THE STORY BEHIND THE LIFESTYLE COVER

Collaboration played a key role in keeping creatives connected for our latest cover, writes Thango Ntwasa

“It’s good to see faces with mouths,” says visual artist Marlene Steyn as we prepare for our Zoom meeting.

Wearing masks, enduring quarantines and having virtual everything is what life under Covid-19 has been reduced to so, as an illustrator known for her dreamy and colourful artwork, the lockdown has been gloomy for Steyn. It’s been a world in which smiles are hidden behind masks.

To dispel this dreary notion of the world, Steyn joined forces with other artists to create beautiful images that show off the talents of local creatives from different disciplines. Along with Steyn’s lively artistry are fashion designer Lezanne Viviers of Viviers Studio; the studio’s creative director, Sithasolwazi Kentane; managing director at Kaross embroidery Janine Pretorius and fashion stylist Louw Kotze.

To create the images, Kotze convinced these creative minds to work together on a project that, Viviers says, changed from a “Louw-show to one that showcases our best creative talent”.

The ripple effect of one artist on another became a chain linking the works together.

“This is a great example of collective creativity, which we managed to achieve without seeing each other,” says Kotze. “We’ve inspired each other and kept each other motivated.”

Holding hands is a universal symbol of unity and love, but current restrictions strongly advise against it. So here, using different mediums and from varying backgrounds, each creative metaphorically held hands with the others, turning months of isolation into a protracted moment of connectivity through art.

Viviers designed the fashion for the shoot and sent pieces styled by Louw to each person to be photographed. Then the photos were turned into artworks by Pretorius and Steyn. “Lezanne was like a magical unicorn for me,” says Pretorius, whose work symbolises the theme of collaboration in our cover image.

The Karros embroidery business has created the opportunity to upskill people living in Giyani, Limpopo. Pretorius says: “By including me in this creative circle, the project has indirectly touched 1,400 South Africans’ lives.”

After four weeks of design and planning, the final image was digitally imposed on cloth, and clothing cut-offs were used to create an applique — patches of fabric sewn onto a larger piece of fabric to create an image. “This project has shown us that you don’t have to be in the same space to collaborate,” says Kentane. “We’ve created a beautiful piece using the ancient art of embroidery, and modern technology to communicate.”

Lockdown has limited how we conduct our lives. Many artists and businesses have struggled to find innovative ways to reach their audiences and customers, pushing many into collaboration — which requires leaving your ego behind.

Viviers knows this from a prior collaboration with Steyn: “We played like little girls,” she says.

“True collaboration comes from freedom without ego. Magic happens when you’re allowed to play and be spontaneous.”

Watch the Uncommon Ground interviews featuring our collaborators on the official Sunday Times YouTube page playlist at http://bit.ly/2DYseJi