The brand new Halls flavours, Cola Burst and Ice Tea Zing brought us fresh new talent showcasing how to breathe life and creativity into your craft. Six of some of the most talented creators from Johannesburg were selected ranging from fashion designers, digital artists, typographers – to name a few, to be mentored by Karabo Poppy Moletsane at The Breathing Space. As seen in the first episode of the Halls ‘Breathe For It’ series, their collaborative efforts were a breath of fresh air.
“What I breathe for is the preservation of the African aesthetic,” says Karabo, a sentiment she echoes in her work and creative capacity. This is also something we witnessed the mentees undertake as they were tasked to add visuals to the existing Halls logo. The tasks objective was to cement the importance of collaborative spaces and to define what The Breathing Space means to them. Something that is often spoken about, but rarely executed in the South African creative landscape, is creators from different disciplines coming together and experimenting in each of their unique styles. On episode two, the logo was unveiled revealing their collaborative piece; a portrayal of their different styles beautifully weaved together.
And on the last episode, the mentees were tasked to use six blank Nike Airforce 1’s as a canvas and use the two new Halls flavours as inspiration to customize each of these sneakers. They experimented with hydro dipping, an immersion printing process that allows them to get prints on to the sneakers they were customising. A process we saw them nervous and yet excited to try but the end result were some really cool and fresh sneakers.
Here’s what some of the mentees had to say about their time in The Breathing Space…
‘We’ll my experience in the Breathing Space was great. I learned a lot but particularly to trust myself as an artist and that a lot of things don’t matter but the work. That comes 1st.’ – Bambatha
‘My time at the Breathing Space taught me a lot. It showed me the magic that can be created through collaboration with other disciplinary artists, to always take risks & believe in not only myself but in my art. I also learned how to articulate myself when presenting/ pitching my art which is something I was lacking in prior this experience. Lastly it has showed me that I can go far if I keep working hard & keep believing in myself.’ – Samela Hlope
‘The breathing space was a melting pot for divine creativity. The experience was amazing, but my biggest takeaway is the relationships that were formed in the process. Beyond the art, I really value the lessons I have learned from each artist and will use them going forward.
Working with Karabo was out of this world. She really pushed each artist out of their respective comfort zones to co-create something remarkable. She is leadership!’ – Phumelela Malinga
‘My experience in The Halls Breathing Space studio was a huge highlight in my life, I got to learn from every mentee that was part of this and build close relationships with them and being mentored by Karabo Poppy has been one amazing experienceI won’t forget ever, understanding how she thinks and execute her work has helped me to understand who I am and what I do.’ – Huston Wilson
