitspurposeasawork

environment,thebuildingalsohasabasementpark-

ing,canteenareawithinternalandexternalseating,

meetingroomsandtrainingrooms.

WhenitcomestoAFRGIheadoffice,thereisnocom-

parison.WhatmakesAFGRIinteresting,accordingto

Estelle,isthat“…ithasanaestheticthatcannotbe

comparedtoanythingelsebuiltinSouthAfricaupto

now.Wereallyenjoythefactthatthegeneralpublic

seemstobenoticinganddiscussingthebuilding;eve-

ryonehasanopinionaboutit,”concludesEstelle. <

Theatrium,atthecentreofthekappa-shapedstructure,housestheliftandthetoiletcore.

144 >

WaverleyOfficePark:Neo-Africaniconography

144 >

By Stacey Rowan

145 > 145 >

Withtheexpectationsofbecomingoneofthe

mostprominentofficeparkdevelopmentsinthe

SouthernSandtonarea,theWaverleyOffice

Pwarkneededanarchitecturalimagethatwas

suitableforadevelopmentofthisnatureina

21stcenturyGautengenvironment.Thatarchi-

tecturalimagewouldarisefromNeo-African

iconography.

146 > 146 >

TheiconographychosenforWaverleyOfficePark,

whileittakesitsinspirationfrominternationalde-

velopmentsofthiskind,istobedistinctlyneo-

African.Itishopedthatthecombinationoftheele-

ments,coloursandmaterialsusedandtheoverall

design(thatreflectsanemergingAfricanesque ar-

chitecture)willinsomewayinspirethewayforward

inthequestforsomethingtrulyarchitecturally

SouthAfrican.

WaverleyOfficeParkisdevelopedbyNewOrder

Investments,ajointventurebetweenpropertyde-

velopersandinvestorsVlaming(Pty)Limited,Devcon

Projects(Pty)LimitedandTop-FliteProperties

(Pty)Limited.

DesignedbyMessarisWapenaarPartnershipCon-

sultingArchitects,alongmodernbuildingprinci-

ples,thevisionforWaverleyOfficeParkwasto

createavisuallystrikingbuildingwithlayersand

depththatensuresapositiveworkenvironment

whichmaximiseson,andfuseswith,thepositive

elementsofthesiteandsurroundings,blending

withtheoutdoorelements.

Thelandmarkofficeparkfeaturesavisuallyspec-

tacularduoofsymmetricalofficeblocks,linkedby

anarch,whichisalsothefocalpointofthedevel-

opment.Thearch,whichistiledwithhigh-grade

porcelaintiles,servesasawelcominganddirec-

tionalelementtovisitors,whoentertheoffice

147 > 147 >

parkthroughanunder-statedgatehouse.Tocom-

plimentthetiledarch,thebaseofthebuildinghas

alsobeentiledwithhighgradeporcelaintiles,cre-

atingaheavybase.

Onceinthepark,thebuildingssurroundaboule-

vard,creatingan internalisedpark-likeenviron-

ment.Inthisenvironmentthearchitecturalele-

ments,whilecloselymatchingthoseoftheexternal

ones,arebroughtdowntoamorehumanscale.

Thehorse-shoeshapedbuildingswithinthedevel-

opmenthaveacurvedouter‘shell’inlayerspaying

respecttothosedevelopmentsofarchitectslike

RenzoPianoandthelike.Thebuildingachievesa

slickandmodernfeelthroughtheuseofthese

curvedlayers,whicharesetoffagainstthecrisp

sharpnessofthefullheightglazingofthecorners.

Aglazedcurtainwallontheoutsideofthebuild-

ingalsohelpstoachievethisslickandmodern

feel.

Inaddition,thebuildingshavebeendesignedusing

cavitywallconstructionanddeepsetnarrowfenes-

trationonthemajorityoftheelevationstoad-

dresstheAfricanclimate.Thishastheeffectof

dramaticallyreducingtheclimatecontrolrequired

inthebuildings,andconsequentlycontributing

enormouslytotheenvironmentalconsiderations

surroundingthedevelopment.TheWestfacing

148 >

ofsuburbiatookthedevelopersagreatdealof

timeandeffort,asdidthetownplanning.

Consideringtheenduser

WhendevelopingWaverleyOfficePark,thede-

signofthefinalproductwasconstantlychang-

ing,notonlytomeetthechangingextentof

thepark,andphasingofthetownplanning,but

façadeshavesunscreens,whichdoubleupassig-

nagesupportforthefreeway.

Thematerialsusedfortheconstructionarelocal,and

asenvironmentallyfriendlyasispossibleinthecon-

textofadevelopmentofthisnature.Althoughthe

developersanddesignersdeliberatelysteeredaway

fromplasticsandanynoxioustypesofmaterialfor

theproject,itwasuptotheenduserstodecidehow

fartheywerepreparedtogotopursuetheenviron-

mentalconsiderations,whichthedesignhasiniti-

ated.Thedevelopersalsorecommendedtheomis-

sionofgeysersfromthisprojectaltogether,however,

thechoicelaywiththeuser,astowhethertheyare

preparedtogowithrecommendationsofthisnature,

andastohowtheyultimately‘live’inthebuildings

intermsofwastemanagementandthelike.

Technicallytheprojectusestraditionalconcrete

frameconstruction,withbrickinfill,aluminiumwin-

dowsandsheetmetalroofing.Thedevelopersusu-

allyapproachnewtechnologies,usedwithindiffer-

entprojects,withadegreeofcaution,untiltheyare

provenoveraperiodoftime.Thisparkwasnoexcep-

tion.Thebuildingmethodsandmaterialsarechosen

toinsurethelongevityofthebuildingswithinthepark.

Apartfromtheexterior,afterconsultingwithin-

teriordesigners,itwasdecidedthattheinterior

shouldfeatureaneutralpaletteandbackground

withfocalareas.Highgradefinisheswereincor-

porated,andnowsetthetonefortherestofthe

development

Overall,thechallengeintheplanningofthisparticu-

larofficeparklayinthefactthattheprecinctconsists

ofblocksofsuburbia.Theconsolidationoftheseblocks

149 >

alsothespecificneedsoftheendusersofeach

building.Thiswasdone,whilstretainingtheinteg-

rityoftheoriginalconceptforthepark.

Whenbuildinganydevelopment,theendusermust

alwaysbeconsidered–inthiscase,theofficeten-

ants,likethepersonneloftheGautengGambling

BoardHeadOffice.Primeofficespaceisstillavail-

ablefortenantswhorequireareasrangingfrom

250sqmupto2400sqm.

Locatedinabusynode,variouselementswerein-

corporatedintothedesigntoabsorbanddeflect

noisewithoutaffectingthetenants.Inthisway,the

buildingactsasatransitionzonebetweenthebus-

tlinghighwayandleafyresidentialzone.Curved

walls,layersontheoutsideofthebuildingandwin-

dowsarestrategicallyplacedtohelpeliminate

noisedistraction,creatingapeacefulworkingenvi-

ronment.Thehorse-shoeshapedesignofthebuild-

ing,whichcreatesanenclave,alsohelpscreate

150 >

morenaturalsetting,”saysJanVlaming,Vlaming

(Pty)Ltd.

WiththesitehavingcloseproximitytotheM1

highway,MelroseArchandwithexcellentvis-

ibilityaccessibilityfromCorlettDrive,thisof-

fers corporate tenantsmaximumbenefits

fromthegreathighwayfrontage,maximising

on its location inabusynodeandcreating

depthofseparationfrombusystreetsandinter-

sectionstocreatealevelofprivacyfortheoffice

tenants.Cornerwindowsallowbeautifulscenic

viewsofsurroundingparks,aswellastheenergy

pointofCorlettDrive,whichcreatesacomforta-

bleworkenvironment.

Apartfromthemeasuresundertakentocreatea

harmoniousandwelldesignedindoorofficespace,

thedevelopersalsoconcentratedontheoutdoors,

inordertocreateawell-roundedofficeparkforall

whoworkatthepark.Waverleyfeaturesgreen

outdoorspaces,withindigenoustreesfortenants

toenjoyandrelaxin.Terracesthatappearonthe

groundandlowergroundfloorhelptenantstoin-

teractwiththeoutdoorspaceslocatedwithinthe

officepark.Inaddition,acoffeeshopisalsoavail-

ableforpersonnel.

Toaddtothenature-likeatmosphereoftheoffice

park,apondwascreatedwithinthedevelopment

asameansofattenuatingstormwater.Although

theattenuationofstormwaterwasfirstseenasa

challenge,thepondnowoffersanopportunityto

createanareathatwillenhancetheoutdoorspace

oftheofficepark,benefitingthetenants.

Designedtoflourishinurbannode

PerchedinprimepositiononthecornerofCorlett

DriveandtheM1Highway,theparkiscentrallylo-

catedbetweenthehighwayandsurroundingresi-

dentialareas,creating“…aspacethatdrawsfrom

theenergeticnodewhisthavingthepleasureofa

151 > 151 >

brandingopportunities.Withthisinmind,value

underpinstheWaverleyofficePark.

“Everyelementofitssurroundingsandthemaximisa-

tionofopportunitiesweretakenintoaccountwhen

theofficeparkwasdesigned,”saysVlaming.“Waver-

leyOfficeParkwilloffertheperfectenvironmentfor

aharmoniousandproductiveworkplace,whilststill

offeringadynamiclocationclosetoallamenities.”<

152 >

153 > 153 >

15ALICELANETOWERS:RaisingthebarincorporateheadofficedesignBy Stacey Rowan | Thebarhasbeenraisedincorporateheadofficedesignin

SouthAfrica,withthecompletionofthe15AliceLaneTowers,memorableforits

iconicbuildingformcomposedoftwocurvaceoustowersandaglassandaluminium

façade.Notonlyhavethestandardsofdesignbeenraised,but,asahigh-risebuild-

ing,thisdevelopmenthasalsoredefinedandreshapedtheskylineofmetropolitan

Johannesburg.

154 >

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Tough enough?

