Photo by Adrian Steirn, a leading photographer and filmmaker in Cape Town. He recently unveiled 21 Icons, his most ambitious project to date: a film and photographic celebration of individuals who have achieved at the highest level in their vocations, while giving back to their communities.
An archive of our greatest: telling the story of South African giants with 21 Icons
South Africa has a wealth of inspiration to draw from, thanks to the great men and women who call this fair nation home.
Photo by Adrian Steirn, a leading photographer and filmmaker in Cape Town. He recently unveiled 21 Icons, his most ambitious project to date: a film and photographic celebration of individuals who have achieved at the highest level in their vocations, while giving back to their communities.
21 Icons is an initiative aimed at documenting the lives of iconic South African individuals in an intimate manner, so as to build a connection between them and us. The uniqueness of the project is in how they combine fine art portraits, short films, behind the scenes photography, written narrative as well as feature length documentaries into a truly converged multimedia experience to impart their positive character traits and propensity to influence and shape perceptions and transform societal norms for the better, impacting the communities around them.
The idea behind 21 Icons was to immerse the viewer or reader in the lives of the featured individuals, in order to honestly portray the humility and sincerity of some of South Africa’s most noteworthy people. Just some of the icons featured include; the father of the nation, Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize-winner FW de Klerk and the man with the infectious laugh and big heart, Desmond Tutu during Season I and more recently, season II icons, Former Constitutional Court judge Albie Sachs and Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers Foundation.
While 21 Icons has built up a converged, multimedia platform for connecting and imparting key attributes of extraordinary lives that have contributed significantly to the past and future of South Africa to their audience, the offering has blossomed into what can only be seen as a natural product of all this talent. The 21 Icons book is the culmination of years of work, all folded into a repository of South African culture and history.
Watch 21 Icons’ short film on Desmond Tutu:
The 21 Icons limited edition coffee table book is the perfect gift for anyone interested in the history and achievements of South Africa. Click here to order on Kalahari.
