Open Design, taking place 10-21 August 2016 at Cape Town City Hall and across the city, has announced that do-it-yourself expert Suzelle DIY, a.k.a. Julia Anastasopoulos, will be speaking at the Creative Sessions morning, ahead of Talk100 on Tuesday 11 August at 8am.
Anastasopoulos, a South African artist, illustrator, designer and actress, became a local internet phenomenon in May 2014, with her do-it-yourself web series known as Suzelle DIY, created with her partner, Ari Kruger, who is a filmmaker and animator. They form the team behind the Suzelle DIY series.
Talk100 discussion sessions are a key feature of this year’s Open Design and will cover topics such as:
- ‘What qualities do we need in future business leaders and social entrepreneurs?’ - Karidas Tshintsholo – executive director of Moneytree Group, MD of SA Textiles and Ian Calvert – project leader at Red Bull Amaphiko;
- Are we ready for the fourth industrial revolution? - Robyn Farah – founder of KAT-O and TECHTalk, Lars Espeter – game developer and leader of the Game Graphics course at Friends of Design, Alan Ball – drone pilot and founder of Flying Robot;
- What does it take to build a community? - Arianna Mazzeo – head of research and Professor of Creative Arts at Bath Spa UK and Innovation Professor at Elisava Design School, Barcelona, India Baird – founder of Rock Girl and Luthando Dyasi – co-founder of Dine with Khayelitsha;
- Is health the new wealth for our cities – Lufefe Nomjana – founder and CEO of Espinaca Bakery in Khayelitsha, also known as the Spinach King, Ryan Robers – founder of Deskstand and William Mapham – found of Vula Mobile.
Suzelle DIY (Julia Anastasopoulos). Photographer: Adriaan Oosthuizen for VISI Magazine
Open Design creative director Y. Tsai explains, “Design is no longer the exclusive domain of the privileged elite. It touches every part of life, addressing basic human needs in multiple applications across every sector that make up our social fabric. It has been used to transform healthcare, business, transport, urban development, agriculture, education, housing, technology, music, public spaces, communication and technology ‒ among others. This approach, called human-centred design, is gaining a global focus for competitive business and socio-economic development.”
The festival takes place in two stages, with events, expos and workshops at Cape Town City Hall from 10-16 August and citywide activations from 17-21 August. For more information, click here.
