Delving into the intricate and compelling world of American-born and Joburg-based artist, Nathaniel Stern, one is once again emphatically confronted with the pure immensity that is art appreciation and philosophy. Because Stern’s work is embedded in extensive investigation into subjects so significant to human nature, currently and historically, his art is quite possibly some of the most relevant around.

A productive day in Stern’s life may consist of wading waist-deep in a water-lily pond with a desktop scanner, laptop and custom-made battery pack strapped to his body. Wielding this unique contraption he literally performs images into existence by scanning along table surfaces, swinging over flowers, hopping over bricks or, in this case, floating over water-lily ponds. This active engagement with his surroundings translates into quirky and organic but condensed renderings which he then re-stretches, crops and touches up on his laptop, and finally they are transformed into exquisite archival art prints for the gallery wall. This process of art-making he has suitably named Compressionism.

Stern follows a rather unique trajectory when creating his Compressionist works. From influential roots in Impressionism through to Surrealism imagery, ending in a postmodern sentiment, Compressionism is more than a playful allusion to historical art movements of “isms”. Allegorically, Stern’s term Compressionism dictates the nature of this day and age. In a world of time and space constraints threatening to slow us down, the concept of compression allows us to “zip-folder” large amounts of data into smaller spaces, which is also intrinsic to our lives of trying to fit an alarming amount of activities into one day.

His latest installation, entitled “Giverny of the Midwest”, on display at Art On Paper from 30 July 2011, is part of an ongoing series started in 2005 in Johannesburg. The main work, a 2 x 12 metre installation of 93 prints of water-lily pond scans was inspired by Monet’s work in Giverny where he spent over 30 years painting his famous water lilies. For this particular work Stern spent three days camping beside a lily pond in South Bend, Indiana with his scanner-laptop-battery apparatus, endlessly scanning his surroundings with only his studio assistant and an agitated snapping turtle for company. After this brief adventure, it took over eighteen months of editing and reworking images to achieve the full installation to where it is now.

Using Monet’s Water Lilies triptych at the MoMA in New York as his source for following movement and patterns of colour and light and Mondrian as the inspiration for the spacing of the images, Stern managed to create a kind of digital play between modularity and Modernism in this large installation.

Coining new terminology and experimenting with new hardware combinations are, however, not the only things Stern concerns himself with. He is also a prolific scholar of performative and interactive art and is considered one of the fathers of this progressive movement in South Africa. Throughout his career he has explored an array of different concepts including political commentary, performance, human interaction and language, and has deepened his research around these interests over many years.

Like most progressive artists today, Stern often collaborates with other artists. “I believe that artists no longer simply make images, they make discourse – they ask us not only to look but to look again, to re-examine,” he says, “Art is always dialogical – I mean, simply, that it is in dialogue – with history, with other art and artists, with current events, with politics and pop culture and more. Most of all, it is in dialogue with people, with real people.”

In his 2003/2009 updated work, “Stuttering”, one of his many interactive installations, Stern investigates how we affect, and are affected by conversation and comprehension. Each viewer in the space triggers a large-scale interactive art object projected on the wall in front of them. Body tracking software picks up the movement of the viewers and animates a quote about stuttering and is accompanied by an audio recitation of its text.

When questioned about bringing art to the people via interaction, Stern quotes: “There are a lot of reasons I work with interactive art. A large portion of this is to reach a bigger audience and get them excited about art, while also engaging with complex ideas and materials. And I also believe that such work can be serious stuff, which needs to be investigated further by those in the academy and elsewhere.”

Some of Stern’s other works will also be on display at UNISA in September.

For more information visit http://nathanielstern.com or www.artonpaper.co.za

Madiba is celebrated worldwide for his vision for peace and unity among South Africans and will forever be known as a defender of equality and a well-respected leader. In celebration of his 21 years of freedom, First National Bank (FNB) created the concept of a Tribute to 21 Years of Freedom for its Premier Banking clients. It was to be a momentous event and banquet dinner to celebrate this ‘Living Icon’ as well as 21 other ‘Premier’ South African icons who all paid tribute to Mandela. Many celebrities attended the event as well as an esteemed group of FNB’s Premier clients. The event was created as part of the company’s Premier First Experiences that it offers Premier Banking clients.

These events are groundbreakers in themselves, thrilling attendees with unique experiences. This tribute event was no exception. “The initiative has been designed to thank existing clients for giving their business to Premier Banking from FNB. Through a series of events and initiatives, we take our clients into an environment that not only allows them to network with like-minded individuals, but also exposes them to a variety of enriching experiences that differ from anything in the market,” notes Lezanne Human, Chief Executive Officer of Premier Banking from FNB.

