Homegrown Talent

While at the Franschhoek Literary Festival last weekend, the definite standout exhibit came from the illustrative side of the spectrum. The illustrations on display were the final pieces of book art done by the 2010 Honours class at CIBA- the Centre for Comic, Illustrative and Book Arts at Stellenbosch. CIBA is based in Stellenbosch’s Department of Visual Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Its main aim is to promote and teach about these dimensions of art through being visible within the arts community.

Showcased at FLF were illustrated handmade books by Pienette Laubser, Carla Kreuser, Tamlyn Young, Carla Visser, Lucy Stuart-Clark, Janneke de Kock, Helene van Answegen and Kirsten Hartley. Pienette Laubser was at the exhibit. Her creation was Becky’s Room- a tale of a little girl’s messy room. Children’s whimsical tales accompanied beautifully creative and imaginative illustrations from Lucy Stuart- Clark. Conceptual illustration was seen in Carla Visser’s Utopia and Dystopia and Tamlyn Young’s edgy, blurred images in The Silence. Young also had illustrated mini-stories about the “Observatree,” “Possibilitree” and the “Tea Tree” all with their own history and accompanying character.

It was great to see how much talent there is within the arts community in such a lesser-known medium. The illustrations were phenomenal and sadly, definitely not for sale given the painstaking effort that has gone into them.

If you are interested in CIBA at all as something you might be into take a look at their Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Centre-for-Comic-Illustrative-and-Book-Arts/73653742247



"The Silence"



Technologically Challenged

Helllooooo!


Hope you enjoyed the pretty pics of FLF. If anyone has any tips for the blog or suggestions, please feel free to email me! Your help is appreciated as I am quite new to this.


x


Kezia

Some More Snaps From FLF

Sash and Jordan- posing with "Oom Jan" whoever he may be.

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Introduction

Hello all!

This is my blog- finally created after many moons of procrastination and self-doubt.
Room With A View has been created for me to keep what I have learned from doing journalism alive and well while I complete my honours in Politics. There's a little bit of this and a little bit of that but mainly this blog is about trying to write well on interesting tidbits I have stumbled upon that relate to different spheres of life that interest me- culture, art, literature, fashion, news and trends. Enjoy!

x
Kezia

Franschhoek Literary Festival

 One of my favourite painters- the King of Kitsch.



All that's missing is a good cup of coffee!



While visiting my dad in Franschhoek this past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the Franschhoek Literary Festival. Relaxed yet buzzing with all sorts of creativity and colour, this festival has become a must-attend event for all literature lovers. The Franschhoek Literary Festival is a gathering of over 90 authors, poets, illustrators and chairpeople who come together to exhibit and enjoy a wide variety of writing and illustrations touching on many themes from politics to quirky local tales to biographies to sexuality. Now in its fourth year, the FLF has become a popular literary event with its attendance increasing rapidly each year. When it was first started, the main aim was to raise enough money for a community library. With the influx of money from literature lovers in the form of visitors and sponsors, talks are now being held with the municipality to build the library. The FLF was mainly sponsored this year by Porcupine Ridge wines and the Sunday Times. The main information centre and bookshop sponsored by Exclusive Books was in the Town Hall situated, like most of the venues, on the main road into Franschhoek, nestled next to the town’s famed restaurants, cafes, galleries, wine farms and shops. Other venues such as the historical Franschhoek NG Kerk were used for talks, poetry readings and literary discussions from esteemed writers such as Zakes Mda and Peter Godwin.

I managed to pop in on its last day. People milled about reading, talking and buying against the backdrop of mountains and French colonial architecture. Unfortunately I did not have time to attend any of the seminars and readings but thankfully had the opportunity to find out more about the illustration side of the festival (more to come in my next post). Here are some pictures from the Town Hall book and coffee shop with some amazing books on offer. Damn my empty purse!