When we interviewed South African illustrator Thulisizwe Mamba earlier this year, he explained that his illustrations are a reaction to and a documentation of culture. So what’s trendy about funerals? Lucky for us, Mamba isn’t here for the casket-selfie or the disturbing frequency of live-streamed death processions. Instead, the Cape Town-based creative director created six visuals to accompany the six tracks he’d like played on his last day above ground.
According to Mamba, the project was sparked by his obsession with music.
“It was getting to a point where I'd send song lyrics as a reply or reaction to conversations and situations. The funeral playlist is an escalation of my obsession. Also, I don't think anyone has given a great deal of thought to the song(s) they would like played at their funeral. I thought it would be fun.”
To choose the right songs from what we imagine is a vast playlist, Mamba worked backwards. “I chose six photographs that I had taken. I created the artwork, then from there, I would think of a song (from my music library) that captures the sentiment of the visual(s).”
“I was testing out the idea of designing from your gut, the thing one cannot rationalise because it has nothing to do with preconceived notions of what makes something work or feel right. The core of the project is expression more than anything.”
Mamba’s Disclaimer: The '6' mentioned has nothing to do with Drake or his emotions or other things moist. :-)
