On July 19, during the late evening rush hour, the Johannesburg CBD would be rocked by a methane gas leak explosion. The explosion ripped roadways apart and flipped vehicles on their heads. With one fatality and 48 people injured, the explosion and its aftermath would leave South Africa’s most populated city on edge for weeks. One local, Thekiso Mokhele, used the devasting event to create spellbinding works of art using the latest AI technology. We chat with the creative to find out how he harnessed the power of AI to capture the mesmerizing essence of the destructive incident and translate it ..read more

Buhle Ngaba is a multi-talented creative who has wowed audiences on all the world’s stages. Telling stories in all their forms, whether it be as an actress, playwright, poet, or author, Buhle Ngaba captivates audiences with her unparalleled passion and skill. With a profound understanding of the human experience, Buhle brings narratives to life, immersing viewers in worlds both familiar and extraordinary. From acclaimed theatre productions to award-winning literary projects, she fearlessly explores the depths of emotion, challenging societal norms and inspiring meaningful conversations. Her la ..read more

We at Orms are incredibly excited to see what the new year has in store. With plenty of ground-breaking cameras launching, ultra-cool tech on the horizon and exciting new photography trends, 2023 is guaranteed to be a year of incredible creative exploration and experimentation. To help inspire you and ignite your creativity, we’ve compiled a list of what we believe will be some of the leading photography trends in 2023. Image by Mi PhamCandid Moments No matter how curated our lives may appear on social media and how hard we strive to create picture-perfect moments, natural and candid moments a ..read more

October is slowly coming to an end, and everyone is gearing up for the festive season. Radio stations are defrosting Mariah Carey, stores are hanging tinsel, and South Africa’s festive spirit is steadily bubbling under the surface. However, before we dive head-first into holiday mode, there’s one more day that we need to get through. Halloween. While South Africans are not passionate about trick-or-treating, we love a good costume and spine-tingling fright night. In the spirit of all things ghostly and downright bone-chilling, we’ve put together a list of some of the best South African horror ..read more

South African-born Caleb Payne has been in front of the camera since he was in diapers. A natural-born talent, the young star has quickly climbed his way to the top of the film industry and into the hearts of audiences worldwide. Having recently won the Feature Film Leading Young Artist ward at the Young Artists Academy Awards in Los Angeles for his role as Jet in the Netflix film “Good Life” his career trajectory continues to rise. The win is no small feat, with Payne being the first South African to do so in the award’s 43-year history. Previous winners of the award include the likes of Zend ..read more

Tayhe Munsamy’s art is all consuming like an embrace from a loved one. There’s an air of familiarity, a welcoming, an invitation to share in the joy, the food and the stories of her intricate yet rich cultures. The first time I saw Munsamy’s work was at Eclectica Contemporary’s “Girls Run the World” exhibition for Women’s month. The pieces on show were “Koeksisters and Coffee on a Sunday Morning” and “I Carry the Rice She Blessed in the Flames”. These mesmerising pieces implore you to stay a while, take it all in and feel its warmth. Who she is Storytelling plays a significant role in her work ..read more

The first cellphone camera released to the public was the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210 in May 1999. It featured a single front-facing 110,000-pixel camera and was capable of storing up to 20 JPEG digital images. Since then, the world of smartphone photography has exploded and has all but consumed our daily lives. Apps like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have definitely been some of the driving forces behind our obsession. It’s estimated that more than 1.7 trillion photographs are taken annually, with 92% of those taken on a smartphone. Due to their affordability and accessibility, smartphones h ..read more

Historically the film and cinematography industry has been dominated by men. The lack of diversity in the film industry is quite plain to see; sometimes, it’s as easy as stepping onto most film sets to get a perfect view of what the industry looks like. The State of the Industry Hollywood is more than 100 years old; however, only seven women have been nominated for best director at the Oscars. Lina Wertmüller was the first female director to receive a nomination for her 1975 film, Seven Beauties. Kathryn Bigelow was the first female to win the Oscar for her film The Hurt Locker in 2010. In 201 ..read more

Raised in a funeral home located in the province formerly known as the Transvaal by a family of undertakers, artist Wim van Zyl discovered the otherworldly beauty in death at a young age. He spent the entirety of his life to date collecting small objects of personal significance — some gifted by friends and family, some discovered in markets, some seemingly placed directly into his hands by the Universe itself. There were the skulls of dead animals, a candelabra, earrings from his grandmother, all gathered together without Wim being sure why he was accumulating these seemingly unrelated fragme ..read more

One of Orms’ most beloved pillars is our belief in supporting the next generation of creatives. In alignment with Youth Day 2021, we are highlighting a collection of creatives under 18 who are making waves in their communities. These outstanding young individuals were put forward by representatives from their respective institutions, and we are thrilled to recognise their future potential and accomplishments to date this Youth Day. LALELA Lalela is an award-winning registered NPO that provides educational arts for at-risk youth, aiming to spark creative thinking and awaken their entrepreneuria ..read more