designmagazine no 19
DESCRIPTION
DESIGN>MAGAZINE seeks to engage and inspire the design conscious and the design curious throughout Africa and beyond. It also explores contemporary meta-disciplinary convergences within the various fields of design.TRANSCRIPT
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BobEltonChair of the Board of Directors,ImmigrantEmployment Council of British Columbia
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Research
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Economic Development
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Panellists
The primary event for dialogue between designers and non-design stakeholders in a summit format.
Emily Campbell, Director of Design, RSA (United Kingdom)Nila Leiserowitz, Managing Director, Gensler (United States)
, VP&Group Director,LPK Trends (United States)Valerle Jacobs
Duke University (United States)Bill Soenius,Director Of User Experience,Siemens (Germamy)Ruth Soenius,
CEO & Founder,Intuitive Automata (Hong Kong)Cory Kidd,chief Editor,Metropolis Magazine (United States)Susan Szenasy,
Marco Steinberg,, Design Director, Finnish Innovation Fund (Finland)Dunne + Raby (United States)Anthony Dunne,
Creative Director & Partner, Tatil (Brasil)Fred Gelli,LG Design Center (Korea)Dr. Lee Kumpho,
MIT SENSEable City Lab (Italy)Carlo Ratti,
Co-Founder,Mass Design (United States)Michael Murphy,
Keynote SessionsFlve international experts will offer themed keynote addesses followed by a panelof designers representing the three disciplines of the IDA.
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The primary event for dialogue between designers and non-design stakeholders in a summit format.
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14 > Todaywewouldbekings:FridaLarios’NewMayaLanguage
26 > Makingamove:Atraveller’scompanionto
becomingafreelancerintheUK
38 > RobMills’convergenceofartand
technology
50 > ThewinnersofHiiibrand2010
62 > HIVPositive:Iconict-shirtsthatshapeviewsandawarenessonthepandemic
68 > Let'smakecondomscool
76 > Creatingcomplexobjectsofdesirelayerbylayer
5 >
CONTENTS
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84 > 3Dwhat?
90 > Turningtalentintosuccess
98 > Supportingideasintoprototypes
104> SouthAfricalearnsfromtheSwedes
109> PRECIOSAilluminatesanotherOne&Onlycomplex
114> TheUpperEastSideHotel:Beautybycontrast
124> RadissonBluGautrainHotel:Symbolismindesign
134> AFGRIHeadOffice:Architecturethatfloats
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EURO
RSC
G 48
47/E
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144> WaverleyOfficePark:Neo-Africaniconography
152> 15AliceLaneTowers:Raisingthebarincorporateheadofficedesign
166> 1ProteaPlace:Reflectingabrand’sidentitythrougharchitecture
178> ToEgyptwithlove:Anartist’sresponsetochange
182> PaulStopforth:Themanwhoretrievesthesoapandseesinitasliverofhistory
194> GerhardMarx:Cumulus
204> Workingwithnature
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Tel: 011 787 7301 Fax: 011 787 2575
www.rabanaarchitects.co.za
BANA r c h i t e c t s A
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HIGHERCERTIFICATE
IN PHOTOGRAPHY
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EDITOR
JacquesLange–[email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
JudyBryant,ShireeDarley,FridaLarios,JudithMason,
AntonRessel,StaceyRowan,MatthewSchönborn,
KirstySnodgrass,KennethvanRensburg,Michaella
JansevanVuuren,ReneyWarrington,DalliWeyers,
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©2011DESIGN>MAGAZINE
ISSN1814-7240
Number19,June2011
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Endorsers Media partners
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By Frida Larios | My journey to revive the
visual language of the ancient Maya started in
2004 when I was studying towards a masters
in Communication Design at Central Saint
Martins College of Art & Design in London,
located only two blocks away from the Brit-
ish Museum which holds some of the most
important lintels in the Maya world. I was
the first Salvadoran woman to study at Saint
Martins. How could I not look for my own
roots within an institution, and city, with
marked avant-garde tendencies? It was my
opportunity to show my peers and now the
world how the Maya are one of the founding
six pillars of the civilised world, inventors of
the notion of zero and of one of the most
accurate calendars in history. There is also a
lack of recognition of their intelligent and
advanced hieroglyphic language’s art form,
within Mesoamerica (modern Mexico, Guate-
mala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador) itself,
and beyond its boundaries. Now, as an am-
bassador for INDIGO (Icograda’s Interna-
tional Indigenous Design Network), it is my
privilege to promote part of this ancient
culture through my design work.