Fittingly taking place at The Killarney Country Club in Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela, as a free man, exercised his democratic right to vote – the exquisite and emotional gala dinner gave most in attendance goose bumps and brought a few to tears. Local celebrities, many of whom are known as pioneers in their various fields, came together for a lavish affair to show their love and support of this strong Nobel Laureate and all he has fought for. Prior to the event, FNB also created widespread awareness through various media platforms to allow proud South Africans the chance to write their own tribute to Mandela via a dedicated SMS line. Thousands of tributes to our special leader were sent in and these are being recorded in an artful book which will be presented to the Nelson Mandela Foundation in due course.

SOME OF THE LOVING TRIBUTES THAT WERE SENT IN FOR MADIBA*:

“Tata, thank you for affording us the opportunity to experience freedom, a country we could call home and giving us the license to dream big. We wish you well, let your heart be glad for what you have given us.”

“Madiba, you are a true example of a nation’s leader. You served our country with kindness, compassion and a true vision of equality. If we could all see through your eyes, the world would be a better place.”

“Dear Madiba, you are a true example of strength through humility. People easily admire you, but few follow your example… May God grant us the strength to step up and lead the way you did.”

“Dear Nelson, our freedom may have come at a cost to humanity but your contribution to the freedom we enjoy will forever remain priceless. May humanity continue to learn from your unselfish deeds. Thank you.”

“Because of your sacrifice today I can open doors that my parents couldn’t; I can walk tall in the knowledge that I am special and equal to all my fellow South Africans… thank you Tata!”

“A man with so much compassion and tolerance. A true living icon and a legend in my lifetime… and all lifetimes to follow.”

“You altered our history through love, compassion and a willingness to forgive – not only did you become our leader but also a father to our nation. Stand tall, stand proud, for you redefined our history and paved a path for greatness… thank you.”

*all dedications have been left anonymous out of respect for each contributor’s privacy.

Image courtesy of: Faccio Foto’s

He studied fashion, had a career as a make-up artist, has contributed to local publications as a voice of wisdom in fashion and has even created a cartoon which became the basis for a book. Dion Chang is also the founder of the well-respected trend analysis company called Flux Trends which hosts the annual Flux Trends Review conference which provides an overview of “the state we’re in”.

When and why did you decide that you wanted to get into the fashion industry?

I was one of those weird freaks of nature who knew by the age of seven what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a designer, no question about it – that was the dream. I even took part in a national design competition while still in Matric. However, I realised just as quickly that being a designer wasn’t for me after all. I later won a post graduate scholarship to Paris to do make-up, then styling in London, and only came back to SA to await visa papers to be processed. While I was waiting I fell into magazines, doing odd jobs here and there. As I was preparing to leave I was offered a job as fashion editor of BOB T in-house banking magazine, and wrestled with what to do. I just felt I couldn’t turn down the opportunity; I mean how often do these openings come along in the magazine industry. But it wasn’t what I expected, a definite baptism of fire. You had to sell your advertorial before you could do your features. I wondered if I had made the right choice staying in SA. Luckily I did as it led to joining the Elle launch team.

It is commendable that with all your years as a forecaster of global trends you haven’t permanently migrated north – do you feel that you will continue to call SA home?

I’ve lived overseas, and worked in Europe, but SA is always home. Social dynamics fascinate me, and what better Petri dish to observe than modern day South Africa?  London is great but I prefer to visit, and it works well for me. I can visit places all over the world to learn about trends, for instance this year I’ve been to Paris for the décor exhibition Maison et Objet and CES the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas amongst others. The wonderful thing is every trip is work, discovering, observing, learning, but it’s also a pleasure.

My base is South Africa, and I’m finding a lot more innovation coming out of developing countries these days. That’s where the energies are. And for that reason the only other place I could live is China. Look at the BRIC nations, there are such relevant developments here in Africa, a lot of trends have leapfrogged first world concepts, such as banking, mobile technology and services – because people have different needs,  the industries have to find different solutions, and I really enjoy seeing those reverse innovations coming through.

Your trend analysis company, Flux Trends, ‘connects the dots’ for clients in fast-paced times where we have too much information to sift through. In a broad context, how do you decide what trend/ key information is most important to educate the client on?

Well I’d say we have a two-tiered approach. The key is to take a broad overview of what’s happening in the world. I shy away from labels like futurologists, because it creates the wrong expectations, I prefer to look at what’s going on now. Too much information leads us to have tunnel vision. I believe my job is to step back and look at the whole spider web, taking into account politics, popular culture, technology and so on in order to understand. Then it’s about focusing on what’s relevant to the specific client. For instance I’m working a lot with banks at the moment, they find themselves on unsteady ground, the landscape is shifting, the waters are muddy. Of course I’m expected to say what is new or next, but I feel in order to do my job properly it is important to also clearly outline what is going on in the present and show the potential threats now.

