DDB SA WINS SOUTH AFRICAN AD AGENCY OF THE YEAR +/-
ABOVE-the-line advertising agency DDB SA has won the ultimate accolade in South African advertising – the agencies’
agency of the year..
ABOVE-the-line advertising agency DDB SA has won the ultimate accolade in South African advertising – the agencies’
agency of the year. Over seventy local agencies were asked to vote for what they thought was their best performing
agency of the year and DDB came out head and shoulders above the rest. The polling was managed and monitored by
independent research company TNS Research Surveys and took place in the month of October this year.
The award is given by Jeremy Maggs’ yearly hardcover review of the advertising marketing design and branding industry
- The Annual – now into its third edition.
Notes Maggs: “In an industry seriously overpopulated with awards and accolades this one – and the only one we make -
has real currency. It’s much the same as the footballers’ footballer of the year. Recognition by your peers, uninfluenced
by any judging process is priceless.”
Participating agencies Maggs’ project – including the majority of the country’s big advertising players – were asked a
simple question by TNS: which agency in your opinion has performed best in the past 12 months? Several other
noteworthy agencies were mentioned in dispatches, but DDB SA crossed the line first. Agencies would have considered
creative and business performance as well as reputation.”
“There is probably the X-factor as well,” says Maggs, “in the ad industry one agency always creates a little more buzz
and excitement in the market place than others, people have been talking about DDB this year, of that there is no
doubt.”
The Agencies’ Agency Of The Year trophy (the ANGY) will be presented to DDB SA at the official launch of The Annual
on Thursday November the 26th at a conference at the Wanderers entitled 10 Ideas from 10 People for 2010. A number
of experts across a variety of disciplines will present their views on what is shaping up to be a watershed year in the
country.
DDB SA has had an extraordinary run of success. Recent account wins include McDonalds, FIFA, Mango and FNB. The
agency was also voted small agency of the year in the 2009 Finweek AdReview survey. The ANGY trophy was
conceptualized and made by top South African designer Brian Steinhobel.
23RD COROBRIK ARCHITECTURAL STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARDS +/-
Neels Bezuidenhout from the Tshwane University of Technology has emerged as the regional winner of the 2009
Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards...
Neels Bezuidenhout from the Tshwane University of Technology has emerged as the regional winner of the 2009
Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards.
He scooped the top accolade for his entry entitled, Aquacultural hub: an environmental research, information and support
centre at Hartbeespoort dam.
Bezuidenhout says, “Water is one of the most precious and vital resources on earth, yet the contamination and
impairment of our natural resources continue despite the visible repercussions. The Hartbeespoort dam and surrounding
area is one of many examples of a water resource contaminated and polluted owing to human disregard and ignorance.”
“The proposed research, information and support centre (aquacultural hub) will aid in establishing an eco-sustainable
environment and will become a platform for environmental conservation and remediation. The facility will convey
information regarding sustainable water management and awareness and will assist in the cultivation of algae and
hyacinths as a resource.”
“The aquaculture hub is designed to narrate the intrinsic natural features of the landscape, become a link between the
marginal territory of land and water, form a multi-layered and mutually beneficial hybrid complex, and become a mediator
for environmental remediation and sustainability.”
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Jonathan Prior at Corobrik, said, “yet again it is wonderful to see the standard of
work, presented at these award’s, being consistently high, comprehensively addressing the real issues surrounding the
respective thesis projects. Corobrik is proud through its sponsorship of these awards, to be able to play an important role
in identifying and nurturing new talent in the South African architectural profession. Based on the quality of the work
represented, I think we have every reason to be excited about the role and the positive impact these students will have,
in developing and shaping South Africa’s built environment of the future.”
Each regional winner receives a prize of R6 000 and is entered into the national finals, where they will compete for top
honours and a prize of R40 000 in March 2010.
The runner-up, Leon van der Westhuizen was awarded R4 000 for his project, entitled “A new environmental research
centre at the CSIR, Pretoria (E-RC). The GREEN tectonic.” The building will exploit, deploy and discontinue various
green and sustainable technologies over its lifespan. This will also include the employment and discontinuation of
alternative and renewable energy sources as an ongoing experiment,” Van der Westhuizen says, “a new tectonic begins
to emerge. It is one that responds to the building’s context, climate and topography, while expressing the sustainable
construction methods employed”
In third place was Heleen Floor, who received R3 000.