Today we would be kings: Frida Larios’
New Maya Language
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My New Maya Language is a unique system,
in content and style, which rescues the ‘dead’
written language created by the Maya across
Mesoamerica as far back as 300 BC. My vision
for the New Maya Language is to recreate,
re-compose and develop contemporary appli-
cations in different media: art, product and
fashion design, brand identities, information
design, wayfinding and education systems
for archaeological sites and public spaces,
as well as children’s toys. Through these di-
verse applications I aspire to promote icon-
ographic meanings, education and play,
whether it is by instigating conceptual
thinking through a 0–12 year-old child’s
game, T-shirts or simply by creating appre-
ciation through my artworks, which to-date
have been acquired by collectors around
the world. Antonio Avia, Indigenous Educa-
tion Director for the Organisation of Iberoa-
merican States had this to say about my
artworks: “… your work presents another
form of seeing, understanding, recreating,
and above all, employing again in daily life,
millenary means of expression. I am fasci-
nated by this new vision of the glyphs.”
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Before being historians, mathematicians or astron-
omers, the Mayan scribes were artists. Their writing
not only documented the political life and other
historical affairs, but were also works of art which
manifested through different mediums: stone
sculpture, ceramics, murals, calligraphic manu-
scripts, garments and utilitarian products. This
makes me think that there is not much differ-
ence between a practicing artist or designer to-
day and the Mayan scribes, right? The answer is:
No. The difference is that our profession is not
as valued today as in ancient times when, like
Mayanist Michael D. Coe says, “artists could be
kings.” It was indeed a royal profession.
I aim to preserve the ancestral artists’ spirit at the
time of creation, highlighting, and not merely
reproducing their strokes. Aptly, renowned Har-
vard Peabody Museum’s epigrapher Alexandre
Tokovinine described my work as follows: “Even
though there has been a growing body of scholarly
works devoted to the subject of Maya calligra-
phy, few artists systematically sought their inspi-
ration in Maya letters beyond mere reproduction
of certain glyphs and glyphic patterns, usually in
the context of contemporary indigenous art. Frida’s
project stands apart as an attempt to explore and
reinvent Maya calligraphy as a symbolic and aes-
thetic system from an artist’s viewpoint. The New
Maya Language creates its own world that blends
Maya imagery and symbolism with Frida’s unique
vision in a series of works which would make an
ancient calligrapher proud.”
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The bookIwrote,illustratedanddesignedthe
120-pageNew Maya Languagebook
sothatpeoplecouldlearnaboutthe
originallanguageoftheMayaina
simpleandpracticalwayandtodecode
mynewinterpretationtoothers.The
mainchapterprovidestheformulafor
eachofmypictograms,originalhiero-
glyphsontheleftpageandthenew
hieroglyphsorresultontheright.Finally
Ishowcasevariousdesignapplications.
Theforewordtothebookiswritten
byHarvard’spost-doctorAlexandre
Tokovinine,whostates:“Manysignsof
theNew Maya Languageretainsimilari-
tiestotheirancientcounterparts.Yet
themostfascinatingpartofthebook
isaseriesofworksthatborrowfrom
thegrammaroftheMayasymbolic
languagetoinnovatecompletelynew
hieroglyphscorrespondingtovarious
objects,actions,andevenabstract
concepts.Frida’sworksdemonstrate
thatMayaglyphsstillhavethepower
notonlytopuzzleandastound,butto
encouragenewformsofartisticexpres-
sion,thattheMayaartandwritingare
aliveaslongasartistslookatitasa
sourceofinspirationandcreativity.”
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Green Child PuzzleThesymbolicpictogramcalledGreen Child(orMotherEarth),
consistingofasix-piecesustainablewoodblockpuzzle,was
originallydesignedandinspiredbythebirthofmysonYax(his
namemeanstheresplendencyofthecoloursblueandgreenin
Maya).Thecornsproutingfromachild’searsymbolisesMother
Earthopeninguptothecreationoflifeandpreservationof
ourplanet’sseeds.IincludedtranslationsinMaya,Spanish
andEnglishatthebackofeachblockpiece.
ArtTheNew Maya Languageinspiredmetocreateoriginalartworks
whichIpaintingouacheonhigh-qualitywatercolourpaper.
Manyofthesehavefoundhomesindifferentpartsofthe
world.FeaturedattoprightisErupting volcano,London.
