Elliot the Cratefan in progress. Photos by Ingrid Sinclair

A massive, bright-red addition to Cape Town’s skyline – built entirely of Coca-Cola crates (and cable ties) – has got everyone talking! We interviewed Porky Hefer, the creative brain behind this installation, to find out more about the eye-catching project which has taken shape at the V&A Waterfront’s harbour.

Porky Hefer is no newcomer to South African’s art and design scene. Hailed as one of the top conceptual thinkers in our country, Porky is an ad man turned creative guru who has paid his dues at agencies but went independent in 2007, starting up his highly respected Animal Farm collective.

His latest in-your-face publicity act is Elliot the Cratefan, a project three years in the making. You may or may not have spotted Elliot – a structure made out of one-and-a-half- and two-litre Coca-Cola crates – on the harbour at the V&A Waterfront as he perches, bright red and unbelievably massive, against the backdrop of Table Mountain.

Elliot is a welcome if surprising addition to Cape Town’s skyline. We certainly did a double take when we first spotted him at the Waterfront last Saturday.

So what inspired Porky’s latest project? “Lego,” he says, on the phone and on-site during yesterday’s finishing touches. “It’s about building up and breaking down existing systems; like a child who builds a boat out of Lego, plays with the boat, breaks it down and then builds a spaceship and plays with that. It’s about how we can continually make new things from existing materials, and then break it down, start again and make different forms.”

This particular vision involves creating something beautiful out of packaging materials, usually considered waste products. “Everything will again be broken down and the crates will go back into the system.
We are looking at a similar project for the 2012 Olympics in London, using the nearest Coca-Cola crate facility … So nothing will travel far, and therefore no transport-related by-products will be created.”

This kind of thinking is in line with green, sustainable design. And, as Porky points out, “It’s actually the way people build in rural areas; they use what’s close by.”

Porky and his team, which includes members of Jo’burg-based art management company Art at Work and 14 members of SGB-Cape (a scaffolding company), used approximately 4 200 Coca-Cola crates to create the 18-metre-tall Cratefan and they’ve been working from 08h00 to 22h00 for the past month to get it done. Yesterday was spent cleaning up and adding the finishing touches to the Cratefan, which will stick around for at least a year.

But how are the crates stuck together? “Cable ties – a lot of cable ties,” Porky chuckles.

While you may assume that it’s all in the name of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Porky says it’s actually more about maintaining the momentum and excitement that has been created by this sporting event. “The world won’t end when the influx of tourists ends; our lives must continue!”

Then it must be a great piece of free publicity for Coca-Cola? “No, Coca-Cola paid for this installation, even though it was unsolicited work. I worked with them in 2007 so I went in knowing their strategies. I find it so challenging: no company really likes something that was created outside of their area of brand control. The real difficulty with projects like these is persisting. I gave up four times during the course of this project!”

But the persistence has paid off and resulted in positive buzz for an initiative that demonstrates the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra. “Coca-Cola has such a bad reputation eco-wise, but most of the people who are writing about this project are coming from the eco-journalism side, and so far I’ve only picked up one negative comment. A project like this stretches the imagination, and we’ve now entered a space where nothing is impossible.”

So come expand your mind, take time to enjoy Cape Town’s shifting cityscape and get carried away by some inspired crate creations.

Read more about Elliot the Cratefan on the Animal Farm blog.

A French football fan negotiates with a vendor at Greenmarket Square. Photo courtesy Ingrid Sinclair

Vendors at one of Cape Town’s oldest and most popular markets, Greenmarket Square, are very happy with the way business has been going over the past couple of weeks. The cobbled walks have been bustling more than usual and sales have gone up thanks to the influx of visitors to the Cape, here in support of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Greenmarket Square, famous for its location and the wide variety of African curios and contemporary South African memorabilia on sale at fabulous prices, is set in the heart of the inner city and is walking distance from all the CBD attractions – Long Street, the Church Street antique market, Adderley Street and the Grand Parade (where the FIFA Fan Fest™ happens).

Visiting this market is one of the quintessential Cape Town experiences and tourists are clearly privy to this information! Ilsa and Marc Kohler from Germany heard about the market from the manager of the guesthouse that they are staying at, and spent a wonderfully warm morning perusing the artefacts and talking about the production of these with the vendors. “We have to be careful or we won’t be able to take everything back!” said Marc.

Asanda Mafa lures buyers with his drum

Asanda Mafa, who has been selling African masks and drums at the market for two years, is very pleased with the way things have been going. “We are selling so much more because of the tourists who are here,” he smiled while tapping away at a drum; a strategy, he says, that works very well to lure potential buyers to his stall.

You’ll find more than wooden sculptures and beadwork at Greenmarket Square. This is a great place to pick up second-hand CDs and books at basement prices, funky T-shirts and tie-dyed dresses, and original artwork of every conceivable school.

When you’re done with your shopping, the myriad surrounding cafés and restaurants are ideal spots for resting those feet. It’s one of the trendiest spots in town and a place that’ll put you in the heart of the action.

Cape Town Tourism wishes Bafana Bafana good luck in their match against France. Graphic a composite of images courtesy: Shine 2010, Elliott Brown, leafar. and CLF

Visit the 2010 site for loads of coverage on Fan Fests™, public viewing areas matches, transport, an extensive 2010 blog and more.

