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Emulate: A Must-See Exhibition In Cape Town shoutOut on 16/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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Sometimes here at The Leap we get caught a little off guard. Today is one of those days - we've just received news that an exhibition is taking place literally across the road from Springleap HQ that kicks off on the 21st August and features the kind of artists you'd expect to be showing in, say, LA or London. That's not to say that Cape Town is shabby when it comes to art - quite the opposite in fact. It's a city that's up there with the best as far as a vibrant creative scene goes (which is why it's the 2014 World Design Capital), so it's no surpise that this amazing exhibition...OK, enough with the preamble already. WHO THE HELL IS EXHIBITING? Take a looky here:
Yep, that guy. Also, there's this unknown new fella on the scene who's presently also on show in London making long lines round the block, who goes by the name of Mr Brainwash:
And then there a few other unknowns like some Japanese geezer named Murakami...and another chap named Eyewash, and a bunch of others. Nothing special, just another little exhibition...HOLY FLAMING TEMPLES OF CONTEMPORARY, THIS PUTS THE AWE IN AWESOME! As the name of the exhibition (Emulate) suggests, this show comprises of 'new works where the majority reference existing works by other well known artists.' Like art? Got eyes? Get your derriere down there to see this show, it features a damn impressive lineup. Where? 34FineArt. Clickety clack, it kicks off next week! See you there. UPDATE: A couple of us from The Leap just trotted across the road - here's a pic taken just a short while ago:
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Grietfest 2012 – Electronica Extravaganza! shoutOut on 29/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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If you’re a regular round here, you’d know that we love music festivals here at The Leap. Outdoor, indoor, eclectic, mainstream – hell, any excuse to let it all hang out and get down to great tunes. We’ve featured some of the bigger names in the festival world here on the blog, and made some noises about international acts which make it to the far southern end of Africa. In this fine tradition, allow us to make some noise about an epic event taking place up in Jozi next month (which has a sattelite event down Cape Town way too). For those who know, Griet are the powerhouse that has been behind a strong drive to showcase the best electronic and live acts that South Africa has to offer. Among the 5-star SA acts in the Griet stable are names like Yesterday’s Pupil, Haezer, Sibot and kidofdoom – and that’s not all. Over the past couple years Griet have expanded their artist roster to include international acts such as the Cyberpunkers, Pelussje, Tom Deluxx and more. The upshot? They bring these acts out to music-starved South Africa and host them alongside their local legends at events such as…drumroll, oh manicmachinedrummerman…GRIETFEST!
Yes lovers of electronica, the mighty mighty Grietfest is now in its second year and looking to kick ass and take prisoners in September! Yes, the big bad voodoo daddy kicks big bottom up at Town Hall in Newtown, Jozitown, and yes, that September 15th lineup is more loaded than an innocent request for a good time in a massage parlour, with names like Haezer, Trumpdisco (Aus.), Q.G. (Fr.), PHFat, Sibot, Das Kapital, Yesterday’s Pupil, The Frown, Toby2Shoes, Twelv & Thesis and many many more!