Centre:Family at home,Leipzig.BottomLTR:Ixchel goddess,
Supernatural portalandHacienda San Lucas symbol,Toronto.
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Hacienda San LucasWhenthetimecame,afterresidinginLondon
andlivingthecitylife,Idecidedtoraisemynow
two-and-a-half-yearoldsonatmyhusband'sfamily
eco-lodge,HaciendaSanLucas,inthemountains
ofCopánRuins,Honduras.Thisofferedmethe
opportunitytostudytheancienthieroglyphsin
theiroriginalhabitatandbecomeinspiredbyone
ofthemostbeautifulplacesonearth,overlooking
oneofthemajorMayaarchaeologicalsites.We
nowliveinBerkeley,Californiawheremyhusband
isafellowatUCBerkeleyJournalismGraduate
School,butIambackatHaciendaSanLucasfor
thesummertomeet-upwithmymuseformy
nextfashionandpictogramcollection.
GaiaGaiaistheceremonialandyogacenteratHacienda
SanLucasoverlookingtheCopánValley,andone
ofthemajorMayaarchaeologicalsite’sinMeso-
america.Thespacewasinneedofdifferentiation
fromthemaincentenary-oldHaciendahouse,
sincemanyspecialeventsandweddingstake
placethere.Idesignedanewbrandidentity
inspiredbytheNew Maya Language. Abeautifully
reclaimedwood-carvedsigniscurrentlybeing
manufacturedtobeplacedatthefootoftheGaia
Hill,allinpreparationforthemajorMayaLong
CountCalendarendingon21December2012.
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OneofmyothergoalswiththeNew Maya
Languageisforittoremaindemocraticand
accessible,notonlytonorthernhemisphere’s
academicswhoaretheoneswhocommandthe
hieroglyphicwritingknowledge,buttocom-
monMesoamericancitizens.AboveallIwant
ittobeinclusiveofnativeinhabitantsofthere-
gionsothattheyhavetheopportunitytorecre-
atethemselveswithit.Alotofthesepopula-
tionsareilliterateandtheNew Maya Language
touchestheircognitiveandemotionalfibers.It
isalanguagewithoutwordsthatmakesthem
feelincludedinaworldwherethelettersof
thealphabetaretheirforemostbarriers.
IbelievethatdesignersinCentralAmerica–and
inotherdevelopingregions–shouldimmerse
themselvesintheirhistoricrootstoreinforce
designwithanindividualidentityinsteadof
obsessingthemselveswithinfluencesfrom
Anglo-Saxoncountries.Thereareindeedpa-
rametersatthetimeofdesigningorinterna-
tionaldesigncannons,whichinfactwereborn
intheAnglo-Saxonworld.Butanchoringin-
spirationandidentityinindigenousheritageis
verydifferenttosearchingforinspirationbased
onEuropeanorNorthAmericaninfluences.
Whynotlookforinspirationinwhatisours,
which,bytheway,isverydifferenttotherest?
Ancientindigenouscultureshadmagnificent
artisticdevelopment,anchoringthemselvesin
theirnaturalandsocialenvironmentandre-
spectingit.IfirmlybelievethatifCentralAmer-
icandesignershadbeenabletocontinueto
reflecttheirindigenouscultureuntilourpresent
day–adevelopmentdefraudedbymanycon-
questsduringthecourseofover500years–
theroleswouldbereversedanditwouldbe
theWesternworldlookingforreferenceinour
culture.Today,wewouldbekings.<
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IdentitiesTheNew Maya Languagesystemhasbeenappliedin
thedevelopmentofvariousidentityandvisual
communicationprojects.
WildHeart Vision WildHeartVisionisamediaorganisationbasedin
HelsinkiandCopenhagenthataimstogatherthe
largestcollectionofindigenousknowledgefromaround
theworld.Theorganisationcommissionedmeto
developapictogram,website(www.wildheartvision.com)
andbrandedcommunications.Thepictogramusedis
calledtz’ak,aMayahieroglyphthatmeans‘total’,
‘whole’or‘complete’.Thewordisrepresentedbythe
sumoftwoparts,whichintheMayaspiritualand
physicalworld,whereperceivedtobeeithercomple-
mentaryoropposing,onecouldnotexistwithoutthe
other.WildHeartVision’slogodepictsthestarsand
themooncorrespondingeachotherinthenightto
embodytheguidanceoftheancestralwisdomcarriers.
MUYAL es una línea de
productos para el cuerpo
que harmoniza el desarrollo
humano con mejoras
ecológicas. Todos sus
ingredientes son proveidos
ética y localmente.
