Night Embassy by Jägermeister is searching for the four most exciting creative minds from Johannesburg's nightlife communities. The campaign supports talent by providing funding, production and mentorship for creative individuals or collectives to make their ideas come to life. From 20 July until 13 August, Johannesburg based creatives can apply for a one-week residency this autumn. The application form can be found at www.night-embassy.com/jhb.
Debuting in Berlin in 2019, the Night Embassy subsequently took place in Moscow digitally, and now launches in Africa with this Johannesburg edition. Bea Theron, Jägermeister's Experiential Manager, is excited about the four African Night Embassy experiences that will result from the chosen entries, “The Night Embassy Johannesburg is about to open its doors across four different urban locations and we want to embark on this journey with you and your community. Parties, installations, poetry, dance, streetwear, design and all conceptual art that comes to life at night. The only limit at the Night Embassy is your imagination."
Applications will be judged and selected by a Creative Board of five of Johannesburg's most influential nightlife and culture industry pioneers: event producer, business strategist and venue owner Theresho Selesho; designer, artist and creative director Jana Hamman; DJ and content creator Lelowhatsgood; skate scene pioneer Day Day Marumo and talent management agency owner Thuli Keupzz.
CEO of Matchbox Live, Theresho Selesho, is the man behind major events such as Black Coffee’s Music King, Oppikoppi and Tshwanefontein. He is also a partner in Artist Nelson Makamo’s Botho Project Space and Pretoria venue African Beer Emporium.
One half of the award-winning conceptual design and art direction studio Jana and Koos, Jana Hamman has worked on Nike and Simon + Mary campaigns as well as on Alice & Fifth Restaurant and The Mighty Fine and Gorgeous George’s hotels. Her art has shown in London, Joburg, Berlin and Sydney.
Lelowhatsgood is the DJ, digital marketer and content creator behind groundbreaking queer party Vogue Nights Jozi. His byline has appeared in many publications, including The New York Times.
Content creator and filmmaker Day Day Marumo of the Perfect Weather brand has a foundation aimed at township kids and has worked with Pharrell Williams and Moonchild Sannelly.
Entrepreneur Thuli Keupzz of amapiano-centred talent management agency Lawk Communications discovered Kabza De Small amongst others. She has been instrumental in spreading amapiano to East Africa.
These five mentors will educate, inspire and support successful applicants and help them develop and prepare their entire event programme that will be showcased during four residency weeks in November. On 10 and 11 December, following four residency weeks, Night Embassy will close out with the biggest underground party Johannesburg has ever seen.
The Night Embassy draws inspiration from both Jägermeister's own heritage of irreverent perfectionism and the freeform creativity of early 90’s Berlin’s nightlife and art scenes. “Jägermeister welcomes artists from any background, age and level of experience: the Night Embassy is open to all bold thinkers committed to going from creative concept to creation. These selected projects shine a light on possibilities for our future nightlife and foster a strong sense of local community,” says Theron.
You might be a musician: multi-instrumentalist or DJ; maybe you're an electroacoustic composer or a one-woman underground music production machine, an Afropop vocalist or a Soweto punk bass prodigy; perhaps you've never created a track in your life, and have instead devoted yourself to spinning the perfect amapiano mix.
You might be part of an underground skating society or movement bringing the best collaborative streetwear items to your community. Or maybe you are a visual mastermind of some kind — an immersive media experimentalist, a 3D illustrator, or an imaginative content creator or stylist with a ground-breaking eye for fresh photographic art and disruptive videography. And yes, Night Embassy is looking for sculptors, painters and poets as well. You could be a media art curator with a focus on a niche interest, the head honcho at the helm of a multi-disciplinary collective or even a dedicated party promoter — the list of possibilities is endless!
For more information about the Night Embassy by Jägermeister, log onto www.night-embassy.com/jhb, or follow @nightembassyjhb on Instagram. Applicants may also contact Thabo Molaba at thabo@night-embassy.co.za for guidance on the application process.