155 > 155 >

Completedinlate2010,15AliceLaneTowersnow

providesultra-desirableheadofficespaceforthe

newoccupants,DeneysReitzAttorneys.Designedby

AnthonyOrelowitz,RajPatelandAndrewButcher,

fromParagonArchitects,forco-developersZenprop

HoldingsandTiberProjects,theofficetowerisan

exceptionalhigh-profileadditiontotheareaof

Sandton.

Setatopasix-storeyparkingbasementstructure,

thetwotowersrise17storeysintotheSandtonsky.

LocatedatthewesternedgeoftheSandtonCentral

acropolis-likesetting,thebuilding’ssilhouette,

andcurvedfaçade, isat itsmoststrikingwhen

seenacrossthelushforestsofJohannesburg’s

north-westernsuburbs.

156 >

157 >

Theglass-andaluminium-cladtowersarelinkedby

adramaticcanyon-like,verticalatriumspacethat

isonlysixmetreswideatitsnarrowestpoint.Each

towerhasglazedwingswhichcantilever2.5m

pasttheirgableends.Northandsouthfacadesare

wrappedinahighlypatternedskinofseemingly

randompanesofclear,darkgrey,andwhitetrans-

lucentglass.Theresultingeffectisoneofascale-

lessbuilding,inwhichitisalmostimpossibleto

gaugethenumberoffloors.EastandWestfa-

cadesareconstructedtoexcludedirectsun,with

sculpturalhand-formedwarmmetallic-coloured

aluminiumboxessetarounddeeplyincisedglass

lines.

Walkwaysandbridgesspiralupwardsandarear-

rangedinafan-likepattern,whichcreateadramatic

internalenvironment.Thesewalkwaysconnect

thetwotowersbelowanatriumroofwithvoluptu-

ousfunnel-likeskylights.Internally,thelobbyof-

fershighceilingsandgenerousvolumestocreate

asenseofopulenceonentry,andextendsintothe

manyfloorsofpremierofficespace.Theinterior

fit-outforDeneysReitzwasundertakenbyParagon

157 >

Main Contractors

(Tel): 011 430 7700

(Fax): 086 502 2404

tiber@tiber.co.za

12 Desmond Street

Kramerville

Sandton

159 > 159 >

Interface,thespaceplanningandinteriorfit-out

businessintheParagonGroup.MarilizevanDyk,

KirstySchoombieandLeanieRoestorfmadeup

theParagonInterfaceteam.

Viewedfromallangles,thebuildingpresentsahighly

patternedandhighlyabstractedsurfaceofarchitec-

turalelementsthatchangeconstantlywiththechang-

ingtimeandatmosphereoftheday.Low-energyglass

andbasicrulesoforientationandcommon-sense

detailingassistedinminimisingenergyusage,to-

getherwithcontrolandbuildingmanagementsys-

temsthatarenowbecomingindustrystandards

amongstresponsibledevelopersandtenants.

Occupant’srequirements

Withtheleadinglawfirm’sexistingpremisesno

longerbigenough for itsexpandingbusiness,

DeneysReitzneededtomovetoalargerbuilding.

Anumberofcompaniesproposedtheirdevelop-

mentstoDeneysReitzAttorneysandultimately

Zenpropwasselectedfortheirabilitytodeliverto

thepractice’sspecificrequirementsanddosoat

anappropriatemarketrental.

TherequirementssoughtbyDeneysReitzwere

precise:theefficiencyandenvironmentalfriendli-

nessofthebuilding,qualityofspaceandfacilities

160 >

siteTel: +27 (0)12 667 2780Fax:+27 (0)12 667 4104

info@insitegroup.co.zawww.insitegroup.co.za

Head Office (Centurion)

96 Koranna AveDoringkloof, 0157

161 >

forstaffandclients,andtobelocatedwithinthe

Sandtonlocation.WithsevenofSouthAfrica’smajor

lawfirmsalllocatedwithinakilometreofeachother

withintheSandtonCentralnode,theattorneys

wantedtostaywithinthisarea–whichhasbecome

thecentralfinancialandlegaldistrictofJohannes-

burg.

Thebuildingofferstherequisiteinfrastructurein

termsoffunctionalofficescomplementedbyad-

equateconsultingroomsandanauditoriumto

hostseminars.

AliceLaneOfficeTowersalsomeetsthepractice’s

needforfutureexpansionoptionswithinthebuild-

ing.Withsome500staffmembersthebuildingof-

ferstheoccupantsthespacetheyrequire,withroom

tospareforfutureexpansion.

Iconicarchitectureandenvironmentalimpact

15AliceLaneisnotonlyiconicinitsdesign,butit

isalsopushestheboundariesintheenvironmental

principlesthatwereusedduringconstruction.

Carefulthoughtandenvironmentalconsideration

wasgiventoeveryelementofthebuilding–from

itspositionintheheartofAfrica’smostvibrantand

prestigiousbusinesshub,tothebuilding’senergy

footprint.

Materialselection,theplacementofthebuilding

itselfandattentiontodetailwereusedtoachieve

thebestpossibleenergyperformanceforthis

high-risecommercialproperty.Boththeeastern

andwesternfacadesarethermallyinsulatedwith

161 >

162 > 162 >

punchedwindowstoreduceglazedareas;andthe

northernandsouthernfacadesaredouble-glazed

tocutenergycosts.Thedesignensuresthattheend

wingsofthenorthernandsouthernfaçadesare

shadedwithblindstoreducetheheatload.The

building’sgreennatureishighlightedbyitsloca-

tioninanextensivegreen-scapesurroundedby

reflectivepondsandwaterelements.

Glassprintingtechnology

Theprojectusesglassprintingtechnologynewto

SouthAfrica,andinnovativefacadeassemblytech-

niquesthatminimisescaffoldingcostsandensure

thatmoreofthebuildingcostendsupinthebuilt

product,andlessinthebuildingprocessitself.

GlassSouthAfrica(GSA)suppliedtheglassfrom

thenewGraphixArt™range.Variousglasstypeswere

usedwhich included24mm Insulvue®;double

glazingcomprisingEclipseAdvantageGreywithand

withoutastripe;Armourplate®EclipseAdvantage

Grey6mmToughenedSafetyGlass;complement-

ingArmourplate®singleglazing comprising

EclipseAdvantageGreyand6mmArmourplate®

clear;Armourscreen®LowIron6mmToughened

SafetyGlass.Thiswasthefirstmajorinstallation

oftheGraphixArt™rangeofglassinanarchitec-

turalproject.TheglasswasmanufacturedatAd-

vanceArmourGlassinIsando.

Qualityclaybrickproduction

15AliceLaneTowersisoneofthelatesthigh-pro-

file,high-risestructureswhereOconbrick’sleader-

shipinqualityclaybrickproductionwasharnessed.

Morethan1500000Oconbrickclaystockbricks

wererolledontotheSandtonsitesinceconstruc-

tionbegan.Thefirstdeliverywason1April2009,

163 > 163 >

andthelasttruckloadfromthecompany’sMeyer-

tonplantunloadedon4November2010.Through

the18-monthconstructionperiod,prioritydeliver-

ies tobuilding contractor,TiberBonvec,were

doneregularlyandmetdeadlines.

15AliceLaneTowerswasone,amongstmany,of

Oconbrick’sproductionanddeliverychallenges,at

atimewhennewcorporateheadquarters,hotels,

shoppingmallsandbusinesscomplexeswererising

abovethecityhorizon.

Largeclaystockbrickordershaveincluded2-million

bricksforABSATowers,thebank’snewthree-block

AfricacorporateheadquartersincentralJohan-

nesburg,androughlythesamequantitywasre-

quiredforconstructionworkatTheZonecommer-

cial and shopping centre in Rosebank. Other

importantprojectsaretheexpansionoftheHobart

RoadretailcentreinBryanston,andtheStation

PlacehotelandretailcomplexandProteaPlace

officeblockinSandton,alsodesignedbyParagon

Architects.

“Theseareallhigh-profilecorporateprojects

whichcarryspecificationsforbrickworkofequally

highquality,”saysNicoKemp,operationsdirector,

Oconbrick.

AnotherbigorderforOconbrickhasbeen2.5-million

bricksforamosque,school,clinicandshopping

centreinMidrand.

Althoughthecurrentdownturninthebuilding

constructionindustryhasseenaslowingdemand

forbricks,Oconbrickismaintainingproduction

levelsthatcontinuetoensure‘off-the-shelf’avail-

abilityofstock.

“Weunderstandthatsomeclaybricksuppliers

havebeenforcedtoscalebackonproduction,

leadingtosomesupplyshortages,butOconbrick

Décor Interior Contracts is the contractual division of Décor Wallcoverings, and have been involved with the installation of wallcoverings for over 40 years.

We have built up a very strong, reliable association with all the major construction, architectural, design and project management companies throughout the country.

The following are just some of the major clientele and contracts that we have been responsible for:

Décor Wallcoverings is engaged in the development, production and distribution of high quality and well thought out wall coverings. We are market leaders in the southern African contract and hospitality market. Thanks to a varied and comprehensive range of colours and designs, our products greatly enhance the appearance of every possible interior in the contract market.

Décor stands for quality both in technology and design. A variety of designs and durable materials form the basis of our exclusive and original collections. With this, we optimally satisfy the aesthetic and functional requirements of offices, hotels, financial institutions, and corporates to name a few. Long lasting success is characterised by our constant strive to present the latest trends.

One of today’s major trends is the advent of digitally produced and printed wallpapers, which make it theoretically possible to get anything you want. Avant-garde art, ecological, wild and crazy retro designs are some of the latest choices in ART wallcoverings. At Décor Wallcoverings we offer a huge repertoire of great diversity, either from existing collections or bespoke.

