At Large

Fabergé, the international jewellery house, has launched its first advertising campaign, shot by the acclaimed fashion photographer Mario Testino. It’s enormously exciting that this renowned brand is addressing a global audience after years of languishing in near obscurity.

The results, however, are a little disappointing. Testino has been a little heavy-handed with Photoshop, and while the casting of Russian-Lithuanian model Bee Gee is meant to allude to Fabergé’s Russian heritage, his shot of the campaign’s anaemic-looking star captures a look teetering between nausea and stunned contempt.  

The campaign coincides with the opening of Fabergé’s new London store, in Mayfair’s Grafton Street — the first time it has had a permanent presence in the UK capital since 1915.

Two exhibitions open on Thursday 1st December at galleries in Woodstock, Cape Town.

At Whatiftheworld, Cameron Platter’s collection of drawings entitled Fucking Hell launches at 6pm on Thursday:

Exploring a reality stranger than fiction, through fantasy, satire and subculture, Platter fills the ordinary and the marginal, with incendiary new meaning. Working from everyday experience with subjects overlooked or considered delinquent, sordid and lowbrow, he reconnoiters notions and concepts on the outside fringes of South Africa’s popular culture.

Whatiftheworld, 1 Argyle Street, 0218023111

At Blank Projects, there will be AVANT CAR GUARD, JACO+Z-DOG, and friends (Zander Blom, Jan-Henri Booyens, Michael McGarry, Jaco Van Schalkwyk). They have the following to say:

blank projects is our home-base/office-studio for group projects and collaborations from the 1st of December 2011 to the 20th of January 2012. We’ve all been working together since as early as 2004. We were offered this show at Blank Projects, and since we’ll all be in Cape Town over the Holiday season and we don’t have a central meeting point, we figured that Blank Projects could be just that. Some days we’ll be at the beach all day. For big chunks of the time we’ll be doing Christmas and New Years stuff with family and girlfriends/ fiancés.  But we’ll also be at Blank from time to time, where we’ll be working on new AVANTCARGUARD shit, recording a new Jaco+Z-dog album, playing some shows, maybe we’ll even make a short film or two. We’ll also be inviting some collaborators and friends over. So come round to Blank if the weather is crap. Maybe we’ll be around making some new stuff. Bring your own beer. There’s coffee, tea and great food at the amazing deli next door, and if you’re looking for art, you’ll find it across the road. ALSO WE’LL HAVE A BIG CLOSING PARTY ON 19 JANUARY. BIG. HUGE.

For more details about the Blank show, click here.

Blank Projects, 113-115 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, 0721989221.

We took a peek at Together at Tjing Tjing, the monthly creative market. This is what we found:

Confectionery from Dear Me.

Hanging plants from Opus.

Lauren Fowler’s whimsical illustration, jewellery and cross-stitching.

One-of-a-kind facial portraits by illustrators from the Am I Collective.

Customised sneakers by Zabalaza.

The next market will be held at the end of January.

Tjing Tjing, 165 Longmarket Street, 021 422 4920.

We chat with Tina Bester, owner of Queen of Tarts, in the second part of our Q&As with the creative forces behind the food-inspired pods currently on show at the Freeworld Design Centre.

How do food and design intersect?

It’s actually quite a big part of my thing because I’m designing cakes all the time. I’m actually a graphic designer by profession so that really comes into creating the cakes.

What’s the one ingredient you could never cook without?

Cream is a big part of my cooking.

Where did you first embrace your passion for food?

When I waitressed at Jonkershuis at Groot Constantia when I was at varsity. It was just such delicious food. 

First meal you’d order after being rescued from a desert island?

I would eat my mom’s lamb chops with cornflake crumbs and nutmeg potatoes. 

What’s your favourite restaurant in SA?

This is like completely off from what I normally do, but 1890 in Observatory – they make the most beautiful sushi.

The 2012 trend or development you should know about?

Comfort. I think people want comfort from their food. 

The space in SA that currently inspires you the most?

Newlands Forest. I often find that when I walk there, my ideas come – it’s amazing – if I’m blocked. It filters out the clutter.

Queen of Tarts, 213 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town, 021 448 2420

Tuesday sees the launch of Damn your eyes, damn your eyes and Further Fictions at one of our favourite new galleries, Commune.1 on Wale Street in Cape Town’s city centre.

