Day 69 . 30 .06.2011

My last few days in JHB and 62 days left until the opening...

I was meant to go jamming tonight, but the admin that I have been delaying to attend to is becoming overwhelming. So, tonight I will be doing it all tonight and tomorrow I hit the streets. I think it’s a blessing I decided to take this vacation, as I am getting a lot of perspective in my approach to this exhibition. I have a different outlook on three important factors to this project. Going bigger and bold with the creative aspect of it, I need to look into my business strategy, as well as the media side. Only people in Johannesburg could have this influence on me.

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Day 68 . 29 .06.2011

Meeting number 1 in…

My uncle Bobo Pemba, who manages the late George Pemba’s (my great-grandfather) art work and our family gallery in Port Elizabeth, New Brighton resides in Johannesburg, and so this morning he picked me up and took me out for breakfast in Morningside at Tashas.

He suggested some contacts that could sponsor more wine for the event. I haven’t predicted the number of people that will be at the opening, which is on the 1^st September, so I am going big with the number of cases just in-case.

We spoke of other projects that we would like to do together, and I can’t wait to start on it next year. This time, I will be the creative director for this project rather than the person exhibiting work. I first need to get through this exhibition before I start focusing let alone speaking about other projects.

                                                                                                                                      

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Day 67 . 28 .06.2011

My break in Johannesburg...

I have been in Johannesburg for two days now and I haven’t felt this relaxed in a while. Seeing family and friends was my main mission in coming to this city. However, I can’t runaway from work, so I am still finding myself working on the exhibition, sending out emails, tweeting about it and trying to think of how I will be making a facebook group promoting it.

The emails that I have been receiving are regarding collaborations and all types of sponsorships. I still can’t get over how blessed I have been throughout this process.

There are no mountains or see breeze in this city. I find it strange. It’s congested with buildings and cars. It’s far from home (and that’s what I need now), so that’s all that matters.

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Day 66 . 27 .06.2011

Lisa Robertson

Lisa and I have been friends for a long time. I always knew she was good a graphic designer and that she takes into consideration what the client wants, as well managing to add in her own feel to it. This time she killed it.

She has managed to design the perfect poster. I am so happy with the final design and grateful to her, for all her efforts despite all the other work she had to do. I am in love with the layout!

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Day 65 . 26 .06.2011

Wassup...

Iskapie had their launch last night at 'The Lounge' in Observatory last night. I loved the intimate space that the launch was being hosted in. It added to the visual feel of the line and Iskapie as a brand. I didn’t get any pictures of the models wearing the attire, because I came really late, but I got images of the pieces.

The launch focused on showcasing a few samples of the collection that will be dropping next month. Iskapie is currently stocking a few items from its collection at A-List ands they will be selling in other outlets later on the year. I will keep ya’ll posted.

Well done to the designer Lipato Shogole and his team. You guys killed it.

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Day 64 . 25 .06.2011

Hey


Yesterday, I spent my morning at standard bank, sending in the payment for the running of the exhibition, as well as registering for internet banking. The process was exhausting but now it is done.

Tshakgi Mannya of Aluxism, who is designing my outfit for the night of my opening, confirmed that she is in the process of making my garment. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I guess for the next two months, I won’t be able to gain weight. This is major challenge for me, as I am a food lover.

Today, I am doing my last shoot for the month. I am excited for this edgy approach that I think my team and I are heading with this one. Kim Beck, the make-up artist and Morgan Strutt the model (and amazing artist who has helped me come up with the concept) and I will be doing a nude shoot out in the cold. I can’t wait for it.

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Day 63 . 24 .06.2011

 

Hello

Two months ago, Marie Claire’s body columnist Zanele Mji, asked me to document an experiment for her at the Levi’s store at the V&A Waterfront store. The experiment was to prove that the new Levi’s Curve ID™ range had a pair of jeans for every kind of women, and surprisingly it was true.