Oh – but you’re in Cape Town, and about to drown your sorrows in an expensive artisan beer? Never fear and don’t despair – The Assembly will also be hosting the pre-fest Grietness on the night of the 14th, and will also feature an assortment of international headliners and local upstarts guaranteed to blow socks and minds. So, like electronica? Love a good time? Be great, get Grieted - step up and take the plunge, get your tickets but remember - take your vitamins, you’ll need them! |
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Vectors in CS6 - Vectorise your designs! shoutOut on 28/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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Here's a heads up for those designers and illustrators out there who love their vectors - one of the biggest improvements in Photoshop CS6 is that shapes Layers have been replaced by the great new Vector Layers tool. But don't worry if you're used to how shapes used to work - it's not the tool that's changed, just the way it works. The improvement is that this tool now works more like it does in Illustrator, giving you the best of both worlds. For all of you who love creating designs in vector to submit in our Springleap contests, this enables you to maximise your efficiency by working within Photoshop in a way that you never used to be able to. Another bonus is that you're able to get sharper rendering by simply clicking once to snap the edges of vector objects to pixels. The Line and Shape tools now also create fully vector-based objects by apply strokes and fills using the options bar. You're also able to stroke objects with dashed lines and other designs and fill objects with preset or user-defined gradients, colors, and patterns. With improvements like these - and the revolutionary new Content Aware Patch tool - adding to the versatility of CS6, the sky's the limit for designers and illustrators! To get the lowdown on how to make the most of the new Vector Layers tool, check out this great tutorial from the good people over at Pixovert:
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RCHP...in SA! shoutOut on 27/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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RHCP? YES! To all those who hung on tenterhooks over the weekend and sat waiting for word on whether it was going to be Kanye or Keidis, the wait is over and the frenzy of back-catalogue listening can now commence unabated until those precious two dates in February! Because why? Because the gods of rock have smiled upon the beloved country and delivered The Red Hot Chilli Peppers! Yes lovers of SoCal rock and deeply funky basslines, the news is in and the news is good: Keidis, Flea, Navarro & Smith are ON! Dates are 2 Feb 2013 at the Soccer City Complex, FNB Stadium Johannesburg and 5 February at Cape Town Stadium! Get your Bloodsugarsexmagik t-shirt washed, revisit that dusty CD collection (CD's? Remember those...) and ready yourself to rock out come Feb. Remember the lyrics to 'Breaking The Girl'? No? Here's the video to refresh you:
(get your tickets at Computicket but get them soon, they're moving like hot cakes!) |
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Red Hot Chili Peppers - South Africa 2013 - TOUR shoutOut on 24/1/12 by DuncanBoxie in peeps |
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Can this be true? Could the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers be making their way to sunny South Africa in 2013???
I’m on my knees as we speak, pleading to the Concert Gods for this to become a reality! Whether you were bopping to American Ghost Dance back in 85, or are perhaps a more recent fan who received their first dose of awesome with their iconic rock album Californication, it is impossible to doubt the devotion of their followers, who continue to grow and evolve with their music. If the rumours are true and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are indeed coming to our shores, then I have to say that I am truly excited. It has been a long time since a stadium band has come along that made me stand up and take notice…the last being Rammstein (which was amazing). The rumour itself started snowballing when Attie van Wyk, who is the founder of Big Concerts, broke the news that Red Hot Chili Peppers would be playing a SA gig in 2013.
It seems that the main proponent of Red Hot Chili Peppers who wants to host a tour in Africa is their bassist Flea. Not only does he want to get down here and rock our worlds in an explosive show or Unfortunately there is no real concrete info surrounding their South African tour. There have been plenty of negative views that Africa itself wouldn’t be a financially ‘viable concert destination’ for the mega-band. This doesn’t really paint a negative view of the South African fan base, but rather of Africa as a whole. I’m not exactly sure how this works but perhaps to make it ‘worthwhile’ they would need to hit a few African countries….so sad if that is true. 2013 is a loooong time away...will I be able to hold on to my sanity until then? Lets hope the Mayans are wrong - I want this to happen before the world ends! If this tour turns out to be a hoax it won’t be simply water ‘Under the bridge’ - fans are going to be seriously miffed. Please let this tour happen…PLEEEEEASE!
BOOM! IT'S TRUE! THE GOSSIP, THE RUMOUR - IT ALL PANNED OUT TO BE 100% TRUE! TICKETS? GO HERE NOW!
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Tee Classics - Vintage Skate shoutOut on 27/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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Boom! It's Monday and the world is still turning on its axis so there's every reason to bust out another in our series of reviews of classic T-shirt designs from yesteryear. This time round we're mining the fertile seam of skate t-shirts from around the mid 80s 'til end 90s - a period in time some might consider the golden age of skateboard culture, when the sport emerged from its Dogtown days to become massively popular both withion the USA and further afield.