DÉCOR INTERIOR CONTRACTS

• Standard Bank Nationwide• Absa Nationwide• Liberty Life Corporate• Anglo American• Sheraton Hotel Group• Southern Sun• Intercontinental Hotel• Rosebank Hotel• Mount Grace Hotel• Radison Hotel Group• Momentum Life• Rand Merchant Bank• Microsoft• Sappi Head Quarters• Value Logistics

• New Head Quarters – South African Intelligence• The Hilton Hotel – Johannesburg• Melrose Arch Hotel• Sandton City Refurbishments• Ellerines Group (6 brands)• Trevenna Business Park (Pretoria)• Waverley Offi ce Park• Vodacom• MTN• Cell C• Nedcor• Lindsay Keller Attorneys• Werksman Attorneys• Nokia• Nashua Mobile

Our expertise in handling all types of wallcoverings is second to none.

We are also proud of our BEE Status with a recognition rating level 3.

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Cape Town – Wallpaper Inc., The Palms Centre, 145 Sir Lowry Rd, WoodstockTel: +27 (0) 21 465 6547 • Fax: +27 (0) 21 465 1711 • Cell: +27 (0) 82 920 4174

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Durban – Linda-Lee Smith, 45 Claribel Rd, Morningside, Durban, 4001Tel: +27 (0) 31 564 7775 • Fax: +27 (0) 86 648 3591 • Cell: +27 (0) 82 780 1368

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www.decorwp.co.za

165 >

continues tohaveahealthyorderbook,” says

Kemp.“Eventhoughwearenotrunningatfullca-

pacity,wearewell-equippedtomeetallcurrent

andfuturedemandforbricks.”

Inadditiontocommercialandprivatedevelop-

mentsprojects,Oconbrick’sorderbooksidentify

infrastructuralprojectstoo–typicallyschools,uni-

versitybuildings,andotherpubliceducationalfacili-

tiesintheregion.

InvestinginJohannesburg

Thedevelopmentof15AliceLaneisacontinua-

tionofZenpropHoldingsandTiberProjects’com-

panystrategytobeinvestedinSandton,South

Africa’spremierofficenode.

Commissionedandbuiltentirelywithinthehard-

esteconomicrecessionthattheworldhasseen,

thisbuildingisastatementoffaithinthefutureof

Johannesburg,andameasureofwhatcanbeachieved

whenwell-integratedteamsmeetaroundsingular

challenges.Thebestdesignandmanagementskills

ofall involvedcompanieswerefocusedonthis

project,andexceptionalvalueandskillisembedded

inabuildingthatwouldhavebeendifficulttobuild

atthiscostandwiththisleveloftechnicalambition

inamorepressurisedeconomicenvironment.<

165 >

166 > 166 >

Inarchitecture,especiallywhenitcomestoa

company’sidentity,firstimpressionsareevery-

thing.Atfirstglance,thespaceorbuildingin

whichabusinessoccupiestellsalotaboutthe

businessitselfandthepeoplethatworkwithin

it.OccupiedbyCliffeDeckerHofmeyr,1Protea

Placeisaniconicstructurethatreflectsthelaw

firm’sprogressivebrandidentity.

1 PROTEA PLACEReflectingabrand’sidentity

througharchitectureBy Stacey Rowan

167 > 167 >

PhotobyAndrweBell

168 > 168 >

Although1ProteaPlacewasdesignedpredominantly

forlongtermvalueforthedeveloperZenprop,the

needsofCliffeDeckerHofmeyrwerealsoamajor

designconsideration.Asaresult,thebuildingnow

providesthebestpossiblesolutiontothetenant’s

specificrequirements.“Theintentionofthedesign

teamwastodeliveracontemporarybuildingwith

crisp,cleanlines,forbothparties,”saysKorinaHolley,

projectarchitect,ParagonArchitects.

1ProteaPlaceconsistsofsevenparkinglevels,of

whichfiveareunderground,andnineofficelevels

whichriseabovethevisibleparkingpodium.“The

basicfootprintofthebuildingiscomposedoftwo

towersenclosingacentralatrium,setatopthe

heavierbaseoftheparkinglevels.Thecentralatrium

haseastandwestfacingglasswalls.Theeastern

atriumwallopensupoverawaterfeature,allowing

pedestrianstoenterthebuildingbycrossingthe

watersurface.”Korinacontinues:“Theinternal

atriumadmitsgenerousamountsofnaturallight

intothebuildinganditsofficeplatesandprovides

activeawarenessofboththeinteriorandexterior

environmentsofthebuilding.”Thus,averyopen

andairyfeeliscreatedwithintheoffices.Theatrium

wallofthesoutherntowerrakesouttowardsthe

centreoftheatrium,andaddsadramaticeffectto

theotherwiserationalcompositionofthetwo

towers.“Stripskylightsintheatriumroofprovide

aneverchangingplayoflightwithintheatrium

volume.Thetwotowersareconnectedby link

bridgesspanningacrosstheatriumspace.The

towersarecoveredbyalargefloatingroofthat

soarsovertheeasternentrancefaçade,”explains

Korina.Thewestfaçadeofthenorthtowerand

theeastfaçadeofthesouthtowerformacombi-

nationofthelightsee-throughglazedfacesand

Itsprominentshapemakes1ProteaPlace

oneofthemosticonicstructuresinSandton.

PhotobyAndrweBell.

169 > 169 >

thesolidM1,andconcrete,elements.Accordingto

Korina,thesolidstripsarerandomlyinterspersed

withverticalstripwindowssettingupadynamic

relationshipbetweentheelements.“Thematerial

choiceforthesolidstripsonthewestfaçadeof

thenorthtowerandtheeastfaçadeofthesouth

towerwentthroughalongdevelopmentprocess

butourchoiceofmaterialendedupbeingapanel

madeupofM1,anorganiccompositematerialcon-

sistingofamineralcrystalbaseandawater-based

acrylicresin.”Thefloorsandcolumnsarecastcon-

creteandthefaçadecomprisesofglassandM1

panelsinacurtainwallsystem.

Theprimarymassingofthebuildingisarticulated

throughtheuseofalimitedmaterialpalettegiving

dueprominencetothesculpturaleffectsofthe

architecture.Thefacadesareshapedaccordingto

theirorientationandfunctionasanintegralpart

ofthebuilding.Themainformofthebuildingislight

andglazed,contradictedbyasolidsculpturaloff-

shutterconcretetowerintheSouthWest.“Toen-

hance the sculpturalmassingof thebuilding,

glazedfacadesareexpressedasonemasswithas

littledifferentiationbetweenthevisionandspan-

drelpanelaspossible.Beingexposed,theglass

hastocomplywithstrictperformancefigures.

Thusthechoiceofglazingbecameaveryimpor-

tantdecisionandthefinalchoiceofabluegreylow

eglassbyGuardianwasbasedonmanystringent

criteria,”saysKorina.

AnewwayofapplyingM1–afirstinSA

M1wasusedasaunitisedfaçadecladdingelement

onthe1ProteaPlacedevelopment.“Thisisthefirst

timeinSouthAfricawherethismaterialhasbeen

usedinthisapplication,”saysKorina.

170 > 170 >

Shecontinues:“Thelightnessandversatilityof-

feredbytheM1materialmakesitanidealfaçade

claddingmaterial.Thepre-mouldedM1panelsare

fixedintotheunitisedfaçadecladdingsystem,

purelyasadecorativeelement.”

M1hasmanyuniquepropertiescontributingtoits

strength,durability,weighttostrengthratio,non-

toxicity,easeofmanufactureand itsabilityto

complywiththetestrequirementsofthecon-

structionindustry,specificallythoseinregardto

performanceinfireandunderimpact.Another

benefitisitslowtoxicitybothinitscomponent

partsandinitsmanufacturingprocess,makingita

‘greener’productthanmostconventionalclad-

dingmaterials.

TheglassandM1panelsareever-changingintheir

appearance,dependingonthelightangleandevery

facadehasauniquefeaturemakingitaninteresting

structureviewedfromalldirections.

171 > 171 >

“Theactualmaterialhasbeenusedquiteexten-

sivelyaroundthecountryintheformofmouldings

forcasinosaswellasforsculpturalpurposes.We

arethusassuredofitsperformanceandabilityto

withstandweathering.Botharchitectsanddevel-

opersareveryexcitedabouttheproductasany

shapeormaterialcanbeemulatedbytheM1–

whichopensupalotofdesignopportunitiesforthe

future.Duetoitssuperiorqualityandmoreenvi-

ronmentallyfriendlyqualitytoglassreinforced

concrete(GRC),themanufacturersareexpecting

M1toreplacemostGRCapplicationsusedexten-

sivelyintallbuildingsaroundtheworld,”adds

Korina.

Designingforoffices

Designinganofficespaceisdifferenttodesigninga

shoppingmallorhotel.Oneneedstoconsiderthe

functionofthespaceandhowthebuildingwillbe

wellsuitedtoitspurpose.“Asoneofthetenant’s

requirements,thefloorsfortheofficebuilding,

andtheshapeoftheofficeplates,neededtobe

designedtoprovidethetenantwithflexible,and

efficient,spaceplanningintermsofcombiningcel-

lularofficesandopenplanseating.Thisisachieved

byhavinglargeopenspansbetweencolumnsand

providingflexibleglazingmodulesforcellularof-

ficeconfigurations.Serviceco-ordinationbetween

alltheelectricalandmechanicalrequirementsin

anofficebuildingisamajorpartinthedesignand

oftenhasdesignimplications,”saysKorina.

173 > 173 >

Notonlydoestheflexiblespaceplanningand

serviceco-ordinationaideincreatingagood

workingenvironmentfortheemployees,butother

facilitieswithinthebuilding,alsocontributeto

ahappyworkforce.Employeescaneatatthe

canteenwhichopensupintoacommoninternal

atriumspaceandexternaldeckortheycanen-

joyadrinkafterahardday’sworkontheeighth

floorbar,whichopensupontoanexternalbal-

cony.Meetingrooms,amongstotherfacilities

provided,arealsoavailable.

