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A Masterpiece by Madonna, Steven Klein, Vice & BitTorrent

one small seed — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 12:00:37 +0000

We’re not shy to say that, stylistically speaking, we love everything about Madonna’s 17-minute short film. In September last year, the 55-year-old superstar released her secretprojectrevolution, a film she co-directed with Steven Klein. Shot beautifully on a Red camera and entirely in black and white, the cinematography, soundtrack and communication are flawless. And to be perfectly honest, we’re surprised that the video hasn’t had more than 1,1 million views on YouTube yet.

Image: Screenshot

The video starts with Madonna’s voice saying –

‘Economic markets are collapsing. People all over the world are suffering and people are afraid. And what happens when people are afraid? They become intolerant’

We’re led into two worlds – the world of the incredible baroque dancers that Madonna shoots with a silver gun (a gun which apparently represents branding), and the world where Madonna is oppressed in a prison, incarcerated for having a point of view. This short film was aimed to help launch Art For Freedom, an online global initiative to facilitate free expression, and was created by Madonna, curated by VICE, and distributed by BitTorrent. On the Art For Freedom website, visitors are welcome to share their videos, music, poetry, and other visual art with the world. Madonna hopes that this will fuel free speech, saying ‘it is an online public art project encouraging the world to express their personal meaning of freedom and revolution’. In January 2014, Katy Perry became a guest curator of the project.

Katy Perry and Madonna with Steven Klein

It has to be said that Madonna is famous for re-inventing herself – and indeed, the question arises as to whether this project is yet another reinvention or advocacy project. Perhaps it’s a bit of both. Regardless, the message is strong: we all deserve love, and it asks us to stop and think during a time when our world is torn apart by intolerance and fear.

When you have some time, during your lunch break today or while surfing the internet before bed tonight, take a moment to watch the 17-minute masterpiece above.

What are your thoughts about Madonna’s initiative? Is it just a clever branding scheme or do you believe it aims to create positive change? Feel free to tweet us @onesmallseedSA or leave a comment below.

Words Gosia Podgórska

Image: Screenshot

GAP GOES BACK TO BLUE

christine hogg — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 08:20:50 +0000

To celebrate its heritage, Gap launches the global campaign ‘Back to Blue’. According to Seth Farbman, Gap’s Global Chief Marketing Officer, ‘Back to Blue means getting back to what matters most – our truest selves, when we are most comfortable in our own skin.’ The collection includes iconic denim pieces such as denim jackets, sweaters and chambray shirts for girls or slim and straight jeans for guys — they’re an expression of Gap’s optimistic and casual sense of style. What’s more, to honour its authenticity, the collection’s global campaign focuses on the ‘iconic, confident and accessible’ nature of Gap’s Back to Blue collection through featuring style advice by Jenn Rogien from HBO’s Girls or a mural project in collaboration with VICE.

Image: Gap

The project is called ‘Art of Blue’ and Gap is partnering with emerging street artists to create ten striking outdoor murals that celebrate individualism, optimism and democracy. Artists taking part will include Zio Ziegler, Roman Grandinetti and Andrew McAttee, and the street art will appear in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Rome. Gap is also updating its Styld.by platform with a video series in which Jenn Rogien will talk about how she uses clothes, including Gap items, to bring her characters to life in Girls. In addition to this, Gap will team up with Tumblr for a competition that encourages digital artists to share what ‘Back to Blue’ means to them. You can find out more here.

To follow the content, visit Gap’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr communities, and join the conversation with the hashtag #BacktoBlue.

Stores that stock Back to Blue in South Africa include Brooklyn Mall, Cavendish Square, Cradlestone Mall, Sandton City, Tygervalley Centre and participating Stuttafords stores.

Image: Gap

Umuzi Photo Club – Wembley to Soweto

one small seed — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:29:02 +0000

It was unlikely that South Africa’s best kept secrets would remain in Soweto forever. David Westhead and John Cole have come in and snapped up some prodigal works from fresh talent in and around Soweto and exhibited them at the Oxo Tower on London’s Southbank in a concept entitled Wembley to Soweto.

The Umuzi Photography club in conjunction with David Westhead and John Cole from Wilton Pictures recently exhibited the works of eight talented young photographers at the Oxo Tower on London’s Southbank. The exhibition named Wembley to Soweto is a collage of life for these eight young adults interspersed with photos from the 2010 Fifa World cup. The exhibition stands as a terse reminder that service delivery in many parts of Africa is still a pipedream.

While the images speak for themselves I had the chance to interview three of the photographers who are emerging as a talent to be reckoned with. First was Thapelo Motsumi, he stands nervously with hands in his pockets, a camera slung over his shoulder, Thapelo graduated high school last year and is currently on a gap year doing freelance photography for places such as Marie Claire and Vice. His philosophy on photography is simple, ‘I like pictures that have an impact, pictures that show peoples lives.’ His pictures at the exhibition sold out within hours and it’s not hard to see why, the simplicity and beauty in the still images stands in contrast to the subject matter, life in the township.

Shonnez Cassim knows what she wants and is on her way to getting it, a 19 year old student at the University of Johannesburg, Shonnez small frame may fool you but her personality and enthusiasm dwarf her pint size physique. She would like to integrate photography into child psychology and create a learning program for children who in turn would teach other children in the community. As she explains, ‘I’d just like to make a difference.’ For Shonnez there is something powerful in photography that highlights how little things people take for granted can have such a powerful impact on others.

Last up due to her shyness is Patience Ndhlovu, even though her hands flutter nervously and her voice comes out just louder than a whisper her photography speaks volumes, she explains that, ‘ If I want to tell people something I always know that it doesn’t have to be verbal, I can do it with pictures.’ A sixteen year old student with ambition, Patience is not just happy doing photography but also wants to be an accountant whilst continuing with her photographic work.

The Umuzi Photography club started with disposable cameras and a handful of students in 2009 to the present where they run courses from introduction to photography to advanced photography. Their successful model of teaching young disadvantaged children to show their world in photos is one that is going to see photography changing. With Wilton pictures involved in projects in other countries with similar backgrounds such as Brazil, with children from the favellas against the backdrop of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, this mode of photography could effect change that governments have failed to.

Umuzi in the meanwhile is set to expand their current model within South Africa, having already had over 150 students in Johannesburg pass through their learning centre in Bramfontein they are now looking towards expansion in Cape Town. One thing is for certain, the photographers from the Umuzi Photography club have taken a subject bled dry by the media and introduced a fresh new perspective into it. For more information on the exhibition check out their homepage www.umuziphotoclub.blogspot.com or go to www.wiltonpictures.com