Check out this link and read more about the range  http://marieclairvoyant.com/in-this-months-issue/calling-all-curves-3

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Day 62 . 23 .06.2011

I am getting the poster today J

I am so excited.  It’s nearly the end of the month and by July, I had planned to have gotten most of the PR part done. Yes, my plan sounds crazy but all I need is time, and that, I have now. I have so much faith in my graphic designer Lisa Robertson, and so I know that the outcome of our idea will be beautiful. She is so meticulous and talented; I can’t wait to see it.

The poster is not only important for the advertising of the exhibition, but it is also important as a document of proof. I need to send this poster to my sponsorers, so they know that they are sponsoring an actual event. I never knew how much work goes into organizing an event without the guidance of a P.R manager or an events manager . I now believe that anyone can do it, you just have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of your time.

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Day 61 . 22 .06.2011

The freedom of being on vacation…

I am fortunate to be able to wake up at any hour that I please because I am on vacation. My body seems to wake up early, in need of work and that’s because it’s been used to that for so long, as a result I am awake at 8am. I have a lot of submission dates for this exhibition, but I haven’t printed it out so that I am on time with everything. Today I will be spending the day typing out all my important submission dates and exactly what I am meant to hand in. I will be completing my artist statement and an updated version of my CV to send to Deryck van Steenderen (gallery manager). The admin part is the boring part of the exhibition process, and I need to get most of it done before I go to Johannesburg this Sunday.

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Day 60 . 21 .06.2011

Exams are over...

I am officially done with exam, which means that the free time that I have from now until Sunday will be spent mostly working. There is a collaborative photographic exhibition brief that I was sent, which is called Bodyworks. The brief is exciting as it is about the human body and I am allowed to do a nude shoot. I have been longing for such and can’t wait to meet with my model and long time friend Morgan Strutt, who attends Michaelis at UCT and is currently studying Fine Art. I can rely on her for amazing ideas and 100% involvement in every way.  I am meeting up with her on Thursday, so by Friday we should start shooting and experimenting with ideas.

I know I have a lot on my plate already with the solo project I have been focused on for the past two-three months; however, I really want to work with someone again in creating a beautiful piece. I won’t lie; it’s been a while since I did.

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Day 59 . 20 .06.2011

72 days until the opening…

Eeeek!  It’s around the corner.  There are still a few things to be done and organized and considering the fact that I am half way of this process, I really do not have much time left.

A month ago, I was approached by the Brand Manager, Elzine Gawaxab, of L’agence TKN Models, who were interested in featuring me for their weekly ‘Ekapa -Up n Coming Talent”.

Check it out  à http://www.lagencetknmodels.co.za/up-and-coming or http://www.lagencetknmodels.co.za/lisa-mangcu-photography and also check out their website à http://www.lagencetknmodels.co.za

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Day 58 . 19 .06.2011

A special day…

Happy Fathers day to my grandfather, my dad, the fathers in this world, and lastly to all the women who have been both roles and still staying strong. I have mad respect for you all.

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Day 57 . 18 .06.2011

Back to reality…

I had a great three days of celebrating but enough is enough. I haven’t worked on the music I want to be played on the night of the opening. I don’t have an excuse as to why I haven’t thought about a plan to make it a reality, but I do know it should be a priority.

I was looking back at the team of people assisting me in making my night everything I need it to be, and other than Deryck van Steenderen the gallery manager, they consist of women only. This wasn’t one of those intentional things, I guess it just happened. I have no complaints and instead it excites me. Its about time women dominate even more.

June is coming to an end and this frightens me, as it means the exhibition is around the corner. I knew that time would fly but this is overboard. I am hitting the streets of Johannesburg. I love this city but I need a vacation. Can’t wait to see all my family and spend quality time with each and every one of them, especially my cousins. It might be impossible to do so in a space of 5 days, but I will make it work.

The birthday celebrations are over and so its time to start studying as I write on the 21^st June.  Wish me luck ya’ll.

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Day 56 . 17 .06.2011

WOW WOW WOW!!!

I had the best birthday ever. I mean it. I usually have a lot to do with the organizing of my day, but this year I hardly did anything. My sister Latoya (the eldest) gathered my family and close friends to Groot Constantia, where we went wine tasting. We tasted different types of red and white wine, but I think the Port was our ultimate favourite.