You are a published author, columnist and internationally-recognised trend analyst – yet you are known to South Africans for your contributions to the fashion industry. What has been your proudest accomplishment outside of fashion?

I know I have the mantle of being ‘that fashion guy’, but I have rebranded myself outside of the fashion industry. My proudest accomplishment has to be setting up Flux purely based on a gut feeling. People said “You’re mad!”, “You’re throwing away your fashion reputation”, but I really wanted to do it. It was a two year process to create Flux from nothing, and I launched with a trend conference that I funded, which was scary. No one else was doing trend analysis at the time, trendspotting wasn’t really in the lexicon, so the biggest challenge wasn’t just presenting myself seriously without talking handbags and shoes, but explaining what exactly Flux did and why it was important to businesses. It was an uphill battle at first, because companies only used stat-based research, and it was a time when they needed a more human perspective. That was in 2006, and then the recession hit. It was perfect timing, all these companies wanted advice and answers – Doors were open, luckily for us.

Do you ever allow yourself an ‘unstylish day’?

Anybody who says they don’t is a liar. But style is relative; it’s not only about dress code. For example you could be sitting around a fire wearing a tracksuit, but then, if you have a delicious wine… so there are different ways of being stylish.

Tell us a little about your cartoon character Gloria and how she became the focus of a book?

Gloria came from my time at Elle. We needed something to pretty up the stockist page. I mentioned I had developed a character initially for use on gift cards, we tried it out and Gloria found a home. And then she grew and grew, until a publisher approached me about doing a book. I had never considered it because I never thought I could write. I mean, I didn’t go to journalism school, and my thinking was that without a qualification ‘you can’t do something’. So, for me, it was a significant achievement. And of course it was great fun.

You are seen as an ‘original’ – A South African trendsetter who is “Living the Dream”. Do you feel you have accomplished all your goals, or is there still something you strive to achieve?

It’s funny, I’ve never been one for a check-box strategy. It’s only when doing interviews like this where you reflect on achievements. Although when I was a starving student in Paris I remember dreaming of doing a live television link to a South African fashion show or some kind of report back home. Then later, when working with Elle, one day I was in a hotel room having just done a live radio interview, and I suddenly realised I’d just achieved my dream.

The journey you intend is never the one you end up on. I’m always looking for an original challenge, for instance I do have some innovative plans on the publishing side for the future. Trailblazing is a red flag to a bull for me. If I look back, the Elle launch, then starting Elle man which was a supplement well in advance of GQ and the men’s magazines, and of course Flux itself – every achievement has been about starting and nurturing something from the start.

‘Living the dream’ is relative. What in your mind are the key ingredients?

I think sometimes you don’t realise you are living the dream when it happens. For example, I’m often invited on trips, and flown around the world by people: A visit to London will be all paid for – hotel, flights etc. You don’t ask for this, it comes very unexpectedly, but I love to travel, it’s important to me, and I realise how wonderful my life is with all these opportunities.

Of course, ‘living the dream’ is indeed relative. For me it’s about never following the money or the fame. It’s about real passion, and naive blind faith in my abilities. I think ‘living the dream’  is an attitude not a benchmark – If you can keep your naive idealism you’re always living the dream.

To learn more about Flux Trend’s and Dion’s thoughts on hot trends, visit www.fluxtrends.co.za

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The easiest way to explain the allure of shopping to any man is comparing it to football or any contact sport. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death for the last size seven pumps and the ecstasy of the final purchase – score! But to truly understand the buying power of women, famous women, you have to look at how many digits they have to play with. Last year despite the world climbing out of a recession, Forbes.com had no problem compiling its annual Celebrity 100. This list of top earners featured six women in the top 10. The Queen of Media, Oprah, banked an impressive $315 million, and The Queen of Pop, Madonna (ranked 10th), cashed in $58 million. With Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Sandra Bullock cashing in $269 million collectively. However, with the constant freebies they receive, what exactly do the starlets have to pay for and how much are they spending?

To date (and to public knowledge), Oprah’s biggest spend has been on property and the $40 million she invested establishing the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Henley on Klip, south of Johannesburg. The school, set over 22 acres, opened in January 2007 with an enrolment of 150 pupils and has state-of-the-art classrooms, computer and science laboratories, a library, theatre and even a beauty salon.

