Feiyue has been making a little more than a buzz lately in the South African scene. Fresh from la Pari the shoes have hit the ground running (excuse the pun) and have literally swept through the youth market picking up a lot of good press and catching the eyes of a lot of consumers as they have passed.

But how did the shoes get here? Well they didn’t just decide to up and come here because the French were being a bit too French! No, they were brought here by one street savvy entrepreneur name Emile Pretorius. It is always interesting and valuable to have the insider insight, so we decided to catch up and have a word or two with the importer himself.

THE FEIYUE SIT DOWN AND GET TALKING SPOT

• Hello Emile. How are you doing today?

Hey I am good. It’s a beautiful day in Jozi, I can’t complain.

• What is Feiyue?

Feiyue is a french sneaker brand with vintage heritage from Shanghai in the early 20′s. Its rebirth started in 2006 when the brand was re-launched in France.

• How is the brand doing?

The brand locally and internationally is doing really well. Feiyue can now be found in 15 of the top fashion retailers in South Africa with a major chain launching the brand in the next month. Internationally the brand has recently launched in America with Canada to follow soon.

• You guys recently had a campaign with Mooks clothing store in SA, what is / was this campaign all about?

We wanted to do something different and interactive – as this is what the Feiyue brand is all about. We decided to have 4 live window installations at Mooks running over 4 weeks. Every Friday a chosen artist would put their interpretations of “shapes” on to a plain canvas. Since there was some sort of interaction between passerbys and artists alike, the campaign ran really well. You can check the process on here [10and5 click to view]

• Where do you want to take Feiyue in South Africa?

Feiyue has cross cultural appeal that I think many brands struggle to find. In saying this, our aim is to appeal to a wide range of people in South Africa – from your trendsetters hanging out at Vida E on Kloof to your guy kicking it with his friends in Soweto. We want as many people to experience Feiyue with us. At the end of the day that’s what it is, an experience.

• So what new stuff has Feiyue got in its pocket for the upcoming season?

This season Feiyue will be releasing their 5th and latest model known as The Feiyue A.S (athletic sportive) Series – Inspired by ‘indoor’ sports from the 90’s. And since Summer is on its, Feiyue will also be coming out with a variety of new colours ways for the Feiyue Lo Series – with 20 variations, finding a pair to match your get up will be easy.

• Next steps?

The follow up event [click] at Mooks in Rosebank on the 29th of this month! Other than that, follow us on Facebook [click] or Twitter [click] and you will find out – we like banging things out when least expected!

Hello kids!

So a few years back I met this insane musician through a friend of mine, he came down to visit her in Cape Town from London and I was amazed by his talent. We’ve both been trying to catch up for a while and finally had the chance.

So check it out, big big talent and huge things ahead…

• Who is Josh Record?

I am…

• Is that your real name? It just seems too perfect

Yeah I know! It really is too perfect, imagine if I didn’t wanna do music that would kinda be a kick in the teeth to my family name really.

• So word on the the street is you went to the famous Brit School? Tell us….

I did… It was a great place to be, many people in my class are now out there doing there thing on the world stage, the roll call is ridiculous Adele, Kate Nash, Amy Winehouse, Rox, Charlene Soraia, Katy B, The Kooks, Floetry, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap…. and hopefully Josh Record! I think its the way forward for education, being able to go to a college where everyone around you is so passionate about what they are doing gives you incredible drive and inspiration.

• If you had to try and define your sound what would it be?

hmmm I HATE ANSWERING THIS QUESTION!  I would urge you to go to my website and try and help me answer! Seriously though, no idea!

• You’ve travelled to South Africa and your mom was born in Joburg so any major influences from these parts?

Coming to South Africa was in some ways a turning point with my music for me. I came to visit my friend in Cape Town and go to Step Up and found it to be literally the coolest city. I met some great friends that I felt like I’d known for ages and I really loved the vibe of the city. One of my days I spent in a record shop down on the waterfront and literally listened to music all day, since then I’ve really got into 340ml who are South African based, I think they are 2nd most played artist on my itunes!

• Your biggest inspiration musically and otherwise?

My biggest inspiration musically is probably a canadian rapper called Shad, which is strange as I am definitely not a rapper, just something about him really connects with me but I haven’t found out what it is yet!