This year, the emphasis was on sustainability and this element featured prominently throughout the 2009 awards,
reflecting Corobrik’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and overall environmental impact.
Neels Bezuidenhout is pictured with Heleen Ford, Leon van der
Westhuizen and Jonathan Prior of Corobrik.
NICE GIFT: DESIGN AGENCY LEVERAGES us$20,000 TO GIVE MEDICAL SUPPLIES VALUED AT us$400,000 TO HOSPITAL IN AFRICA +/-
30 Nov, 2009 — This story began a year ago when Maurits Pesch approached his employer, Davide Nicosia, with a
special request. He asked that NiCE LTD—Nicosia’s international design agency—commit to providing US$400,000
worth of supplies and equipment to a needy medical center in Senegal ... at a cost of five cents on the dollar...
30 Nov, 2009 — This story began a year ago when Maurits Pesch approached his employer, Davide Nicosia, with a
special request. He asked that NiCE LTD—Nicosia’s international design agency—commit to providing US$400,000
worth of supplies and equipment to a needy medical center in Senegal ... at a cost of five cents on the dollar.
Nicosia didn’t have to think twice. Despite the recession, NiCE LTD’s New York, Tokyo and Singapore offices were
enjoying great success, and Pesch’s extensive research for the company’s annual charitable giving had led him to Doc to
Dock—an American non-profit that works hand in hand with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and Project C.U.R.E. to
help meet the needs of medical centers in developing countries. To Nicosia, this was clearly more than a call to do
something good ... it was an opportunity to leverage a relatively small amount of money to tremendous benefit.
Nicosia was also attracted by the ‘green’ side of Doc to Dock. An outspoken champion of the environment, NiCE LTD has
been a pioneer in the use of eco-friendly packaging for nearly 20 years.
“On one project, we figured out a way to reduce the amount of plastic in a shampoo bottle by 13%,” Nicosia explains.
“This provided huge savings to the client, but even more importantly, it caused a dramatic reduction in waste. Something
like 500 metric tons per year, just from redesigning the bottle for one shampoo brand.”
So you can imagine how excited Nicosia was when he learned that Doc to Dock was formed in an effort to capture the
six million kilos of unused medical supplies and reusable equipment that are thrown into American landfills each day, and
redirect them to health care facilities in less fortunate countries.
And so it was. Nicosia wrote a US$20,000 check on behalf of NiCE LTD’s clients—including Procter & Gamble and Kraft
Foods, both of which have partnered with CGI on a number of projects—and the ball was rolling.
The process works like this: Doc to Dock collects donated supplies—sutures, gloves, gauze, syringes, tubing, oxygen
masks, etc.—from a network of more than 300 participating hospitals in the U.S. And used (but working) equipment is
donated by facilities that have undergone renovation. They also promote collection drives at major medical conventions,
encouraging cardiologists to donate stethoscopes, orthopedic surgeons to contribute splints, and so on. These items are
then sorted by community volunteers for distribution to carefully selected recipients.
And that’s when the monetary gifts come into play. In this particular case, NiCE LTD’s US$20,000 donation covered all of
the administrative and delivery costs associated with transporting a fully-loaded, 12-meter shipping container from the
Project C.U.R.E. warehouse in Texas to Senegal.
But handing over the check was just the beginning of the story, as far as Pesch was concerned. For him, this was a
personal quest, rooted in his first-hand knowledge of the difficulties facing the region. The son of Dutch diplomats, Pesch
spent four years living in West Africa as a teenager, and returned numerous times as an adult. These trips undoubtedly
served to strengthen his resolve to leave a positive mark on the world’s poorest continent—a place he had once called
home.
Pesch kept in close contact with the organizers at Doc to Dock and Project C.U.R.E., and when the container left the
U.S. on 8 September, 2009, he made personal travel arrangements to greet the ship upon its arrival in Senegal.