Another celebrity who values property is Tiger Woods. According to DailyMail.co.uk, Woods is getting ready to move into his private mansion on Jupiter Island in Florida. The mansion is rumoured to be valued at about $60 million and comes with running track, tennis court, gym, diving pool with lap lane and four-hole golf course. Prior to that Tiger Woods called his $65 million estate in the Hamptons his home. The downgrade could have been due to the reported $750 million his ex-wife received in the divorce settlement.

For Jay-Z’s 41st birthday, wife Beyonce bought the rap mogul a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, priced at $2 million. The car is the fastest vehicle on the road — able to go from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. Nevertheless, when it comes to really spending money on transportation, men still seem to be the biggest spenders. The Maybach Exelero is a high-performance sports car designed and built by German luxury car manufacturer Maybach. In 2005, the supercar was originally purchased by diamond mogul, André A. Jackson for $7.8 million. This year Jackson sold the vehicle to rapper Bryan Williams (aka Birdman) for $8 million. Tom Cruise flies higher than the rest of us – literally. His Gulfstream IV, priced at around $40 million, arcs through the ether at 45 000 feet, roughly 10 000 feet above most commercial aircrafts. Cruise enjoys several other high-altitude perks. His cabin air is completely refreshed every two minutes, as opposed to never. And he’s pressurised at 6 000 feet, as opposed to 8 000, so he is less fatigued when he arrives for a premiere

When it comes to handbags no other celebrity could clutch the title from Victoria Beckham. Over the space of a couple months she has been spotted with a white Jimmy Choo Marin bag (£650), a patent black Fendi bag (£775), fuchsia Hermès clutch, (£3 000), tan Hermès Birkin (£4 000), pink ostrich Fendi bag (£10 000), green Fendi bag (£1 200) and a tan and red Hermès bag (£4 000). Despite having her own handbag collection, she is reported to own over 100 versions of the Hermès Birkin bag (at a total of £400 000).

Nobody has kicked the spending into high gear more so than Imelda Marcos when it comes to shoes. As the wife of Ferdinand E. Marcos, the 10th President of the Philippines, Imelda housed an estimated 3 000 pairs of shoes behind the palace doors. The former first lady’s extravagant lifestyle reportedly included $5 million shopping tours in New York, Rome and Copenhagen and sending a plane to pick up Australian white sand for a new beach resort. She purchased a number of properties in Manhattan in the 1980s, including the $51-million Crown Building and the $60-million Herald Centre (she declined to purchase the Empire State Building for $750 million as she considered it “too ostentatious”). Her New York real estate was later seized and sold, along with much of her jewels and the majority of her 175-piece art collection, which included works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Canaletto. As of 2010 the Marcos family have an estimated net worth of over $220 billion.

When it comes to family spending one of the biggest Hollywood families is no doubt the Pitt-Jolie clan. It isn’t easy raising six children, especially when it involves hiring an army of tutors, nannies, chefs and private transportation. According to Bonnie Fuller of HollyBaby.com: “They spend about $10 million a year on the kids.” Jolie who landed at 18 on the 2010 Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List, with a salary of $20 million is followed by Pitt also banking $20 million. Brad and Angelina spend about $5 million on private jets, not including the cost of first-class tickets, so that they can take their family with them when they travel. Then there is the approximately $1 million on private tutors. The nannies earn around $900 000 a year and clothes spend is roughly $96 000 (possibly per child). Birthday parties are also a costly affair with $7 000 to charter a private boat for Pax’s 7th birthday. And who wouldn’t be envious of parents that have also rented out a zoo for a party for the kids.

For more information visit: www.forbes.com/lists, Oprah Winfrey Academy for girls www.owla.co.za, www.jupiterisland.com, www.maybach-manufaktur.com, www.gulfstream.com, www.hermes.com, www.jimmychoo.com, www.fendi.com, www.hollybaby.com, www.waldorfnewyork.com

Alessi is one of those companies which embodies a typical phenomenon of Italian industrial culture, namely that of ‘Italian Design Factories’, explains Alberto Alessi, managing director of Alessi Spa and head of marketing strategy, communication and design management on the company’s website. “When speaking about the ‘Italian Design factories’ I am referring to a historical group of companies for whom design is– if I may use a somewhat exaggerated term – a Mission, an activity which has gradually broken away from its original meaning as a simple formal project for an object and has become a sort of ‘overall philosophy’, a ‘Weltanschauung’, underlying all of these companies’ operational steps: we believe that our true nature comes closer to a “Research Lab in the Applied Arts” than to an industry in the traditional sense of the term.”

