Jagermeister’s Night Embassy is coming to a close this weekend as they host their final hurrah celebrating the Ambassadors of the Night spanning creativity and architecture. The bold directions in which the brand has empowered emerging creatives will be celebrated at their closing party, boasting acts such as Gyre, Muzi, Focalistic, Moneybadoo, and the Ambassadors themselves; Unmuted, Other Village People, Kombonation, and DORMANTYOUTH.
We got to catch up with the ambassadors ahead of the celebration to get a quick peek into their experiences and what we can expect from them moving forward:
DORMANT YOUTH (@DormantYouth)
Q: How has your view of the nightlife changed/expanded?
A lot of the magic that is seen & experienced in the night time is a direct result of the effort & hard work of many, many people who work throughout the entire day to get everything ready & in order, before the sun goes down.
Q: How was the Night Embassy experience for you? (what did you learn, and what will you be taking with you)
I have learnt a great deal in prioritizing & also focusing on the bigger picture. I will take this experience with me as a lesson in teamwork & necessary compromise.
Q: How has the Night Embassy experience impacted your craft?
This experience made me realise that maybe a change in direction in all areas of my life is worth exploring. I am excited to see what else is out there in the world that’s suited for my particular set of skills & unique type of enthusiasm.
Q: What advice do you have for emerging creatives hoping to do work in similar spaces as you?
I have learnt that it is okay to take a step back to breathe & always, always, always listen to your body. The sun will always come up & the sun will always go down.You are most impactful to your team(s) & community when you are at your healthiest.
Q: What can we look forward to in the future?
I’m hoping to at least have inspired a wave of construction industry juniors to take a chance or a leap of faith, to attempt to bring their research, thoughts or inklings into fruition. I hope people can look at my journey as an inspiration to just get up & try.
KOMBONATION (@kombonation_ @kabelosello @slim_rose)
Q: How has your view of the nightlife changed/expanded?
Safe spaces are important for night life as this is a great time to feel free, so everyone should be able to feel sekure while they have fun.
Q: How was the Night Embassy experience for you? (what did you learn, and what will you be taking with you)
Night Embassy opened doors for us & we chose to share the opportunity with our network & kommunity, which has always been our way of doing things so we learned to stay true to who we are.
Q: How has the Night Embassy experience impacted your craft?
Our kraft has only elevated since our residency. The standard of our work has upgraded in such a substantial way, we’re grateful for this.
Q: What advice do you have for emerging creatives hoping to do work in similar spaces as you?
If the dream does not involve positive impakts on kommunities, maybe it needs more thought. But giving up is not an option.
Q: What can we look forward to in the future?
In our humble opinion, this question is somewhat insensitive to the impakt of each residency ambassador, simply bekause we’ve all done so much in the past that many haven’t been privy to. How people will know what the future holds is when they kontinue to walk this journey with us, now that they know us. Too many give aways take away from genuine support, which is important to us as Kombo.
OTHER VILLAGE PEOPLE (@othervillagepeople @an.d_sss @womlambo)
Q: What was the highlight of your 3-day residency? (welcome to having more than one)
There was a deep sense of togetherness, joy and celebration that could be felt in the air. Being with people from diverse demographics all invested in creating an affirming environment was the ultimate highlight. It was also truly special to collaborate with artists and creatives that we admire and share their offerings with our communities.
Q: What obstacles did you face when you were putting everything together?
There were so many expected and unexpected obstacles conceptually and practically. Everything felt like it moved so fast. Queertopia really pushed every facet of our skill sets and taught us even more.
It was important to us to move intentionally and remain conscious about the challenges that face our communities, particularly when it comes to media representation. We wanted to ensure that we do not perpetuate stereotypical or narrow ideas of ‘queerness’ that would exclude or limit the evolving nature of our communities as there no singular expression of ‘queerness’.
Q: How did your families react initially to the residency and how did their reaction change as they saw things play out?
They were very proud and supportive even though they were not quite sure initially what it meant or entailed. When they began to see the PR campaign roll out the excitement grew. However it is only when they attended over the 3 days that they truly felt the magnitude of it all. They celebrated with us and were in awe of the potential of Queertopia and what can BE when our communities come together.
Q: So what now? What’s the next adventure?
We cannot wait to see how this concept grows and transforms over the years and how it also contributes to how we curate some of our other experiential events as OVP. We are interested in how ‘queerness’ can inspire alternate/ authentic ways of thinking and being. Queertopia is not just a 3 day event it is a way of moving through the world. Queertopia 2.0 loading.
Q: How did the community or communities react to the 3-day residency and do you think you represented them well?
The reception from people was phenomenal. There was an overwhelming sense of community, warmth and support. Until today, we still encounter people who want to talk about how Queertopia impacted them. It felt as though people truly cared about co-creating a space for connection. It is not easy nor possible to wholly represent the multiplicity that exists within communities that identify with ‘queerness’. What we tried to do is hold space in a way that encouraged people to fully express themselves and find community. We hope to continue to build on this practice of building intentional spaces.
UNMUTED (@thelonglincoln @draper_sa @matimu_sithole)
Draper:
“I believe that the Night Embassy has created a model for creatives and other brands to learn from, that when collaboration is put at the heart of the idea, and night life communities are engaged authentically, then the Night Life becomes a lot more diverse and desirable. I foresee new ideas leading the night from here on in, because if it’s not Night Embassy standard, then it’s not good for Nightlife.”
===============================
Lincoln Long:
“I believe that we’ll see a change in nightlife where new collectives are able to compete with the big nightlife stakeholders. Unmuted, OVP, Kombonation and Dormant Youth have proven that it’s not how big your collective is, but rather that fresh new spaces and experiences are created when you embrace your community, keep true to their nightlife needs, and always being authentic. That’s the nightlife the people want”
