KENNY MORIFI-WINSLOW
Kenny is a Digital Anthropologist, food & design blogger, and fashion designer-to-be. She runs a sustainable food and design blog which tracks her journey through four cities - Cape Town, New York, Johannesburg and London. Her blog explores the sustainability models of food, art and design. Originally South African, Kenny spent the majority of her childhood in London, and is now living in New York. She is a creative spirit, a die-hard foodie and a firm believer in the colour black.
If there was one piece of art you could feature in, which would it be and why?
I would love to have a portrait painting of my eye done by Marc Quinn. This particular series explores the complexity of the human eye as a window into the soul, comparing it to a galaxy of stars. I think it’s not only a striking piece of work aesthetically, but it’s a refreshing take on the ‘portrait’.
Who inspires you and why? An artist, a family member, someone current or historical?
I’m very inspired by the indigenous tribes of South Africa, my home country. For most of history, ‘tribal’ art and artifacts were considered to exist outside of formal art, however the true expression of a people comes out in everything they produce - objects and designs that are heavy with history, narrative, culture and tradition. I’m an advocate for sustainable design, and local artists who subscribe to those models without consciously working them into what they produce.
What are your cultural aspirations? What do you still want to see, do and achieve?
I want to make sustainable chic. It is vital for the design industry and community to take the lead in reforming the harmful practices of a society that is built on consumption and waste. If art and design can reflect the socio-political climate of a particular time or place, it is then vitally important that we begin to reflect the dire state of our environment in order to light the fire in people’s hearts.
What are your favourite cultural cities in the world and why?
Cape Town, South Africa is one of the world’s most underrated cultural cities. It was voted design capital of the world in 2014, but still remains somewhat of a non-starter on the international popular art scene. There is so much raw talent waiting to explode there. The food, the wine, the formal arts and the popular culture scenes are all buds on the brink of blooming.
What are you up to at the moment and where can we find it?
I’m currently about to begin writing my thesis at Parsons on the construction and representation of nations through textile reflected on social media. Basically looking at the ways particular cities construct fashion identities on the Internet. Aside from that, I'm actively running my blog called 3rd Citizen which is all about sustainable food and design.