That long-awaited rendezvous came on the fourth of October. And after nine tiring days of dealing with customs officials,
the freight forwarding agent, the ministries of health and finance, transit authorities, the port of Dakar, and all of the
associated red-tape, Pesch—often reaching into his own wallet to pay expediting fees for a process that normally takes a
month or more—was successful in securing the release of the container. A short time later it was delivered to The Health
Center of Nabil Choucair in the suburbs of Dakar, where unloading took Pesch and a team of 12 men four hours to
accomplish.
Several days later, Pesch represented NiCE LTD at the ‘handing over’ ceremony—a celebration that received national
press coverage. After all, in a country where the unemployment rate is estimated at 48%, where one out of every three
people get by on less than US$1.25/day, gifts of this nature don’t go unnoticed. Government officials were in attendance,
as were members of the local community and, of course, the doctors and nurses who operate the health center—a
facility that delivers 4,000 to 5,000 babies each year.
And that was it. Mission accomplished. An exhausted Pesch was finally able to relax—to reflect on the considerable time
and energy he had personally invested in shepherding this gift—knowing that he had successfully completed a project he
had initiated a year earlier … a gift that was, in fact, a lifetime in the making.
Still, the work of Doc to Dock is never done, a point that is not lost on Pesch.
“Who is going to do it next?” he asks.
Who indeed. Maurits Pesch and NiCE LTD have left some big shoes to fill.
LOERIES HAND OVER SPACESTATION INTERNET ADVERTISING AWARD +/-
On 22 October, The Loerie Awards officially handed over the SpaceStation Internet Advertising Award to Gloo Digital
Design for their online execution of “connect & you can” for MWeb. Aside from rewarding Gloo for their exceptional work,
the Award is intended to inspire creativity in the online advertising space...
On 22 October, The Loerie Awards officially handed over the SpaceStation Internet Advertising Award to Gloo Digital
Design for their online execution of “connect & you can” for MWeb. Aside from rewarding Gloo for their exceptional work,
the Award is intended to inspire creativity in the online advertising space.
“Connect & you can” was developed for the relaunch and repositioning of the MWeb brand. The intention was to attract a
slightly younger market, while not alienating MWeb’s existing client base.
The online advertisement features a bored-looking man sitting in his nightgown on an armchair, tapping his fingers to a
tune he can only hear in his head. Suddenly, a tune becomes audible to the viewer, and a large MWeb logo, located on
the opposite side of the page, opens up to reveal a small crowd having a party. The lid of the logo zips across the text in
the middle of the page and the man on his arm chair leaps aboard, to be transported across to join the party. By clicking
on the space that remains, viewers are taken to an interactive microsite that shows the benefits of being connected to
the Internet.
“It was vitally important that people saw the new logo – it couldn’t be small,” says Pete Case, creative director at Gloo
Digital Design. “We used rich media advertising techniques to get the two advertising areas – the large logo and the man
on the couch – to talk to each other.”
Gloo also worked with Acceleration Media, an online placement company, to secure the unique advertising space to get
the advert to work. Clearly, the unusual advertisement had an impact, securing three times the average click-through rate
of normal online advertising, representing a return on investment for MWeb, and winning Gloo a Silver Loerie to boot.
“For years, online advertising has had a really bad image because of flashing blocks that say ‘click here’, ‘buy more’,”
says Case. “By working with cutting edge technologies, we’re putting out less advertising but creating more impact. Yes,
it’s more costly, but it’s a lot more innovative and eye catching. I think that’s why the ad shone at the Loeries – it was
great creatively, strong strategically and worked well in terms of ROI for the client.”
The SpaceStation, South Africa’s leading digital media sales business, sponsored the Award as an indication of their
commitment to the medium of digital advertising. “In South Africa it has often been said that display-based online adverts
do not perform as well as they should because the creative isn’t as good as it should be,” says Mike Luscombe, CEO of
The SpaceStation. “We feel that an award of this nature highlights our commitment to the medium as well as to the
agencies that working to develop and implement excellent creative in this space. We’re hoping the award will generate
publicity for the winning agency and incentivise others to go that much further with their online display based ad
campaigns in the future. ”
To this end, The SpaceStation Internet Advertising Award included a prize of R50 000 of online advertising space, as well
as a fully-installed “SpaceStation” comprising a Telefunken 42-inch plasma screen TV, a Nintendo Wii and peripherals.
