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Oli Kellet, and his 2012 Olympics surreal dream team.

Sarah Claire — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:05:42 +0000

Its Olympic fever time again and the city of London is to play host to the masses of athletes and tourists to join and view this legendary and age old event of stamina and sportsmanship. The 2012 Olympics to be held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Appropriately in spirit London based photographer Oli Kellet has just produced his latest photography endeavour which is a set of mock posters of the 2012 Olympics. These posters showcasing a variety of men and women athletes each a member of Team Vodkovia, that depict a certain sport type with unreal and amplified physical characteristics that ‘enhance’ their natural talents.

image : featureshoot.com

Kellet comments to Feature Shoot in a recent interview ‘The idea for “Team Vodkovia” started in the spring of 2011 when Olympic fever was really beginning over here in London. I thought it would be good to get involved and would be fun to invent some athletes who were specifically matched to the event they would participate in. Brave New World Style.’

image : featureshoot.com

Oli Kellet is a London based photographer and has worked with an array of agencies as an art director, from which he resigned from the industry to pursue his career in photography. Kellet also has a few other projects showing his unique style as photographer, definitely worthwhile to go have a peek at his work.

Words : Bianca Budricks

Sources: olikellet.com, featureshoot.com, whatisengland.co.uk

Images: featureshoot.com

Roger Ballen

one small seed — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:19:36 +0000

“Photography is an art and a science,” says photographer, Roger Ballen.

The author of ten books and director of Die Antwoord music video, I Fink U Freeky, which has 7,254,445 Youtube hits to date, cannot believe his success. “It is very surreal, I can’t believe our video has millions of hits already,” says Ballen.The production of his first music video took only two weeks to conceptualise and created a happy medium between music, photography and film says Ballen. “It takes one step at a time. In quite a few of these pictures there might be a couple thousand steps before I capture the feeling I want. Sometimes I take three pictures and sometimes I take 30 before I’m satisfied.” His latest exhibition, Playpen, held at the North-West University gallery, showcased a selection of various pictures from his ten published books.Playpen features photographs that Ballen took over many years during his travels from Cape Town to Caïro and Istanbul to Niue Guinea in the 70’s.The exhibition showcased images from most of Ballen’s collections including striking photographs from the Shadow chamber (2005) book that shows ambiguous images of isolated animals, people and objects posed in cell-like rooms.

Art is a process where he relaxes his mind. He thinks of nothing before photographing a subject. “It is like a cat sitting in a corner just closing his eyes and the minute he hears the rat he becomes alert. I just rest my mind when I take photos.” Animals, children and dolls are the subjects of most of his photographs. He finds them fascinating and uses his subjects to convey a feeling rather than a message in his work. He says his best pictures are the ones even he can’t describe.

“I don’t know how anybody responds to my work. It doesn’t have to be translated into words. It can just be a feeling that stays with you. You can feel it in your stomach. When you smell a flower, there’s no word for it. You just smell the essence of it.”

Ballen is one of few professional photographers that exclusively work with film photography. He calls it a dying art. “I like black and white photography because it’s minimalistic and very formalistic. It is abstract, it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is. Black and white is black and white.”
The surreal and intriguing world created in every Roger Ballen Photograph transcends the boundaries of documentary photography and creates art instead. Ballen’s success is not measured by his countless exhibitions, films, published books and museum collections across the world, but rather art that will stay relevant long after his death he says. “How many pictures make up your mind? ” Ballen asks. It is a process that cannot be defined and if it’s good art it lasts forever.

Scroll down to view some of Ballen’s work:

image: galleriaminini.it

image: digital-temple.com

image: galleriaminini.com

image: digital-temple.com

image: community.oasis.com

image: galleriaminini.it

image: allartnews.com

image: community.oasis.com

Click here to view our last onesmallseed.tv interview with Roger Ballen.
Click here to view our back Issue (22) which features Roger Ballen.

WIN tickets to Make-Believe Launch Event FACE THE MUSIC

one small seed — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:34:56 +0000

A new outdoor event brand has emerged. With the intention to compliment the ever growing electro / dance scene in Cape Town. Make Believe is promising clever themes and top production at unique venues.

Focusing on house and techno music, the people behind Chukkachurri Groove Bar
are giving you the chance to explore and party at an unusual, abandoned train station platform.