• Artists you admire most?

My favorite artist is a Swedish artist called Tingsek, literally he is incredible! I have been listening to his music since I was 16 and have been blessed enough to find that he is not only a great musician but a great guy to! We have recorded a song together and are hopefully doing some more music next year so its been a massive dream for me!

• Your dream collaboration?

Musically Feist. In all other aspects, Jessica Alba.

• So where to next?

www.jessicaalba.net

• Where can we find you online?

Oh please check out the website, www.joshrecord.com or like my page on facebook, and if anyone uses myspace anymore you can find me there occasionally on www.myspace.com/joshrecord! I blog on the regular and I really enjoy uploading very raw ideas recorded on my phone at the moment so there are LOTS of new songs!

• Obviously you’re a musician but what do you do on the day to day grind?

Fortunately I am well passionate about my job too as I run a music and film project working with young people on estates in London, trying to give them a positive outlet of expression in what can be a really hard place to grow up in. I run music workshops too in schools and prisons.  Check out some of the young people I work with on my website, they are well talented and inspiring!

• What’s the most exciting collaboration you’ve done?

Tingesk for SURE!

• Any ties with labels or plans to release?

Well I’ve had some great meetings over here in London with some pretty big people that could be the first step of something good! At the moment I’m having so much fun making music that I really don’t want to lose sight of that. I had some interest a while back and I ended up losing a bit of passion for music, but the a friend of mine and fellow musician Toby challenged me to stop making music for other people and just have fun doing it!

• Do you have a studio or what’s the deal?

Well I make beats from home, as I also make hip hop. Got some great hip hop stuff coming out real soon, 3 different artists are currently doing the music videos for the tunes so keep checking the website for updates.

• Plans to come back to SA? If so lets talk gigs yeah?

I am always looking to get back to South Africa! I’m back in Kenya in April and I’m currently trying to convince my friend to roadtrip all the way down the continent to you guys! We recently came back from a massive drive from London to Istanbul, it was epic! I’m gonna make it there again and what a dream it would be to perform there, and also get some good cheap cocktails at Beluga’s…hmmmmm…

• What can we expect in the future?

I’m really hoping to get some stuff out there in a big way soon, I hope that people connect with my music. Look out for a music video soon, Swedish director Patrick Karlson has agreed to direct a music video for my song Skin, which will be available early next year, and I am currently planning a roadtrip from London to Kenya late next year that the BBC are interested in documenting!

Recently I was very lucky to catch up with Si Maclennan, a top talent from Cape Town’s new generation of designer/illustrators. Si has had his work published in several major international design publications, including Los Logos 5 and Typography Today, as well as illustrating for Maxim New York and recently having illustrated the cover of Artbox Magazine [UK]. To be honest, I hadn’t seen Si’s work until I stumbled across the shoot that he collaborated on for Blush ‘n Bass, a brilliantly put together body of work, comprised of art direction, illustration and photography. His style resonates a definite young energy, superfresh and not scared to veer far beyond one singleminded aesthetic.

Hey Si, can you tell us a little bit about your background Where did you grow up? Who was your favourite Ninja Turtle?

I’m a Cape Town kid, but i’ve got roots all over South Africa. Traveling around the country was a big part of my childhood. I feel a strong connection with most parts of SA. Hmm.. favourite ninja turtle? If I had to choose, it wouldn’t be a turtle. It’d be splinter. To be honest I’m more a fan of the reboot generation of programming. Those bad CG graphics were awesome

Were you into art as a kid, and when did you decide you wanted to start a career in the creative industry?

I always did a bit of “art”. My brother was always the artist in the family, though. He’d make my drawings look pitiful. Haha. His amazing talent kind of pushed me to explore less traditional styles though. I found myself looking for genre’s that didn’t compete with what he was doing. I did a lot of street art as a youngster, lots of takkies on telephone wires. And also found a passion for photography at a really young age..

You have had your work featured in some really major international publications recently. How have you managed to develop such a worldwide presence at such a young age?