En el mundo maya
MUYAL (nube) era un
símbolo de renovación
espiritual y fue la
inspiración para el diseño de
la tipografía y el logo.
MUYAL is a range of
bodycare products that
harmonises human
development and ecological
improvements. All its
ingredients are locally and
ethically sourced.
In the Maya world
MUYAL (cloud) was a symbol
of spiritual renovation–the
inspiration for the type and
logo design.
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Los Sapos archaeological siteGraphicqualityandavailableproductionbudgetsare
constantconstraintsinthedevelopmentofsignage
forpubliclocationsinmostdevelopingcountries.The
thousand-year-oldLosSaposUNESCOWorldHeritage
archaeologicalsiteinHondurasneededaculturally
relevantandaffordablewayfindingdesignsolution.I
designedasingleinfographiccarvedinlocalstoneby
localartisansthatnowguidesvisitorsalongtheirway
tothehistoricsite.
New Maya Language accessoriesIworkedwithlocalMayastone-carverstodevelopa
uniquestyleformysignatureaccessorylinecomposed
ofjewellery,belts,bagsandshoesbasedonmyMaya
symbologyanduseofancestrallocalresources.The
designs,apartfromtheuseofleatherandsuede,
utilisedifferentshadesofjadeencrustedonlimestone
extractedfromthesameplacewheretheMayahistorically
minedfortheirmonuments.
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Harvesting Hands fashion collectionSanFrancisco-basedExplodeLaModeapproachedme
tocomplementmyaccessorylinewithfashiondesigns
fortheir2011runwayshowintheheartofthefamous
Missiondistrict.Thiswasasignificanttrans-discipline
careermoveformeandIaddresseditwiththesame
ethosofpreviousprojects,usingmygraphicdesign
backgroundandtheNew Maya Languagetotreat
patterndrawings.Theresultwasadesign-oriented,
100%handcraftedfashionlinefeaturingNew Maya
Languagepictographs,allowingclientstoweara
story:themetaphoriclanguageandhistoryofthe
Mayaasinterpretedthroughmyeyes.Theconcept
behindthecollectionisplantingandharvestingseeds,
buildingahomewithyourownhandsandnourishing
yourselfandyourfamilythrougheatingbeanson
self-madeceramicvessels.Iintentionallycommis-
sionedSalvadoranwomentolovinglyhand-sewand
patchthegarmentstogivetheitemsuniquedimen-
sionsandpatchedtexture.Thiscollaborationresulted
inafashionrangethatishand-made,earth-tonedin
colourandmodern–marryingMayantraditionswith
moderneasy-to-wearsophistication.
PhotosbyTylerOrsburn.
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By Matthew Schönborn | Dailytripsonthe
tube(thespiderwebnetworkofunderground
trains,astheyarereferredtointhiscity)and
lunchesintheparkaresomeofthethings
thathelpmekeeptrackofmydailyroutine.
Poundingthepavementandpassingbythe
hipsters,thehomelessandtheendlessseaof
blackcoatsandumbrellas,Irealisethatthisis
notwhatIamusedto,havinggrownupinthe
vastexpanseofAfrica,wherespaceissome-
timestakenforgranted.Oneofthemostob-
viousthingsInoticedwhenIfirstarrivedhere
overfouryearsago,wasthateveryonewalks
towheretheywanttogo...andtheywalkfast.
Backin2005,IgraduatedfromtheUniversity
ofPretoriawithadegreeinInformationDe-
signandtheWorldwasminetoconquer.After
spendingayearatanadvertisingagencyin
Johannesburg, I decided that I needed a
change.IhadalwayswantedtotraveltoEu-
ropewithitseverincreasingcosmopolitan
sensibilitiesandcentre-of-the-worldloca-
tion.SoImovedtoEngland–asmanySouth
Africanexpatsdo–anduseditasabaseto
seetheworldfromadifferentperspective
wherethetoiletsflushintheoppositedirec-
tion.Ibookedmyticketandsaidgoodbyeto
perfectweatherandpseudo-Tuscanhousing
estates,andhellotoone-waytraffic,chavvy
busstopsandimpossiblyhighrent.
Thefirststepisalwaysthehardesttotake
MyfirstjobintheUKwasactuallytestingvideo
gamesforElectronicArts.Therolewassimple:
playagamefor8hoursadayandfindandlist
asmanybugsasyoucouldandpunch-outat
fiveo’clock.AsmuchasIlovedvideogames,
thejobjustwasn’tformeasIfeltunstimulated
andunchallenged.Also,earning£7.50anhour
wasnotgoingtohelpmebuymyownPlaysta-
tioneither.