Gloo elected to split their prize across their Cape Town and new Johannesburg offices.
In South Africa, only 1.7% of ad spend is spent online, whereas in the UK, online spend has overtaken television
spending. “One of the reasons for this is that the online work that’s being done in South Africa is simply not effective,”
says Case.
He affirms Luscombe’s views that this leads back to creativity in the space. “If clients allow their agencies the time to
craft great campaigns and if creative agencies came up with great ideas, the impact of online advertising would increase
dramatically, and spend would increase as well. The work and the award shows that a little unlocking of budget and
creativity from the client side allowed us to do something that in the end benefitted the client.”
Major Sponsors
The major sponsors for The 31st Annual Loerie Awards are the SABC, Ads24, Cape Town Tourism, The City of Cape
Town, Gearhouse South Africa
Additional Sponsors and Official Suppliers
Brandhouse, Greensky, Sappi, Vodacom Mobile Media, Cape Film Commission, Adobe, Aon South Africa, Mango
Airlines, Hetzner, Tempest Car Hire, MetropolitanRepublic, Hello Computer, Zero One One, Wicked Pixels, DJ Badly,
Media Host, Orchestra Blue, Sonovision Studios, Gallo Images, Paygate, Ornico Group, Rocketseed, Newsclip,
Lifesense Financial Services, Egg Films, Crowne Plaza Johannesburg – The Rosebank, Grand Daddy Hotel, Cape Town
Partnership, Audio Militia, H-Factor, Universal Music Group, EMI Music, Ultra Litho, juju, the Core Group, Services Seta,
Leg Studios, The SpaceStation, Visionation, Media Film Service, Valpre, First National Bank, Glaceau Water
Important Loerie dates to diarise:
Migrate Magazine 10
November 09
NAD NEWS: SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND INNOVATION IN AFRICA +/-
The staging of the first soccer World Cup in Africa is around the corner. The preparation of this massive event shows no
sign of slowing down as we are preparing for the Africa Design Day 2010 event. The NAD conference theme for 2010...
The staging of the first soccer World Cup in Africa is around the corner. The preparation of this massive event shows no
sign of slowing down as we are preparing for the Africa Design Day 2010 event. The NAD conference theme for 2010 is
Sustainable Design and Innovation in Africa. It is gaining momentum and NAD members are requested to propose
papers for this gathering. The sub topics of the theme are:
1. Sustainability and innovation: Understanding the policy and business dimensions of innovation (e.g. environment,
social and financial aspects)
2. Sustainability and Culture: Stories on sustainability from our culture and/or cultural design
3. Sustainability and products/services: Case studies of sustainable products and service
4. Sustainability and nature: Lessons to be learnt from our nature
5. Sustainability and Design Education: Integration of sustainable issues in design curriculum
6. 350. African designers respond to climate change.
The deadlines for paper submission are as follows:
Call for abstract – November 2009
Deadline for abstract – 15 January 2010
Deadline for research paper – 29 March 2010
Criteria for selecting speakers:
Abstracts are requested from the potential presenters from Africa
Only papers relevant to the theme will qualify.
The event will run as follows: 23 - 25 May 2010
22-23 May – arrival of NAD members
23 May – Workshop and Planning meeting for 2011 (Kenya)
EDTI: RAISING DESIGNERS' EMPLOYABILITY BY TRAINING THEIR CLIENTS? +/-
On 23 October, EDTI organised a successful symposium in Tallinn (Estonia). During the afternoon some questions were
put to the audience for discussion. One of them was; ‘How can we improve the employability of designers?’ There were
some surprising answers from the group that I facilitated...
On 23 October, EDTI organised a successful symposium in Tallinn (Estonia). During the afternoon some questions were
put to the audience for discussion. One of them was; ‘How can we improve the employability of designers?’ There
were some surprising answers from the group that I facilitated.
They recommended that education should have a stronger connection with practice; design should be taught through
apprenticeships on the job, teachers should be practitioners and designers should spend some time working in all the
departments of a company (including cleaning the floor).
