Creativity has a marvellous way of transferring, like electricity, between like minds – a current that, when shared, seems to double in power. What I am really describing here is, of course, collaboration, and in this issue we celebrate the design superconductors – the co-working creatives – whose shared energy has produced white-hot results.
Locally, ceramic artist Jan Ernst and indoor plant influencer Nkhensani Rikhotso take us on their creative journeys – the former through Brussels, Milan and Bordeaux, the latter from the reels of Instagram to a fully fledged brick-and-mortar concept space in Joburg. These are unusual stories, certainly, which makes their success all the more thrilling.
Speaking of the thrilling unusual, green spaces are not exempt from the benefits of these crafty collabs – and no one has done it on a scale quite like Grootbos Private Nature Reserve owners Michael and Heine Lutzeyer, who joined forces with botanist (now director of conservation at the reserve) Sean Privett. Working together, they not only mapped the region’s rare, indigenous plant life but went on to discover new specimens that would inspire the Groosbos Florilegium – part natural-science compendium, part visual storybook – which saw a collection of artists and illustrators capture the unique flora.
Meanwhile, on the Helshoogte Pass near Stellenbosch, American businessman, philanthropist and art collector Michael Silver charts a new course for his already impressive collection – championing contemporary African art. Cultural entrepreneur (and master collaborator in her own right), Elana Brundyn visited Michael and his partner Stephanie on their farm-cum-sculpture garden to uncover why our artists have captured this global collector’s heart.
Of course, there is no creative endeavour more collaborative than that of the designer and the homeowner. Just ask Home Fabrics’s Marc Shotland or Nick Gluckman of Oggie Flooring – industry leaders themselves – who partnered with savvy architects and decorators to bring their dream-home visions to life, or the teams at Newman Architecture and Design and One Design + Development, who cleverly translated the desires of their clients into wonderfully personal spaces.
And while each of these stories is something special, it is when we take a step back and see them all fall into place in the larger, brilliant constellation of South African creative enterprise that you cannot help but feel wonder – and excitement – for what the coming season will hold.
To quote Michael Silver, I hope we’re ready.
Grab your digital copy of House & Garden here or pick up a physical copy now available in-stores nationwide.
