Oscar Gutierrez - ICONIC #MandelaDay

Upstairs @ Bamboo - ICONIC exhibition

Oscar Gutierrez, a southern African photographer, hold his ICONIC exhibition recently. It was supposed to run until today to coincide with the birthday month of Nelson Mandela. (Not sure if it did?) Gutierrez, who has captured the history and the moments of this region, has delved into his extensive archives. I am definitely not qualified to share photos of photos, but for an archivist like me, it is solid gold to see the legacy of history and icons captured here.

It's Nelson Mandela Day today. We are all trying to live his legacy by donating 67 minutes of our time to a good deed. The 67 minutes is the 67 years Nelson Mandela spent for the greater good. 27 of those years were spent in jail.

George Bizos was the keynote speaker at the opening reception of ICONIC. 5% of the proceeds are donated to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Oscar Gutierrez on the left with George Bizos in the middle 

The following is the Artist Statement: Oscar Gutierrez:

As a photographer, I live the tension of capturing movement and depth with an image, while working with the limitations of the situation I reflect. For example, flash was not possible when photographic Mandela. I do appreciate portraits, but I generally want to bring in context. I want to give viewers a glimpse into a time and place; show them the moment, but also the pasts and futures of my subjects. Capturing these iconic moments was a way of keeping alive the memories of those leaders who are no longer with us. Madiba's centenary month seemed to be the right time to recollect those moments. 

ICONIC exhibit at Upstairs @ Bamboo

A true ICON - Nelson Mandela

Bridget van Oerle walking with George Bizos at ICONIC

 Mokgadi Molebatsi curated the ICONIC exhibition.

George Bizos with Mokgadi Molebatsi at ICONIC (sorry, bad light)

It was truly an experience to see this photographic exhibition. Upstairs @ Bamboo is a great space to give a magical reflection to the Icon. I understand that some of these photos will be used in a book being written by George Bizos.


Disclaimer: I was invited to the opening, but not asked/paid to write this.

Transformers Animatronics - Guess who had the most fun?

Transformers Animatronics at Emperors Palace

I had won tickets to Transformers Animatronics through South African Mom Blogs. We had SO much fun!

Little Miss also enjoyed it, but not so much the mamarazzi trying to take photos of her with every Transformer Animatronics statue or with their gadgets! (Check the photos!) I mean, how many times do you get the opportunity to pose with the Transformers?

With Bumble Bee - Transformers Animatronics

Showmax Transformers Animatronics

Finally! A Lego creation that we could not pull her way from

 A Saturday afternoon well spent! And I got the photos! (Sorry, Little Miss)

MamaMagic, The Baby Expo, is in Town again - Giveaway!

MamaMagic, The Baby Expo, will run for the 12th year at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg!
It will be on from 12 - 15 May.
If you are pregnant or a parent of little ones, this is always a place where you will get the latest advice and gadgets on all things baby and children! Your little ones will also be entertained, which make it a great outing for the whole family!

What to expect at this year's MamaMagic?

- Huggies are starting with a new feature: They will provide parents with free informative sessions at the Huggies Expert’s Lounge. Parents will also be able to walk away with fantastic goodie bags!

"Huggies has lined up notable specialists such as Sister Lynn Bluff, who will enlighten parents on the significance of skin-to-skin and the “golden hour,” dietician Linda Drummond will shed light on what optimal nutrition for babies and toddlers, entails giving parents tips on practical healthy nutrition implementation and Cozette Laubser from BabyGym Institute International, will demonstrate the importance of baby’s physical development, which in turn results in healthy brain development."

- The BeSafe Car Safety Centre will provide valuable insight into how to handle a carjacking with a child.

- Huggies Nappy Pants and Lego Duplo are providing two age-appropriate play areas to keep the kids entertained.

- The Pampers Baby on Board competition that will see one lucky winner walk away with a comprehensive birthing and parenting starter pack valued over R 147 000!

- There will be designated breast feeding rooms. (Thumbs up from me!) Pampers Premium Care will also provide two fully stocked and spacious nappy change rooms!

- Barney will be on stage four times daily! (Although the tickets to the Barney shows are included in the Expo sales, they should be booked through Computicket to secure a seat!)

- Heart to Heart Workshop tickets can also be bought where parents will get the value of over R1000 worth of expert advice and goodies when they purchase a ticket of R495 at the Expo!