It’s taken me by surprise actually. I always worked really hard and hoped something good would come of it. A big part of it was making a strong online presence. Sites like Behance and being featured on websites like Type Neu and (suprisingly) Abduzeedo really make a big difference. If it’s not on the internet, it pretty much doesn’t exist.

Working with HelloComputer has also been really amazing. If it weren’t for the guys i work with and the opportunities they’ve given me, i’d never have seen the pages of Maxim New York or Los logos.

What or who influences your design style?

I take a lot of influence from contemporary designers. Alex Trochut has always been a hero of mine. other people that come to mind are Marcus Eriksson, João Oliveira, eskimo square (you should look him up) and several great studios like Serialcut, Non-Format, Hellohikimori and my absolute favourite, Universal Everything, to name a few.

Also, i like abstract things (they’re easier to draw), computer generated and programmed graphics. I actually really enjoy a kind of deliberately digitized process – artists like Evgeny Kieselev, Tatiana Plakhova, Siggi Eggertsson and a lot of the guys who are true to the medium they work in. If it’s digital, i like to be honest about it. The stuff guys are doing with processing and open frameworks now also completely inspires me. it’s amazing where technology id taking us in that respect.

I was recently wowed by the Blush ‘n Bass shoot that you worked on. What was your input, and how did the creative process work from concept to execution?

I wanted to create something that felt like a finished product. Myself and Dave (Si’s brother) had been planning to collaborate for ages, and a good friend of ours, Matthew Thomas, who also happens to be an incredible photographer, stepped in at just the right time. It was kind of a personal experiment for all of us. We had never been involved in the complete process of art direction, through to post production and illustration so we really wanted to test the waters.

Myself and Dave did the direction for the shoot, and set construction. Matt did the photos, and I did most of the illustration. I had worked with Candice from Blush ‘n Bass before and i guess it was mutually beneficial. We got two amazing subjects to work with, and they got some awesome press shots.

Your work, whether illustration, mixed media, or branding always seems to possess a level of finesse. Do you have a stash of tricks up your sleeve or is it simply a matter of reworking over and over, tweaking until a point where you are totally satisfied?

You pretty much hit the nail on the head. I find it really difficult to let something go if i consider it sub standard. If i look at something and it doesn’t seem right, i sit with it until it works. If it doesn’t work, i toss it. A few tricks help, too

You have been involved in designing a lot of music related media for The Dirty Skirts as well as a number of other local artists. How does music play a part in your design?

It’s just great subject matter i guess. Every artist opens up different opportunities for styles and interpretations. In fact, every gig poster can be different. I love diversifying. If you find the right artists to suit your style, you’ll be happy for a long time. It’s also really great working with such contemporary bands. Posters, art direction, and publicity stuff is always fun for the right client.

What are the top 5 most played tracks in your iTunes? Be honest!

1. Evil Nine – Icicles

2. Chemical Brothers – Saturate

3. Digitalism – Digitalism in Cairo

4. Sasha – Magnetic North

5. Chemical Brothers feat. Fatlip – The Salmon Dance

(He even sent me a screenshot to show there weren’t any white lies in there – Dont Party approves)

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Do i really have to type out the other half of that toungetwister?

Wait. There’s actually another half?

Oh god. A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Hahaha, how insightful! Thanks so much dude, you’ve been a legend!

Absolute pleasure!

SI’S PARTICULARS

• Si Maclennan on the Behance Network (online portfolio)
• Oh Hi  (Si Maclennan official website)
• Hello Computer (official website)
• Newblack (Hello Computer Behance portfolio)

BLUSH ‘N BASS CONCEPT SHOOT

CREDITS

• Blush ‘n Bass (Facebook)
• Blush ‘n Bass (Soundcloud)
• Art Direction, Styling & Illustration: Si Maclennan
• Art Direction: David Maclennan (online portfolio)
• Photography: Matthew Thomas (online portfolio)
• Make Up: Tremayne West
• Blush ‘n Bass dressed by The Lot

SI MACLENNAN SOLO WORK

We all know (or at least any self-respecting creative aficionado should) that the Black Heart Gang have been doing great things. From the ‘Tale Of How’ to the amazing aural and cinematic splendor that was their United Airlines advert [click to view the work] the BHG have been solidly providing us with sound cinematic masterpieces.