Asplashofnaturalcolour

Theinteriorpalettehasbeenchosencarefully

toaddwarmthtotheenvironment.“Natural

coloursandmaterialsinthetiles,timberwall

claddinganddetailsareoffsetagainsttheclean

glazedlinesoftheatrium.Thecloserelation-

shipbetweenthearchitectureandtheinterior

finishingiscarriedthroughtothedetailing,fur-

nishing,fittingsandartworks,tocreateaseam-

lesswholewithcarefullychosenpointsofdra-

ma and interest. The internal palette of

materialsiscorporateyetwarmandnon-clinical

incontrasttothecleanmodernexteriorofthe

building,reflectingthetenant’sprogressive

identity,”explainsKorina.

Theexteriorpaletteisgreybasedwiththedark

greyM1panels,theoff-shutterwallandthe

bluegreyglassontheremainderofthefaçades.

Dedicationovercomeschallenges

Theprocessofbuildingadevelopmentalways

comeswithitschallenges,andresultingsolu-

tions.“Thesitebeingsotightprovidedmany

Theexteriorpaletteisgreybasedwiththedarkgrey

M1panels,theoff-shutterwallandthebluegreyglass

ontheremainderofthefaçades.

174 > 174 >

challenges.Therestrictedaccessandmovement

ofmaterialsintoandoutofthesitewasadeter-

mining limiting factor in the construction se-

quenceoftheundergroundportionsofthebuild-

ing.Thisprogrammingandsequencingdecision

hadanextensiveimpactonthesequenceofarchi-

tecturalandotherdesignwork.Theverytightpro-

grammewasanotherchallenge–MurrayandRob-

erts had one and a half years tocomplete the

building.Thebuildingwascompletedontimedueto

averydedicatedsiteteamandawellorganised

programme,”saysKorina.

Location,Location,Location

OccupyingaprominentsiteinSandton,there-

quired16000m2ofaccommodationhadtofitonto

averytightandrestrictivesite,whichprovedtobe

themostchallengingrequirementoftheclient’s

brief.“Theshapeofthesitebecamethemaindesign

driverwithregardstodeterminingtheshapeof

thebuilding.Inordertoaccommodatetheneces-

sarysize,thebuilding’sfootprintneededtotake

ontheshapeofthesitetomaximiseoncoverage.

Thedesignofthebuildinghassuccessfullyutilised

thesitetoitsfullextent,yetstillprovidesalotof

lightandgreenery.Theresultingbuildingappears

tobeaself-evidentplanningsolution,without

seeminglikeithasbeenforcedintoatightspace,”

explainsKorina.

Goinggreen

Withlocalarchitecturaltrendsnowpointinginthe

‘green’direction,architectsonthe1ProteaPlace

alsocontributedtothe‘goinggreen’movement.

“Thedesignteaminconjunctionwiththedeveloper,

whohadaninterestinthebuildingbeingdesigned

175 > 175 >

as‘green’aspossible,haveendeavouredtoincor-

porateasmany‘green’elementsintothebuildingas

werefinanciallyfeasible.Themainelementsincluded

solarhotwater(solarpanelsontheroofwillgen-

eratethebuilding’shotwater);evaporativecool-

ingintheatriumtocontroltheairtemperatureand

theglasswhichwasusedextensivelyonthefaçades

isaloweglasswithsomeofthebestperformance

figuresofanyloweglasstype.Otherwaysinwhich

wewent‘green’include:thetopbasementlevels

beingdesignedtoallowfornaturalventilation;

theofficeplatesbeingdesignedtoallowasmuch

lightinandviewsoutaspossible;usingM1clad-

dingmaterial–whichhasalowtoxicitybothinits

componentpartsandinitsmanufacturingprocess;

occupancysensing;double-glazingtovisionpanels

androofinsulation,”saysKorina.

Aninterestingstructure

“Itsprominentshapeandmaterialpalettemakes

1ProteaPlaceoneofthemosticonicstructuresin

Sandton.TheglassandM1panelsareever-changing

intheirappearance,dependingonthelightangle

andeveryfaçadehasauniquefeaturemakingitan

interestingstructureviewedfromalldirections,”

concludesKorina.<

OccupyingaprominentsiteinSandton,therequired16000m2ofaccommodationhadtofitontoaverytight

andrestrictivesite.

176 >

120374

177 >

Rich aroma.Refined taste.

Find your inspiration

178 >

TOEGYPTWITHLOVE

Anartist’sresponsetochange

TOPLEFT:We changed Egypt.

TOPRIGHT:Our future to be.

BOTTOMLEFT:We made history.

BOTTOMRIGHT:People's revolution.

179 >

Therecentpopularuprisingandresultingdemo-

craticrevolutioninEgyptinspiredmanypeople

aroundtheworld.Manyvisualartistswho’swork

focusontheeverydaylivingconditionsintrans-

formingsocietieshaveactivelyparticipatedin

thehistoricalevensandthroughtheircreative

workensuredthatitwascapturedforgenera-

tionstocome.OnesuchartistisHossamHassan

whotooktothestreetsanddocumentedthe

tryingandtensemomentsoftherevolution.

Inspiredbyhisexhaustivedocumentationofthe

events,designerandartist,Hassanhassubse-

quentlyproducedabodyofworktitledEgyptian

Revolution Collection,whichformpartoftheTo

Egypt with love exhibitionwithfellowemerging

photographersAlaaTaherandBassemSamir.To

Egypt with lovewasfirstexhibitedattheSafar

KhanGalleryinCairoinMarchandAprilbefore

travellingtothefamousPalaisPorciainVienna

inlateMay.

Hassan,aged32,wasbornandraisedinCairo.He

saysthatthebusy,multiculturalcitywithitsrich

heritageinspiredhimasayoungstertoexplore

theworldaroundhimandtrainedhisimagina-

tiontoaspiretotheundefinedandtoreachto

thestarsandbeyond.Aftergraduatingfromthe

FacultyofAppliedArtsatHelwanUniversityin

2000,heworkedasagraphicdesigneratamulti-

nationaladvertisingagencybeforesettinguphis

owndesignstudioin2005.

Sincethen,Hassandevelopedadeepinterestin

calligraphyanditsrelationtofineart.Heasser-

tivelyhonedhisknowledgeandskillsbypartici-

patinginnumerousgraphic,fineart,photography

andcreativityworkshops.Thesediverselearning

experiencesenabledhimtodevelopasignature

stylethatnowallowshimtoproducedaring

180 >

andinnovativegraphicandmixed-mediaartworks

oncanvaswhichheexhibitsatvariousprivate

galleriesandartshowrooms.Inrecentyears,

Hassanhasdevelopedaloyalfollowingamong

artcollectorsandhisworksnowformpartof

collectionsinEgyptandtheMiddleEast.

Merginghispassionforart,histalentasapainter

andhis innovationingraphicdesign,Hassan

capturedhisvisionandexperiencesoftheradical

transformativesocio-politicaleventsthattran-

spiredsinceearly2011.ThroughhisEgyptian Revo-

lution Collectionwewitnessthebeauty,pride

andpassionofthegreatlandofEgyptandits

proudpeople.

“InitiallyIhadstartedtakingpictureswhilepro-

testingasapersonalrecord.ThenIstartedtaking

picturesandconsideringhowIwasgoingtotrans-

latetheseimagesintopostersorontocanvas.

Theexperiencewasextremelyspontaneous,just

liketherevolution.”Hesaysthathewasalsoin-

triguedbythefluidandinspiringnatureofthe

revolution.Shootinguncontrollably,hefoundit

hardtostoptakingpictureswhiletheevents

wereunfolding.Throughoutthisrivetingprocess,

theartistassembledhisphotographs,likepieces

ofapuzzle,tocreateaseriesofultimatelyreveal-

ingdigitalartandmixedmediacompositions.

“ThewholecountrywasinastateoffluxandI

feltthatitwasimpossibletoencapsulatethe

eventsinsingleframes.”

Hassanexplainsthathisintensionwastocap-

turetheessenceofpowerandemotionandto

portrayuniquemomentsfromtherevolution.

Usinghissignaturegraphictechnique,hecom-

binedhundredsofphotographstotransform

hiscanvasesintolargeandcomplexscenesthat

capturethefeelingsofeverypersonrevoltingin

181 >

TahrirSquareinCairo.Hesaysthattheresulting

artworks portray the feelings of the huge

crowdsandeachworksignalsadifferentmes-

sageandmomentastherevolutionunfolded.“The

strongimpactofpeoplegatheredtogether,all

foroneaimandallunitedwiththesamedreams

andhopesarewhatmadethisrevolutionimpres-

sivetotherestoftheworld.”

AnimportantfeatureinHassan’sEgyptian Revolu-

tion Collectionistheincorporationofcalligraphy.

Hecombinedcalligraphyandwordsthatpeople

usedinTahrirSquarewithdigitallyalteredphoto-

graphsandboldsplashesofcolour,resultingin

visuallycomplexlayersthatchallengeviewers

tolookcloserandengagewiththeworkson

variouslevels.

Hesaysthat:“Myaimisthatfromtheminute

youstandinfrontofmyartworksyoucannot

feelanythingotherthanbutbeingpartofthe

realevents.Theworksconveythepowerofthe

crowd.Youcanhearthenoiseandyoucanfeel

theessenceofrevolt.Iwanttomakepeoplesee

thingsthattheireyesusuallydon'tsee,engage

themandshowthemimagesthatreflectwhat

theyfeel.”

HassanconcludesthatthesuccessoftheTo Egypt

with loveexhibitionsinCairoandViennaisjustthe

beginningofhisaimtospreadthemiraculous

revolutioninEgyptallovertheworldandto

commemorateitaesthetically.“Theworldhas

beenwatchingtheEgyptianrevolutionclosely.

ThereforeIbelievethatitismydutyasanartist

torepresenttheinspirationalgloryoftherevolu-

tionandtohonourthosegloriousdaysforever

byshowingtheworldthatEgyptiancultureisin

acontinuousstategrowthandtransformation.”<TOPLEFT:A story to tell.TOPRIGHT:We died to live.

CENTRELEFT:Days to remember.CENTRERIGHT: Days

of departure.BOTTOMLEFT:Leave! Leave!BOTTOM

RIGHT:To freedom.

