By: Xolisani Zeeckolburg Khumalo

Society tends to believe in the notion that having money means you can do anything. The same ideal has crept in and led us to consuming things we do not need.

Art is very cheap. All it takes is working with what you have and paying no mind to the thought that makes you think you always have to buy what you need to make something work.

Xolani Mlambo, founder of INTELLIGENT DESIGN, stands to build the exact opposite of such a community.  His company’s vision and intention is focused on restoring a sense of ability, belief and knowing that you can- having independence and knowing that there is possibility even without monitory means.

Mlambo has created a space for art, fashion, urban and organic farming and lifestyle through his gallery. The gallery is located in Umbilo at the corner of Essex Road, which for years remained abandoned and known as the dangerous roofless building to all Umbilo residents.

GreenCamp-Gallery (GCG) is what the place is now called. The gallery will serve as a stop for everyone that appreciates art, creativity and a healthy lifestyle. Mlambo and his company occupied the space with the intention of turning it into a gallery for art, upcycled furniture, upcycled clothing and use of waste material and the farming organic foods.

On his vision for the space, Xolani says: “We could’ve found space anywhere but occupying this building is recycling on its own.”

Living green, recycling and upcycling is a vision and a process that is not selfish as it would potentially be seen through by future generations, which proves that having a vision is having something great being implemented beyond your time. Every Wednesday, lifestyle GCG has a movie screening and there’s free popcorn given to the movie fanatics.

“We are about changing spaces, lives and perspectives for the better. We also believe art is the easiest way to get people’s attention. Photographs, paintings, recycling is creativity, everything is art within its own right,” said Mlambo.

GCG will have an organic garden, a coffee and juice bar, upcycled clothing stalls, organic kitchen (food on sale), and free Wi-Fi.

This begs the question that artists are always battling with when demonstrating their art; to what extent must reality be played with to get the viewer to ask questions? Creativity and being artistic has always seemed to be a way of sending a message to a wider audience with the possibility of changing the world’s perspective on life.