Au Revoir – I had fun

Dear Odd Friends,

 

For the past four years art, music, design & food has been my life. What an amazing experience and incredible journey with great people. However the time has come for me to begin a new chapter in my life. As of the 1^st of October I will no longer be the owner of oDD Café (but I will always be part of the oDD family).

 

oDD Café has accomplished SO much in the last four years, yes we’ve been open for FOUR years. We were the first café in the country to combine art , design, music and food. We are really proud of what we have accomplished, specifically on the music side of things in collaboration with Darryl Torr & Openroom, a sound studio on street level, something that has not been done or tried before in SA.

 

The amount of artists that have walked through our front doors and went on to make a big success of themselves is amazing. We have had emerging musicians, graphic artists, designers and supported small businesses by having pop-up stores. Artists such as  Conrad Bo, from the super stroke movement, Chad Farah & Sarah Britten have all exhibited with us. Beukes & Deleney, Carrie Wolf  and  Paper Plan City are just some of the music success stories.

 

We created one of the larger graffiti walls this side of Jozi and we have come full circle. We started out with Mars (Who tagged the balconies upstairs) and we ended with him doing a live graffiti show on Heritage Day.

 

We have been revolutionary, we have been controversial, we were very vocal about the Fankies issue with Woolworth, we supported the 1%. We donated to the twitter Blanket Drive and other charities. We SURE had a lot of fun in the process.

 

We have been voted as one of the top 10 music venues & one of the top 10 café’s in Jozi, and for that and all our other accolades we are thankful & humbled. We’ve loved what we did and we loved that you were a part of it. The friends of oDD Café have been phenomenal. I have learnt so much from you all and have had lots of fun. It is very sad that I need to leave, but I am excited about the legacy I leave behind for oDD Café. So this is not my goodbye but rather my au revoir, as you will still often see me sipping my soy cappuccino in one of the best spots in Greenside.

 

Until next time,

 

Christina Patricios

Baxoxe with Dave Mthembu & Steven Tu

 

Date: 21 May 2014

Time: 18h30 till 19h30

Venue: Odd Cafe, 116 Greenway, Greenside, Johannesburg

More Info: 011 486 3631

Hashtag: #ChitChat

 

With Live Streaming from Openroom TV: http://www.openroom.tv/ 

 

‘Chit Chat’ among creatives. #Baxoxe

Tonight, Wednesday 16 April 2014 at 18h30, Greenside Design Centre hosts the very first session of Baxoxe in collaboration with Odd Cafe and Openroom Productions. From the Zulu word meaning ‘chit chat’, Baxoxe is a platform for creatives to share ideas through ‘chit chat’, and showcase their work to each other and to the world. The event takes the form of two talks from shortlisted creatives, who share on their work, philosophy and inspiration. After each speaker, there will be a half hour discussion on the talk and all this will be chaired by Desmond Laubscher, the founder of Greenside Design Centre.

Baxoxe will be streamed live by Openroom Productions on OpenroomTV for the world to see and engage. Further engagement will happen on Twitter as well, under the hashtag #Baxoxe.

This first ever Baxoxe night will feature two creatives: fashion designer Tzvi Karp who has showcased his work on SA Fashion Week and Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and has been featured by many fashion magazines. An alumni of London International School of Fashion (LISOF), Karp styled and designed costumes for the 2013 South African Music Awards and was mentioned as one of Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young Influential South Africans in 2013.

The second creative who will deliver a talk at Baxoxe tonight is Hugh Fraser, a Wits alumni architect who worked in private practice for 20 years. He travelled to 80 countries to record the built environment and currently handles the media for Paragon Architects in Johannebsurg.

Baxoxe is not a freestyle, open mic event nor is it an elevator pitch. It is a showcase of nothing but the best of South African talent; from sharing on a single project to sharing an entire creative philosophy. The talks will be personal, funny, engaging but very different, making each talk like ‘a box of chocolates’. Interested creatives are encouraged to get in touch with Greenside Design Centre to express their interest with a brief bio, a list of projects they have been involved in and a concise outline of their chosen topics.

Baxoxe is a non-profit venture that seeks to facilitate a cross pollination of ideas between creatives and will happen every month between February and December. Greenside Design Centre bears all costs associated with the event: from advertising, logistics, photography to sound equipment. All participants at Baxoxe are not paid, and do it out their love of art and design, and at all events, there will be a donation box to benefit projects from www.10percent.co.za.

Come through and chit chat with great creatives, network extensively and experience some of South Africa’s great talents. Contact Baxoxe organisers from Greenside Design Centre here: marina@designcentre.co.za from Openroom Productions here: carmen@openroom.co.za or from Odd Cafe here: oddcafe.greenside@gmail.com.