The history of the Alessi family originates in the valleys of Lake Orta in the Italian Alps where their tradition in wood and metal handicraft began, was passed down from generation to generation and still thrives today.
The company became a major player and a point of design reference under Alberto’s father Carlo. The insightful creator drew on his training as an industrial designer in order to develop most of the products between 1935 and 1945.
“In the 1950s, my father replaced my grandfather as corporate general manager, giving up altogether his activity as a designer and increasingly relying on the contributions of freelance designers, in accordance with a practice which was to become typical of all ‘Italian Design Factories’,” says Alberto Alessi.

It was Alberto Alessi who truly changed the face of the brand, joining the company in the 70s he gave it the edge to become the renowned brand it is today. He formed relationships with the world’s best designers and got them to produce atypical products to what they were known for. If you wanted to be cool in the 80s or 90s you had to have an Alessi item in your kitchen.

Alessi is popular for offering its fans and dedicated followers the finest contemporary design items for the home in different product and price ranges under three brands. OFFICINA ALESSI offers high-end, experimental items that are produced in smaller quantities and as limited editions. A di ALESSI showcases pieces that are the best in design at an affordable price, while the ALESSI brand offers the finest in major industrial production in homeware.

Reaching a wider market than just some whacky kettles and awesome bottle openers, Alessi has collaborated on projects to release products such as pens, wristwatches, barbecues, lighters and ashtrays and the sexy AlessiPhone designed by Stefano Giovannoni.
Alessi designs are treasured worldwide as products that are practical and clever yet a work of art that you can flaunt on your shelf proudly. Many exhibitions have been held worldwide to pay tribute to the brand’s work and there is even an Alessi Museum.
Over and above being available worldwide in various multi-brand retail stores, Alessi also has 26 flagship stores including in locations such as Berlin, Hong Kong, New York, London and Paris.

The brand prefers not to hire internal designers and rather uses independent creatives. Alessi has collaborated with many renowned designers and its most recent catalogue of available design ranges is a result of working with over 500 international designers.
“The right type of contribution that an industry such as Alessi can make to the civilised development of the consumer society is to be an artistic mediator, attempting to create new objects, introducing a touch of transcendence, helping us decipher our own modernity,” explains Alberto Alessi.

Alessi is available locally at Spilhaus and certain retail stores. For more information on your nearest stockist call Koola World Distributors on (011) 403 2916. To take a look at Alessi products online visit www.alessi.com

Handsome enough to be in front of the camera himself, South Africa can add David to the list of one of its own homegrown hotties with exceptional talent who is impressing the masses on an international field.

Born in Cape Town, David first picked up a camera when he was just a child. With a small 3.2 megapixel camera in hand, David realised he had a passion for photography when his friends started lining up for mini photo shoots. An uncommon dream career for a teenage guy, I asked David why he chose fashion photography in particular: “I have wanted to do fashion photography ever since I was 11 years old and saw a behind the scenes look at a fashion shoot on TV. I decided to focus on fashion because I like the creative aspects of the images, with interesting fashion designs and sets. I have always preferred taking photographs of people and mixing this with innovative outfits,” comments David. Although still fresh in the game, David doesn’t believe he will ever get bored of fashion photography. “I love doing it, but if
I was forced to choose another type of photography I would probably choose Photo Journalism.”

He taught himself photographic techniques, and at the age of 16 his work was featured in the Canadian online magazine The Dinner Jacket which described him as ‘a fresh crop of talent’. David’s classmates started paying him to take shots required for their portfolios and the aspiring models walked into agencies with photographs by David in their hands. The agencies started making enquiries and soon BOSS Models signed him.

Like photographers beyond David in years, this young talent has the eye for capturing the true essence of a person and makes his models feel at ease with his honest approach and calming character. This self-taught photographer is producing raw and edgy imagery and combining natural elements that are arty and sexy.
“When taking photographs of people I always have to find some form of inspiration, if it means having to walk down the streets of London or visiting the shores of Cape Town, I do what is necessary to produce my work,” says David.

David’s goal is to one day shoot for Vogue magazines across the world as well as i-D Magazine, a high fashion publication in London. “I would love to shoot for Lady Gaga as her creativity is just overflowing and is a constant inspiration to my work.”

David Sessions has created a name for himself locally and in London, with celebrities in both countries wanting to work with him. He has already photographed the likes of Eleanor Gecks who is known for her role in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, international model Tess Montgomery, UK actress and model Keeley Hazell, popular British band Murkage and Greg Carlin from Zebra & Giraffe.

It would be worthwhile remembering this young man’s name as he will no doubt be playing an important role in the fashion world for years to come.

Keep an eye out for an exclusive photo shoot David did for LIVEOUTLOUD on his last trip to SA with local star Vanessa Haywood donning a collection of hot brands shot on location in Cape Town coming up in our August issue.