 Chilling with Naledi

 My beautiful cousin Lumka

Thando and Vuyi

My sisters :) Naledi and Latoya

Thank you to Naledi , Latoya , Lumka , Vuyi and Thando

Naledi (the second eldest) spontaneously took us to Kalk Bay, to one of her favourite restaurants Polana. It has this amazing view of the ocean and intimate mood, which was so fitting for the group of women I was with...

We went back home and my personal Master Chef Latoya made the most AMAZING Soufflé. I was so happy and relaxed at home, drinking the most amazing wine and eating non stop.

 Latoya slaving away. I think I might just have Soufflé every year instead of chocolate cake.

Soufflé

A day before my birthday, I sent out messages to all my close friends, inviting them to come to the Waiting Room and jam it up with me on my special day. To be honest, I didn’t expect such a great turn-out . I was proven wrong , as it seemed as if I knew everyone in the club. I am so blessed and fortunate to have the people I have in my life. Thank you to all those, that thought of me and wished me a fab day via twitter, texting, facebook and calling. I really love you all.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN!!! ( yes I am shouting)

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Day 55 . 16 .06.2011

Hello

It’s my birthday.

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Day 54 . 15 .06.2011

Hey ya’ll

I wrote my exam today. It went well. Now I plan to celebrate because it is my birthday tomorrow. I am not sure what I am going to do tonight, but I will be in town so we shall see.  My girl Azola Mona has showed 131 days some love.

Check out her blog ya’ll  http://le-mona-de.tumblr.com/ and more specifically her post about the exhibition http://le-mona-de.tumblr.com/post/6486445845/www-anelisamangcu-blogspot-com-get-familiar.


Thanks for the support my girl.

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Day 53 . 14 .06.2011

I went to campus today to submit the specialisation form. I have decided to specialize in Copywriting. I have a good feeling about my decision.  Originally my plan was to do Visual Communications (art direction and graphic design) because I am visually strong and it would come naturally for me. However, I need a challenge and that is what Copywriting has been in these past 6 months.

I am writing my first exam tomorrow morning and then again on the 21^st, then I too will be able to indulge in the holiday period. I have decided after my exam, I will start my birthday celebrations. I am not sure what I am doing yet, so I will be spontaneous this year.

All the best to my fellow Vegan’s for their exam tomorrow and the rest to come.

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Day 52 . 13 .06.2011

I feel so loved today…

I conquered In Design today. I know I have made a big deal about it all day, but it really has been the highlight of my day.

 Thank you to all my friends and family members who have been checking up on me, all day today. I really feel loved and appreciated and to think my birthday is only in 3 days time. I can’t imagine how I will feel then. My exams are around the corner, and so that is all I have been worrying about. 

In Feb 2007, Craig Natives (Fashion designer) day/sport collection was shown at the Design Indaba. When I think of an exhibition, I think of that fashion show. I know, it sounds crazy, because my exhibition is all about photography and his ‘exhibition’ was of clothing. 

However, the common trait that both of these exhibitions will share is that everything will be united. I hope I am making sense. There is only one person who will understand what I am trying to explain, and that is Thandolwethu Pahlana.

Craig Native, not only did an amazing job with the chosen models, the garments and the B-Boy dancers in the beginning, but he played his own set. Now that killed me. The ambience that set conveyed was insane.

It made me realize that everything connects, from the music you play when you’re conceptualizing you ideas, the scenery of the city that inspires your work to the variety of cultures and personalities you come across that mould you as an individual.

Everything connects. I want that sensation I had 4 years ago at my exhibition. I want people to feel that emotion when they enter the room. I want people to feel moved.

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Day 51 . 12 .06.2011

80 days to go...

I have been mentioning Rococo Studio Gallery on Facebook, Twitter, BBM and BlogSpot but not many know how it looks inside. I am surprised I haven’t taken any photographs of it myself, so I have taken these two images of the gallery from the website, just to give you a little peak.