A Sneak Peek Into Adidas’ New Range: Think Cardboard

The Chimp Store is a boutique clothing store in Leeds, UK that will proudly display the new Spring/Summer collection of adidas Originals in 2014. Their only problem is that they just can’t wait that long to show them off, which is why they commissioned the help of British artist Chris Anderson to recreate to-scale versions of the upcoming styles using 100 percent recycled cardboard.

Anderson’s eco-friendly versions of the “Stan Smith,” “Campus,” “Superstar Shelltoe,” “ZX700,” and “ZX8000″ sneakers feature Adidas’s trademark parallel bars and perforations, logos whittled from masking tape, and even matching shoelaces cleverly fashioned form jute twine. With such attention to detail, sneaker fans are likely to lust after the upcoming release even more than before.

Text and images from PSFK, by Ross Brooks, with info and images sourced from The Chimp Store and Ecouterre

Ina Barkhuysen, A Fashionable Inspiration.

To champion local art and design is at the core of Odd Café’s personality. This involves the process of scouting for artists of all kind – musicians, painters, photographers, designers of all sorts. The artists are not only helped showcase their work but also, provided for them, is a meeting place for a cross pollination of ideas and/ or solitude – as the creative process may dictate. In this very regard, Odd Café hosts its inaugural Fashion Workshop featuring Ina Barkhuysen. Aged 71, with a generous dollop of style, she just finished her BA in Fashion Design and is set to move and shake the world of fashion and style in Joburg.

Barkhuysen is continuously flipping the model, as she did when she enrolled with London School of Fashion in Rosebank, Johannesburg4 years ago. She says fashion has always been a passion of hers and she remembers learning and loving to sew at a tender age of 13. That was in the 50s, the era when Christian Dior and Chanel ruled the global world of fashion and style. And yet for Barkhuysen, all these fashion houses have nothing on Giorgio Armani.  She is inspired by Armani’s elegance and classic lines and these influences are present in her work. “My work is classic and sways between social and formal. The point is to strike a balance between ornate and elegant, and, serviceable and comfortable.” For Barkhuysen, these are very important attributes that speak to the woman, especially the modern woman who oscillates between work, home and a vibrant social life. She says her work speaks to mature women from ages 30 and above although it may appeal to some younger women too. This means that her work is not only meant for model size women but the woman with curves too. Barkhuysen says that whenever a woman passes through a certain stage of her life: singledom, child bearing, mothering, the empty nest and the senior years, it is as if she is starting a new life altogether. Therefore, the rationale of her creative is to document the metamorphosis of woman throughout an entire lifetime.

The design house will be called Krizilys and the collection to be showcased is two-fold: Ebony & Ivory and Putting on the Ritz. Ebony & Ivory will feature a lot of classics in terms of dresses revolving around the LBD, except with a touch of ivory. Putting on the Ritz will be clothing that is event specific, that is, for cocktail and tea parties, for balls and other glamorous events. Her work will be showcased for the first time at a fashion workshop at Odd Café in Greenside. The workshop will consist of invited guests who will not only view the collection but also discuss what their opinion of the clothing is. Barkhuysen hopes that getting fashionistas together, and allowing for a cross pollination of ideas will enable her to better her fashion offering and to continuously be in touch with fashion loving women.

Being 71 and launching into fashion is not going to be without challenges but Barkhuysen is looking up with hope for a great launch into the cut throat fashion industry. With a multi-generational experience of fashion, Krizilys will take the fashion world by storm! More than that, Barkhuysen is the story of one such personality who continued to go after their passions even at a very mature age. It is the story of taking control of one’s own life and realising dreams and making every moment count. That is inspiration.

Art Launch

Art Launch: Photographer Darren Smith, Painter Conrad Bo & Furniture Designer Just Jess

oDD Cafe ushers in 2012

The rise and rise of the underdog to make a difference within their sphere of influence was the order of last year. In Egypt, Tunisia, London, Israel and Iraq, revolutions made the year and even in 2012, change continues to be the pulse of life globally. In the same spirit, Odd Café ushers in 2012.

The traditions that have come to define the Odd Café brand will continue to be revolutionized in the year 2012. Unplugged Wednesdays will continue to provide a platform for upcoming artists. The common denominator between all the artists that will perform will continue to be originality, quirkiness, honesty and talent. 2011 saw the artistic genius of Michael, The Horizons, crowd favourite Embesa, Frankie Beagle and Edouard Privat. The artists got great exposure and some sold their albums. 2012 will be no different as a lot more new artists will be given the platform to promote their craft.