For more information visit www.davidsessionsphotography.com

After a few short years Burchell’s work has developed into something far beyond traditional art. She strives to make art accessible to the viewer, which is a very delicate operation. Burchell says, “Art isn’t about pictures on the wall anymore – it’s about connecting; communicating a message via interaction”.

Burchell speaks about her role in the art industry as someone who is progressing and trying to change the way people approach, buy and invest in art. As all Burchell’s works are investment pieces, they bear special significance to the business world constantly developing technologically and economically. “People are flooded with visual imagery all day long, so I believe that visual art needs to recreate itself to be able to distinguish itself within the times”.

All of Burchell’s pieces are made with industrial materials and all works are as a result of collaboration with industrial production houses, engineers and programmers. As interactive art installations usually need computers and electrical equipment to work, Burchell explains that in order for an artwork such as hers to be accessible for buyers, very unique and sophisticated planning and programming lies behind it to transform it from a nifty display at a gallery into a serious investment artwork.

Burchell’s two new works portray her interest in the parodies of how natural things become mechanised, as well as her fascination with creating portraits of people with non-representative visual elements.

Her piece, “Lilies”, is a mysteriously organic work, despite its industrial components. This work, created to be touched, is an interactive installation of thick wires sprouting out of a solid white frame and the story is communicated through whispering voices that play when the wire “stems” are touched. The electrical circuit that controls the stems is arranged in organic patterns inside the frame. The gentle flow of the stems together with the grounding electrical circuit, mimic the physical nature of a Lily plant and its roots.
“Portrait of Anderson” is a series of marble cement mouths cast from South African artist Audrey Anderson’s mouth. Each fragment is an isolated characteristic of a syllable of an unnamed sentence spoken by Anderson. These mouths capture character traits specific to Anderson, the small natural mannerisms that make her unique.

The mouths are mounted on steel poles and displayed as heritage objects inside a frame. Like people do with heritage items, they will stand before them and try and extract meaning. The mouths sit in sequence, grouping the syllables together to form words, and the viewer can attempt to extract the sentence. The interaction is in the silence of this work. The first of her mute works, these strange fragments of a mouth are talking with no sound, yet actively communicating.

Both of these works follow the philosophical theory that all natural phenomena, including human behaviour, can be broken down into mechanical processes. Burchell’s work is deeply set in philosophy, yet easy to relate to. All works are personal and honest and intend to bring about an experience, not a comment on the world. Her art does not aim to shock or inform – it is about a single, universal feeling of discovery; for everyone to be able to access, connect and draw a unique, personal experience from it.
All Burchell’s works are visually minimalist. Although, visually, they are compelling and beautiful to look at, they are subtle and pure – void of any unnecessary plumage. “I always ask myself, what does it need? Lip colour on the mouths will not add anything other than aesthetics to the work. To me it’s all about that sublime essence of a work, the deeper meaning,” she says. Certainly Burchell’s work needs closer inspection, like a double take. This is all part of the interaction and extraction of meaning.
Burchell’s two new pieces will be exhibited at Fried Contemporary Art Gallery in Pretoria, together with three other established artists – Rina Stutzer, Frikkie Eksteen and Christiaan Hattingh, opening on 5 May 2011. This exhibition, “Designs of Nature,” is one of four collaborative exhibitions curated by Elfriede Dreyer.

Natasha Sideris has many years of experience in the restaurant industry and through her familiarity has learnt what it takes to create a popular restaurant that will make patrons want to return repeatedly.

She graduated with a psychology degree from Wits University in 1997 and during her studies she was already gaining experience at her father’s Fishmonger restaurant in Rivonia, Johannesburg and also worked at Fishmonger head office and opened a few stores for them.  Sideris opened a gourmet sandwich store in Pretoria called Everest but was not happy with the take away environment due to the lack of interaction with customers and the limited food offering. “I moved on to work as operations manager for the Ninos group and assisted with the opening of several stores, during this time the Ninos in Bedfordview went on the market and I grabbed the opportunity as I had always wanted to own and run my own coffee shop,” says Natasha.

 It was at this time she realised that there was a gap in the market for her concept and in 2005 opened the first tashas in Athol Square and later converted the Ninos in Bedfordview.

What made you decide to open tashas?
I started the brand in 2005 with a view in mind of opening a daytime café, a departure from the traditional coffee shop and typical restaurant.  A place where customers could get a great meal prepared with the freshest and best ingredients in an environment that was authentic and homely. The food and drinks offering was termed innovative comfort food all presented beautifully. At that stage in Johannesburg the choices were limited in terms of daytime eating. You could go to a coffee shop which had the same old choices on the menu and were more than likely themed, these coffee shops had a similar look and if one were to take the sign off them and replace it with another brand you probably would not have noticed.  Your second choice would be to go to a formal restaurant, not ideal for the day.
I have been in the food business for 18 years but I can only say that I am finally doing what I love in the food industry, I get to be creative with both the food and the interiors, I work with people on a daily basis and I get to feel the adrenaline of opening new stores while still keeping a firm grip on the business side of things.

