Monthly Archives: February 2015

Cape Town Art Fair

Cape Town Art Fair
This photo is of an artwork called Boko Harem (which I'd guess is a play on Boko Haram), by Catherine Ocholla. It speaks a thousand words, doesn't it?

I went along to the Cape Town Art Fair (which regrettably ends on 1 March) and spent about two hours browsing dozens of works, mostly by local artists, but including many from other African and European artists. The Avenue (a new venue in the same building as the V&A Waterfront's Aquarium), was light, airy, and not too crowded inside. What was nice about the fair was that while browsing we had the opportunity to meet several of the artists, even students from local art schools. The flip side to that privileged is that there are many genres that I simply don't get - so because I realise that art is quite personal to the artist I kept feeling that I had to be on my guard not to unintentionally offend their creators (which I have to admit was in one or two cases quite difficult not to do). :-/

Take a look at some of the works below. These, called Russian Bride, by Gavin Rain, are fantastic. If you get up real close you'll see that the images are created from hundreds of painted circles. Isn't it awesome how he crafted every circle to contribute to the overall image - almost like pixels on a monitor?

Also, check out this jacket made from old computer keyboards. Pretty impressive hey (albeit, probably quite uncomfortable to wear ;) )?

Given that I'm a photographer, I guess it's understandable that I mostly prefer photographs (vs. sculptures and paintings). So the last one that I specifically want to show you is a set of two photos, by Miriam Syowia Kyambi - pretty awesome hey? :)

Vacationing in Cape Town

Vacationing in Cape Town
If found this couple (who by their accents sounded foreign) were sitting watching the sun set over Clifton 4th beach. I handed them a card and said I'd email them the photos - but I haven't heard from them, so I guess the language barrier was just a little too much to cross. :-(

Looking cool at Passenger’s Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset concert

Looking cool at the Passenger concert
Actually, she wasn't just standing there, offering a peace sign. She was an usher at Passenger's Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset concert - and she was holding up two fingers to let us know she'd ferreted out a space on the grass for two people to sit. :)

Valentine’s day Silent Cinema with Short & Sweet

Valentine's day Silent Cinema with Short & Sweet

Even though the wind was frustratingly-blustery, still we went along to Short & Sweet's first silent cinema in Deer Park, just below the well-known Deer Park Cafe.

Given that Deer Park is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, Short & Sweet hired the services of a company that does silent discos/parties using headphones that receive the sound via a radio channel. It was quite different (though quite nice actually) sitting amid a group of people, with the only sound being that of the wind blowing and momentary gasps or bursts of laughter.

Julia, founder and curator of Short & Sweet's film evenings, put together a series of short films, animations, and even a music video to entertain us. The genre's were quite diverse, beautiful, and at times probably touched a little on some of the more conservative's boundaries.

Keep an eye on their Cape Town Facebook page for details about their screenings and regular Wednesday evening productions.

Mötley Crüe up real close

Mötley Crüe up real close
His name, he said, is Mötley Crüe. I said, "That doesn't sound like a real name.", to which he replied, "You would never be able to pronounce my real name.". Such a curious creature; such a strange interchange. Mötley Crüe passed away a little after this photo was taken. I'm not sure why. It was sad.

SUP ‘n splash in Camps Bay

SUP 'n splash in Camps Bay
In yesterday's post I mentioned that I'd been out on the ocean with Kaela from Camps Bay SUPS. What I failed to mention was how utterly useless I was on the water. It was quite ridiculous, actually. Allow me to tell you the story:

About six weeks ago I spent the better part of an hour paddling around on the V&A Waterfront canals. It was *really* easy. I had my balance within only a few seconds (probably due to years of skateboarding, I figured, ha) and the only reason I eventually fell in was because I was horsing around, testing my stability, you see.

Anyway, fast forward six weeks. I figured my outing at Camps Bay was going to be a cinch. I had this all wrapped up. I was definitely going to impress my host. I grabbed a board and headed for the water, wading in until I was deep enough to be behind most of the tiny wavelets.

With a grand display of prowess I hopped onto the deck, pulling myself up onto my knees (as the clever NaishInternational's YouTube lesson instructed). Man, I was on top of this. King of the SUPs.

I paddled slowly over the next swell in the ocean's surface - and with that, it had come: my moment to shine. I queued that part of the YouTube video in my mind and, following its instruction, I jumped onto my feet, landing beautifully, squarely, on the deck. Perfectly perpendicular to the board. My moment of glory. This was going to be fantastic.

It was then that I noticed a strange tipping to the left of the board. Hmmm. Why was the left side sinking? No matter, I corrected by shifting my weight to the right... and then to the left, and the right again, left, right, left, right... *SPLASH!*

As I rose from beneath the calm ocean waters, I imagined how the entire beach was surely standing on their tippy-toes watching, silently giggling, definitely pointing. Kaela (on the other hand) appeared to have expected this, graciously seeming as though she hadn't seen a thing.

I gripped the board, pulled myself up onto my knees. I had this down. Man, I know how to get onto my knees. Oh, wait.

Anyway, to cut a long story a little shorter, I proceeded to repeat the sequence of standing and falling about 20 times over the next 30 minutes until I eventually relented, perching on my knees, entertaining my host with a million questions about anything that would distract from my apparent lack of sea legs.

Now, it wasn't all bad. Even though I was utterly useless (this time around) it was huge amounts of fun being out at sea, beyond the waves, watching the sun descending. It was peaceful, beautiful, and for these reasons, as our dear Arnie once said, "I'll be back". I'll surely be back.

SUP hire in Camps Bay

Hire SUPs in Camps Bay
Year on year over the past few I've noticed a massive increase in the number of people getting into Stand Up Paddling. It's not really surprising - it's immense fun and possibly one of the easiest and driest water sports to get in to. Well. Easiest and driest for some, I guess. (More about that tomorrow ;) )

I considering buying a board, but figured it would be wise to first rent one to make sure that it's something I'd actually do. A while back I rented a board from Cape Town SUP, who do rentals in the V&A Waterfront canals. It was loads of fun, so I started looking around for a company who'd hire a board in the Camps Bay and Clifton areas. I wanted to hire a board in the evening so that I could sup as the sky turned orange and the harsh sun was on the descend. Research lead me to Camps Bay SUPS, a new SUP hire company that operates from Cafe Caprice in Camps Bay.

Camps Bay SUPS hires stand up paddle boards at a cost of R150 per hour directly from Cafe Caprice. They also offer day rentals, and are open to discussing weekend or even week-long rentals for those on vacation. I'll tell you a little more about my expedition, but for now, if you're interested, you'll find Kaela's mobile number on their Facebook page. Get in touch via Whatsapp, SMS, or just give her a call to reserve a board.

February Theme Day: What would I miss?

Sunset over the ocean
It was an easy decision when the City Daily Photo community asked, "If you had to leave forever the city from which you usually post, what would you miss most?". I'd miss setting sun's summer glow over our part of the Atlantic ocean. I'd miss the long summer evenings, outlines of friends silhouetted against and orange glow, and how the beach becomes silent at dusk, and how thousands of candles light up the beach on warm February evenings.