   

The Odd Café artspace that spans through to the basement will continue to be maximised for the promotion of the work of local artists. Last year saw the launch of a couple of local artists who included Mike O’Brien, Zahn Rust, Conrad Bo, Greg Carlin and Chad Farah. This year will showcase work from a medley of local artists who express different themes on different media.

The famous white chocolate cheese cake

Food, as much as art, music and design continues to be the crux that defines Odd Café. 2011 had the Odd Café patronage raving about the Odd Burger and the Babelas burger. The winter menu featured hearty comfort food like the Bobotjie pie and a summer menu that included the chicken burger with peach or guava relish and the Spanakopita, with some of these even being showcased on SAFM’s Lifestyle show. 2012 has already cracked with an introduction of menu items for breakfast and lunch. Even in 2012, food at Odd Café continues to be a creative endeavour, as is any other art form and that resonates with every menu item.

The international Pop Up Store phenomenon which locally started at Odd Café and took the country by storm will continue in 2012. Fashion designers and other fashion stores will continue to have space to sell their merchandise at the Odd Cafe Pop Up Store. Last year’s inaugural pop up store was Een Design Studio and after that, the concept went viral. Duncan Stevens, Joy, Mustard Vintage, to mention a few, showcased their work too.  Further than that, the Pop Up Store phenomenon spread throughout Johannesburg! The night shopping on Greenway was also another successful concept that promoted the street culture in Greenside. With most of Greenway Road establishments joining in the fun, the events were a success. Live music, late night shopping and eating and dining till late awoke the street to the charm of collaborative initiative and incredible street culture.

    

Support for the underdog has been in the core of Odd Café’s operations. Microbreweries have had their range of beers on sale at Odd Café and this support continues into 2012. Drayman Breweries in Pretoria and De Garve Brewery & Trading in Vanderbijlpark continue to be on Odd Café’s list of local microbreweries. 2012 will see the introduction of a range of retro soft drinks from Frankies Soft Drinks in the KZN Midlands. In 2012 therefore, Odd Café continues to associate itself with underdogs of great talent, workmanship and passion.

In the spirit of all things creative, Odd Café will establish many other new traditions that will enhance a better connection with the patrons and brand ambassadors. With respect to food, art, music and fashion, Odd Café will feature collaborative endeavours that will further enrich that Odd Café experience. 2011 was the year of social change and the rise of the underdog, 2012 will continue in that spirit of continually revolutionizing all the elements that grew the Odd Family in 2011.

Greg Carlin and Zahn Rust, “ Cultural landscapes, Personal elements”

November 12, oDD Cafe, 116 Greenway, Greenside, Johannesburg. Two emerging local artists, Zahn Rust and Greg Carlin, premier their work at oDD Café with express the inner and outer landscapes of urban life. The two artists show ironic ties between their works through a contrast of their individual styles and medium through to their surprisingly similar result. Rust and Carlin will exhibit their work in the art space at oDD Café on November 12^th, 2011 from 18h00.

Rust’s work stands out in its appeal to the personal and innermost element. Beyond the wild graphics lay an illustration of her past, which is her inspiration. “Childhood memories, specifically objects and places,” she said. Further than that, her workchallenges the very concept of illustration. The way she layers emotion and presents abstract meaning is evidence of her nostalgia. In this very essence of her work, she presents a reflection of self. She has a BA in Fine Art with Stellenbosch University and is currently working on her MA in Illustration.

Carlin’s work, through the numerous themes, is a visual exploration of cultural landscapes that define humanity. He explores the carnal entity of humanity and through collages gives a striking visual that reconstructs reality. He uses the lens to capture moment and express character, whether it be in Soweto, on tour with his band Zebra & Giraffe or just his muse, Emma. The engagement with Carlin’s work is a visual tease and through this external, he leads the viewer to engage with the internal. “My  images are informed by the aesthetics I developed during my years of study”  says the Tuks alumni who completed a degree in Fine Art and an Honours in Drawing.

The result that these two artists both achieve is they present a dreamy realm within which the viewer not only further engages with their work but also with their own selves. This engagement, unravels the reconstruction of reality, ever so present in their work. Rust with her soft strokes but wild graphics, and Carlin with his visual urban edge.

The art space at oDD Café continues to be dedicated for the promotion of the work of local artists. Through the promotion of local art with such initiatives the concept of oDD Café manages to realise the dream of its proponents. Interested artists can get in touch with Christina Patricios on christina@oddcafe.co.za.