On a recent chat with my friend Markus Wormstorm I was privy to the information that the Black Heart Gang were working for EA Games on a few shorts for the game The Return Of Alice; the sequel to the original Alice game.

This project was too good to pass undocumented, so I sat down with Markus for a short Q&A to gain some insight into the project:

Well firstly, how did The Black Heart Gang get involved with this project?

We were asked to pitch on it by our American/European Agents, Passion Pictures. It was us, Pete Candeland (the music video director for the Gorillaz) and some other company all competing against each other. Am I Collective [click] helped us with some style frames during the pitch, Ree and Linsey did character sketches. And I wrote the stories and made audio treatments. In the end we won!

What is your involvement in the Return of Alice?

We are doing the campaign and three movies in the game. [the first one is the video at the top of this page]

How do you tackle something like this creatively? I mean, for a production of this scale, does it affect the way you approach it?

My biggest concern was to get the initial ideas perfect. We want to create something that is psychologically dark as apposed to scary. We work with symbolism and archetypes to create images and scenarios that are truelly disturbing.

I think that you need a concrete base to work from, or else you might find that you’ve wasted a lot of peoples time making something thats “Ok“, instead of brilliant. Its easy to get the first step wrong, because anyone can come up with an idea. Right?

A lot of time needs to be spent on an idea for it to develope beyond someones two cents.

Of course an idea is literally nothing without the music and art direction which manifests it, but the content is what makes something hit or miss.

Once the idea is formed it is vital that each key member of the operation should be able to visualize the process and the end result in his or her own way. I think trust is also important in a set up like ours. I would, for instance, never try to enforce my ideas on Rees art directing or push to get my way with the directing on Jannes.

This is quite a big step in terms of recognition as well as a massive foot in the door into the gaming market, is this something that you guys have always wanted or aimed to achieve?

Yes we’ve been planning our own Black Heart Gang game title for sometime. This is, as you say, a very good opportunity to speak to the right people!

What are your future plans with something like this? Do you have more plans to work on games or even make some yourself?

As I said we hope to create our own game in the next five to ten years. I’m presently working on another game called Dawn of The Fly with Breakdesign. and Rick Treweek and I indent to make many more for the iPad platform in the next year.

Nice guys… really great work!!!!

WANT MORE?

• the black heart gang website
• return of alice (american mcgee)

Happy Tuesday y’all

So a couple months back part of my Facebook feed was about my homie Lebo who had been making some kind of fancy video that was doing the round. I knew he was a filmaker but I never asked any further questions. Anyway I watched the videos and discovered that they featured Damon Dash. WHAT? DAMON DASH? YES.

I contacted with Lebo who is currently living in Beijing and I asked him to talk me through what he’s been up to and how the hell he ended up making a documentary with one of the legends of hiphop. I’ve also asked him a couple of personal questions for those of you that don’t know who he is yet. Read closely because one day he’ll be very famous.

So who are you and what do you do?

I’m Lebo, and I kinda live a double life. I am this scholarly/bookish dude writing my masters thesis by day, and working as a videographer by night making documentaries about sub-cultures in Beijing…it gets a little weird at times…

What is this project with Damon Dash about?

Damon Dash came to China to “check it out”, and when he was in Beijing-he got hold of people I know and work with…

How did you get involved?

Well, when he came over, his people got in touch with people that I work with. “Sexy Beijing” is a popular online TV station that I have done work with and DJ WORDY (3x China DMC Champion) is a good friend of mine and we’ve done videos together (check it here). The other dude in the video is MC WEBBER – China’s freestyle prodigy-I’m working on this video called “section 6″ and its about this monthly underground hip-hop party featuring some of Beijing’s dopest mc’s, b-boys etc, and Webber hosts it, I have these killer freestyles of him in it-I wish everyone in the world spoke Chinese so they could understand what he was saying-the kid is hot!!! Anyway so naturally, when they were looking for someone to shoot Damon Dash coming to Beijing, they called me…

China is pretty flippn far away so how did you end up there and thus in this project?

I don’t know, I wanted to learn Chinese and I wanted to pursue filmmaking as a career and I didn’t want to be another one of those South Africans that go to America or London, I just wanted to do something different, something no one has ever done before. And when I got there, I was lucky enough to meet good people. And of course my interests lead my to those people, so it was a pretty organic process.