While the temperature in Cape Town’s City Bowl today is more than bearable (if you have your beanie and scarf, that is), conditions on Table Mountain were somewhat colder this afternoon. The wind-chill factor, soft, misty rain and eerie fog blanket made the experience at the summit (at 1 067m above sea level) quite different from the one down in the city, but that didn’t deter visitors to the Mother City from taking the Table Mountain Cableway up for a warm buffet lunch at Table Mountain Café and spectacular views of the Cape Peninsula; there were even a few brave souls who abseiled down the rocky outcrops of Table Mountain. Here are some images from the afternoon. Photos by Ingrid Sinclair.

The cable car comes down to pick up a new load of visitors.

Apparently it’s never too misty to abseil on Table Mountain.

Gary Irvine, a proud Scot, is in Cape Town as part of the Youth with a Mission missionary programme.

Sarah Poon, from Hong Kong, is part of Gary’s group.

Bethuel Raseona is a proud Capetonian, and will be watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ matches from the V&A Waterfront.

Cape Town Stadium from the stands. Photo courtesy gregwalshza

France drew 0-0 with Uruguay in the first ever international match at Cape Town Stadium on Friday night, which was also the second match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Despite the bland result, the match was of high quality, with both teams creating chances that they just couldn’t capitalise on.

Cape Town football fans even got the amazing opportunity to watch legendary French striker, Thierry Henry, take the field in the second half. he certainly added a lot to the game when he came on. This could possibly be his last World Cup, following a highly successful career.

Cape Town Stadium attracted much praise from those who attended the historic event. Cosmopolitan editorial director, Vanessa Raphaely, wrote on Twitter during the match: “At Cape Town Stadium. Good natured well organised beautiful…”

Mbulelo Ntsente said he was very impressed with all the festivities outside the stadium. “I enjoyed the Fan Walk so much I didn’t even notice the walk,” he said.

“There were minstrels and bands playing, as well as plenty of other performers. Some shops put speakers outside and people were dancing in the streets; young people, old people, people of all races, there was an amazing atmosphere.”

Cape Town Stadium has a capacity of 68 000 and was built at a cost of R4.5 billion. It will host a further seven matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, including a round of 16 match, a quarter-final and a semi-final.

If you are reading this from anywhere else in South Africa, please check out our domestic flight specials and get yourself down here as soon as possible!

French fans. Photo courtesy JohnSeb

More than one thousand French football and rugby fans will be making their way to Cape Town this week to support their country in two big sporting fixtures.

The French football team will play Uruguay in the Mother City’s first match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ at Cape Town Stadium on Friday night. On Saturday the French rugby team take on the Springboks at Newlands. French fans will no doubt make their presence in Cape Town felt, just as locals will be sure to welcome the mass of blue jerseys at both iconic sporting venues.

The French are known for their flair and, when it comes to sport, their teams don’t disappoint. They hosted and won the 1998 FIFA World Cup™, while their rugby team has made it to the semi-finals of the last four Rugby World Cups.

Thierry Henry is one footballer in particular who most Capetonians can’t wait to see take the field. Well-known rugby game-breakers include Frédéric Michelack and Vincent Clerc.

If you don’t have a ticket for the big football match at Cape Town Stadium, you can head for the FIFA Fan Fest at Grand Parade, which can accommodate up to 25 000 fans. Other options include the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town’s biggest football party and various public viewing areas.

The Springboks might’ve beat Wales 34-31 in Cardiff on Saturday, but they will need to lift their game considerably if they are to fend off the fiery French. Tickets may still be available for this match through Computicket.

Here are some French phrases to make visitors feel more welcome:

“Hello”: Bonjour / Salut
“Welcome”: Bienvenue
“How are you?”: Ça va? / Comment ça va?
“Have a nice day”: Bonne journée

The FIFA ticket sales office at the Spearhead in Cape Town was seething with media and hopeful soccer fans on Thursday, April 15. Photos by Roy Barford.

Retha von Klopman with her 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tickets.

2010 FIFA World Cup™ fever has definitely arrived in Cape Town – this morning, thousands of people were queuing to either purchase or collect their tickets for the big event, which kicks off in just 56 days.

Some people were so determined to get their tickets that they had camped outside the FIFA ticket sales office in Hans Strijdom Avenue since Wednesday afternoon.

Level four tickets, the cheapest on offer at R140 for the group matches, sold out very early. However, those in the queue were still happy to pay at least R560 to attend a match during Africa’s first FIFA World Cup™.

The first person to purchase over-the-counter tickets in Cape Town was 23-year-old Mahesh Singh, an IT professional from Durban who moved to Cape Town in February. He waited in the queue for more than 16 hours.

By noon, people who had arrived at 05h00 were still standing in line, hoping to secure at least one ticket for any of the eight games being played at Cape Town Stadium.

“I arrived before 05h00 and am still only number 365 in the queue,” said Capetonian Colleen Webb-Burgess. “I guess there aren’t many tickets left, so I will be happy with whatever game I can get.”

Sidney Makhuleni, who was right at the back of the line at noon, was still hoping to secure tickets for at least three matches.

“There are so many good matches here in Cape Town,” Makhuleni said. “I really want to be at the first game here when France play Uruguay, because I want to see Thierry Henry.”

Read more quotes from soccer fans here.

Tickets for 2010 FIFA World Cup™ matches are also available from FNB branches.