Introducing the Fashion Films Programme, which forms one part of the Zeitz MOCAA Fashion Institute.
The inaugural Fashion Film Season explores the power of play, collage and found objects in a series of selected Afrocentric Fashion Films, namely 3-10 minute long fashion-focused experimental and/or commercial films. Selected fashion thinkers, play practitioners, fashion designers and film directors are invited to participate in panel discussions, convened by the Zeitz MOCAA’s senior Fashion Curator Erica de Greef and Fashion Research Assistant Lesiba Mabitsela, in association with trend analyst and cultural strategist, Nicola Cooper.
Our first season of Fashion Films series seeks to foreground the notion of play and found objects as expressed through the themes of found histories and landscapes left behind in the aftermath of colonialism and Apartheid in Africa. The monthly screening and discussion aim to contribute towards a conceptual, critical and collaborative programme that speaks to the institute’s two main pillars; Fashion Exhibitions and Curating, Knowledge production and Fashion Education.
Screened Films:
Dust to Dust in collaboration with Clive Rundle directed by Ariane Besson
Participants:
Onesimo Bam
Lukhanyo Mdingi
Sethembile Msezane
Tsidi Ramofolo
Please note that seats are limited and RSVP is required.
About the Participants:
Onesimo Bam
Cape Town-based Onesimo Bam, is a surface designer, collaborator and artist whose origins are rooted in the Eastern Cape. His medium of communication is the Kimono which, is a traditional Japanese gown worn by both men and women. Bam likes to refer to his work as, “challenging the idea of what is considered ‘VALID’” by creating thought-provoking ideas through art, poetry, music and by collaborating with different artists. This is an exchange in which he states, “pushes his thinking limits and inspires him in ways he never thought possible whilst allowing others to explore in their own way.
Lukhanyo Mdingi
Established in 2015, the Lukhanyo Mdingi label has seamlessly created pieces that celebrate the essence of ease and story-telling. Rich in cross-cultural references the South African label has used theory and research as a foundation to create honest pieces that celebrate the spirit of considered design & modern refinement. Season after season the aim is to use fashion as a medium to meld history by creating contemporary narratives that celebrate timeless elegance and soulfulness.
Sethembile Msezane
Sethembile Msezane completed her Masters in Fine Art (2017) at the University of Cape Town. Msezane explores issues around spirituality, commemoration and African knowledge systems. Her work has examined the processes of mythmaking which are used to construct history. She has been exhibited across South Africa and internationally, including Zeitz MOCAA (Cape Town), La Maison Rouge (Paris), and 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair (London, New York). Msezane is an OkayAfrica 100 women 2018 Honoree. She was a TEDGlobal Speaker in Ausha, Tanzania (2017). Msezane is the first recipient of the Rising Light award at the Mbokodo Awards (2016).
Read more about Msezane work here.
Tsidi Ramofolo
Tsidi Ramofolo is an entrepreneur and spiritual healer who was raised in Gauteng before moving to Denmark. Ramofolo would later return to South Africa, developing an interest in sewing through her mother an would continue to hone her skills when she relocated to Cape Town in 1999. Ramofolo founded GOrD GOrD in 2014, making clothing and accessories from repossessed materials and has since been recognised for her contribution towards sustainable business practices on multiple platforms such as Expresso, House & Leisure Magazine to name a few. Ramafolo is also a member of the Craft & Design Institute. Ramofolo continues to give back to society by volunteering her time, facilitating the making of costumes by inmates Pollsmoor Prison who took part in the Your Slam Factor Talent Competition.
Photo Credit: Ariane Besson, Courtesy: Clive Rundle