A second set of answers in relation to continuous development recommended that once designers are ‘on the market’
they should take advantage of business incubators and receive personal coaching. No one mentioned updating skills
through additional training.
Most surprising of all, the audience felt that the way to improve the employability of designers. is to educate the future
clients of employers! The rational being that although designers have skills, which make them ‘employable’ those who
should be employing or using designers have no idea of what to expect from them. This raises the question of who
should tell them?
The employability of designers could be improved by raising designers’ awareness of their own expertise and how they
can use this to meet the needs of potential clients and employers. We must also ensure that designers have the ability to
express their competence and desirabilty so that they can convince their clients and employers of the future that they
need their design skills.
As a TV Show, Grand Designs brings stylish yet accessible home renovation and design solutions to viewers around the
world. A massive international hit, millions of enthusiasts tune in to watch some of the most impressive and ambitious
household projects come to life...
As a TV Show, Grand Designs brings stylish yet accessible home renovation and design solutions to viewers around the
world. A massive international hit, millions of enthusiasts tune in to watch some of the most impressive and ambitious
household projects come to life. Now the magic of this series is coming to Johannesburg - Grand Designs Live is an
exhilarating exhibition that covers it all. Built on the success of the multi-award winning UK consumer event, Grand
Designs Live takes place at the Coca-Cola Dome from the 21st to 23rd of May 2010. The event promises to give South
Africans the opportunity to be inspired, amazed and intrigued by the vast number of ways to turn a house into a home.
“Grand Designs is not only a long-running TV programme, it’s become a formidable international brand recognised by
people all over the globe,” explains Ben Gannon, the Exhibition Director for Grand Designs Live. “This initiative will
make the exhibition something truly special and will spark some great ideas for visitors to go and create unique
improvements with their own homes.”
Featuring hundreds of South Africa’s leading companies, a comprehensive seminar programme, advice clinics hosted by
leading industry organisations and fantastic features, Grand Designs Live will be so much more than a décor and design
exhibition; it will set a new standard for innovation and inspiration. A comprehensive guide through the ins-and-outs of
household improvement, Grand Designs Live will have a host of different shows under one roof, with six dedicated areas
showcasing the best in interiors, technology, Build/DIY, kitchens, bathrooms and gardens.
The standards are high - exhibition space is only available to participants with exceptional products or who are
established leaders in the fields being exhibited. This is to ensure that a superior experience is had – both for the
exhibitors and visitors to the event.
Grand Designs Live has made an indelible mark on the hundreds of thousands of people who visited the show in London
and Birmingham. Now it’s Jozi’s turn, so make sure you don’t miss this phenomenon. “It’s going to be something totally
fresh,” promises Ben. “Expect a whole range of new opportunities, designs, innovations and concepts. And expect it to
be the best.”
The DESIGN MUSEUM schedule for upcoming exhibitions in 2010...
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2010 / 17 February – 6 June
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year has established itself as a leading showcase of the most innovative and forward
thinking designs from around the world, supporting the critically acclaimed Brit Insurance Design Awards. A number of
internationally respected design experts have been invited to nominate up to five projects, each of which in their view,
represents the best or the most interesting designs produced or launched in the last year. A shortlist of around 100
designs – the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year - will be on display at the Design Museum from 12 February and will all
go forward to be considered for the Brit Insurance Design Awards.
The Brit Insurance Design Awards celebrate the best of design in seven categories: Architecture, Transport, Graphics,
Interactive, Product, Furniture and Fashion. Last year’s winner, the unofficial Barack Obama poster campaign by
Shepard Fairey, demonstrated the power that design can have even at grass-roots level. A high profile judging panel will
decide the best entries in each of the seven categories. Category award-winners will be announced in February and
then go forward to compete to be the Brit Insurance Design of the Year 2010, which will be announced at the Awards
ceremony in March 2010. The public can also vote for their favourite nominated design in the accompanying blog
Sustainable Futures - Can Design Save the World? / 31 March – 5 September 2010
In association with PUMA.Creative. This exhibition presents key examples of how design can deliver a more sustainable
future. This exhibition examines not only the objects themselves but also the infrastructure in which objects are produced
and exist. At a time when designers and architects are under pressure to ‘think green’ and education establishments are
placing greater emphasis on sustainability in the curriculum, this exhibition aims to highlight a selection of projects that
either already exist or are in the making, that will set a precedent for how we can achieve a more sustainable future.
