T-shirt design for Comme des Garcons, by Daddy buy me a pony, SA
NEWAFRICA
Hotspots south of the Sahara Video from catwalk aug. 23rd
T-shirt
design for Comme des Garcons, by Daddy buy me a pony, SA
NEWAFRICA
Hotspots
south of the Sahara
Video from catwalk aug. 23rd
From 17 August – 30 September 2007 Rundetaarn (the Round Tower) will be opening its doors for the world’s first exhibition on cutting edge African design.
Hot design with social awareness
New African design is haute couture, streetwear, graphics, ceramics, furniture and industrial design - combining cutting edge design with traditional crafts and visions of building a new and better Africa.
The exhibition will present 30 designers of 12 nationalities addressing issues such as: cultural strength and identity, empowerment, sustainability and low-cost housing, improving living conditions through design.
Many African designers have a great social awareness, and their product development often takes place in collaboration with craftsmen from rural areas. Local women from the Limpopo area weave the seats of Haldene Martin’s famous café chairs, while the industrial design group XYZ is developing life-improvement products such as a hand-driven radios and condoms with built-in applicators.
The global community is just around the corner
“We would like to show some of the creativity and multiplicity of ideas found in African design right now,” say Tina Midtgaard and Elisabeth Topsøe, the exhibition’s curators.
”Many African countries are struggling with complex social, structural and
economic problems, but at the same time new cultures and identities are gaining
a foothold, and their leap out into the global community is just around the
corner. The transition creates new space for the African world of design. The
fashion business, globally, already has its eye on many of Africa’s talented
designers; Deola Sagoe of Nigeria is a hot name on the catwalks in London, Paris
and New York, and Craig Native from SA has made a name for himself by designing
outfits for people such as Lenny Kravitz and Erykah Badu.”
http://www.deolasagoedesign.com/
http://www.craignative.com/
A catalogue will be prepared for the exhibition discussing new design cultures from Africa.
African fashion show
A fashion show with haute couture, prêt à porter and streetwear from countries south of the Sahara will be organized in connection with the exhibition.
On a world tour
The exhibition will showcase design from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe. After the launch at Rundetaarn, the exhibition will proceed on a world tour ending in South Africa in 2010 – the year South Africa will be hosting the FIFA World Cup.
INDEX 2007
NEWAFRICA will be shown in conjunction with INDEX Awards 2007, which awards prizes for designs from around the world. The project has been developed in collaboration with Network of African Designers and Professor Des Laubscher, Director of Greenside Design School and former president of Design South Africa.
The exhibition is supported by DCCD/CKU (Danish Centre for Culture and Development), Kunstfonden (The Danish Arts Foundation), Montana, Kvadrat, Erik Jørgensen, Manden med Cameraet, Fatboy, ManneQ og RIAS.
Read more at www.rundetaarn.dk
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Links to
press photos:
Haldane Martin:
http://www.kultunaut.dk/perl/images/nyheder/2007maj/zulumamachairhaldanemartin.jpg
Daddy Buy Me a Pony:
http://www.kultunaut.dk/perl/images/nyheder/2007maj/commedesgarcon3.jpg
http://www.kultunaut.dk/perl/images/nyheder/2007maj/visicovercopy.jpg
Craig Native:
http://www.kultunaut.dk/perl/images/nyheder/2007maj/jz2s2725.jpg
Stoned
Cherrie:
http://www.kultunaut.dk/perl/images/nyheder/2007maj/jz2s8156.jpg
http://www.kultunaut.dk/perl/images/nyheder/2007maj/img_84551.jpg
For further information:
Elisabeth
Topsøe
et@solvgade.com
+45 23 25 55 63
Tina Midtgaard
+45 20 95 00 83
Newafrica
Association
Sølvgade 36
DK-1307
Tel. +45 33 13 10 36