Images were taken by Deryck van Steenderen

Uhm... I cut my hair really short, so now I have short granny curls. I am writing on the 15^th, so wish me luck. My birthday is in 4 days. Happy Birthday to my homie Keketso Moletsane :) .I don’t have much to share today, so that’s all folks.

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Day 50 . 11 .06.2011

Blonde moments...

I sent my graphic designer, Lisa Robertson, an image that is way too small to use for the poster. This means I have to change the image that I was going to use and select one that will be used in the exhibition that appeals to both markets and that is visually strong. I am to blame for delaying this process.  Oh well, life goes on. Now that all is well, I can look forward to something new.

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Day 49 . 10 .06.2011

Walking down memory lane...

One of my most memorable moments with photography, was when I was interning at Cape Times. Initially, I was supposed to follow Michael Walker, who is the chief of photography. However I was still able to shadow some great photographers, and amongst the great was Matthew Jordaan and Cindy Waxa.

I took this image on one of the many and emotionally exhausting jobs. I was told I should re-think photojournalism, as it isn’t a job for the feint hearted. I found myself intercepting, trying to console, instead of taking pictures twice as fast as the actual photographer who was assigned to go with the journalist on the job. Oh well , who cares , I had fun.

Date: 2010 (September)

Medium: photography

Title: none

Location: YCMA building next to district 6 café - darling street, Cape Town

Subjects names: anonymous

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Day 48 . 09 .06.2011

Hey yall

I don’t have anything to share today. I hope everyone is well and keeping warm this winter and before I forget, happy studying, to all those who still have exams.

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Day 47 . 08 .06.2011

Im on leave...

I am officially on a study break, which means less time in the city and more time indoors. I write on the 15^th  and the 21^st of June , which means I need to dedicate this short exam period to my books , and less to my personal projects , such as this exhibition. I am fortunate to have made a lot of progress from the day I started, and so I feel confident that things will work out as I had envisioned.

There is not much more I need to do for the exhibition, other than to work on my pieces, put up the poster (after it is done) in different places in the city, confirm with the alcohol sponsors about the times I would need them to deliver, and work on my facebook page and event when I am ready to invite people.

The gallery is taking charge of the print marketing strategy and approach and I will focus on the social networking aspect. This works perfectly, because I spend a lot of my time on the social networking sites anyway.

My birthday is exactly in 8 days (16^th June), and I still don’t know what I am doing. I found this book Life on the Lower East Side, with photographs by Rebecca Lapkoff from 1937-1950’s and written by Peter Dans and Suzanne Wasserman. I love it and want it so much, and so I have decided it will be something I buy for myself on the day. I don’t remember last I decided to buy myself a present.  I’m surprised I found it in Cavendish at a shop called ‘The Space’ next to Vida e Cafe.

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Day 46 . 07 .06.2011

Yippeeee….

It’s been finalized; The Waiting Room is where the after party will be hosted.

As I mentioned in the previous post, it won’t be a private party for those who attend the opening, but it’s still going to be great. Simone sent me an e-mail with the logo (which is below) to add onto the poster for the details of the after-party.

J POW

Happy Birthday to the two artists that inspire me, Caelyn Robertson and Jana Luzaan Terblanche, who happen to be born on the same day .

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Day 45 . 06 .06.2011

 

The outfit, the after-party and the poster….

My designer, Tshakgi Mannya of Aluxism, is going back to Johannesburg this evening. I shall miss her, but at least we were able to narrow down the many options that we had spoken about as well as collected together, since we last spoke about collaborating.  I am excited to see what she comes up with, as we are in separate cities so I won’t be able to be a part of the creation every step of the way.

I almost forgot about focusing on what I would like to do after the opening of the exhibition. Normally people host big after-parties, but I would like to go to a place that caters for both markets, that is central and has an amazing vibe on a Thursday night, and the only place that came to mind was The Waiting Room, which is above Royale Eatery in Long Street. I emailed Simone, one of the managers, and asked whether it would be possible to have those who are keen to jam afterwards there and she agreed. The idea isn’t to have a private party, but for my guests to go somewhere afterwards, to hang out and listen to good music and obviously celebrate the success of the opening. She mentioned that the DJ’s will be playing their set from 9pm, so everyone could come along after the opening as the please and that they will be no cover charge. YAY!