Who is the crazy stylish lady playing hostess?

Oh her, that’s Anna Sophie , aka Sufei … she is amazing. She is the star of Sexy Beijing… she doesn’t really shine in this episode but if you get a chance you should check out some of their shows…nothing mind blowing, but she is on fire …

Any plans for future projects like this?

Yeah, hopefully Damon Dash signs Wordy to roc-a-fella, and Wordy and I go to New York and I film the second part of what could be a potentially awesome document on the progression of Chinese hip-hop.

What else are you involved in over China side?

A bunch of stuff, but in short, making music videos and videos about music, documentating the Beijing underground hip-hop scene, making sandwiches for everyone involved in the Beijing hip-hop scene and more importantly; making films that deal with the realities and conditions of the African Diaspora living in Beijing.

Is there anywhere online where we can check what else you get up to?

Yeah, I kinda have a vimeo page but its nothing official yet…I’m in the process of putting more stuff up…it should be cooking in the next month or so…and for those of you who do actually end up on my vimeo page, i commend you to watch “Sino”. Its a short film, the first part in a trilogy I am working on about the African Diaspora in Beijing. All of the things I have done, I really love this one the most. (Check out his vimeo page here).

I hope this inspired y’all to go and do something valuable today.

Happy Tuesday.

Anths.

Hylton Warburton is Godzilla, apparently. We are not going to speculate on that subject, but we can say that this Durban-knight does some wicked cool illustrations and graphics. Beautiful characters are a vital part of the Hylton Warburton aesthetic. Oddly though, he presents his unearthly creatures with innocence and charm, and his humanoids with devilish emptiness: a metaphor for something more real I wonder? In any case, we love what he does and were lucky enough to chat to him about his gift.

First up thanks for flying with Dont Party. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you are up to?
I am an illustrator, designer and artist living in Durban, aka Durban. I am 24, and I have been doing my thing in the scene for about 4 years now. Currently, I do the daily grind at an agency called Modern Museum Communications and I moonlight as a freelancer. It’s in those late hours of the night that I get to do the work I am passionate about.

Can you tell us about what’s happening currently in the creative community up in KillerZuluNation?
We have a relatively small community of creatives here. Everybody knows each other. We often do group exhibitions and stuff like that but it seems that Durbs doesn’t get as much exposure as the likes of Cape Town of Jo’burg. There is lots of talent coming out of Durbs tho, and it has great potential.

Your pieces are consistently true to the style that is Hylton Warburton. How important would you say it is for an illustrator to specialise in a style that is distinctively their own?
I think its extremely important as an illustrator to develop a distinctive style. You are essentially developing your brand of illustration. Over the past few years I have been constantly growing and developing my style so that it becomes a memorable and distinctive “Hylton Warburton” style. However, I think it is also important to keep your style flexible to keep it from becoming rigid and box you into doing one kind of thing. I see myself as having not one, but a few different styles that often overlap, depending what I am working on. It is always good to keep experimenting and looking for new directions to take your style in.

What is your usual creative process if there is one?
My process varies a lot, sometimes I might be sketching in my sketchbook and it will develop from there, other times I just get an idea for something pop into my head and I just flesh it out on my computer. Sometimes i’ll see something on the internet, or get an idea while brainstorming with mates. Most often I find that my work develops from just messing around with my tablet.

How do you find a balance between doing personal projects and client work?
I work fulltime at an agency at the moment, so I don’t have a lot of time to do my freelance work. I don’t usually take on a lot of freelance on at one time, but I am always doing personal stuff in any gap I find. I think it is important to keep up doing personal work because it keeps you excited and creatively stimulated.

You recently received your 100 000th visit to your flickr photostream, with so many options to showcase your work online, what is it about flickr that works for you?
Flickr is just one of many ways to promote yourself on the net. Until now I have used it because it is free, convenient, easy to update, and you can track your exposure (ie. your views, comments on your work etc.). It gets loads of exposure to people looking for creatives and other artists, allowing you to network with them. I have gotten lots of big freelance jobs through it. I also use Twitter and Facebook in conjunction with Flickr to maximize exposure. I do still think that it is important to have a proper portfolio site and I am also working on a website for myself, but that is still in the works. It will hopefully be up and running in the near future.