Urban Africa – A photographic survey by David Adjaye / 31 March – 5 September 2010
One of the leading architects of his generation David Adjaye has stepped out of his regular line of work to photograph
and document key cities in Africa as part of an ongoing research project to study new patterns of urbanism. This
exhibition is a personal quest through the eyes of an architect to redress the scant knowledge of the built environment of
this expansive continent. Adjaye has photographed the salient features of African cities and, whenever possible,
suburban and unofficial developments. His photographs do not attempt to provide an exhaustive record of each place,
but instead, they examine the buildings and places which have a special resonance with his preoccupations as an
architect. The images therefore have a double significance, they speak about the cities themselves and, at the same
time, they touch on themes that Adjaye is developing in his architecture. Presented at the Design Museum as a series of
vivid large-scale projections, these images will flood the gallery with a rich diversity of architecture, culture and urban
landscape.
Born in Dar-Es-Salam, Tanzania, David Adjaye moved to London in 1979 where his still lives and works. With a rich body
of built work he has recently won the prestigious commission to design the new National Museum of African History and
Culture in Washington.
Illustrated Fashion / 23 June – 31 October 2010
Illustrated Fashion presents a remarkable collection of some of the most recognisable fashion drawings from the 20th
and 21st Century. These original drawings define the fine art of illustrating fashion and will sit alongside key garments
from couture houses that defined the different directions and avant-garde designs including Poiret, Chanel, Dior, but also
Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons and Victor & Rolf.
The artists who produced these illustrations give each collection or look an emotive and stylistic sense of direction that at
times even photography cannot emulate. The drawings reflect the spirit of the time and some have become graphic icons
in their own right. This exhibition stresses the representation of key artists in their best period: Lepape at the beginning of
the century, Gruauin the 40‘s and 50‘s, Antonio for the next decades, Mats Gustafson and Francois Berthoud sharing the
front stage today
The collection of drawings to be displayed are kindly lent to the Design Museum by Joëlle Chariau, owner of Galerie
Bartsch & Chariau based in Munich, Germany
John Pawson / 22 September 2010 - 16 January 2011
The Design Museum presents a major exhibition of the work of British architect, John Pawson. This is the first UK
exhibition of Pawson’s work, whose diverse commissions include the new Cistercian Monastery of Novy Dvur in
Bohemia, Calvin Klein’s flagship store in Manhattan and the Sackler Crossing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Providing an overview of a body of work amassed over thirty years spent in the pursuit of simplicity, this exhibition also
aims to offer an immersive experience, with specially commissioned photography and short films, large-scale models and
a 1:1 installation designed specifically for the show.
Designers in Residence / September 2009 – March 2010
Designers in Residence is an annual exhibition inviting emerging designers to transform an area of the museum with
their work. Providing a springboard into the design world, Designers in Residence supports the selected designers at an
early stage of their career, allowing them to build on their current design practice and develop new or existing work. Now
in its third year, Designers in Residence runs from September – October.
Residency I: 18 September – 31 October 2009 : Marc Owens, Dave Bowker
Residency II: 27 January – 8 March 2010 : Asif Khan, Bethan Wood, Farm
Events, Talks, Activities and Updates
Throughout the year the Design Museum presents a series of educational workshops, activities, talks and late-night
events encouraging participation and debate. For more information and to receive the latest media releases and
downloadable images, visit the online Press Office
Further projects and events for 2010 will be announced in due course.
NAD NEWS: SHUNGU HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR THE IDFA +/-
Shungu: The “resilience” of people has been selected for the 22nd edition of the International Documentary Film Festival
Amsterdam, which will take place from November 19 – 29 2009. The documentary is the brain child of Saki Mafundikwa,
the founder of Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (Ziva)...