My first properdesign job in Londonwas
workingforasmalldigitalagencycalledDJM.
Wespecialisedinpharmaceuticalmarketing
anddesignandI’velostcounthowmanyrevo-
lutionarynewtreatmentswehadhelpedre-
lease.Sofroma‘maketheWorldbeabetter
MAKING A MOVE: Atraveller’scompaniontobecomingafreelancerintheUK
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place’perspective,itwasquiterewardingtoknow
thatinsomeabstractway,Iwashelpingpeople
‘feelbetter’withthemedicinesIwaspromoting.
ThelearningcurvewasincrediblysteepasIhad
learnedthevalueinmulti-taskingandnewtech-
nologiesasIhadcodedmanyprogrammesand
websitesinAdobeFlash(learningbytrialander-
roraswellaswiththeassistanceofonlinetutori-
als).I learnedallaboutlighting,mise-en-scene,
filming,editing,soundtrackingandthepackaging
ofself-producedvideos.Ilearnedhowtoprioritise
workflowsandoptimisemyweaknessessothat
theywouldn’tbecomeahindrance.It’snotaneasy
rideinasmall,yetsuccessfulstudio,asyouhaveto
beontopofeveryaspectoftheproductionprocess
andbeskilledinmanyareasinordertodrivethe
businessforward.
3dtrackingBeingafreelancermeansdelvinginindustriesnot
necessarilyassociatedwith'highdesign'.Oneof
thefirstfreelancejobsMatthewdidwascreating
amarketingcampaignforworldwidevehicle
managementcompany,3dtracking.
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Newspepper.comAsafreelancer,Matthewoftengetsapproachedby
startupcompanieslookingforacorporateidentity.One
oftheseisNewspepper.com,avideoproductionand
socialmediamanagementcompanythatmakeshigh-
quality,low-costvideosoptimisedfortheInternet.
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Afterthreeyearsofpayingmyduesandmoving
uptheranks,Ihadseenthecompanygrowthree
timesinsizeandIhadfeltlikeIhadlearnedallIcould
fromthatexperienceandthereforedecidedtohave
agoonmyown.Iwantedtoknowwhatitwouldbe
likebeingcalleda‘freelancer’–thatmythicword
whichheldstrongadventurousconnotationsfor
myfree-spiritedandself-reliantmind.
Siftingthroughthechafftofindthegrain
Becomingafreelancerwasafrighteningdecision
formetomake.Nothavingthesecurityofamonthly
salaryandpaidholidaysisenoughtomakemany
peoplejumpatthethought.However,Ialsoreal-
isedthatIdidn’twanttoworkforsomeoneelsefor
therestofmylife.Ihadreachedapointinmycareer
whereIfeltlikeIhadlearnedenoughtoofferpeople
genuinelyvaluableskillsandIdidn’twanttobe
themiddle-agedcreativewho’swingshadbeen
clippedandwho’sneckcouldn’tarchtowardsthesky.
Oneofmymainstayclientrelationshipshasbeenwith
thefoundersofInternetstartup,Newspepper.com.
Ifoundthemonajobsitein2007whenIfirstarrived
inLondonwhentheywerelookingforsomeoneto
helpdesigntheirvisualidentity.“Exciting!Fresh!
Innovative!”weresomeofthewordstheyusedto
describetheirnewbusinesswhichwastocreate
richvideocontentforonlinedistribution.Iwasin-
vitedforaninterviewatabarinLondon’sSoho
districtwhichisanincrediblydiversepartofthe
cityanditscentralnervoussystem.Thefounder
turnedouttobea21yearoldjournalismstudent,
HermioneWay,whohadan‘idea’.Iwassuspicious.
What21year-oldhadtheaudacitytothinkthey
couldstarttheirowncompany?Ihadreservations
duetoherage,butIoptedtogiveitagobecause
Ihadnothingtolose.
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De ZuidenMatthewsetuphisowndesigncompany,DeZuiden,
inordertogetmorelucrativecontractsandapproach
largerclients.Associatinghimselfwithlike-minded
individualsindifferentareasofdesignallowshim
toofferawiderangeofservices.
