Tuesday 7 October 2014

South African Style and Subcultures


SUBCULTURE:  KWAITO (PANTSULA)

Marabi of the20’s, Kwela of the 50’s, maskandi of the laborers and Kwaito of the 90’s, are each 20th century musical phenomenons that profoundly influenced the engineering of the black experience. These sounds were instrumental in the reflection, artistic narratives which rhythmically told stories of life in the township. The ingenuity of townships around the world has always been their ability to create vehicles of protest through artistic inventions articulated distinctly by their choice of dance, fashion and music.
It was there in the 1976 uprising. It was there alongside the “Madiba Jive” in 1994 and its with us today, in our fashion, our music and our dance battles. Panstsula isn’t a trend. It's a lifestyle, an identity, a culture. they wear a two piece outfit, navy blue with green embroidery on the breast pockets, flaps and at the cuffs. The buttoned jacket also has a detailed finish – patterned designers by a seamstress in their neighborhood. The shirts tucked into overflowing pants that stop just above the ankle. Crispy white Chuck-Taylor All Stars complete the look.’ writes Tseliso Mananeg, journalist for the City Press newspaper as he describes the look of a group of amapantsula who will be participating in a dance off held in Johannesburg. 
A distinguishable subculture that encapsulated youth’s revolt in the townships was the amapantsula. They first emerged in the 70’s as a dance form that rapidly evolved into protest, which rejected and fought institutionalization. Amapantsula, and their female counterparts known as ‘Abo’mshoza’, were a subculture which stood for social upheaval, social domination by reclaiming spaces and translating the African identity.
From the unique way that they spoke, moved danced and dressed, they consciously pursued the transcendence of their immediate realities. Largely drawing influence from biographical movies of the Italian mafia, a group which too was subjected to institutional alienation, amapantsula modeled their ambition to that of Sicilians. The threads of Italian opulence lent themselves to the identities of township youth, distorted shades of power that were at once inconceivable.
The South African township has always been a milieu that fosters the confrontations of identity, a constant dichotomy between the reinforcement of subjugation of a black masculinity, which has since time suffered from the imposition of degradation.
The pantsula is ultimalt a canvas of the black body politic. Never forsaking the prowess of imagination, in its vibrancy, it is an artistic construct of continuous expression and rebellion. A way in which self-respect is pursued and aspirations made comprehensible, the affirmation of a worthy identity.
The archetype of any subculture is revolt, and every gesture should be perceived as a design orchestrated toward the sustenance of revolution. Every slight movement of the limbs, when amapantsula dance, the intricacy in the language when they speak, the way they walk is all a tapestry of the black body politic. The choice of shoes to that of hairstyles invites onlookers to the nuances of the township re imagining the self. It should never be simplifies to the singularity of the trends but should be understood as life stories. The power of the township and its people resides in their ability to transcend space and condition, their capacity to remould identity and create individual narratives. Each of these themes are kept alive in corner containers that are home to an array of black business, everything from the local barber to the residential weed supplier.




                                         
http://chrissaunderssa.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html

http://livemag.co.za/live-creative-session-3-real-actions-pantsula/

KINGDOM: THE OFF BEATS

The off beats are a subculture born on 11th of September 2014, in Johannesburg South Africa. We decided to call our subculture The Off Beats because the culture was inspired by the Pantsula culture.
 The Off Beats created their name from the modified, quick stepping, low to the ground form of dance, which is done in the Pantsula culture.
 Our motto: Strong, young, driven youth with a competitive style.
This culture is considered to being of a Post Modern culture.
 WHY? Beca use it challenges the traditional cultural values of todays society. (western society)
 Life today is radically different compared to the fifties or even thirty years ago. Our culture embraces  all art forms as we are constantly looking forward to the Future of our fashion but drawing back from the past (Pantsula).
We are also about embracing all opinions and not seeing just one explanation of everything.
 
We believe in diversity and multiculturalism.
We also believe in our body being an essence of experiences.
We believe in not conforming to what the world expects us to being
We are generated through a process of appropriation and deconstruction.
Our emblem is an adaptation of a character doing a Pantsula dance stunt.
The Emblem was designed using shapes to create a character.
This emblem is used to express the character and personality of The Off Beats culture.

Juta Street in Braamfotein not only welcomes one by the bright and colourful milieu of 70 Juta architecture, but also greets one by the sight of an individual whose style is easy-going but also so immensely cool.
The Off Beats have a simultaneous developed fashion style.
We have morphed our style with the daring look of the new punk style and old school. Our style is very much expressive and random. It is messy, humorous, borrowed, open ended, confident and colourful.
According to the modernist they would view the offbeat’s style as a look of rebellion and uncertainty. Our style is very much expressive and random. It is messy, humorous, borrowed, open ended, confident and colourful.
According to the modernist they would view the offbeat’s style as a look of rebellion and uncertainty.  The Off Beat’s personality is random, youthful and vibrant. Focused on emotion rather than reason.
 They have a daring personality
 They are expressive in their clothing
They are fighters against conformism.

KING

QUEEN


Tuesday 20 May 2014

Postmodernism: Fashion





 http://dornob.com/paper-thin-prom-extreme-black-white-designer-dresses/ 
http://ooolalalondon.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/postmodernism-the-renaissance-of-fashion/ 





http://ooolalalondon.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/postmodernism-the-renaissance-of-fashion/ 


 http://ooolalalondon.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/postmodernism-the-renaissance-of-fashion/

 
 http://ooolalalondon.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/postmodernism-the-renaissance-of-fashion/

 
cmshannahrobertson.wordpress.com

Saturday 17 May 2014

Modernism vs Postmodernism

                                                       Modernism 1850-1950
                                                       Postmodernism 1920-2000

  1. Uni-, Pro-, Trans, Meta                                        1.  Multi-, Re-, Cross-, Anti
  2. Original, blank slate                                                2.  Borrowed
  3. Order                                                                      3.  Chaos
  4. Unity and coherence                                              4.  Fragmentation
  5. Big picture                                                              5.  Blind spots
  6. Simplicity                                                                6.  Complexity
  7. Abstract                                                                  7.  Figurative
  8. Universal                                                                8.  Diversity
  9. Homogenous
                                                          9.  Heterogenous
  10. Perfection
                                                             10.  Imperfect 
  11. Integrity                                                                 11.  Damaged
  12. Fixed meanings                                                    12.  Open Ended
  13. Objective
                                                              13.  Subjective
  14. Logical                                                                  14.  Disjointed
  15. Functional                                                             15.  Whimsical
  16. Correct                                                                  16. Deliberate mistakes
  17. Science                                                                 17. Fiction
  18. Essence,                                                               18. Surface
  19. Bauhaus, Cubist                                                    19. Dada, Victorian, Rococo, Baroque