Commune.1 says:

Damn your eyes, damn your eyes and Further Fictions is a joint exhibition that explores the visual languages and conversations of two artists, Robyn Nesbitt and Natasha Norman, who live and work in two different cities. In a conscious collaboration via email and the South African postal service they have endeavored to derive a joint yet evolving narrative space for their individual practices. This is the first exhibition to incorporate this collaboration.

Visit the gallery’s website for more.

How does food and design intersect? The Freeworld Design Centre in Cape Town is currently exploring this question with four food-inspired pods We sat down with the individuals behind the design of each pod, and asked them about food, design and what the future holds.

First up is Jacques Erasmus,the interior designer and founder of Hemelhuijs restaurant. 

How do food and design intersect?

Now we’re at the point where actually the lifestyle, what people eat, actually determines how a place should be designed, and how functional it should be.

What’s the one ingredient you could never cook without?

Butter.

Where did you first embrace your passion for food?

As a child in a farm kitchen. 

First meal you’d order after being rescued from a desert island?

A steak. I love meat.

What’s your favourite restaurant in SA?

I don’t really have a favourite. It’s more about what I’m in the mood for, rather than a favourite.

The 2012 trend or development you should know about?

Quality, value for money and truth: people want to know what they are eating.

The space in SA that currently inspires you the most?

I get inspiration from driving in my car, listening to music.

Hemelhuijs, 71 Waterkant Street, Cape Town, 021 418 2042.

On a small farm called Versailles in picturesque Wellington, Master distiller Roger Jorgensen puts his more than 10 years worth of experience in the art of distillation to work to create handcrafted spirits made to impress. Their Primitiv vodka is derived from organic Spelt grown in the Cedarberg, right on the snowline, and is a homage to the age-old tradition of fine-sipping vodka. A Richmond and Chandler grain mill, rescued by Roger and dating back to 1915, is used to make the grist that goes into this masterpiece. Enjoy it ice cold, in small doses and with good company.

Jorgensen’s Distillery, Versailles Farm, Regent Street, Wellington, 021 8641777.

If you’re in Cape Town tomorrow evening, be sure to head over to Tjing Tjing bar for its monthly market featuring some of SA’s hottest designers. 

Tjing Tjing, 165 Longmarket Street, 021 422 4920.

Corum was launched in 1955 by René Bannwart and his uncle in Switzerland. Today the company has four main collections, or pillars as they refer to them. The Admiral’s Cup is a nautically themed sports watch with a distinctive 12-sided dial. The Romvlvs is equally recognisable for its hour markers engraved on the bezel rather than the dial, while each of the Artisans watches explores the realms of engraving, enamelling and gem setting.

Corum’s fourth pillar, the Golden Bridge, was first introduced in 1980 to provide a home for the now iconic baguette movement, and BaselWorld 2011 saw a new edition of the Ti-Bridge model from that collection, this time with the addition of a power reserve function.

The Ti-Bridge is an unashamedly modern, stealth-wealth spin on the main line of Golden Bridges that, as you might expect, features a generous amount of prominent gold detailing. For those looking for the same wow factor with darker, more masculine aesthetics, the Ti-Bridge is the way to go.

A grade 5 titanium case and dial is the clue to explaining the quirky name — Ti stands for titanium— but high-tech, high-spec materials are used throughout this particular watch, not just externally. The striking baguette movement for example is held in place by four black PVD-coated bars.

The baguette name comes from the alignment of the watch’s mechanical elements in the shape of a French loaf of bread, in technical terms though, it’s the calibre C0107 and it drives the hour and minute hands as well as a power reserve indicator.

As the movement is positioned horizontally within the rectangular case running from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock, Corum opted for a perpendicular power display indicator running from 2 o’clock to 4 o’clock, from high to low. A bright red marker is mounted on a graduated sliding gear in phosphate nickel, capable of accurately displaying the power reserve for up to 72 hours. The display, just like the hour and minute hands, is coated in luminescence making the whole thing legible at night and a rubber strap with folding clasp completes the look of these 700 rather macho, limited edition watches.

BY MATT MORLEY

Features: baguette movement, linear power reserve indicator

Case: 52mm titanium

Strap: black vulcanised rubber

Price: R135000

Distributor: Bellagio Jewellers, 0117844062

Africa Adorned 2011 is a showcase of African creativity, including homeware and jewellery, at Design Afrika in Woodstock. Pop in this weekend, and show your support for quality craftsmanship.