Is the restaurant a family affair?
My brother (Savva Sideris) is a partner in tashas and he has proved to be integral to the success of the brand. He joined me in 2007 and he is now in charge of all operational standards in the brand.

How did you come up with the concept for the type of food you wanted to offer?
I wanted to offer fresh unfussy flavours presented beautifully, true café food – where things on the menu would appeal to all people and at various times of the day and for anyone’s price bracket. When I decided to open tashas the research for the food was intense, I researched hundreds of books and magazines. I tagged ideas that I liked in terms of flavour and presentation and mixed and matched, I got inspiration from others that made me create my own unique dishes. The key guiding force was always simplicity and it still is today, I am really not into fusion fad, I love rustic dishes that don’t take forever to prepare and use a few simple ingredients. Big inspirations for me were Donna Hay, Bill Granger, Neil Perry and of course Jamie Oliver.

What’s the most enjoyable aspect of owning a restaurant?
Well that’s a tough question – a restaurant is a living breathing thing that’s made up of so many different elements, I could never just choose one thing I would have to say it’s a combination of happy customers, happy staff and producing a quality product and overall experience. Other things that are exciting are new items on the menu, researching new ingredients and finding the best suppliers. No two days are ever the same.

How did it turn into a franchise? Which branches are you still involved in?
 It was never part of my plan to franchise tashas, I opened tashas Athol with one goal in mind – that was to open a warm authentic space with beautiful food, but with that came a huge demand from the public and customers to open in other areas. I decided that the best way forward was to franchise, so when Famous Brands approached me it was the perfect fit. To some this statement seems odd, they are mass market and we are boutique and niche but at the end of the day franchising requires systems and controls and there is no other company that does franchising quite as well as they do. It will never be a mass produced brand with one on every corner in every province – it will remain boutique and small. I still own the Bedfordview branch and only recently sold the Athol branch. I will never sell Bedfordview, I think it is key to keep one store so as to know what is going on from an operational level and to assess what works and what doesn’t.

What is the winning formula of tashas that makes people keep coming back for more?
I think it’s a matter of making sure that we don’t move too far away from what has made us a success from the beginning and if I were to sum it up it would be – good food, in a stunning setting with customer driven service while still being innovative. I would like to think that we serve a great product coupled with attentive and caring service – the customer is paramount.

What is your favourite dish on the tashas menu?
I would have to say the salmon burgers, they are packed with flavour and we make them from scratch using the best Norwegian salmon, and topped with fresh avocado and coriander.

Any plans to change or evolve the brand?
We are constantly evolving the brand but still stay true to the core, I think evolving the brand is key to its long-term success, I am constantly working on new menus and looking at trends, we rework the presentation when we add new items and look at fresh ways of displaying products. Food is a lot like fashion and you have to keep your finger on the pulse.
You have expanded to Umhlanga and now rumour has it that you are opening in Cape Town too? Does this mean tashas could go international in the foreseeable future?
We opened in Constantia Village on the 14th of April. I would love to expand the brand internationally but I think it’s a bit premature; we are still young and have great plans for the brand in South Africa.
For more information on your nearest tashas café visit www.tashas.co.za

Elegance, opulence and magnificence are some of the words that can be used to describe the Continental Wings event hosted by LiveOutLoud on the evening of the 14th of April.
This prestigious event took place in the ExecuJet hangar at Lanseria Airport and was attended by the elite guests of Bentley, Breitling, ExecuJet and Absa Private who mingled with various celebrities such as Bryan Habana, Derek Watts and top lifestyle media. Guests were welcomed by ExecuJet flight attendants with a glass of champagne, each of which contained a cubic zirconia, with one of the champagne glasses containing an Olga Jeweller’s diamond for a lucky guest to win. A delighted Abigail Keats, top local fashion designer who impressed the crowds with a spectacular fashion show at the event, won the diamond.

Private jets and Bentley cars surrounded the walkway that led to the hangar, which guests could take the time to get interactive with. The location was transformed into a wonderland of beauty and elegance. Walking through the entrance the guests were treated to the musically talented Aerial Quartet suspended from the roof on swings looking like angels, and then settled into socialising and indulging in divine canapés and premier drinks supplied by SAB and RGBC.

