A New Home for Durbanites
by Virginia MacKenny
Home, a unique space that engages art, design and sustenance of both the body and mind, has opened in Durban. Comprising an art gallery, a coffee lounge, restaurant and bookstore, Home is designed to blur the boundaries between culture and product. It is designed to provide both inspiration and an outlet for local talent.
More than tipping its hat to the idea that there just might be a bunch of people out there who really enjoy the acts of reading and thinking, the space is a design experience in its own right. On just about every available surface is a feast of literary quotes in both 2-D and 3-D. These include Hunter S Thompson's quote, "I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they have always worked for me," a glowing neon arrow pointing downwards with Phillipe Starck's "tomorrow will be less". These anecdotes encourage reflections on the creative life. Even the cups of coffee come tagged with a thought for the day, such as Anne Morrow Lindbergh's apt "good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after". The bookstore, named The Store Room, encourages a more in-depth engagement with contemporary thought by selling hard-to-get, niche market books, as well as design, photography and art magazines that generally can't be found anywhere else.
The Cupboard gallery is run by artist Clinton de Menezes, who opens with a show of his own work and a call for artists to apply. The Cupboard will provide one of the city's alternative exhibition spaces and plans to keep costs of exhibiting as low as possible in the hope of providing an outlet for some of Durban's less established and less well-heeled talents. Exhibitions will change on a monthly basis.
The driving force behind Home is Richard Hart, of Disturbance Design, who worked in collaboration with a collective of like-minded individuals from Durban's other design/art retail space Koop. Intelligent and witty, Home is a great new place to hang out and converse.
Find it at 101 Innes Road (corner of Windermere and Innes Rd), Morningside, Durban
Telephone: 031. 303-3694
Website: www.home-ind.co.za
