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Sue Pam-Grant’s latest exhibition

By Laurice Taitz | 6 days, 16 hours ago

#192 Take in Sue Pam-Grant’s latest work. The writer, performer and theatre director has over the past few years turned to fine art – with some amazing results. She has a shop in Melville next to the Bamboo Centre that I often drive past. Although to call it a shop isn’t quite accurate as it’s window reveals an ever-changing tableau of the artist’s work. A living breathing installation that masquerades as a shop. Always intriguing, and entertaining while you sit sandwiched between cars in Joburg traffic waiting for the light to change.

Her latest exhibition is an assemblage – titled He Unbuttoned his Shirt and Took to the Sky – of works created on small brown paper packets, the kind that get filled up as party packs for kiddies’ birthdays. It would be hard to choose a favourite but if pushed it would be this one because it made me laugh to look at it and it matched the day I had just had.

If I could chop me head off, I would by Sue Pam-Grant

If I could chop me head off, I would by Sue Pam-Grant

Each packet is dated (one for each day of the year starting from February 2009) and all her treats are on the outside – a documentary of a year’s worth of life, Read More…

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Recalling the Toyota Prius

By Laurice Taitz | 1 week, 3 days ago

#191 Share this piece I read on the Toyota Prius recall because it’s funny and it deserves to be shared especially on a day where there is little relief from the news headlines (a combination of high drama from Winnie Mandela and real trauma). Writing in Time magazine, Joel Stein says:

“I am not one of those people who sit around rooting for product recalls. That’s because those people don’t exist. But I got excited when Toyota recalled the 2010 Prius. It’s not that I dislike the Prius. My lovely wife Cassandra has one, and it is an excellent vehicle. Except for its need to constantly tell you how excellent it is. There’s a screen in the center of the dashboard with an animation that shows how much energy the car is recycling as you drive it. If one of your employees were really efficient but throughout the day kept standing up in his cubicle and yelling, “I am really efficient!” you would fire him. Or punch him in the steering wheel.

Read More…

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Laurie Levine at The Radium Beerhall

By Laurice Taitz | 1 week, 5 days ago

#190. Head for the bright spot on Louis Botha avenue where Manny has been
holding fort through the neighbourhood’s best and worst of times at The Radium Beerhall. If memory serves me it was often with a baseball bat. Not in evidence on Saturday night but still there’s no doubt he has it stashed somewhere. Read More…

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Zanele Muholi and those photos

By Laurice Taitz | 2 weeks, 2 days ago

#189. Chip in on the photographs that caused all the trouble with Lulu Xingwana, the Minister of Arts and Culture. If you missed this story you will need to read all about it on Times Live “Minister slams ‘porn’ exhibition”. The short version is that the Minister who was to open an exhibition that included Muholi’s work at Constitution Hill slammed the artist and her work and then walked out. A statement released after the event had the minister saying: “Our mandate is to promote social cohesion and nation building. I left the exhibition because it expressed the very opposite of this.” She called Muholi’s photographs depicting lesbian relationships “immoral, offensive and going against nation-building.”

Today I read a great interview with Muholi Read More…

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Nando’s take on polygamy and kosher chicken

By Laurice Taitz | 2 weeks, 5 days ago

#188. Listen to one of the other stars of the Flux Trend Review, Sylvester Chauke, marketing manager of Nando’s. Not only did he dance onstage to Beyonce’s “All the single ladies” but he also revealed the essence of the company’s marketing strategy, summed up by: “passionate about South Africa, and taking a stand against the bland”. The chicken brand is determined not to bore its audience, seeking instead to engage their attention in interesting ways, mostly through sharp social commentary and humour. They are keen to be part of the conversation and their ads provoke a reaction because they have a way of bringing to light the country’s zeitgeist. This I like.

A current favourite is their response to Fifa’s tagline: Make sure you can say “I was there”.