“A 14-hour electronic music confrontation showcasing some of our country’s finest – delivered to you over a quality 10KW sound-system (Kilowatt AV) with the mind-altering, video-mapping genius of Afterlife AV as the backdrop And a lineup of artists as solid as the cast-iron tracks upon which the train carriages lie, it’s more than likely you will be facing the music the following Monday – for which we have provided you with our more-than-plausible ‘work exemption’ coupon (detachable from flyer art) … to be used at your own leisure

What to Expect

Another unique location (roof covered)
10KW JBL Sound-system (supplied by Kilowatt AV)
Video mapping and visuals (supplied by Afterlife AV)
Mushroom heaters on dance-floor to keep you warm
Covered swimming pool area + bar
Boston Draught Beer bar
Status Vodka cocktail bar”

To Enter the competition follow the instructions below and stand a chance to win 3 single tickets to the event. Get those fingers clicking so you can revel to the beats of industry front-runners – both locally & internationally, whilst enjoying a setting of a different kind. The line-up will host to the likes of Behr / Bruno Morphet/ Coco Loco (Durban) / Dakin Auret (Durban) / Domenico Benigno / Edit & Run/ Fletcher/ January One (Cologne, Germany)/ Jimmy Chronic/ Marq / Mix ‘n Blend/ Monique Pascall/ One Track Mike/ Rob Taylor/ Sadhu Sensi

WHEN: Saturday 19th May 2012 2PM

WHERE: 3 Old Marine Drive, Foreshore. (map-it)

HOW TO WIN TICKETS TO FACE THE MUSIC

Like the Make-Believe‘s facebook page.

Click ‘Attending’ on the facebook event

Like One Small Seed facebook page

Links:

www.make-believe.co.za

Facebook

For more information:

Michael Kennedy

0822920744

triphazrd@gmail.com

Come and lets all Make Believe

Namsa Leuba

Sarah Claire — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:40:52 +0000

African-European photographer Namsa Leuba’s curiosity with African identity within the Western world has been a recurrent theme in her work stemming from her racially mixed upbringing in Switzerland. In her latest photographic series titled “YaKalaBen”, Leuba traveled to Guinea Conakry where she photographed local subjects wearing bizarre tribal artifacts and attire. In each portrait the Swiss is inspired by the construction and deconstruction of the human body as part of ceremonial rituals.

image : namsaleuba.com

Some of the subjects resemble voodoo dolls covered in ritualistic artifacts, common to the cosmology of the Guineans. Explicit scenes of exorcism, twisted bodily figures and animal slaughter is strikingly captured in a dusty African setting. According to Leuba the ritualistic series is part of a whole “symbolic order” and is meant to fit into the aesthetic of Westerners’ taste.

image : namsaleuba.com

The Western gaze that focuses on Eurocentric points of view upon an African society is controversially apparent in these images, which make them even more shocking, not only for the Guineans who were said to be afraid and felt exploited by Leuba’s “practices” but also Europeans who might interpret the images as savage. In one of the photographs a tribal costume is mockingly made from American flags.

image : namsaleuba.com

In a globalised and technology driven world that is characteristically Western, there tends to be in a constant battle with the forgotten and traditional cultures that still manage to survive in underdeveloped places like Guinea. For us who might be blissfully unaware of these cultural divides can appreciate Leuba’s attempt in creating something that is raw and thought provoking.With “YaKalaBen” Leuba invite us behind her lens to give us a glimpse of the ancient and fascinating traditions of a strange and colourful Guinean tribe.

Words: Talita Calitz

Sources: namsaleuba.com, lostateminor.com

images: namsaleuba.com

Exclusive Stream of The Gossip’s new Album -A Joyful Noise-

Sarah Claire — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:06:57 +0000

one small seed was chosen as the official partner of Columbia Records and Sony Music ZA to stream Gossip’s latest album A Joyful Noise before its release date on May 22nd. Be one of the first to hear it here on onesmallseed.com

A Joyful Noise by Gossip Music

Ever-evolving and perpetually defying convention, Gossip is back with their fifth studio album, A Joyful Noise, set to be released on May 22. A Joyful Noise was produced by pop genius Brian Higgins (Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys) The album’s first single, ‘Perfect World’, will be released as digital on 13th March.

A blend of soul, gospel, rock, funk, disco, punk, passion and rebellion, Gossip is comprised of vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Nathan Howdeshell, and drummer Hannah Blilie. Originally formed in Olympia, Washington in 1999, Gossip first garnered attention in the UK with the release of their 2006 breakthrough album Standing In the Way of Control, and they have been in the spotlight ever since. Their most recent album, 2009’s Music For Men, sold over 1 million copies globally and was raved about on both sides of the Atlantic, with Clash declaring it “the most euphoric thing you’ll hear this year.” Gossip’s front woman, the irresistibly bold and challenging Beth Ditto, whose new makeup collaboration with MAC Cosmetics will launch this winter for their summer collection, makes it impossible to not fall for the band. Best captured by Billboard, Ditto “employs all of her hard-edged sexiness and manages to charm with an appealingly intimidating allure,” instantly reeling you in.