Two readers of this blog can each win VIP tickets!


The giveaway is 2 x double tickets to MM and the Barney show:

• Each tickets admits one adult and two kids (please provide their ages).
• Tickets/Entrance to the Barney shows (which will be held at 10, 12, 2 and 4).
• Meet and Greet with Barney (these are held daily after the 4pm show).
• Barney goodie bag for the kids.

Please comment on this blog post and tell me the ages of your kids?
Only eligible for people able to get to the Expo on any day from 12 to 15 May at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg.
This competition will run for one day only, and I will announce the winners on Wednesday 12 May 2016 at 12pm tomorrow afternoon!

Good luck!

Updated:
Congratulations to Shaaista and Keshnie who have won the tickets!


Please send me your email addresses and what time-slot would suit you best for the meet and greet with Barney?


Thursday 12 May after the 4pm show
Friday 13 May after the 4pm show
Saturday 14 May after the 2pm show
Sunday 15 May after the 12pm show

Titanic Expo - It's the personal stories that makes it so memorable

I was fortunate enough to win the tickets to the final days of the Titanic Expo in Johannesburg.
(I was invited to the launch, but The Student had the accident, and we could not go!)

We thoroughly enjoyed the Titanic Expo on Saturday! Even Little Miss could not wait to take a postcard and her boarding pass to show and tell on Monday!

Each one receives a boarding pass with a name of an actual person on that journey! At the end of the Expo you can look through the list of names to see if your passenger has made it. We had one passenger that did not make it!

That is the one thing that makes this experience worthwhile! Connecting the personal stories! I must admit that I had to wipe a few tears during the Expo (but that's just me!). The background research and information that have been gathered is immense and thought-provoking!

We could not take photos inside the exhibition, but some can be found here: Titanic Expo Gallery

This video also gives a good insight into the history and the Expo: Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition




The Expo is on its way to Cape Town. It is worth the visit!


Related post:

- The Titanic is coming to South Africa 

The Titanic is coming to South Africa - win tickets for the whole family

Titanic – The Artifact Exhibition - will be opening at the Zone in Rosebank from 18th September until 8 November, before it moves to the Watershed at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 27th November until March 2016.

I would love to show Little Miss this exhibition and tell her the story. (Maybe it is a good idea to show her the movie before we go?)

“Although the ‘ship of dreams’ met its demise over a century ago, the spirit of the Titanic and its passengers live on through ‘Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,’" says Nick Dreyer, COO of Expo RSA. The 1500-square-meter exhibit features numerous real artifacts from the Titanic and scale recreations of parts of the famous ship. The exhibit also features a re-creation of the freezing temperatures felt on that fateful April night complete with an interactive ice-berg. In addition, visitors can walk through authentically recreated first- and third-class rooms, with furnishings by the original manufacturers. Educational, emotional, and appropriate for all ages, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the life of Titanic, paying homage to the indomitable force of the human spirit in the face of tragedy. 

Tickets are available at www.webtickets.co.za
Titanic Dining Experiences are also available in Johannesburg and Cape Town.


I have received 10 tickets to give away. Please comment below with the number of people in your family?
(Because it is for the whole family, it will only be fair to take the children along as well!)

The first comments will get the prize, and depending on the availability of the tickets and numbers given, the remaining tickets would be dispensed.  And go!
(Unfortunately only open to South African readers)


More info here:

Facebook
Twitter: @TitanicExpo
www.titanicexpo.co.za

The Baby Expo

I have never seen so many pregnant, and parents with babies/kids in one place together, as I had seen on Saturday at the Baby Expo at the Dome here in Johannesburg! Johannesburg is a very fertile place, apparently!

The expo was amazing! We were not planning to go there at first. Friends of ours asked to meet us there. I was thinking that we are over the baby/kid stuff. Not so! There are a lot of gadgets/clothes/toys that we still need! Stuff you don’t think you need until you sees it. (Ouch, purse!)

Mieka with the Huggalugs

We got the nappies at a special (we should have bought more...). I was extremely excited to find the Huggalugs (legwarmers which are great to have in the cupboard for kids) (See photo)

There were a lot of activities for the kids to enjoy as well! Play areas, and toys, and other play mates. It is a haven for parents and parents-to-be. Next time we will definitely go again.

LOVE the gadgets and the clothes!