Then there’s my other favourite favourite — the recent Valentine’s Day message riffing off Jacob Zuma’s latest romantic misadventures. It went something like this: This Valentine’s Day when you have so much love to give come to Nando’s  where you can feed all your wives, all your fiancees, all your girlfriends and even some of their fathers …

And the piece de resistance — the ad for kosher Nando’s. Love this one…

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Ferial Haffajee’s “state of the nation”

By Laurice Taitz | 3 weeks, 1 day ago

#187. Attend the Flux Trend Review, which I did yesterday at the University of Johannesburg Theatre – a little spot of [architectural] light on an otherwise mostly foreboding campus (that was besides for the delicious food from the hospitality and tourism students – 10 out of 10 for the home-made biscuits). Ferial Haffajee, editor of City Press gave the opening talk, a state of the nation address that included lots of ripe bananas, a great soundtrack and even a soccerball giveaway (definitely a 2010 event trend). Maybe JZ should try that. Read More…

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Jacob Zuma and Julius Malema: the movie

By Laurice Taitz | 3 weeks, 3 days ago

#186. Share the viral load. It appears that someone out there is having a whale of a time creating Hollywood scenarios for South Africa’s two most headline-hogging (mostly for the wrong reasons) politicians. My inbox is jammed. So here’s another take on the Juliob or Jacobius (our shorter answer to Brangelina) relationship.

First there was Dr Evil and mini-me then there was …

drevil

drevil2

There’s an academic thesis in here about political figures and popular representations, about humour and fear, but I am not going to be the one to write it. Suffice to say it’s all kind of funny  in an uncomfortable way.

See More on Jacob Zuma’s “baby dady” drama for the first take on this.

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More on Jacob Zuma’s “baby daddy” drama

By Laurice Taitz | 3 weeks, 3 days ago

#185. Share the latest graphic doing the rounds on email. Read More…

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Nando’s pecks on Dianne Kohler-Barnard

By Laurice Taitz | 3 weeks, 4 days ago

#184. Enjoy Nando’s take on Democratic Alliance MP Dianne Kohler Barnard’s momentary lapse of composure in Parliament (thanks to Matthew Buckland). Kohler Barnard was been suspended for five days after uttering the phrase “Fuck you”  in the house – clearly it’s not that kind of house. To read the back story on what made her do it, go here. She also answered Chris Barron’s questions in the Sunday Times.

South Africa’s famous chicken brand and one of the country’s most lucid political commentators was quick off the mark with …

Nando's ad

Nando's ad

Come to think of it there’s no shortage of chicken jokes you could throw at Parliament involving pecking orders, “Chicks rule”, “It’s cooking in there” and “Parliament – No place for chickens”, a nice variation on the sissies theme.

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The 2010 Flux Trend Review

By Laurice Taitz | 3 weeks, 5 days ago

#183. Plan ahead. The annual Flux Trend Review is a collection of essays brought together by Dion Chang, to put words to the “state we are in”. This year’s edition (the third) is from an eclectic mix of viewpoints on mostly everything under the formerly cloud-laden sky, from our relationship with technology and the social web to our overwhelming desire to slow things down, from the anticipated real impact of the soccer world cup to the world become undone by the global recession.There are big questions asked and answers given on everything from our health to the labels we covet.

Flux Trend Review Cover 2010

There’s talk of the power of word of mouse and lots about what’s shaking up the old media business (Irwin Manoim) and even an essay on how the rainbow nation hasn’t ended with a pot of gold by Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya. I liked the cute piece on soccer players eclipsing rock stars as the new celebrities and the idea that as the world reels from massive retrenchments and job losses there is a trend towards reassessing our working lives and re-crafting them to be less of a wage slave cliche.

So that’s the state we are in and you have to humour a trend consultancy that labels itself Flux. At this point I should disclose that I had a small hand in the book (as a copy-editor on the project). But it’s not for this reason that I am planning on attending the Conference this week (it’s my consolation for not making it to Cape Town’s Design Indaba). It’s an opportunity to have the bones thrown on what the future just might look like.

It all happens on Thursday (February 25) at the University of Johannesburg theatre in Auckland Park and the lineup includes City Press Editor Ferial Haffajee on the state of our nation (If all I know about Ms Haffajee is true then the nation would have got a better deal had they had saved their TV time for her instead of tuning into the more”official” S O N last week) and the “Green Bishop” Geoff Davies on the state of the planet. There is also Mokena Makeka, creative director and MD of Makeka Designs on the topic of “Urban Spaces for Modern Tribes” (he’s also in style bible Visi this month) and Sylvester Chauke, Marketing Manager of one of SA’s cheekiest brands, Nandos SA. There’s something on wellness in the 21st century and lots about living a digital life.

There’s even a bit of poetic license as corporate poet Lebo Mashile rounds off the proceedings. Definitely something to do in Joburg this week. For more or to book a ticket go to http://www.fluxtrends.co.za/

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