182 >

PAUL STOPFORTHThemanwhoretrievesthesoapandseesinitasliverofhistory

By Judith Mason

183 >

Somedecadesago,acertainmandiedwhilebeing

interrogatedbytheSouthAfricanPolice’ssecurity

branch.Thathehadslippedonsomesoapinthe

showerwastheofficialexplanation,justoneof

manyrisibleexcusesofferedbythepoliceforthe

deathsofpeopleintheircustody.Someindetention

‘felldownstairs’or‘leaptoutofwindows’,andordi-

narycarbolicsoapseemedpeculiarlydangerous.

Soapisnotthestuffofmartyrdom.Itisslapstick,

liketheproverbialbananapeel.Togodowninahail

ofbulletsorbehangedbytheneckuntildeadis

something.Buttodieasaresultofasillyaccidentis

tobestrippedsomehowofthelastdignityafforded

one.Insuchcases,wequicklyburythedeadandthey

aresoonlosttoourcollectivememory.PaulStopforth

isoneoftheguardiansofthatmemory,andhewill

notallowustoforget.

LEFT:PaulStopforthwithoneofhismaturestudents,CatherineKrupnick.

CENTRE&RIGHT:InstallationviewsofTorture and Deaths in Detention,1977.Mixedmedia.

184 >

TOPLEFT:The Interrogators,1979.Mixedmediaonpaperandwoodpanel.

TOPRIGHT:Freedom Dancer (The South African),1992.Oiloncut-outbirch

plywood.CollectionoftheConstitutionalCourtofSouthAfrica,Johannesburg.

BOTTOM:End of Empire,2002.Walldrawing,mixedmedia.TheSchoolhouse

Gallery,Provincetown,MA,USA.

185 >

Spurninggrandgestures,heistheartistofthe

quieticon,themanwhoretrievesthesoapand

seesinitasliverofhistory.Fromthefirstshocking

lifecastsinhis1978exhibitionatTheMarket

TheatreGallery,wherethefalling,wretched

figuresperformedaghastlyballetofstate-

sanctionedabuse,tomorerecentworkinwhich

mundaneobjectstestifytothegrandeurand

sordidnessofthestruggle,Stopforthhasad-

dressedhimselftothishistory,evenasitisun-

folding.Thesoapwasthereinthatfirstexhibi-

tion,atthetopofthesteps.Topickone’sway

throughthosefigureswastobecomecomplicit,

drawnintothemoralcoreoftheinstallation.

When,later,StopforthdrewSteveBiko’sbruised

corpse,theviewerfeltthatshewasattheautop-

sy,spinningawebofliesandjustificationswith

thepolice,yetweepingwithBiko’sfamilybeside

hisnakedyoungbody.Eventhirtyyearsago,

Stopforthdidnoteditoutthebadstuff.Hegave

usthefactsandexpectedustorespondwith

whateverhumanitywecouldmuster.Following

thisearlywork,Stopforthcreated,inthe1980s,

severalquasi-portraitsofthefactotumsofthe

apartheidsystem.ThepeopleportrayedinThe

Interrogatorswereself-caricaturingintheStroess-

ner/Vorster/Pinochetmold–darkglasses,grim-

facedwithmustacheslikeduellingscars.Stopforth

usedalimitedpaletteanddarkbackgrounds,and

heenlargedthefigurestocreatetheimpression

ofsomanyBigBrotherswatching,bloatedwith

power.Lookingattheseimagessomedecades

later,attheirinsidiousforensicclarity,onerecalls

theinterminablemenaceofthosedays.

Bythelate80s,Stopforthwasregardedbycol-

leaguesandcriticsalikeasoneofthemostun-

compromisinginterpretersofourmoralquagmire.

Then,in1988,heemigratedtotheUnitedStates.

HetaughtfortheSchooloftheMuseumofFine

ArtsatTuftsUniversity,andin1996wasappointed

Triangle,2007.Gouacheonwoodpanel.

186 >

tothefacultyoftheVisualandEnvironmental

StudiesDepartmentatHarvardUniversity.Histeach-

ingpositionlefthimsometimeinwhichtopaint.

Forawhilehisworkseemedfreeofhisearlierpolitical

concernsandtheengagementthesedemanded.

Hisrichlypaintedsurfacesandnuggetyfigurines

characterisedbymatricesofdotsthatcontradict-

edandenlivenedtheimagesseemedtoengage

withanentirelydifferentaestheticandadmirers

oftheworkwouldhavelittlesenseofthedifficul-

tiesoftranslocationwithwhichhestruggled.Around

thetimeofSouthAfrica’sfirstdemocraticelections

in1994,however,Stopforth’sAmericanexperience

hadbeguntoblendwithhisSouthAfricanpastto

informworkthatwasmorereflectiveandmore

complexthaneverbefore.Apartheidwascollapsing

andStopforthwatchedwithinterestaseventsun-

folded.Hislargecut-outpiece,Freedom Dancer

(The South African)(1993),whichnowhangsinthe

foyeroftheConstitutionalCourt,anticipatedthe

cominggleeoftheelections:amineringum-boots

–atonceasymbolofservitudeandfreedom–jumps

onthedevilinthemannerofadherentsofoneof

southernAfrica’sAfricanIndependentchurches.

Thejoyofthisworkispalpableanditsquasi-Pop

sensibilitysignalsasubtleshiftinStopforth’swork

oftheperiod.Similarly,thelargewall-piece,End of

Empire(2002),celebratesliberation.Likethedanc-

er,itisdeceptivelysimpleinexecution.ItsPopand

Postmodernelementscombinewithallusionsto

Tibetantopographicalpaintingtocreateasynthe-

sisthatisalmostcinematic.Althoughitssubjectis

theZuluWar,thisworkconjuresthehordesand

heroesofpre-industrialisedwarfareanywhere,

fromtheGobiDeserttothehillsofKwaZulu-Natal.

Healer #1,2003.Mixedmediaonpaper.

187 >

Healer #2,2003.Mixedmediaonpaper.

In2004,Stopforthwasinvitedtospendsomeweeks

onRobbenIslandasanartist-in-residence.Thework

heproducedduringandafterhisvisitmakessophis-

ticateddemandsontheviewerandiskeytounder-

standinghisoeuvre.Stopforth’scommitmentto

bearingwitnesshereassumesasubtletythatwas

notpossibleduringhisSouthAfricanyears.Then

weneededtheshockofdeedsrevealed.Butnow

theartistasksustocollaborateinaphilosophical

andaestheticpartnershipthatrequiresadifferent

kindofengagementwiththework.Centraltohis

newapproachisTriangle(2007).Twooxen–one

facingtheother,onelookingtowardstheviewer,

bothsetinapinkcolour-fieldthatresemblesa

driedsaltpan–arethemeansbywhichhedefines

ourroleasparticipants:thetitlesuggeststhatthe

vieweristhethirdbeastinanoddtrio.Stopforth

eschewsnoblerbeastsforthatbovinescrutiny

thatissomewhatcomic,somewhatfrightening,

whollyplatteland.Itremindsusofhowinquisitive

cattleare,ofhowfighterpilotsflyingoverEurope

duringWorldWarIIdreadedlandinginfieldsfor

fearofbeingringedbycuriouslivestockwhosebe-

haviourwouldgivetheirpositionsaway.

OnRobbenIsland,Stopforthfoundthesoapthat

hadcausedsuchhavocinourhistory.Nowhesees

itasiconic,assynecdochic,thefragmentthatcon-

tainsthewhole.InHealer #1 (Sunlight)(2004)the

soapisalintel:archaic,African,reflectinglightand

creatingaspacethroughwhichtheskycanbeseen

andentered.Wesmellkelpandcarbolic.Forafrac-

tionofamomentwebecomeNelsonMandela,and

thisactofidentificationisprofoundlyhealing.On

theotherhand,itisacakeofsoaponadingysur-

face:thesmellofrespectablebutimpoverished

188 >

childhoodrisestothenose.Thepainthasabeautiful,

washboardfeeltoit,andthepromiseofSunlight.

InHealer #2 (Lifebuoy) (2004)weseethesustaining

word‘Lifebuoy’pressedintosoapsetinascumof

greypaint. It suggestsendurancewithout the

promiseofrelease.Bothworksconveytheresil-

ienceandthehopeofislandprisoners,thetedium

ofeverydaylife,thewilltomaintaincleanliness

anddignity,andtheprospectofsoap,cakeafter

cake,washingtheuserintoacaptiveinfinity.These

piecesremindusthatthehappyendingofRobben

Islandwasnotsharedbyallofherinmates.

Consider,forexample,Bethesda(2004).Robben

Islandwas,atonetime,alepercolonyandStopforth

invokesthelong,sadhistoryofthedisease–the

rottingfleshthatmadepeopleoutcastsfromsociety

andthat,evennowthatitiscurable,instillshorror

inus.Ourassociationswithitarebiblical.Thevision

ofpeopleringingbellsanddeclaringthemselves

‘unclean,unclean’hasthepowertohauntusstill,

especiallyasitresonateswithourtendencytosee

‘theother’assomehowdefiled.Itevokesracism,

xenophobia,thecontagiousdiseasesofthemind.

ButinBethesdaStopforthalsoalludestothesimple,

sadstoryofleprouswomenbathinginatidalpool,

hopingthatthewaterwillhealtheirsores.Hein-

vitesustoperformanactofidentification.Inthe

absenceofhumanfigures,weengagewiththe

landscapeasthelepersdid.Wewatchthetidecome

inbeyondtherocks.Westepacrossthegrassto-

wardsthemirageofhealinginthebrackishwater

anditspromise,Bethesda.Overtherocksandthe

The Island #8: Bethesda,2004.Mixedmediaonpaper.

189 >

TOP: Trinity,2005.Mixedmediaonpanel.BOTTOM: Monument,2005.Mixedmediaonpanel.

cementandwaterfallsthecolourofsunsetorserum,

andweareamongsttheIsland’ssequesteredsouls.

