Image courtesy of Iziko Museums

Iziko is made up of national museums which offer spaces for cultural interaction where everyone can gather, share, learn and connect with our history, art and natural world.

Currently there is a range of interesting and exciting exhibitions being held at the South African Museum and the historic Slave Lodge, which is just across the road from Taj Cape Town.

The King’s Map

A unique map of South Africa produced 222 years ago for King Louis XVI of France and has never before been exhibited, forms the centre-piece of the King’s Map exhibition.

Other very rare and valuable works by map creator, modern ornithologist and social critic François le Vaillant will also be on display. The exhibition forms part of the prestigious ‘French Season’ – the multifaceted bilateral collaboration between France and South Africa which links histories, art and nature.

The exhibition also includes a major selection of watercolours held by the South African Parliament, original bird illustrations for Oiseaux d’Afrique and elephant folio versions of his bird books illustrated by Barraband from the Brenthurst Library. This is the last week to catch the exhibition at the South African Museum which ends on 26 May 2013.

Labels

Running throughout the year at the Slave Lodge is Siemon Allen’s “Labels”, a large architectural installation which forms a visual memorial to South Africa’s rich musical past.

The site-responsive installation features 5000 photographs of record labels inserted into a suspended clear plastic curtain. The installation forms a historical record, a chronological discography of select labels which has been configured to converse with part of the museum’s collection of historical artefacts.

Each label represents an individual recording, visually paying homage to that past by naming every artist in the archive as it meanders through the space amongst the musical instruments and clocks of the Music Room, to form a number of intimate accessible enclosures.

Iziko is an isiXhosa word meaning “hearth” – traditionally and symbolically the social heart where food is prepared and shared, stories are told, and knowledge is passed from one generation to the next.

Taj Cape Town offers luxury accommodation in the historic heart of the city and is proud to have partnered with premier cultural heritage institution, Iziko Museums of South Africa.  Guests of the hotel will now have the opportunity to experience “behind-the-scenes”, specialized tours of how historical institutions are curated and managed in the Mother City.

The Good Food and Wine Show is making its return to  Cape Town along with a bevy of the world’s most inspiring chefs, for South Africa’s premiere food, wine and lifestyle exhibition.

The Good Food & Wine Show has pushed the boundaries of innovation and excellence for over a decade and the 2013 offering is expected to be bigger and better than ever. The celebrity chef line-up and a second-to-none culinary lifestyle experience is expected to draw up to 130 000 visitors for a taste of the extraordinary.

Visitors have a wide range of interactive theatres showcasing favourite local and international chefs live at the Chefs in Action Theatre to look forward to, as well as the South African Bar Show which will be launching as a premier annual event for the Southern African bar industry.

The Good Food & Wine show will be taking place from 23 – 26 May 2013 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Tickets can be purchased at R110 per person – R55 for children between 2 and 12 – for the full event and are available through Computicket.

The Taj Cape Town team is especially excited as we look forward to not only celebrating one of Cape Town’s premier food and wine exhibitions but to hosting Gordon Ramsay, Eric Lanlard, Bill Granger and The Bliss Sisters, as we have recently been announced the preferred hotel sponsor for the Celebrity Chefs attending the Good Food & Wine Show.

The exhibition will be hosted by the CTICC, which is situated in Cape Town’s Foreshore, a stone’s throw away from the city centre and the V & A Waterfront. If you are planning on staying in the city for the duration of the Good Food and Wine Show, why not book 5-star Luxury Cape Town accommodation at Taj Cape Town, located in the heart of the city centre.