Recorded in both Xenomania, Higgins’ studio in England, and KBC Studios in Portland, Oregon, A Joyful Noise stays true to Gossip’s trademark brash and unapologetic nature – that is, as true as possible for a band that is constantly reinventing itself and pushing boundaries. Working with Higgins, Gossip sought to create their own brand of pop.

Ditto proclaimed, I spent the whole year listening to ABBA and not listening to the radio, accounting for the pulsing energy of A Joyful Noise.

The album’s infectious tracks will certainly be welcomed by fans who are already entranced by Gossip’s insanely danceable beats, and will no doubt lure in many more.

Since their previous studio effort, Gossip have toured extensively,covering the major music festival circuits, making appearances at Coachella in the US, Rock am Ring in Germany, and Glastonbury in the UK. Their live shows are touted as one of the best around, with NME dubbing them

The greatest punk rock’n’roll disco soul band on the planet” and insisting “Everyone needs to hear this band and dance like there’s no tomorrow.(NME)

Words: Courtesy of Columbia Records

Sources: perfectworld.gossipyouth.com columbiarecords.com

Selected Creatives Competition 07 – VOTE & WIN

Sarah Claire — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:29:24 +0000

As winter kicks in, so does our seventh edition of Selected Creatives Competition; a one small seed network initiative that gives you the power to choose who YOU want to see featured in one small seed magazine. View each of the 10 contenders’ online portfolios for Selected Creatvies 07 and then make your vote! So, what exactly is Selected Creatives? In a nutshell, Selected Creatives is a one small seed network initiative that showcases the work of our top creative members from the one small seed network – as determined by you – in the glossy pages of our magazine. Since the inception of Selected Creatives in 2010 this competition has grown enormously popular among our readers; just one way in which we bridge the gap between online and print. Selected Creatives is the penultimate showcase for onesmallseed.net members. International Exposure As an international publication, Selected Creatives competition can give you something priceless – exposure. And not just any exposure… Since September 2010, one small seed has been available throughout Southern Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, London, Birmingham, Auckland, New York, Milan, Luxembourg, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Montreal, Taipei, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Germany and Brazil among other places.

Join one small seed network today! To become a member and start uploading your own work – whether it be design, illustration, photograph or editorial – then click HERE. Keep posted to our Twitter @onesmallseedSA or and Facebook Like page, ‘one small seed Magazine & TV’ for one small seed network updates! In the meantime, check out the Featured Photography on onesmallseed.net VOTE and WIN It’s now up to YOU… VOTE in the poll below for who you think should have their work be immortalised in print then VOTE now in our poll below. Follow the steps below to win The Mi-Fone Mi-A150 Android phone. Winner will be announced on Friday 18 May.

Cast your VOTE in the poll below and Like one small seed on Facebook
Tag @one small seed Magazine & TV in your Facebook status with a link it to this post
Tweet this post, making sure you mention @onesmallseedSA and #SelectedCreatives 07.

Now, without further ado – the contenders for Selected Creatives 07 are: Dr Benway, kEda, Stiaan Schoeman, Zeno Petersen, Kyle Correia De Araujo, Fracois van der Elst, Illana Welman, SJ Van Zyl, Stuart Kerr and Johan Wilke. Check out the contenders’ portfolios and then cast your vote in POLL below! Selected Creative 001: Dr Benway

Selected Creative 002: kEda

Selected Creative 003: Stiaan Schoeman

Selected Creative 004: Zeno Petersen

Selected Creative 005: Kyle Correia De Araujo

Selected Creative 006: Francois van der Elst

Selected Creative 007: Illana Welman

Selected Creative 008: SJ Van Zyl

Selected Creative 009: Stuart Kerr

Selected Creative 010: Johan Wilke

Important: You can vote only ONCE for your top THREE Selected Creatives. Voting closes 15 May.

Images of the Week: May, Week 01

Sarah Claire — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:40:24 +0000

Images of the Week features two astounding visual delights every week from one small seed network.

At the end of each week, we add two more images from onesmallseed.net to the relevant month’s gallery collection on onesmallseed.com. All images are the featured works of members of one small seed network, our creative online community. To have your work featured here, simply sign up as a member and start uploading!

We hope you enjoy our collection for the month of May 2012.