So there you have it, the words of a warchild. Check out his works below. We trust you have had a safe and pleasant journey.

Hit up Hylton’s flickr stream here.

Also feel free to download some kickass Hylton Warburton iPhone wallapapers here.

Stencil art has become more than just a way to quickly throw up something on a canvas. The kind of Warhol-esque artistic place that stencil creations have found is no less than deserving of this form. Possibly the biggest inspiration and innovator of this medium is Banksy and since his blow-out a multitude of great artists in the real world have found their feet and confidence with the stencil, and now Cape Town has its very own::

Describing himself as “just a guy in cape town, south africa, with a love for old images, stencil art & photoshop“, Wall.Ace is derived from his middle name: Wallace; and so it seems in his birth right that this love for stencil art and imagery would become the need for expression on a public forum.

“I’m just a guy in cape town, south africa, with a love for old images, stencil art & photoshop” – Wall.Ace

Together with his girlfriends love for photography and extreme modesty Wall.Ace has done some pretty interesting pieces, that he wouldn’t describe as art for fear of insulting “real” artists, around the mother city. Dont Party asked this enigma 5 minor questions to find out some more…

1. Why stencil art?

Just to be clear.. My stuff is imagined stencil art or graf-faux-ti as I’ve dubbed it. I’ve always love stencil art and have been into design but I am fucking lazy and so I just started creating what I would like to see if I had the time. Part of what I like most about stencil art is the imperfections. The drips, oversprays and the way the works erode give them an awesome quality that I’ve always loved and have tried to recreate.

2. What inspires your work?

Old movie posters, weathered urban textures and real stencil artists.

3. How do you decide where to place your work?

Me n my girlfriend, CC, go on scouting missions to find textures. She is an awesome photographer and takes photos of whatever we can find then I look at em and think about what would look cool on the particular textures.

4. What can we expect next from Wall.Ace?

Maybe the leap from the bedroom to the main stage? but probably not. The intention of me making these designs was to have them printed as wall art which I’m having done now so they’ll be available but in very limited quantities only though.

5. As Cape Town is synonymous with its anti-graffiti laws, do you have any worry about cops?

I worry about the cops but not with regards to my designs.

check out: wall-ace.withtank.com for more

Bi.son

noun ( pl. same) a humpbacked shaggy-haired wild ox.

The guys over at BISON have a paranormal gift for creating striking art, illustration and design. Their style lies somewhere within the oxymoron of DIY sophistication, and their peculiar layout and edgy type treatments always employ a shameless shift towards the experimental.

Their process uses techniques as bizarre as printing onto ‘non printable’ materials, and utilizing found objects such as human hair in their artworks. Call it odd, but you can’t deny the outcome is something of genius.

They are a Cape Town based studio, and have been featured in Computer Arts [UK], iDN [Hong Kong], and One Small Seed [SA] to name a few.

We caught up with the rare and mystical beast that is BISON, for some telepathic Q&A.

DP: First up, coming from a country with such an array of odd animals, why the name BISON, a creature so alien to us?

B: I originally wanted to use the name for some music I was making about two months before myself and Linsey ever discussed starting Bison. The night after we decided to start something in the line of art and design, the name came back to me and seemed to fit perfectly and I liked the fact that it was born of another very expressive medium, music – something which we are both very passionate about.

DP: You guys have a very unusual style, is there any formula behind your design, or is it spontaneous from the beginning?

B: Usually it is pretty spontaneous and in the moment type thing, or when the inspiration drives it, But sometimes when we deal with corporate clients they often want to see a plan and progress so they can comment on the direction before the end result…we have been fortunate to have some clients who believe in and trust the decisions we make during the design process enough to leave us to our own devices or natural process.

It’s hard sometimes to try find the balance between allowing the project to unfold in a very spontaneous way and brief or timeline constraints.

DP: What tools/media/technology do you use to create your pieces?

B: Photography, flatbed scanners, any mark-making tools like pen, pencil, paint etc, and then there is an Imac and a mac mini.