TheexperienceofoneofRobbenIsland’smostfa-

mousprisoners,RobertMangalisoSobukwe,resem-

bledthetreatmentoflepers.Hewaskeptinsolitary

confinementunderthenotoriousSobukwe Clause,

wellbeyondhisthree-yearterm,becausethegovern-

mentfearedthathewould‘infect’otherprisoners

withhisPan-Africanism.InTouchstone(2007),Stop-

forthmovesawayfromthecommunalpoolofBethes-

datothesmallhand-basininSobukwe’scottage.

ThebasinisdryandthesoapofHealer #1and#2

isconspicuousbyitsabsence.Itisabereftandhumble

image,madesadderstillbyitsjuxtapositionwith

thebasketofbones.Thetwointeracttocreatean

elegyforamanofgreatmoralstaturewhosehealth

wasbrokenbyhisextendedconfinement.Asthe

PolishpoetJuliaHartwigwrites,‘Theimage...carries

usinthemostextraordinarywayintoaninvisible

sphere...Theexperienceofrealitythusbecomes

akindoftranscendentalexperience.’1Inthiswork

theartist’scapacitytopropelustowardsanactof

identificationisverystrong.Itisreinforcedbythe

poignant‘sampler’ofsquaresembroideredbytown-

shipwomen.Touchstonetouchesoneverythingfrom

itssubject’ssolitude,tohisdevotedfamily,tohis

untimelydeath.Incontrast,Trinity(2005)reminds

usofthecompanionshipthatANCprisonersshared.

Threesimplestools,produced,nodoubt,bythe

prisonworkshop,acquiredignityfromthefractured

shadowsofthetitle,whichloomsbehind.Theleft

andrightstoolsaresetatangles,outwards,andtheir

invisibleoccupantstakeabroadview,asiftheyareat

akgotla.2Thisisnotaconfrontationaltriumvirate

190 >

191 >

TOPLEFT:Touchstone,2007.Gouacheonpanel.

CENTRE:Another Country,2007.Gouacheonpanel.

BOTTOMLEFT: Homage,2008.Gouacheonpanel.

RIGHT: Incident,2007.Gouacheonpanel.

andthescrubbedfurnituretakesongreatermean-

ingnowthatSouthAfricansaretiringofcorrupt

politicians and the studded, ormolu-infested

thronespreferredbydespots.InMonument(2005),

ablanketpin,surelyoneofthemostbeautifulutil-

itarianshapeseverdevised,isseeninsalt-corroded

silhouetteonarustybackground.Oureyesfollow

itsbendsandcurvesanditbecomesapieceofland-

art,carvedintoamassiverock-face.Yetweknow

perfectlywellthatthismonumentissmallandin-

significant.Theartisttakesusintothebarrenness

ofacellwherewefindthatamundaneobjectisa

workofart.Beautyisagrace,heremindsus,and

contemplatingitmaykeepussane.

Fromthevastnessofasmallpintothevastnessof

asmallisland:thetopographicallyunremarkable

bloboflandoffCapeTown’scoastloomslargeinthe

world’sconsciousness.Itisalreadyiconic,sothe

artistteasesuswithashimmering,liquidshape,

evokingthehazeandthetidesandthecomingand

goingofitslonghistoryasadumpinggroundfor

lepers,lunatics,prisonersandsoldiers.Thestippled

surfacesoftheRobbenIslandworkscreateanalmost

hallucinogenicenergy,theseaalivewithmoisture

andsmallcraftwhilethelandradiatespointsoflight

asifitslayersofhistoryflickeraboveandaround

thecommonplacegeographyofprisonandlanding

strip.TogetherwiththeIslandworks,Stopforth

producedothersthatarelessspecific,moreenig-

matic.InAnother Country(2007),weseeontheleft

aglimpseofbushveldrockand,ontheright,an

ominousaspectoftheIslandprisonyard.Thecar

mirrorreflectstheislandasamemory.InIncident

(2007)weparticipateinadysfunctionaltriangle.

Weseefiguresbrawlingonalawn:arape,abeating,

aschoolyardreprisal?Aninteriorblackframesets

eachimagewithinunusuallysullenbarsofcolour.

Ontheleft,alegtearsthepark-likegrassbackto

revealthedirtbeneath.Ontheright,asurveil-

lancecamerapeersoutward,butdoesnotseemto

connectwiththeincident.Doesitwork?Isitob-

servingus?Arewebystandersorvoyeurs?Inthis,

192 >

themostdisconcertingofStopforth’srecent

works,ourclamourforanswersisignored.

JuliaHartwigwrites,“Iftheattitudetowards

realityisthenerve-centreofeveryaesthetic,

whetherinliteratureorinart,visiblerealityhas

alwaysbeenaconstantpointofreferencefor

me.”3InHomage(2008),weseeStopforthcreat-

ingasmallandprettypieceofvisiblereality,

pinningitsbrightnerve-centretothecanvas

andmakingitanobjectofmeditation.Abougain-

villeablossomsplitsthecanvasintotwoalmost

identicalparts,amirroringdevicethatcanof-

tencreateanalmostintolerabletensionbetween

images;butherewefindourselvesthethirdpart

ofaveryagreeabletriangle.Wecould,forthat

matter,bethebaseofascalewhosecontents

areinperfectpoise,orsomebodyatacross-

roads.Inotherworkscontainingthetriangle

motif,theartistmakesuslookoutwards.The

gameheplayswithushereisexistential,per-

sonal.Wereadeachtenderlypaintedveininthe

fabricofleavesasifwehadneverreallylooked

before.Ourcataractshavebeenremoved.Trans-

lucentceriseandscarletpulsateagainstfields

ofbrokenyellow.Wewanttomeasurethespace

betweenthecolours.Istheyellowalandscape

away?Aninchaway?OrisitlikeHildegardof

Bingen’sfeatheronthebreathofGod,lighter

thanair?Here,toquoteHartwigagain,“theimage,

accessibletous…carriesusinamostextraor-

dinaryway,intoaninvisiblesphere.”4Despite

theimportantandobviousshiftsinStopforth’s

workovertheyears,hiscommitmenttobearing

witnesshasneverchanged.Hehaslookedat

objects,people,incidentsandfactsinaclear-eyed

andcompassionateway,anddeducedthata

kindoftruthresidesinanagglomerationofall

ofthesethings.

TOP:Singer: Siren Song,2010.Mixedmediaonpanel.

ApaintingofthesirenontheroofoftheRobben

Islandprison.

CENTRE: Intake: Breath,2009.Gouacheonpanel.The

BritishgunemplacementsontheIslandhadunder-

groundbunkerswhereammunitionandfoodwere

stored.

BOTTOM: Source,2010.Gouacheonpanel.Animage

oftheubiquitousoldbrasstapsthatwereattached

tobarrelsonfarmsthatcollectedpreciousrainwater.

193 >

NOTES

1.CitedinBenjaminPaloff,‘PersonalHistories’,

The Nation(30Jwune2008).

2.‘Kgotla’isaSetswanaword.Itreferstoapublic

gatheringorcommunitycouncilcalledbyavillage

headmantodecideimportantorjudicialmatters.

3.CitedinBenjaminPaloff,‘PersonalHistories’,

The Nation(30June2008).

4.Ibid.

ThisessaywasfirstpublishedinPaul Stopforth:

TAXI-015,publishedbyDavidKrutPublising in

2010.PhotosbySusanByrne.

About the author

JudithMasonwasborninPretoria,in1938.She

studiedattheUniversityoftheWitwatersrandin

the1950s,obtainingaBADegreeinFineArtin

1960andheldherfirstsoloshowin1964.Today,

withacareerthatspansalmost50years,Masonisone

ofSouthAfrica’smostdistinguishedandprolific

artists.HerworkisrepresentedinallmajorSouth

Africanartcollectionsandmuseumsandinterna-

tionallyrepresentedinbothprivateandpubliccol-

lectionsinEurope,USAandAustralia.Click here

toreadmoreaboutMason.<

Tidal pool: Bethesda #1, 2 and 3,2010.Gouacheonpanel.RecentworksbasedonthetidalpoolcalledBethesda.

194 >

GerhardMarx:Cumulus

Review by Gavin Younge

195 >

GerhardMarxpresentednewworksthat

arebornoutofhisownself-designedproc-

esses,whichinvolveskillfulmanipulation

ofmaterialscollectedaspartofanengage-

mentwiththeartist’sphysicalurbancon-

text.AsaCumuluscloudconstantlyverges

oncollapse,Marx’ssubjectsborderbe-

tweenformandformlessness,alwaysrich

inassociativeandconnotativedensity.

Marxpresentedseveralcompositions

madeentirelyoutofthedriedstalksof

plantmaterial.Eachwispystrandhasbeen

carefullysortedthrough,andthosewith

the‘right’bend,orformhavebeenpasted

downontolargesheetsofcottonpaper.

Theoveralleffectisthatofalinedrawing

–onemadewiththefinest-tippednib.

Althoughhecallsthesecompositions

Cumulus I,IIandIII,theyinfactreference

thehumanskeleton.Compositeskeletons

asonemightfindinanarchaeologist’s

gravesite.Humerus,scapulaandribbone

lieupononeanother,disturbedperhaps

bytheactionsofscavengers,orlaiddown

randomlyasinamassgrave.Theartistsays

oftheseworksonpaperthattheyfocus

on‘unstableforms’and‘indeterminacy’.

ThecloudformationwecallCumulus,is

anaccretionoraccumulationpriorto

Nimbus,whenmoisturevapourreaches

saturationanditstartstorain.

Marxisaliterateartist,andthenotesthat

accompanytheworksonexhibitiontease

outaspectsthatmaynotbeimmediately

apparenttotheviewer.Taketheconnec-

tionbetweendrawnskeletalremainsand

cloudformations.Hisnotes,whichare

freelyavailable,guideanyoneinterested

inwhathetermsthe‘forensicgazeofthe

viewer’,toaless-narrativelybasedunder-

standingoftheseworks.Inotherwords,

Cumulus I, IIand IIIarenotonlyburial

sites;theyarealsositesofmoregeneral

disintegration.