Join the Revolution

Join the Revolutionary Party on 27 August 2011.

Tracy Chapman sang about it: “Don’t you know you’re talking about a revolution. It sounds like a whisper…”

We saw it in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya… and for a brief, burning moment in the streets of London.

Loud revolutions brought massive political change to our world this year, but as regimes alter and make global news a quieter revolution continues to take place in the worlds of music, arts and culture. This is where the sometimes silent revolutionaries work to change the order as we know it, and enrich our human experience as they do.

Odd Café is celebrating revolutionaries in the field of food, art, design, culture and music. Join us on Saturday 27 August from 09h00 till late. We’ll have an exhibition or revolutionary posters which is possibly the first time design work used in the African revolutions has been on exhibit in one place at one time.

There’ll be revolutionary music, revolutionary food and the opportunity to network and engage some of the more revolutionary thinkers and cultural agents of our time.

Please be advised that you will require a “Revolutionary Party” membership card to get access to this party.
Please email revolution@oddcafe.co.za with your name to receive this.

Date: 27 August from 09h00 to late

Venue: Odd Café

Address: address/ oDD Cafe,
Shop 1, 116 Greenway Street, Greenside, Johannesburg, South Africa

For more information go to our
Follow us on Twitter: @oddcafe

Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/oDDCafe/112554768780498

Pop-up store – a global trend – comes to Odd Cafe

heart brooch by Ian Thomas Pursey

It’s the store within a store concept that’s all the rage across the world. Now Ian Thomas Pursey, the creative genius behind Een Design Studio, will be bringing an eclectic pop-up store filled with odd accessories and eccentricities to Greenside’s favourite art & foodie venue for one night only on Thursday 14 July 2011 from 16h00.
In space scarce retail environments like the UK and US, pop-up stores have become a confirmed trend. Time Magazine calls them “hot”, BBC says they are “pop-up shopping phenomenon”, while Elle says they are “the hip new face of retail.” Flash retailing has becoming a tour de force in cluttered urban landscapes like London and New York City, but now it’s coming to Jo’burg.

antique collar fringe by Ian Thomas Pursey

Ian Thomas Pursey the inventive mind that creative brought design-loving consumers Johannesburg’s Een Design Studio will be popping up at Odd Café in Greenside this Thursday from 16h00 till late with his pop-up shop which will showcase his fascination with texture, fashion, accessories and all things deliciously tactile.

“The weather may be cold outside and shoppers might have the winter blues, but pop-up shopping is the ideal way of creating hot buzz and to excite people with an interactive experience,” says Christina Patricios, founder of Odd Café. “We’ve become well known for supporting emerging artists, so when Ian – who is an established force in the Jozi interior design world – brought us this concept we didn’t even blink an eye lid. Pop-up shopping is all about celebrating Johannesburg’s collaborative, entrepreneurial spirit and we could think of no one better to launch our first pop-up store with than Ian.”

“Pop-up retail is basically your store within a store. Ian Thomas Pursey will be in Odd Café from 16h00 on Thursday 14 July with a range of tactile accessories made from felt, linen, t-shirts an array of other fabrics. What we love about Ian is his quirkiness and how each of the pieces in his range seems to fashion their own story,” says Patricios.

pleated antique shawl by Ian Thomas Pursey

A textile based sculptor who explores form and fuses concept with technique, Pursey makes experimentation the emphatic centre of his designs. “The idea is to create items that inspire those who see and wear the accessories,” says Pursey who adds that all of his items are ‘one of a kind’ and can be worn in a variety of ways.

The accessory range that will feature at Pursey’s pop-up store at Odd Café this coming Thursday will give fashionistas a variety of options for wear and enjoyment. “The second you see the accessories, you realize that Ian has put his quirky personality into each piece,” says Patricios. “Ian’s motto is to keep things simple, yet make the wearer stand out from the crowd.”

Pursey’s range will include items made from corduroy, felt, satin, linens, timber and a variety of other materials and patterns with little touches of elegance. The designer says that affordability is the name of the game at this pop up store and that items will reasonably priced creating a bargain-hunter’s paradise. “You won’t find these items in your local clothing store so it’s definitely a must-see for anyone who enjoys a fresh take on fashion accessories. You might even find the odd quirky décor accessory for sale,” says Pursey.

rose brooch by Ian Thomas Pursey

Ian Thomas Pursey’s Pop-Up Shop at Odd Café, Greenside

Date: 14 July 2011 from 16h00 onwards

Address: Shop 1, 116 Greenway Street, Greenside, Johannesburg, South Africa