I spoke to Lisa Robertson, (who is the graphic designer working on the poster) to inform her on where I would like my guest to join me after the exhibition, so that she would include that information on the poster. She will be working on the poster this week and by next week, it should be ready. I can’t wait to see how it looks. I am fortunate to be working with people who completely understand my vision and who know me, and so I am able to let them do their own thing without any anxiety from my side.

Happy birthday to my friend of many years and supporter of 131 days (right from the start), Palesa Sankoloba, I hope your day was amazing.

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Day 44 . 05 .06.2011

Inspiration


On the 14^th post, which was on the 6^th May, I mentioned that designer and stylist Tshakgi Mannya of Aluxism approached me, offering to do collaboration in designing a garment for me to wear on the night of the opening of my exhibition. As I said in the last post, she is inspired by everything and that’s what Aluxism means. Her brand, Aluxism is the movement of being inspired, which is expressed in her own interpretation of her daily surroundings through fashion.

Ms Mannya is in Cape Town for the weekend and on Friday when we met, which was tons of fun, she mentioned ideas of creating a jumpsuit. One can never go wrong with a jumpsuit. She proposed using lace for the top half of it, and still hasn’t thought of the material for the bottom half. I love lace. If I had to give personality traits to the material lace, I would say it is sensual, feminine and understated. However, she also mentioned tea stains on the material. These are just ideas, so I will confirm the final design when I see her later on today.

I spent the day outside. I never thought it was this possible to experience so many moments of seeing beauty. This week’s weather was bewildering, as some days would start off warm and then an hour later extremely cold. The Gods were moody this week and finally today, they were at peace. My phone is giving my problems and so I can’t upload the image I took, and I didn’t take my camera with because I was walking the dogs. Have a beautiful Sunday and good luck to all those writing exams.

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Day 43 . 04 .06.2011

Deadlines

My deadline is the 1^st August 2011. Everything from the digital copies of my collection must be in to the artist statement/biography. I am very grateful, as I still have time to do the admin part , at my own pace. I don’t like being rushed; it prevents me from doing things properly and doing things of good quality.

I wish I have a financial advisor in this process, as the financial aspect of this is stressful and a bit confusing. Today I will be thinking long and hard about the prices for my pieces, and looking at a suitable price for both my markets and that will also be profitable to the artist , that being me.

Yesterday was a great day and so a little celebration was deserved. I went to the Word of Art gallery in Woodstock at the Industrial Centre. There was a screening of the film 'Beautiful Losers”, live art, sick bands and vj’s. The line up of talented performances was more than I could have asked for. The team behind last night’s event worked their asses (excuse the language) off. Shout out to my girl Anthea Duce, the curator, for bringing it all together.

A WORD OF ART and RVCA Artist Network Program present:
An evening of art, music and unicorns!
Popcorn, Beers, Balloons

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Day 42 . 03 .06.2011

Productive meetings

The meeting at Rococo Studio Gallery went exceptionally well. We spoke about spacing, media coverage, the marketing of the event, how the drinks will be served, whether I will be using downstairs or upstairs to exhibit and the sizes of the pieces. I have never felt as great, after a meeting, as I did yesterday. Deryck van Steenderen, the general manager, has been so supportive throughout this journey. I really couldn’t ask for a better deal.

So the times have been confirmed. The doors will open at 6pm, the opening of the exhibition will officially commence at 7pm and then the night will come to an end at 12pm. Now that the times have been confirmed, I will be able to give Lisa Robertson (graphic designer) the information, so that the poster can be completed.

After this productive and exciting meeting, I left the gallery with the biggest grin feeling like thing are finally coming together. I find it so strange (this is the only word that best describes my feeling towards this) that this idea is becoming a reality. It’s been a lot of hard work, and as I always say, there is still so much to do.

I have exactly 89 days left, which is just under 3 months. I wonder how I am going to juggle exams, the vacation that I won’t compromise and the preparations for this exhibition. I’m keen for the challenge.

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