DP: What would you say is the most important factor in your creative process?

B: Probably subjectivity and intuition. As long as something feels right to you – go with that feeling.

DP: How do you see yourselves within the SA design industry? Would you say that it directly influences you, or are your inspirations somewhat more abstract?

B: We wouldn’t limit our influences to the field of art and design, in any country, just because that’s what we do. Inspiration comes from our experiences everyday; it could be something a friend said, family, nature, music…anything really. Having said that, I think for such a small place we have an amazing amount of creativity flowing though Cape Town and the rest of S.A and that in itself is an inspiration to keep pushing.

DP: How do you see the SA design industry in relation to Europe and the rest of the world?

B: South Africa is hugely underrated when is comes to art and design. We could all identify a Dutch designed poster, a graphic identity from New York or a classic British design…what I like about South African art and design is that although it has strong roots, (on the whole) we don’t have a style that is particular to our geographic situation and culture. It shows that we are using our subjectivity rather than producing what would be expected from a South African designer. Although there is nothing wrong with celebrating our strong heritage and diverse cultures though art and design.

DP: What artist, brand or collective would you most like to collaborate with?

B: Anyone really. When it comes to collabs its usually with the people we meet and just get along with.

DP: What advice would you give to those young’ens that wanna become a BISON when they grow up?

B: Take up a musical instrument, start a band with your friends. Watch Wes Anderson movies. But just be honest and true to yourself, that’s all.

DP: Why did the BISON cross the road?

B: It liked the sound it’s hooves made on the hard asphalt as apposed to the usual soft grass it had become accustomed to.

You heard it! BISON has spoken.

Check out BISON’s way cool website over here, and their Behance folio this side.

Local Cape Town based artist BAKAbeans recently caught my attention in a big way! His pieces seem like a combination of Seth McFarlane and Salvador Dali, with such complex and intricate attention to detail he produces kind of twisted, motion driven compositions where insane character sketches meets a world of warped graffiti.

What struck me about his work is just the pure intensity of each piece: Each work is so full and epic that it takes you a while to fully grasp how much time has actually gone into its creation; as your eyes adjust to the imagery you start to realize the absolute complexity of it all.

In my opinion BAKAbeans is the epitomy of the modern artist, using non-conformist methods to express the inner man whilst slamming work in the corner of peoples eye in a Banksy-esque manner.

I caught up with the man himself and ask him a few questions about his life, his art, and his geyser!

1.           So when I came to your house yesterday, I understand it had been a bit of an epic morning for you?  What happened?

Geyser fucked out and flooded the place. Super awesome.

2 .        When you started creating art, what was you goal? Where you in a graffiti based mind-set, or where you looking towards a more classical approach? i.e. did you always start with the intention of being a “modern” artist (if that’s how you see yourself)?

I’ve been drawing since i remember. I’ve had plenty influences on the way. it was less of me wanting to be an artist and more of me just doing what i needed to do. I get quite irratable if I don’t create things!

3.         Who are your heroes? Past and present… the guys you look up to?

Plenty plenty. I would consider anyone I’m influenced by in a positive way a hero. SIngeling out a few just wouldn’t do everyone else justice!

4.         How do you rate SA artists of your kind of origin on a global scale?

SA’s Got Talent

5.         Where do you, ideally, want to be in 5 years?

uh, 5 years older and still creating things!

6.         If you could do a commissioned piece for anyone in the world (artist or otherwise) who would it be? Why?

Wow hectic question. I’d rather do a work for anyone who values what i do, rather than seeking approval.

7.         What would you create for them?

Extraterrestrial Puke Art

8.         Take us through the process of your “creations”? Do you have a goal, or objective when you start sketching or do you kind of start and end up where you end up?

At the moment a lot of it kind of creates itself. Otherwise I’ll sketch it up and formulate a concept.

9.         The office, the mighty boosh or not the nine-o-clock news

The mighty boosh and The Office (UK version preferably)

10.       Did you vote in the SA elections?

Next time…

**BAKAbeans is going to be doing a PIECE for dont party and it is going to be GIVEN AWAY at the DONT PARTY in “the little shop of horrors” event!

To check out more of the life and times of the BAKAbeans check out his FLICKR and his BLOG