First up: an example from Vision Street Wear, one of the early pioneers of skate culture who cut new ground with their bright, bold and brash approach - which earned them masses of fans and a place in history. This simple red, black and white combination of their logo was, in the mid-to-late 80s, the shizness.
Next up is a graphic that's an enduring icon of skate culture that's seen numerous reissues on the back of the recent revival of vintage skate graphics. Yes t-shirt design fans, it's the Screaming Hand, one of Santa Cruz's most popular designs.
Created by legendary skate graphic designer Jim Phillips (who we interviewed here on The Leap a few months back), if this shirt was on your back, you were officially cooler than a penguin's derriere.
Of course, classic skate tees weren't limited to graphics taken from board manufacturers - as our next item reflects: Independent Truck Co were arguably the most popular skateboard truck (and associated parts) manufacturer for a long period of time on account of their simple yet durable design, and many pro riders rode Indy. This classic twisted Maltese cross design lives on and is still a highly coveted item.
Of course, no review of classic skate tees would be complete without featuring at least one design from each of the pre-eminent companies of the day - Santa Cruz and Powell Peralta. This particular design is the all-time-era-defining 'Ripper' design, created by Vince Courtlandt Johnson (who's recently rejoined Powell!).
So there you have it, T-shirt fans - some of the most timeless designs that defined the golden age of skate culture, which went on to influence the direction of other subcultures to this day. One thing's for sure - even today, if you own and wear one of these tees, you're bound to be stopped by a fan and asked where the hell you got that tee!
Fanboy alert! Heads up, skate history fans - if you hadn't heard, Stacey Peralta, co-founder of pioneer skate company Powell Peralta is releasing 'Bones Brigade', a retrospective of the heydays of Californian skate culture soon - check out this trailer for more:
p.s: if you like this, you can view our review of classic rock tees here. |
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T-SHIRT MADNESS SALE STARTS RETURNS! shoutOut on 30/7/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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KABOOM! Happy Monday, Springleapers and here’s the big news! WE'VE EXTENDED OUR MADENSS SALE TILL STOCKS LAST!!! YEP! - Buy any Springleap T-shirt for the insane price of only R79! Yes, it’s true - it’s deranged, demented and discounted – but only while stocks last, and only with the following coupon code: When checking out, use coupon code: madness1
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER! WHERE? HERE!
THE SMALL PRINT: PLEASE NOTE: due to the influx of orders, tees may take up to 14 days to arrive Sale terms apply only to T-shirts! No returns, refunds or exchanges! All sale items are non-refundable and may only be exchanged based on availability! Items on sale only available with use of the correct Deal coupon code! Does not apply to Pre-buys.
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Friday inspiration for the imagination shoutOut on 24/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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Once upon a time, in a world now almost forgotten, there was a kid who couldn’t sit still and couldn’t concentrate. His teachers would pull their hair out over this crazy kid who they thought wouldn’t amount to much. It seemed the only time he would calm down was when he was drawing…
That kid’s name was James Hewlett, he hails from Horsham in Essex (that's in the UK for those who don't know) and most of you will know him by his later works. But before the sunshine was in the bag, he was known as the co-creator of two cult comic strips in 2000 AD (You don't know it? You go here) which went on to become graphic novels in their own right: Hewligan’s Haircut and Tank Girl – arguably the coolest ant-heroine ever created.
Tank Girl ended up being made into a movie, starring Lori Petty. The rest is history. Still don’t know who we’re talking about? For the sharper readers out there, well done, you guessed it – and for those who didn’t, the kid who couldn’t sit still is better known as the co-creator of Gorillaz!
Yes fans, Jamie Hewlett is the man! (That's him on the left of Damon Albarn, his Gorillaz partner and ex-housemate) And why are we featuring him here today on The Leap? Hell, simply because his work is an inspiration to anyone with even so much as a glancing interest in design, illustration and graphics.