Marxalsopresentsworksrelatingtothe

gardenanditswall.Henotesthattheety-

mologyoftheword‘paradise’pointsto

awalledgarden,andthatthewordis

closelyimbricatedinthe‘GardenofEden’

inbothitsChristianandJewishmanifes-

tations.Bitsofthegardenthataresuper-

fluous,ordiseased,arediscarded.Inhis

case,assomeonelivinginJohannesburg,

thesemauvais herbes arebaggedand

leftonthepavementforthe[Johannes-

burgCity]Counciltocollect,butnotbe-

foreMarxhasrummagedthroughthis

detritusandgatheredtwigsandbranches

thatmaysuithispurpose. InScion,a

bronzedsetofbranchesintheshapeof

aribcage,hehascuratedtheskeletonof

anewbody.Thiscrazyconjunction,the

Johannesburg-based visual artist, theatre director and filmmaker Gerhard Marx

presented his first exhibition with the Goodman Gallery earlier this year where

he showed new works based on his signature creative process and interest in the

urban locus. Gavin Younge reviewed the exhibition titled Cumulus.

TOPLEFT:Skull I,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.

CENTRE:Skull II,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.

TOPRIGHT: Skull III,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.

BOTTOMLEFT:Cumulus I, 2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,153x103cm

BOTTOMRIGHT: Cumulus II, 2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,153x103cm

196 >

197 >

newly-bornoutoftherecently-departed,isa

trueMarxism.

OnehundredandfiftyyearsbeforeCarolus

Linneausestablishedhisplant-namingsystem

inthe1700s,LucaGhiniproducedthefirst

herbarium–ordriedgarden.Marxcelebrates

thisfeatthroughthreeworksinwhichthe

originalformofvariousweedshavebeentrans-

posedintolineandcolour.Thesearedigital

prints,buttheyderivefromcollageshemade

usingroadmaps.Weareallfamiliarwiththe

red-bounded,yellowlinesthatdesignatemajor

routesconnectingSouthAfrica’stownsand

cities;thethickandthinredlinesthatdesig-

nateminortarredroads;and,ifthescaleis

largeenough,thedottedlinesofajeeptrack.

Thetechniqueofusing‘foundlines’isMarx’s

alone.HehasgonetocourttoprotecthisIP,

andwon.[In2006Marxwonalandmarkout

ofcourtsettlementresultingfrominfringe-

mentofhissignaturecreativeprocesswhich

wasappropriatedbyamajoradvertisingagency

inacampaigndevelopedforamajorinterna-

tionalautomotivebrand.]

Sowhatarethesetwistedandmangledmap

forms?Linneaus’splant-namingsystemwas

basedonsharedsimilaritiesbetweenflower-

ingplants.Hissystemhasgivenwaytotrue

phylogeneticsystems,onesthatarepredic-

tive,andthatarebasedonDNAsampling.Thus

thethreegenesfoundinallplantsgiverise

to565floweringplantspeciesworldwide.Marx

hassingledoutplantsthatgrowopportunis-

ticallyonpavementsandonthevergesof

roads.Theretheybenefitfromtheincreased

run-off of precipitation, and there they

whither,exhaustedbyexhaustfumes.These

weedsareMarx’s‘drygarden’.Meticulously

198 >

Hortus Siccus (for Luca Ghini) I,2011.Pigmentinkson

cottonpaper,92x92cm.

199 >

process-driven,hehas‘mapped’theirformin

threedimensions.Thearterialroadscoalesce

orcrossoveroneanother,topographicalref-

erenceshavebeenabandoned,andtheviewer

isleftwithanindexicalasopposedtoasym-

bolicalobject.

Inawaytheseprints,andthelargecollageen-

titledHortus Siccus – Bush,couldreference

Nepenthes alata–oneoftheso-called‘flesh

eaters’,orpitcherplants.Inthiswaythein-

tendedconnectionbetweenroadmaps(which

are,afterall,codifieddesiretrails),andthe

gesturalindexofre-makingtheplantworldas

ahybridisedstructurewouldbecomeclearer.

Marxalsopresentstwolarge,sculpturalac-

cretionsofaquotidianobject–theschool

ruler,andaquotidiansubject–theweather.

Hereheiscarefultopointtotheemotional

connotationsweallattachtothisendlessly

measured,andpalpablyunpredictablephe-

nomenon.Helikesthefactthatthe‘ruler’,as

ameasureofallthings, isbasedonhuman

proportions;thatofthefoot,or12thumb

breadths. Strangelybehind the times, the

UnitedKingdomstillusesmiles,yards,feetand

inchesonitsroadways,despitehavingchanged

tometresin1936forallgeodeticpurposes.

Bylaw,beerissoldinpintsanddairyproduce

inlitres.

ButMarx isnotoverlyconcernedwiththis

confusion;heisinterestedinincrementalcali-

brationandthewayinwhichthe‘calibrated,

objectifiedabstraction’oftherulercollapses

intophenotype.Theerrorofparallaxdictates

thattherulermustbeinclosecontactwith

thatwhichitismeasuring.Butthe‘weather’is

notsolelyrainfallandwindspeed,itbringsHortus Siccus: Bush,2011.Cutandreconstructed

mapfragments,150x150cm.

200 >

withitemotionalsubjectivity.InthiswayGerhard

Marxhopestobringtheworld(naturalphenome-

na)tothebody,andthebodytotheworld.

Notstrictlyeye-candy,theseworksextendtheart-

ist’ssignatureworkwithroadmapsandthe‘found

line’,theyalsogivethemindfulvieweraglimpse

ofhisparadise–thegardenbehindthewalls.His

gardenisthecolourofdrymesquiteandasdeli-

cateandephemeralasplacenames.Despitethe

prevalenceofblack(Scion,andWeather 1andII),

theworkshaveaninternalluminance.Theyarealso

possessing.Onefeelsandseestheirinnerlogic.

PhotoscourtesyofMikeHallandtheGoodman

Gallery.

About the author

Gavin Younge is a professor at theMichaelis

SchoolofFineArt,UniversityofCapeTownand

worksinternationallyasasculptor,author,film-

makerandcurator.Click heretoreadmoreabout

Young.<

Scion,2011.Bronze,70x100x30cm.

201 >

TOP LEFT & CENTRE: Weather I, 2011. Plastic rulers on

black wooden substrate, 83 x 140 x 10 cm.

TOP RIGHT: Weather II, 2011. Plastic rulers on black

wooden substrate, 56 x 76 x 10 cm.

BOTTOM LEFT: Weather I, 2011. Pigment ink on cotton

paper, 62 x 91.5 cm.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Weather II, 2011. Pigment ink on

cotton paper, 62 x 91.5 cm.

202 > Ab

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203 >

Creativity takes courage.Just ask Guy du Toit.Overcoming one’s fears is easier said than done. That’s why we sponsor the Absa L’Atelier – an art competition that rewards brave, young artists with the opportunity to live and learn at the world-renowned Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. As a look through the list of past winners will testify, when courage and this kind of opportunity come together, greatness is sure to follow suit.

Visit www.absa.co.za for entry details.

204 >

Working with nature

View of Andrew van der Merwe's Inside Fibonacci.

205 >

Armed with an assortment of materials ranging

from sticks, sand, water and grass, some of the world’s

top land artists joined local artists to temporarily

transform the picturesque town of Plettenberg Bay

and the Bitou municipal area where South Africa’s

first international land art event, Site_Specific,

took place at the end of May.

Site_Specific is a new, non-profit entity established

in 2011 by artists, educators and business people

who are passionate about the magic of land art.

The initiative’s organisers and supporters believe

that by viewing the different projects, visitors will

gain appreciation for their diverse natural, histori-

cal and cultural heritage. In the process, the first

Site_Specific event delivered art and environmental

education and contributed to skills development,

job creation and growth of cultural tourism.

By linking art, culture, history and the environment,

Site_Specific aims to created a sustainable model

for using the power of land art to challenge and

change people’s perceptions about their natural

environment. “Site_Specific is determined to make

land art inclusive and accessible. We are thrilled that

top international land artists and some of South

Africa’s most innovative conceptual artists have

volunteered to mentor and collaborate with artists

from the Bitou community and to lead educational

206 >

207 >

outreachprogrammesforlocallearners,”says

HeatherGreig,Site_Specificco-founder.

Morethan30artistsparticipatedintheevent,includ-

inginternationallyacclaimedlandartistsStrijdom

vanderMerwe (SouthAfrica),Urs Twellmann

(Switzerland)andGabrieleMeneguzziandVincenzo

Sponga(bothfromItaly).Thelistalsoincludedprom-

inentSouthAfricanartistssuchasGordonFroud,

AngusTaylor,MarcoCianfanelli,Andrewvander

Merwe,JanvanderMerwe,SimonMaxBannister

(MAX),AnniSnyman,HannelieCoetzee,Marcus

Neustetter,MarkWilby,JamesWebbandTyrone

Tewson.LocalartistslivingintheBitouMunicipality

alsojoinedintheaction,eitherasparticipating

artistorashostsofexhibitions,studiotoursand

workshop.TheywereCharlesLevine,CarolNathan-

Levin,MyfanwyBekker-Balajadia,MatthewBrouck-

aert,IngridCoerling,ZaneCoetzee,WillieGouws,

AngusGreig,DarrenLyon,AmosLwana,KateMuller,

KlausOppenheimer,DeePellumReid,MartyRedder-

ing,StephenRosinandAnjaWiehl.

TheworkofItalianartists,GabrieleMeneguzzi&

VincenzoSponga,betterknowntotheSite_Specific

crewasItaly1andItaly2,isincrediblysubtleanduses

onlynaturalmaterialssourcedfromthesite.“Our

ideawasbornbylookingattheseafromthetopof

ourworkfromtherocks,andwethoughthowbeauti-

fulitcouldbetosewtogetherrocks,sandandseaas

iftheyweredifferentarts.Sowecreatedalaneinthe

sandandathreadusingonlygrass,andonthebeach,

wefoundabeautifuldriedtreefromwhichwecutthe

branchestomakeitlooksimilartoaneedle.”

