Expect an immersive wonderland of installations, activations, gourmet street food, DJs, VJs, VIP hospitality suites, interactive performers, films, exhibitions and live music, that will explode onto the Artscape Piazza in Cape Town from 22-23 February 2018. The festival programme is especially noteworthy for its stellar acts sourced from across the African continent, and for the fact that you will not be able to see these made-for-the-purpose acts anywhere else.
Intended to showcase the future of creativity, Nightscape at Design Indaba 2018 takes live performance to a new level of spectacle with the celebrated line-up of artists creating bespoke performances, specially designed for the Nightscape stage.
Exciting collaborations with VJs such as local visual artist Duce Duce, who brings stunning art to the dance floor. The famously talented Zaki Ibrahim will combine her unique voice and style with a visual extravaganza.
An astonishing performance art act set to appear is Crystal Wings, who creates an atmosphere of alternative theatre by straddling cosmic landscapes and fairy tale scenes. Crystal Wings features dancers in fabulous, fantastical costumes; voluminous skirts that look like flowers or sea sponges and the large fluctuating wings first are stars and then become whirling lunar butterflies. Crystal Wings is at once poetic and futuristic.
And once you’re transported, get ready for smooth beats and unique sounds from an eclectic mix of DJ sets featuring international pioneers and local heavyweights. Kenyan producer and DJ Blinky Bill takes the stage together with a special surprise collaboration with friends. Steloolive is an Accra-based sound and fashion artist who is leading the electronic music scene in Ghana. Alec Lomami brings his Afro-pop all the way from Kinshasa, while DJ Lady Venom adds her incredibly poetic style to the mix.
The South African DJ contingent ranges from Beat Sampras, formed out of a once-off collaboration performance when both members organically stumbled upon something they were looking for musically; to Urban Village, whose sound can perhaps be best described as polyglot, for it attains its originality through a mix of languages both novel and familiar. Thor Rixon’s unfamiliar acoustic instrumentation captures unheard soundscapes and he'll perform with a special one-night-only ensemble.
Other notable performers include local ‘Future Soul’ electronic sister duo Kajama, and Darkie Fiction - a duo that has exploded onto the South African music scene and whose latest single was produced by yet another Nightscape at Design Indaba 2018 performer, the increasingly in-demand beatsmith Jakinda.
Above and beyond the extensive electronic line-up, Nightscape at Design Indaba 2018 also includes an astronomical array of live bands. Rising star Petite Noir brings his rich tapestry of American Rock influence and African shuffles, underlying strong messaging and haunting vocal melodies. Also on stage is local guitar legend Guy Buttery, a true virtuoso guaranteed to amaze and impress. The award-winning jazz of Shabaka and The Ancestors is an intended throwback to the era when African jazz was played as a spiritual path to resistance and creative survival.
Above and beyond the extensive electronic line-up, Nightscape at Design Indaba 2018 also includes an astronomical array of live bands. Rising star Petite Noir brings his rich tapestry of American Rock influence and African shuffles, underlying strong messaging and haunting vocal melodies. Also on stage is local guitar legend Guy Buttery, a true virtuoso guaranteed to amaze and impress. The award-winning jazz of Shabaka and The Ancestors is an intended throwback to the era when African jazz was played as a spiritual path to resistance and creative survival.
Also forming part of Nightscape at Design Indaba 2018 is the Design Indaba Film festival and two key exhibitions, the Emerging Creatives programme and the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa. Further expanding the visual aspects of Nightscape is Film Fest - a collection of design-oriented films being screened on both nights. For the first time ever Film Fest is free of charge to all Nightscape attendees with seating allocated on a first come first serve basis.
To celebrate the open evening a special screening and panel discussion of Five Fingers for Marseilles, a captivating Western directed by Michael Matthews and written by Sean Drummond. Set in post-Apartheid South Africa, the film asks questions about South Africa’s past, present and future, not making a defining statement about the culture or the country, but an offering of a gripping narrative that has larger themes and questions worked into it.
On Wednesday 21 February, Design Indaba will be open after hours for all, with free access for the public to come and experience the very best in world-class creativity and design for one night only. The public will also have access to two key exhibitions, the Emerging Creatives programme and the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa. This complimentary evening of live music, film and displays is held in the interest of making this world-renowned event accessible to all who reside in the Mother City.
To celebrate the open evening a special screening and panel discussion of Five Fingers for Marseilles, a captivating Western directed by Michael Matthews and written by Sean Drummond, will take place. Set in post-Apartheid South Africa, the film asks questions about South Africa’s past, present and future, not making a defining statement about the culture or the country, but an offering of a gripping narrative that has larger themes and questions worked into it.
Tickets for Nightscape at Design Indaba 2018 are available from Webtickets and are sold separately to the Design Indaba Conference and Simulcast. You do not need to buy tickets if you are attending the open evening on the 21st of February 2018, as this event is complimentary. The event opens at 5pm with live music starting at 6:30pm.
For updates on the Design Indaba Festival of Creativity 2018 and for ticketing information please visit www.designindaba.com/festival. Facebook – @designindaba
Twitter – @designindaba
Instagram – @designindaba
| Press release |