To get the lowdown on who Jamie Hewlett the man is, and his work, click hither: Jamie Hewlett. To kick your weekend off, here's the Gorillaz' 'Clint Eastwood' - but not with the usual video; this one's the animatic sketches, which gives you a great idea of the amount of work that goes into Hewlett's creation. Happy Friday, wherever you are!
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Beer AND great design? Winning. shoutOut on 22/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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It’s safe to say that here at The Leap there are few things we love more than design that makes its product the hero. Add some locally made craft beer to the mix and the entire package takes on a sublime design flavour that’s pleasing to both palate and design sensibility. Beer and great design? It’s a win, all the way!
Here in Cape Town the artisan and craft movement has grown in leaps in bounds over the past few years as locals have developed a taste for the authentic and producers have risen to satisfy the growing demand. Among the many success stories in the craft liquor sector are & Union, whose eye-catching packaging is always a conversation point at some of Cape Town trendier social hotspots, and Boston Brewing Co., who have taken inspiration from local icons such as the whales off the Cape peninsula to name their Whale Tale beer, and the legend of Van Hunks’ battle with the devil to name their Van Hunks Pumpkin Ale. You can learn more about that story here. Speaking of the devil, there’s a newcomer to the craft beer scene whose packaging has won almost as much attention as the contents – this would be the Devil’s Peak Brewing Company. Taking their name from one of the peaks which sits aside Table Mountain (and right above us here at Springleap HQ), the DPBC are getting more than a few compliments on account of the fantastic work done on their packaging range courtesy of a local design studio, Studio Muti, who collaborated with Just Design out in Stellenbosch. Take a look at the label illustrations and you’ll get a real sense of the kind of time and care taken to produce such great labels – and beer!
Each of the variant labels have a superbly-crafted illustration which displays the story and history of its name – take, for example the King’s Blockhouse IPA, which features the historic blockhouse that sits perched above the city on the slope below Devil’s Peak. Check out the skull detail in the corners! Staying true to its Cape roots, this time honouring the botanical heritage of the Cape Floral Kingdom, their Silvertree is a Belgian saison beer that shows a knight on his charger. To see the other designs on the DPBC’s labels, click on over to their site, where you’re also able to get the background to their brew story. With such great design sensibility becoming a growing feature of the Cape craft sector, the future's looking bright for lovers of design - and beer! (If you liked this coverage of design in the Cape craft sector, stay tuned - we'll be bringing you more of this further down the line.) |
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Woodstock Wall Art: Creativity At Street Level shoutOut on 21/8/12 by travis.lyle1 in peeps |
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Here in Woodstock (which is in Cape Town, South Africa for our international readers), we're lucky enough to be the destination for a number of talented artists whose work graces the walls of our neighbourhood. One such artist whose work has recently gone up is Mike Maka (aka Makatron), an Australian muralist who was in Cape Town thanks to A Word Of Art. This fantastic piece by Makatron recently went up on Sir Lowry Road and is worth a look if you're in the area: The good people over at A Word Of Art (which is also based in Woodstock) have an Artist in Residency program that facilitates an international artist exchange, and the results are to be seen not just here in Woodstock but across the whole of Cape Town. One of the most recent pieces created has been this bright splash of colour by Nigerian artist Karo Akpokiere. Karo’s piece has brought a cheerful stripe of colour to Gympie Street, a neck of the hoods which has something of a rough reputation. Despite this, Karo found locals in the neighbourhood welcoming and even got some assistance from some kids in the area. Karo’s work is inspired by textile patterns and more of his work can be seen on his blog. With such an influx of talent into Cape Town – and with the city already having a wealth of wall artists whose work decorates nooks and crannies throughout the city, Cape Town’s future as a hotspot of creative brilliance is assured. (for more on street art in Woodstock, check out our previous post) |
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two, but he also wants to hit the famous South African surf. Yup, Flea is a big-time surfer and is looking forward to visiting some of South Africa’s most illustrious ‘Green Rooms’ in-between all the gigging madness…he won’t be disappointed!
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