A parallel dimension, encased in conical form. Visually descending into perfect symmetry. Eruption. Entropy. Intersecting lines define shape. Extending into movement. A disturbed moment. Clothed in geometry. An ephemeral construction. Projected lights radiate across the surface, permeating the performance. An infused collaboration. A Weird Dream.
Drawing on the latest Kassena Collection, The Horseman stands upright. A ridged pinnacle articulated in triangulated forms. Etching across the surface. Similar visual motifs appear in the Dokter and Misses Design Indaba dreamscape. The multimedia performance drew on the creative alliance between the design team, conceptual performers Dear Ribane, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Chloe Coetsee and Dolph and João Renato Orecchia Zúñiga.
Inspired by a rich visual tradition in Burkina Faso, the design duo draw it into the contemporary moment. In part influenced by African Consciousness, they have focused on the, “relatively untapped design history of the vibrant continent rather than that of well-worn Europe. African design as a rule doesn’t normally come from frivolity; it comes from the necessity of using what you can and what’s available to fulfill a function. But on the other hand, it is quite decorative, which gives way to a sensibility that although the object ‘must work’ we may as well make it beautiful.”
After celebrating a decade in the industry, A Weird Dream was born. Initially the premise of workshopping ideas was based on the conceptual constraint of, ‘could this happen in a dream?’. Katy described how, “We make things that viewers experience in one go. It is not a movie that unfolds a gentle narrative. The result is that of a crude capture of the aesthetic and ideology (which are very often linked) in a moment – most of the time unconsciously.” João Renato Orecchia Zúñiga recounted that while working on the collaborative project, “A highlight for me was working with wide open minded people who didn’t see the lines that traditionally separate disciplines from practice, or process from outcome.”