Below we round up a few of our favourites from the eight exhibitors showing their wares:

We loved the beautifully minimalist furniture, including laptop stands and coat racks, from Central Arms and Cycles, the new design company run by Amy Ellenbogen and Mariah Breitenberg.

Binky Newman’s Design Afrika colloborates with weavers and craftsmen across the African continent.

Keep your iPad and iPhone safe with these gorgeous leather covers from Cowhide Concepts.

Get into the blues with these lush fabrics in calming colours from linen and homeware brand Helen Melon.

Africa Adorned 2011. At DESIGN AFRIKA, 42 Hares Ave, Woodstock, Cape Town, 021 448-9761. The exhibition will be on from 10am - 5pm Saturday 26th November and Sunday 27th November.

For Capetonians missing out on Jozi’s sumptuous Food Wine Design Fair this weekend, no fear: there’s plenty of options with which to console yourself. One of our favourite at the moment is the Friday night Bluebird Garage Market in Muizenberg village.

Every week from 4pm till 10pm, an old warehouse comes alive with great street food (think falafel, Mexican burritos, Indian curries) as well as decadent baked goodies, craft and clothing. Ease into the weekend with some chilled live music and a pint or two of Darling Beer.

Bluebird Garage Market. Corner Albertyn and Milner Roads, Muizenberg, 082 493 9055. Every Friday from 16h00 to 22h00.

Sometimes brand extensions just know no bounds. Who would’ve thought that Pantone, the colour matching system, would branch out so far beyond the realms of colour designation and consulting into everything from mugs and cufflinks to VISA cards and eyewear? And let’s not forget about the Pantone Hotel in Brussels, either. It’s rather a leap from colour-by-numbers to smart city hotel, but then considering the Belgian capital’s drab reputation, the city can be very thankful that the brand is on hand to add a splash or two of colour.

While you aren’t able to get your credit card in “spiritual lavender” or “dynamic firecracker” in SA, you can still still at least embrace all things Pantone with the launch of its new iPad 2 book cases. The leather cases were designed in collaboration with Case Scenario and are currently available in blue, red, grey and black — or 19-3939, 19-1663, 15-4101 and 19-4205 if we’re being sticklers. With three viewing positions and a magnetic screen cover strip that puts the tablet in sleep mode when closed, the book cases are a sturdy and statement-making alternative to the over-hyped (and over-priced) Smart Covers from Apple.

R790 each. Available at Loom (Shop 22, Corner 4th Avenue & 7th Street, Parkhurst, Johannesburg , 011-447-4330) and astoreisgood (Shop 2, Mooi Kloof Centre, 34 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town, 021 422 2888).

From 25th - 27th November, the annual Food Wine Design Fair presented by Sanlam Investment Management will be enthralling Jo’burgers with its mix of artisanal food, drink and design on the rooftop of Hyde Park Corner.

Click here to download our guide to the best of the fair.

And if you’re in town, be sure to pay the WANTED team a visit at the fair’s We ‘HEART’ Real Beer garden.

Tonight, diamond magnate Laurence Graff’s passion for contemporary South African art converges with his philanthropic instincts at the FACET charity auction on the Delaire Graff estate. The evening will see the work of the who’s who of South African art coming under the hammer. Lots include contributions from Deborah Bell, Colbert Mashile and William Kentridge (pictured).

And it’s all for a good cause: proceeds from the auction will go to the creation of a Graff Leadership Centre in the Winelands. Graff envisages this to be “a safe place where children can visit for education, play and social support”. In collaboration with the Pebbles Project, the centre will provide special education support to children who need it, particularly those who have been affected by the ravages of alcohol abuse.

Click here for more info.

Kneipp therapy, the brainchild of 19th century monk Sebastian Kneipp, who cured himself of tuberculosis by jumping into the Danube, is a slightly tougher proposition than your average alternative treatment.

At the Karkloof Spa, it means steeping in a 40°C plunge pool for three minutes, then a dip in a cold pool, followed by a float in the tepid Jacuzzi. Repeat four times and it will apparently boost the circulation, improving skin tone and bolstering the immune system. I’ve got sluggish circulation so I’m keen to try it out, but make the mistake of thinking a 40°C pool will feel like a warm bath. It doesn’t. Even the plush, Romanesque surroundings of the spa can’t detract from the discomfort. The five-second plunge into the icy pool feels wonderful, but getting into the third pool my skin starts to prickle.

The second time round is equally unpleasant but by the fourth circuit, I’m addicted. Is this what it feels like to have your blood flow properly? If so, I’ll be back.