The hangar was divided into different sections where many of the major sponsors, Breitling, Bakos Brothers, Henry Taylor Art Gallery and ExecuJet, showcased their pieces, with the ramp being centre stage.
The charming MC Nico Panagio welcomed and entertained the guests. Soon after, the stage took life with gorgeous female and male models, which included Mr. South Africa, Adriaan Bergh, sporting the newest local and international fashion brands such as 24 Fevrier, Abigail Keats, Fendi and Montblanc eyewear as well as Delsey luggage. The models’ hair was styled by Gary Rom Hairdressing and Face to Face artists did their make up.

Following a mesmerising sky dancer act supported by a virtuoso guitarist, the suspense in the room was evident, as the moment had finally arrived.  A water curtain was pulled back to reveal the new Bentley GT Continental. Flashing lights of cameras lit up the room as the Bentley drove down the ramp and onto the revolving stage.

LiveOutLoud would like to thank all the sponsors who were involved in making this event a huge success.

Continental Wings

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Elegance, opulence and magnificence are some of the words that can be used to describe the Continental Wings event hosted by LIVEOUTLOUD on the evening of the 14th of April 2011

Terry Dempsey was born on in March 1941 in Dartmouth, Devon, with a caul (part of the amniotic sac) covering his head and shoulders. In days gone by, this was considered to be a sign of good luck, and that the baby was destined for greatness. In Terry’s case, it must have meant that he was to put all of his talents to good use. As for the caul, it was given to his Uncle Roy, who was a captain in the merchant navy, to protect his ship and crew during World War II. The caul worked its magic and all on board survived. Meanwhile, during the war, Terry was brought up by his Aunt Nellie and at an early age he was attempting to play the piano as well as storing memories of the beauty of the Devonshire countryside.

After the war, Terry went back to his family in Gloustershire, where they lived near a little village called Bishopsworth, whose stone walls are fondly remembered in his paintings. He used to run errands for the neighbours, buying fresh produce from the dairy, the bakery and grocery store, and taking shortcuts through the fields and woodlands which would be his inspiration for his paintings in years to come. He began to paint at a very young age and won a number of art competitions at school, but that was not his first love…it was music.

In the 1950s Terry started playing guitar in various bands, having known for years that he could come up with different songs and melodies. “I’m not a stranger to adversity” says Terry, referring to his career in the tough music industry. Nurturing this talent brought him to write songs for great artists such as Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Petula Clarke, Demis Roussos and the teenage idol of the 70s, David Cassidy. Hits include “Daydreamer “sung by David Cassidy (Number one in Britain), “Love Is A Beautiful Song” sung by Dave Mills (Number one in SA, Canada, NZ and Australia) and “Le Mal Aime” recorded by Claude Francois (A multi-million selling number one in France).  Many other artists around the world have recorded his songs and he continues to produce and work prolifically in the music industry. His firm belief is that “success is not final, failure is not fatal and courage is all”.

Yet painting always seemed to be a part of his life, as he reflects, “I am what I want to be, whenever I want”. It was on holiday, in a little North Devon town called Lynmouth that he painted his first oil painting in 1977. The rest followed as the years went by, with titles such as “Old Wentworth, Surrey”, “The Colonel’s House, East Knoyle”, “The Bandstand”, “The Telephone Box”, “The Red Bus” and “Murphy’s Potato Farm, Ireland”. Terry’s preferred medium is oil and acrylic and he has always painted the way he sees. A large part of his paintings are therefore a reflection of his childhood years, depicting his memories of Devon, Gloustershire and Somerset. These make up the collection called “Through the Corridors of Time”.

When Terry decided to embark on his own art exhibition – encouraged by his family, friends and associates – he conferred with Peter Roberts, owner of The Picture Workshop in Parkview, and he in turn suggested that Terry should paint some South African scenes to include in the collection. As Terry has lived in South Africa for many years, he decided that it would be apt to pay homage to this country by painting well known places and events like the Lord Milner Hotel in Matjiesfontein, which is a historic landmark and even claims to have its fair share of various resident ghosts. For some Johannesburg residents the Johannesburg Country Club is a home away from home, as well as being an establishment which is firmly rooted in the heritage of Johannesburg. This was also chosen as a suitable subject, as well as the Fordsburg uprising, also known as the Rand Rebellion of 1922.

Naturally the painting that is probably going to be the most popular in the Heritage collection is Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990, as it marks the first day of a new age and democracy in South Africa and portrays the much-loved statesman on his road to freedom.

During the next couple of years, Terry and his wife Carrie plan to travel extensively to various countries where Terry will hopefully find new inspiration. However, South Africa is his home now, so its places and events will continue to stir his creative juices to yield some more interesting work. As for his music, it has always been a major part of his life, so he plans to continue to compose and produce. But perhaps at this point in time, his art will accompany his talent for music, side by side.