You’re Invited to a Table for Twelve.
- collabthreemag
- May 4, 2020
- 4 min read
When the team came together to shoot this cover, we had no idea just how foreign the concept of togetherness illustrated here would become- just more than a month later. The Serving: Culture issue seeks to highlight how connected we are as South Africans, creatives and humans. No matter what our unique and individual definition of culture is, we can all acknowledge that we are part of a bigger local and global culture.
After shooting our individual covers for the Serving: Culture issue with Jodie Petersen and Tzara, the concept that culture is a very personal thing to each person was clear.
The next step was to bring home that culture is not just an individual concept, but one that spreads out and connects us on communal, national and global levels. The idea to have a ‘last supper’-type shoot was present from the beginning, bringing together local fashion, creatives and foods in the name of collaboration.
So the Three team got to work inviting four creatives to each bring a friend along for the last Serving: Culture cover shoot.
The invitation goes out:
You are invited to feature in Three Magazine’s ‘Table for Twelve’ cover shoot: A gathering of twelve creatives, dressed exclusively by Pattern Nation, featuring food, snacks and conversation.
It will be shot by Courtney Haas at studio location fave, Mr George’s Studio. Please RSVP with your plus one’s name and remember to bring a dish and some props along that say something about your culture.
Yours in collaboration + creativity
– The Three Team ⚡
Zoya Pon (aka That Asian Girl)
The shoot :
It’s a bright Saturday morning. After much frantic last-minute troubleshooting, food prepping, detail confirming, prop juggling and a flurry of hugs and styling we all take our seats. Decked out exclusively in Pattern Nation, with our dishes before us and Courtney snapping away, we begin introducing ourselves one by one.
I start, introducing myself as editor and founder of Three Magazine. Then it’s onto multi-talented musician Mars Baby.
Brother and sister Zena and Aaron Kruss Van Der Heever say ‘Hi’. DJ and writer Gina Fredman-Jacobson (aka Nolitha) introduces herself as music writer for Three Magazine.
Nuhaa Soeker
Designer Cydney Eva and artist CostaBesta from Pattern Nation reveal they’re both studying currently at the Cape Town College of Fashion Design (CTCFD).
“Hi I’m Rufaro”, begins Rufaro Chiswo, content producer for Three Magazine, “I’m a media and writing student at UCT”.
Nikola Vlok jokingly introduces herself as the twin of Tzara, her fellow musician, Aquarius and cat owner.
Rarri, a DJ and events organizer, goes next and last but not least Nuhaa Soeker, features editor of Three Magazine, closes the table.
Before long we’re all laughing and relaxed. Courtney gives us the go ahead to tuck into the assortment before us and we begin passing our dishes around, handing over Steri Stumpi’s and pouring each other glasses of Jive while chatting about our projects, passions and favourite nostalgic snacks.
Dig in with…
We ask 3 guests, 3 quick questions.
Who is Rarri?
I am Tamryn Arends, a 22 year old DJ. I am the founder of GSPT and an event organizer.
What do the dishes you brought mean to you?
I brought a Gatsby because that’s the first dish that came to mind when trying to figure out what type of meal personally best represents being born and raised in Cape Town.
What does culture mean to you?
To me ‘culture’ means, art, knowledge, tradition and a sense of unity.
Who is Mars Baby?
I’m an artist. My main medium is music. I write, produce and record my own tracks as well as produce and play for a few other artists.
What do the dishes and items you brought mean to you?
I brought some pesto pasta. I consider it to be the only dish I’ve mastered and it’s something my mom taught me way back, so it has sentimental value to me.
My items were a ukelele (representing my love of music), some CDs (representing my eclectic upbringing and varied influences), and a copy of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (a gift from my dad). I feel like these things have had a lasting impact on me.
What does culture mean to you?
A practice, quality or expression of a group that has value; something to be proud of, to learn from and to share with others.
In the past I have felt that I didn’t have or belong to a definitive culture. I was born in SA but spent a large portion of my childhood overseas. My father is English and Afrikaans and my mother is Coloured. I moved around a lot as a child, and lived with a few different parental figures of varying ethnicities and backgrounds. I grew up without much consideration for my culture – just existing.
I guess it was when I moved back to SA that I realized the significance and connotations of my heritage. I struggled with it for a while, not really knowing where to place myself, but nowadays I see the intersecting parts as pieces of a larger, eclectic picture. And I think that’s pretty cool.
What inspires you to create music?
It ranges so much. Just silly things. One day it’s the astral plane, the next day its my cat.
Tell me about your culture and what it means to you?
I guess my culture is my love of fantasy fiction. Various writers over the years created this world called ‘The Forgotten Realms’ … It is a wild rabbit hole haha.
But on deeper level I think it’s also a culture of living in the dreams of others and how storytelling hatches a sense of belonging.
Tell me about the dish you brought?
I brought a colorful fruit salad for some nostalgia. As kids my sister and I would lay out berries in strange shapes to conjure ‘the night creatures’ (our parents were horrified haha).
CREDITS
Production: Zoya Pon
Photography: Courtney Haas
Styling: Pattern Nation
Studio : Mr George’s Studio
Production assistant: Nuhaa Soeker
Featured creatives: Nuhaa Soeker, Rarri, Tzara, Nikola Vlok, Rufaro Chiswo, Cydeny Eva, CostaBesta, Gina Fredman-Jacobson, Aaron Kruss Van Der Heever, Zena Kruss Van Der Heever, Mars Baby, Zoya Pon.
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