LAUNCH + EXHIBITION: “GATHERED” A collaborative evening.

AN EVENING HOSTED AT GATHERE IN KRAMERVILLE
SHOWCASING FABRICA X HENRIETTE BOTHA X THEY’RE WONTED CURATED BY ANTS 

29th March 2017

“Geometry will draw the soul toward truth and create the spirit of philosophy”. - Plato.

Fabrica, Henriette Botha, Ants and They’re Wonted, creative’s carving paths in their respective fields were drawn together to originate a story based on the love for their city and the inspiration they draw from it.

FABRICA

Kirsten Townsend, Founder of Fabrica is a Graphic Designer and has started moving into a 3-dimensional space.

In 2016 she debuted the ‘Ndebele Burglar Bars’ inspired to preserve traditional cultures, being lost as urbanisation draws people into the cities.

Her latest project and the reason behind the collaboration and launch at the end of this month are the ‘Citymapmats’. Drawing her inspiration from spaces and architecture around her, the facades of the buildings and windows inspired the patterns which are woven into the rugs, forming road maps of urban areas in Johannesburg as well as Cape Town.

The rugs are 100% wool and hand tufted. Kirsten worked closely with the weavers in India and chose to do her production through a company which up-skills locals.

HENRIETTE BOTHA

Established at the end of 2012, the Henriette Botha collections are 100% handmade in Johannesburg, South Africa. They use local artisans and focus on skills development to preserve this indigenous craft.

The collection, Golden Arc, is a departure from previous collections as they have introduced gemstones
and precious metals. This was not only inspired by Johannesburg’s rich history but also Henriette’s love for precious stones which she has been collecting for years.

Gold-plated silver translates the opulence of gold found in the rich mining band stretching from Joburg to Welkom. The geometric shapes found throughout the collection are a combination of abstract reflections of the city and the mapping on the carpets designed
by Fabrica.

The colours were chosen using the palette of Joburg. ‘Lapis Lazuli’ for the clear blue skies and ‘Green Agate’ for the urban forest. ‘Red Agate’ and ‘Labradorite’ represent the colours of the buildings and ‘Black Onyx’ and ‘Amber’ reflect the gold upon which it was all built.

THEY’RE WONTED

Jessica, Dillon and Daniella launched They’re Wonted into the content creation space at this time a year ago, all three of them are passionate about pulling a brand’s story together online.

The media landscape has changed so drastically in the last few years and storytelling is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Bloggers and Content Creators have the power to tell stories and link people. Connection to a brand, rather than being told what to do, is what society relates to.

ANTS

Ants is an international platform for the promotion of culture, art, design and overall creative expression.

The concept behind Ants is based upon ants going out, finding different goods and experiences, and bringing them back to share with their communities.

Collaborations are part of the companies DNA. Ants draw inspiration from Joburg and its energy, urban dynamism and cultural legacy. This has led them to a mix of talent and creativity such as Fabrica, Henriette Botha and They’re Wonted. Working on unconventional ways to curate different disciplines is what Ants strives for, which is why this collaboration fits so beautifully with their ethos, they live and breathe Joburg creativity.

Guiyani Monteiro’s mantra of ‘We Find.We Gather.We Share’ and her love of bringing people together over art and culture made her the perfect person to showcase the culmination of this journey. 

Massive THANK YOU to Bombay Sapphire for the cocktails and to Maverick & Jane for the delicious pop corn. 

Photography by MRSK Visuals / Mariska Van Den Brink