Shungu: The “resilience” of people has been selected for the 22nd edition of the International Documentary Film Festival
Amsterdam, which will take place from November 19 – 29 2009. The documentary is the brain child of Saki Mafundikwa,
the founder of Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (Ziva) and member of Network of Africa Designers (NAD). Shungu is a
compelling narrative of the strategies used by ordinary people in order to survive in Zimbabwe today. The documentary
follows the political battle which affected most lives in Zimbabwe; their experience of optimism going into an
unprecedented election; deadlock from the election results; widespread violence and intimidation; and then, the unity
government. The IDFA 2009 is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious documentary film festivals. This is
Mafundikwa’s first film and it was shot under tight media restrictions by the Zimbabwean government. It reflects not only
the SHUNGU “resilience” of the characters, but of the filmmaker as well who put his life in danger to give the voiceless
masses a voice. Saki said that the IDFA nomination means that there is a reward for hard work. He hopes the
documentary will bring international attention to the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans who have endured unimaginable
pain and suffering. His message to all aspiring filmmakers in Africa is that the digital tools are enabling and if you have a
good story to tell; good photography skills, you CAN make an award winning film.
October 2009 – Internationally celebrated designer Karim Rashid has created for Egyptian furniture manufacturer Amr
Helmy Designs "The Endless Nile table”, an innovative concept of table entirely made in DuPont™ Corian®. Inspired by
the past, this design of Karim Rashid deconstructs...
October 2009 – Internationally celebrated designer Karim Rashid has created for Egyptian furniture manufacturer Amr
Helmy Designs "The Endless Nile table”, an innovative concept of table entirely made in DuPont™ Corian®. Inspired by
the past, this design of Karim Rashid deconstructs the conventional ideas of table and seating concepts to recombine
them in an original and contemporary solution, thanks to the formability of DuPont™ Corian®. Egyptian creativity is
deeply rooted in a cultural context dating back millenniums and charged by great artistic expression. With "The Endless
Nile Table", Karim Rashid establishes a link to this tradition: inspired by the slow and perpetual flow of the Nile river, he
creates an interior solution characterized by sinuous and captivating form and a flow of rhythmic lines that capture the
eye in a vortex of changing perspectives. The choice of an expressive and sensual material like DuPont™ Corian®,
combined with the genius of Karim Rashid and the fabrication skills of Amr Helmy Designs, brings to life the innate
fluidity of the design. The purity of DuPont™ Corian® (in the Glacier White colour), provides a luminous clarity to the
creation’s lines and emphasizes its elegant and innovative structure. The material visually communicates a fluid and
harmonic impression, giving form to a diagram of endlessly woven volumes and lines. Technical data: height: 78 cm,
width: 180 cm, length: 210 cm, thickness: 4 cm. Wooden base with a reinforced steel structure. The table is commercially
available all around the world from Amr Helmy Designs.
Artjamming, dubbed “paintertainment™”, has become so popular that the owners, Leora Israel and Ralph Israel,
decided to open another studio at the unique lifestyle shopping destination, the Cape Quarter in Cape Town. The official
opening date is 2 November 2009...
Artjamming, dubbed “paintertainment™”, has become so popular that the owners, Leora Israel and Ralph Israel,
decided to open another studio at the unique lifestyle shopping destination, the Cape Quarter in Cape Town. The official
opening date is 2 November 2009 and will be part of Cape Quarter’s new extension, The Square, on Somerset Road.
Artjamming was launched end of July last year in South Africa at the trendy lifestyle centre, Wembley Square in Gardens
Cape Town. Whether it’s playing, painting, sponging or spraying, it’s about putting on an apron, facing a blank canvas
and unleashing your own individual creativity that makes Artjamming™ the most fun you can have with a paintbrush. This
amazing concept was discovered on one of Leora’s trips to the Far East and after extensive research she realised the
need for this kind of activity, amusement and distraction from everyday stress. The Israel’s decided to bring Artjamming
to Cape Town first but is opening franchises countrywide. Gauteng will open on 1 February 2010 at Bluebird Centre. It’s
ideal for birthday parties, team building, corporate events, school holiday programmes and work functions. Catering can
be arranged and they also host group sessions at other locations and venues by special request. To celebrate the
opening of their new studio at Cape Quarter, every Thursday will be “Champagne Thursday” during the month of
November and December. Booking is essential.