BY TABITHA LASLEY

The Karkloof Spa, Otto’s Bluff Road, Cramond, Pietermaritzburg, 033 569 1321.

Today’s passing of the Protection of Information Bill saw hundreds of South Africans protesting for press freedom outside Parliament. WANTED’s ALEXANDER MATTHEWS was there with his camera.

There’s no doubt about it, the revolution is here. SA has more microbreweries than ever before and there seems to be a new craft beer on the shelf each time you open the fridge at a liquor store. While the big brewing multinationals still dominate the marketplace, the little guys have found favour among the discerning, ultra-premium beer drinkers who are after something artisanal and distinctive.

The revolution is being lead by a small group of brewers making lagers, ales and stouts with more flavour, unique character and distinctive qualities that, once consumed, make mass-market beers seem rather boring and ordinary. But this is the essence of craft brewers: produce smaller amounts but a wider variety of beers. And they do it as naturally as possible. Most microbreweries selling their beers unfiltered and unpasteurised to ensure maximum flavour.

While they might have national distribution today, many of these microbreweries started in garages with little more than a few plastic containers and an idea. But once you’ve tasted an amber lager with roasted caramel notes or a pumpkin ale with an aroma of oven-roasted butternut, it’s hard to go back to a light lager. Some are brewed outside our borders, some are still made in tiny sheds, but all are made by folk with a devoted passion for beer.

We round up the craft beer brands driving the revolution.

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WANTED chats to the CEO of luxury clothing brand Tiger of Sweden.

The Swedish aesthetic is clean, understated craftsmanship, with a focus on the details as is evident in Tiger of Sweden’s laidback luxury pieces. WANTED met CEO David Thunmaker an hour before the unveiling of Tiger of Sweden’s concept store in the Protea Court, Sandton City’s new extension of the mall.

Thunmaker is a reflection of the brand’s discreetly cool tailoring in a woollen navy blazer and sleek pants. He is clearly excited by the brand’s new venture. “I find South Africa to be a fascinating place. The market is changing rapidly with extremely enlightened shoppers demanding brands that represent the best there is to offer internationally,” he says.

The brand, which is in partnership with local investors Brand Group in South Africa, are confident that their focus on Swedish design has paid off. Thunmaker says, “Our brand is based in Stockholm and the team which includes tailors to denim experts are Swedish, so of course it reflects our surroundings and personal identity.”

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With the opening of the Gautrain, Gauteng’s become a smaller place. It wasn’t long before my train had zoomed up from Rosebank and was pulling into the gleaming Hatfield station. A quick bus ride and I was standing outside the new Lynnwood Bridge Centre, which opened in May, taking a leaf out of the Cape Quarter’s book with its airy piazza and plush stores.

The centre is home to the latest bastion in the ever expanding TriBeCa empire — the sublimely retro TriBeCa Standard. TriBeCa’s co-director, coffee maestro Dale Mazon, who supplies Woolworths with its delicious organic Kenyan coffee, has earned a special place in Pretoria burghers’ hearts with his two TriBeCa-branded coffee shops, one in Brooklyn, the other in the CBD.

This time he wanted to try something a little different: a restaurant, open all day, serving up delicious, hearty fare to the culinary-deprived citizens of Lynnwood. The results are quite something: a double volume space, tiled, with incandescent bulbs hanging low. Leather banquettes, a ceiling of wooden boards and a long bar, behind which bottles are reassuringly stacked to the roof. In the corner, the dome of a pizza oven crouches like a steam locomotive. It’s a New York coffee house blended with the nostalgic glow of a train station waiting room.

And speaking of trains, we’re only on the main course when the last Gautrain for the night is pulling out of Hatfield. With one or two glasses of the sublime Diemersdal Merlot down, and the classic blue cheese burger steadily being demolished, it doesn’t really seem to matter. We finish with a platter groaning with some of SA’s finest cheeses. And, the charming Mazon convinces us to give the chocolate martini a try. I’m rather glad we did. Striking a balance between bittersweet cocoa and a naughty kick of vodka, it’s the perfect way to end off the evening.

If the Gautrain was blessed with a more flexible timetable, it’s hard not to believe there would be a swathe of Joburg regulars beating a path to TriBeCa’s door. 

BY ALEXANDER MATTHEWS | PHOTOGRAPHY WARREN VAN RENSBURG

TriBeCa Standard, Lynnwood Bridge, corner Lynnwood Road and Daventry Road, Pretoria,  0123486144.