Week 01

'This Castle Stands Alone' by Bernard Brand

'Rainbow' by Zenography

Angelo Musco

Sarah Claire — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:58:50 +0000

Italian-born Angelo Musco has a life journey as unique as his art; this guy is no average Joe. Musco has a particularly strange childhood – from birth he weighed in at a whopping 6.5 kilos after 11 months in the womb. Causing great complications during birth, Musco became trapped and turned blue and in a critical state he was rushed to hospital, leaving his mother in anguish as she thought him to be dead.

image: e-junkie.com

image: flickr.com

image: old.enciclopedia.com

Musco was paralyzed on his right side for the first years of his life. This injury, called Erb’s Palsy, is the tearing of neck, arm and shoulder nerves. With scheduled surgeries to fix the damage, Musco’s superstitious mother saw the disease as a bad omen and refrained from having any surgical work done on Musco and instead he spent the first 10 years of his life in therapy to strengthen his injured side of the body. The traumatic experience since birth is Musco’s main inspiration behind his art,

A body of work that is driven by the personal experience, a birth prolonged until the 11^th month due to a hormonal dysfunction. A difficult pregnancy that has left both deep marks in the unconscious memories and in his physical body here becomes a narrative of suspended images- reflections of silent and surreal visions.

Brought up in Naples, his time was spent at school or helping out in his father’s grocery store doing deliveries. With his school situated near water, Musco would muse out of the window at the happenings on the river as he witnessed an array of interesting sights, such as the high speed boat chases of police and smugglers with black-market contraband. These activities very significant to Musco and his work. He later went on to study at the Academia Di Belle Arti and took an apartment in a very dangerous and historic part of the city; his new dwelling was next to the Napoli Sotteranea, a subterranean second city. The mysticism, history and legends of this old city destroyed by Mount Vesuvius were an ongoing fascination for the young artist.

image: rydye.thepop.com

image :talk.me

image: talk.me

A poor student/artist who worked part time jobs and couldn’t afford painting materials, Musco started experimenting with installations and mixed-media like fire, stones and the bodies of his fellow workers. An artist with such a rich and ‘troubled’ childhood created work that depicts all these times of his life and serves as rationale. With the human body is the main focus, he creates mosaics of nude bodies, woven and making it look like constructions that depict symbolic representation of eggs, nests amniotic fluid and other aspects of procreation. His work seems almost like great murals of naked bodies meshed together to form one symbolic meaning.

Words : Bianca Budricks

Sources: trendhunter.com, angelomusco.com, vimeo.com

images: trendhunter.com

Sasol New Signatures 2012

Sarah Claire — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:50:06 +0000

It is always refreshing and admirable when a large company like Sasol takes the time and care to become part of initiative pertaining to arts and culture. Sasol launched ‘Sasol New Signatures 2012’ in March this year, as part of the project they are urging artists to attend free information sessions, these sessions will be held nationally during April and May 2012.

The sessions will inform potential contestants with all the necessary knowledge about the competition, background information and logistics like how the judging process will work. These sessions play an important part in the entry process so artists are recommended to attend. The sessions will be held by proclaimed artist and chairman of ‘Sasol New Signatures 2012’ Peter Binsbergen. This is a fine opportunity for any young and upcoming artist who thinks they have what it takes.

image : courtesy of Sasol

The overall winner of the competition will walk away with a cash prize of R60 000 and an opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum next year. The runner up will walk away with R20 000 and five merit winners will receive R5 000 each. For more information contact or visit the following More information and entry forms can be obtained by visiting www.sasolsignatures.co.za. Interested parties can also contact Nandi Hilliard at the Association of Arts Pretoria at 012 – 346 3100/083 288 5117 or www.artsassociationpta.co.za or artspta@mweb.co.za.

‘el B’: new architecture from Spain

Sarah Claire — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:29:27 +0000

Spain – a country that already hosts a number of famous buildings, like the Guggenheim in Central Bilbao on the waterfront and The City of Art and Sciences in Valencia, now has a new addition to her diverse architecture oeuvre. The recently completed auditorium and performing centre, known as the ‘el B’ , is a project run by Madrid-based firm Selgascano.

The project has made waves with the controversial ‘el B’ building running a kilometre along the Alfonso XII dock in Cartagena, Spain. There is a 20-meter space between the building and water, serving as a promenade creating a waterfront-like feel. The building is at the pinnacle of contemporary architecture with its clear and definite geometric design. The use of aluminium and plastic as materials gave the architects the ability to play with colour and gives the ‘el B’ a sense of transparency and clarity.

Words: Bianca Budricks

Sources: trendland.com, designboom.com, metalocus.es

images: designboom.com, iwan.com