by Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal) In this edition of Design Annotator, you’ll find:
A Q&A with Sipho Mpongo, Wikus de Wet and Sean Meterlerkamp about their upcoming Twenty Journey- The young, carefree and adventurous photographs of Caroline Mackintosh
- An initiative by RVCA to support and showcase fresh artistic talent
- Graphic design by Matt Kay, a Durbanite now based in New York
- Domestic Bliss, a series of intimate portraits by Alice Mann
- Sanlam’s new ‘Super Boy’ TV ad
- A roundup of all the winning South African work at Cannes
Young South Africa: Twenty Journey
2014 sees South Africa reaching two decades of democracy and, in the light of this, three young photographers are embarking on a cross-country journey to document their findings along the way.
The photographers — Sipho Mpongo, Wikus de Wet and Sean Meterlerkamp — will each pursue a specific area of focus throughout the Twenty Journey. While Mpongo is planning to reveal more about the first generation growing up out of apartheid rule, De Wet will investigate the value of the land and its relationship to the people who inhabit it as Sean Meterlerkamp highlights the absurdities of life in this magnificent and puzzled country.
As part of our annual Young South Africa series, we have a Q&A with the trio about their own work and expectations for the trip.
Young South Africa: Caroline Mackintosh
Young South African photographer Caroline Mackintosh works hard but makes it look the most fun you can have with your (really, really cool) clothes on — and often tossed aside for a quick skinny dip too. Her photographs have a personality of their own: young, carefree and adventurous. Not unlike Mackintosh herself.
Having been signed to Supernova and having shot for the likes of Oyster and VICE US all during the past year, her career is rapidly taking off.
In an interview with the young photographer, we chat about her process and her future plans.
Young South Africa: Melissa Williams and the RVCA Artist Network Program
RVCA x THE PIT FIRST THURSDAYS || HEROINE & TOW AWAYS from RVCA South Africa on Vimeo.
The RVCA Artist Network Program is an initiative by the brand to support and showcase artists whose work and ethos align with its surf/skate/street/art culture.
In SA, the RVCA ANP hosts regular exhibitions and makes projects possible for young artists, be they large-scale murals, self-published ‘zines or product collaborations, all somewhat informed by or catering to young creative SA.
We thought it no better time to find out more about the Artist Network Program than during Youth Month in SA. Here, we chat to the ANP’s new marketing manager, Melissa Williams.
An interview with graphic designer, Matt Kay
Matt Kay is a talented Durban-raised and New York-based graphic designer. Currently plying his trade in the East Village of Manhattan at design agency Original Champions of Design, he’s also an alumni of acclaimed local design agency, Disturbance.
On a continuous quest for creative inspiration, Kay has spent the last two years of his career growing his portfolio and experiencing the famed creative culture of the Big Apple.
We caught up with Kay to discuss his latest work and everything else there is to know about his approach and future design work.
Domestic Bliss | A series of portraits by Alice Mann
Domestic Bliss is a series of portraits by Alice Mann which highlight the unique domestic environment in Cape Town’s wealthy Southern suburbs.
Mann chose to photograph the women in their uniforms — a constant visual marker of their existence within someone else’s home, and the defined purpose of their presence in the space.
“In each image I aimed to capture an ambiguity in my subjects: the point of intersection between their job, which defines them as low-income domestic workers, and their own pride and individuality as females in contemporary South Africa,” she says.
Read Mann’s rationale and see Domestic Bliss in its entirety.
Sanlam ‘Super Boy’ TVC
The winning South African work at Cannes
It was a great week for SA advertising at Cannes! In addition to daily field notes (here are day 1, day 2, day 3, and days 4/5), we’ve rounded up all the winning SA work from Cannes 2014.
A huge congrats to Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg for SA’s 2014 Grand Prix — it walked away with a Radio Grand Prix for client Lucozade.
SA also walked away with wins in Radio, Design and Press, Outdoor and Media, and Film and Film Craft.
Design Annotator is a regular column on MarkLives featuring the top design work from South Africa’s biggest online creative showcase, Between 10 and 5, which is curated by publisher Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal), inaugural South African winner of the British Council South Africa‘s Young Creative Entrepreneur (#YCE) Digital Publishing Award in March 2014.
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