208 >

AlloftheartistsandtheSite_Specificteamcon-

tributedtheirtimeforfreeandpaidtheirownway

toPlettenbergBaywhilemanylocalbusinesses

andindividualsofferedaccommodation,logistical

support,materials,equipmentandstudiospaces.

Landarthasalwaysbeenattheextremeofart

makingsinceitoperatesoutsidethegalleryset-

tingandusestheterrainasitscanvasandanything

fromone’shandstoearthmovingequipmentas

paintbrushorchisel.Landartisoftentemporary

andinmanyinstancestheonlyartworksthatremain

forpurchasearephotographsdocumentingthe

interventions.

"We’retakingartoffthepedestalandputtingit

onthesandandintheland,"saysStrijdomvander

Merwe,Site_Specificco-founder.

Site_Specificranovereightdays,startingwitha

welcomeandsiteorientationon22May.Reney

Warrington,oneofthedocumentersoftheevent

blogged:“WespentthemorninghikingtheMilk-

woodTrailandlookingatallthepossiblesites.

Artistshadto‘claim’theirspot,spendtheafter-

noonplanning/scheming/dreamingandthenstart

placingordersforsticks,stones,boats,tractors

andtheoddchainsaw.Someartistsarrivedwith

plansmadewhileothersmadetheirplansafter

selectingthesitesfortheirworksandassessing

whatmaterialswereattheirdisposal.”Thefollow-

ingfivedayswereoccupiedbyartistsslavingaway

andcreatingmostlyephemeralpiecesoflandart.

Concurrently,creativeworkshopsandsitevisits

wereconductedwithcommunitygroupsandlocal

209 >

GordonFroudandTyroneTewson

employedrecycledmouldsmadefor

previoussculpturalworkstocreate

theirinstallationtitledAbout potential.

“WebroughtmouldsofSperm babies

[Froud]andFat men[Tewson]withus.

Intothesemoulds,wepressedslabsof

clayfromthelocalVantellBrickworks

tocreateforms.Theseformswereheat

sealedtostrengthenthembutwerenot

bakedasweintendedthemtodisinte-

grateandreturntotheearth,metaphor-

icallyimplyingourjourneyonthisplanet.

Eachformhasatwigofwillowinserted

fromwhichithangs–thisistoprovide

anaturaltwineandtoleavenoartificial

footprintonthesite.Wehopethatthe

weather,timeandinteractionwillresult

inthebreakdownoftheforms.”

CharlesLevin’sperformancepiece

Homagedealswiththe2011Tōhoku

earthquakeandtsunamiandthe

resultingnuclearaccidentatthe

FukushimaINuclearPowerPlant.

Click here toviewthevideo.

schools.Thesealsoincludedvisitsbyschoolgroups

whoobservedandinteractedwiththeSite_Specific

artistswhiletheywerecreatingtheirartworks.

On28and29May,artlovers,membersofthelocal

communityandtouristsparticipatedinthepublic

launchwithguides leading them through the

uniqueopen-airartdisplaysona3kmwalkfrom

PlettenbergBay’sCentralBeachtotheMilkwood

TrailinthePiesangRiverValley.

TheorganisersdescribetheinauguralSite_Specific

eventasaformofcommunionwiththelandthat

changesone’sperceptionsofgivensurroundings.

210 >

AngusTaylor'sworktitledLosconsistsof

twoabstractedhumanfiguresconstruct-

edfromwoodwhichheinstalledatthe

mouthofthePiesangRiverestuary.The

workdealswiththefluid,liminalspaces

andritesofpassageofsocialreality

inspiredbythewritingsofphilosopher

VictorTurner.

211 >

Itislikebeinggivenneweyes.Evenaftertheart

hasbeenreabsorbedintonature,thememoryof

itpersistsandinformsone’sinteractionwiththe

landscape.Itdoesn’tdemandhugeamountsof

visualliteracyoreducationtobemovedbytheex-

perienceofagreatlandartpiece,itisimmediate

anditenhancesone’sownsenseofbeinginthe

world.

Landartallowsonetointegratetheoftensplit

conceptsof‘culture’and‘nature’.Sometimesitis

acelebrationofthelandthatsustainsus,oftenit

remindsusofthetemporarynatureofourshared

existence.<

Credits

Informationandphotographsincludedinthisarticle

wereprovidedbytheSite_Specificorganisersand

ReneyWarrington.Warringtondescribesherself

asawriter,photographerandbloggerobsessed

withfilm,music,artandespresso.Herfirstnovel

isscheduledforreleaseinthefirsthalfof2012

andhernextphotographicexhibitionwillfollowa

fewmonthslater.Click heretoviewmoreofWar-

rington'swork.

Click here toseemoreworksfromSite_Specific.

212 >

MarcoCianfanelli’sinstillation

titledDriftismadeofmildsteel

andfounddriftwoodofwhichthe

largestdimensionisapproximately

2.4m.“FortheSite-Specific

projectIbroughtlaser-cutsteel

wordswithme,withtheintention

ofattachingthemtotrees.On

arrivinginPlettenbergBay,Ifelt

thatthebeachwastheright

contextandtheavailabledrift-

woodasuitablevehicletocarry

thewordsformysite-specific

intervention.Ifoundtwolarge

piecesofdriftwood.Theonehad

astrongarchitecturalquality,like

aCorinthiancolumn,whichI

combinedwithwordsthatreferto

‘society’.Theotherwasvery

organicandgnarled,whichI

pairedwithwordsthatreferto

the‘individual’.Inthecontextof

thebeachandshoreline,these

worksevokeideasofarrival,

imposition,lossandredundancy

buttheyalsoevokeasenseof

growthandtransformation,like

barnaclesonaforeignobject.”

213 >

214 >

UrsTwellmann’sartworktitled

Stranded Aliensconsistsof

about70discscutfromblue

gumtrees.Eachdiskishollowed-

outwiththeaidofachainsaw

toallowthemtocontainwater.

Theartistarrangedandrear-

rangedthepiecesatdifferent

placesalongthecoastandthe

nearbyrivertoallowthetides

andavailablelighttodictate

ever-changingconfigurations,

reflectionsandmotionsdictated

byNature’sflux.

215 >

216 >

StrijdomvanderMerweusedthebeachashis

canvastocreatealargeartwork.“ForSite_SpecificI

becameawareoftheamountofdriftwoodthat

washeduponthebeachandthecontinuousdeposit

ofmaterialsduringhightide.Thisletmettoideaof

usingarakeanddrawingcirclesonthebeachin

varioussizesasifithadwashedupduringhightide

justtobewashedawayduringthenexttide.This

work,asinmanyofmyotherworks,takepartinthe

cyclesofnature.Itshowsthefragilityofbeauty,

whilenotlamentingitspassing.”

SimonMaxBannister’sAardmoeders(EarthMothers)

isoneofthefewpermanentartworkscreatedduring

Site_Specific.Thesculpture,situatedatKranshoek,

iscarvedfromlocalbouldersanddepictsthree

elephants.Thesculptureisthefirstofmanyplanned

tobeinstalledalongtheEdentoAddoGreatCorridor

creatingSouthAfrica’sfirstlandartroute.Asa

conservationinitiative,theEdentoAddoLandArt

Routeaimstoestablishalivingcorridoralongold

elephantmigratorypathslinkingtheGardenRoute

NationalParktotheAddoElephantNationalPark

350kmtotheeast.PhotosbyElizabethOlivierKahlau.

217 >

218 >

219 >

AndrewvanderMerwecreatedtwo

verydifferentworkstitledInside

FibonacciandBeach Calligraphy.Inside

Fibonacciisandinstallationofblack-

enedgumtreepoles.Thepolesare

laidoutinthepatternformedbythe

seedsontheheadofasunflower–a

patternofspiralspresentinmost

flowers.Whenonestandsatthecentre,

thepoleslookrandomlyplacedand

therearenoradiallinesandanythree

polesthatlineupwouldsupposedly

representaweaknessintheflower

head.However,ifonemovesintoitfrom

anangle,thespiralsbecomeevident.

Thereare13longclockwisespiralsand

21shortanti-clockwisespiralsleading

tothecentreofwhich13and21are

consecutivenumbersintheFibonacci

sequence.

Beach Calligraphydrawsonvander

Merwe’spassionforcalligraphy:“Iam

acalligrapherbyprofessionandcarving

fantasticallettersalloverthebeachis

awelcomebreakfromworkingata

deskonsmallpiecesofpaper.Thetools

andtechniquesareonesIhaveevolved

overthepasteightyears.Beforethat,

likeanyoneelse,Iusedsticksandshells

andobjectfoundonthebeach.Much

ofmyworkhastheappearanceofletters

carvedinstonebutitiscompletely

temporal.Icallitcalligraphy,notcarving,

becausethelettersarecutdirectlyand

ataspeedclosetothatofwriting.The

formsareafunctionofthemovement.”

220 >

HannelieCoetzee’sFamily Portrait

consistsof13stackedstonesculp-

turesfacingtheoceanonLookout

Beach.Thesculpturesrepresent

familymembersandformpartof

theartist’songoingexplorationof

herAfrikanerheritage.Theartists

saysthatallofthestoneshave

visiblequartzlinesthatsymbolise

the‘marks’thatparentsandtheir

beliefsystemsimpressontheir

children.ForfivedaysCoetzee’s

builtandrebuiltFamily Portrait

aftereverycycleoftidaldestruction.

221 >

222 >

JanvanderMerwe’sinstallation

titledUprootedconsistsoffive

separatestructuresmadeofthe

stumpsofuprootedtreesattached

topiecesofsecond-handfurniture.

Alltheobjectshavetheappearance

ofhavingbeenscorchedorblack-

enedbyfire.Theartistssaysthat

workmayrefertothedisplacement

ofpeople,butalsosuggestsnatural

andhumanproductionprocesses.

Inthebackground(farright)is

MalcolmSolomon’sinstallation

titledBarcoded Africa.

223 >