Ihelpednewspepper.comdevelopanidentityback
in2007andastheyearswentby,theneedtorefocus
theirbusinessplanmeanttheywouldalsoneedto
re-evaluatetheirbranding.Throughclosecollabo-
rationwiththeboardofdirectors,Idevelopedan
identityforthecompanyandtheprocesswasincred-
iblysmoothandrapid,andalongwithredesigning
theirwebsite,everythingwasupandrunningwithin
amonth.Atestamenttohowquicklythingscanget
donewiththerightpeoplebehindthejob.
Itcanbequitedauntingforayoungandinexperi-
enceddesignerastheyareapproachedbynew
companies.Theytendtopromisetheworld,but
moreoftenthannot,willpayyouverylittle(ifany-
thing)ascompensation.Icannottellyouhowmany
timesI’vereadthewords,‘Deferredpayment’in
jobspecifications.Thosewordsmakemecringeas
Iknowtherearemanyyoungdesignerswhoendup
doingalotofworkforfree,withultimatelyverylittle
toshowforit.NowedaysItendtosteerclearof
those‘opportunities’butIoftendidworkforfree,
expectingahugepaycheckdownthelineasthe
companybecamesuccessful,butneverdid.Itwas
duetotheoptimismofmyyouthcloudingmybetter
judgement,butitdidhelpmehonemyskillsinrecog-
nisingagoodopportunitywhenitpresenteditself.
Embracingpassionswithbotharmsandopeneyes
Perhapsmybiggestpassionoutsideofgraphicde-
sign,isfilm.IfIwasn’tadesignerIwouldwanttobe
amotionpicturedirector.Thankfully,theUKhasa
prettyvastindependentfilmindustryandassuch,
Iwasapproachedbyadirectorandproducerofa
filmaftertheystumbleduponmyonlineportfolio.
Theirfilmfollowedayoungwoman’sstruggleto
dealwiththechoiceswhichcameasaresultofan
unplannedpregnancy.
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33 >
Idesignedthefilm’slogotobeusedinboth
marketingmaterialandthetitlesequence.It
wouldalsohelpdictatetheartdirectionforthe
restofthecampaignincludingthewebsiteand
DVDcover.Thedirectorhadastrongideaof
theconceptandthestylethatshewantedfor
thefilm’spromotionalposter.Sincethecata-
lystofthefilmwasachemicalabortiondrug
(RU-486),she(thedirector)wantedapillbottle
tobethefocalpointoftheposterandhavevar-
iousscenescollagedinthebackground.Icon-
vincedherthathavingtoomanyelementswould
resultintheposterbeingunfocusedandcon-
fusingandinsteadweshouldhavethebottle
isolatedonastarkbackground.Theextratouch
wastohaveastillimagefromakeyscenere-
flectedinthebottle’sglass. It’sa ‘blinkand
you’llmissitmoment’,butitaddsweighttothe
campaignasthemessagingsaysquitealot,but
leavesyouwantingmore,whichiswhatafilm
postershoulddo.
Pastimesandairmiles
Havingahobbyoutsideofdesignis,Ithink,vitally
importantformaintainingabalancedperspective
ontheworldaroundyou.Livingandbreathing
design24/7canmakedesignersover-analytical
andslightlyobsessiveincritiquingourenviron-
ments.
Marina CelesteDeZuidenwasresponsibleforthepost-production
thelatestmusicvideofromtheartist,MarinaCeleste
ofNouvelleVaguefame.Utilisingrawdigitalfootage
ofMarinaperforminginfrontofagreenscreenand
incorporatinganimatedhand-drawnillustrationsas
wellasSuper8filmfootage, Love is the First Born
takesthevieweronanostalgicjourneythrough
suggestedemotionsanddreamlikewheatfield
imagery.Click heretoviewthevideo.
RU-486Movieposter,DVDcoverandwebsitefortheindepen-
dentfilm,RU-486.Alimitedcolourpalettewasused
andminimaldesign,whichisafeatureofMatthew's
style.Click heretoviewthetrailer.
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34 >
Ispendmyfreetimeasaguitarist/vocalistforthe
alternativerockband,KingWillow.Abriefhistory
saysthat,afteraboutayearofwritingsongsand
practicingthem,thebanddecidedtoproducea
demooffivesongs,recordingthemourselvesin
mybedroomwithpillowsasmakeshiftsound-
proofing.
Ialsodesignedalogofortheband,whichneeded
tobestrong,solidandhaveanimposingpresence,
muchlikeit’snamesake.Atthesametime,froma
King WillowInterestsoutsideofdesignsuchashis
band,KingWillow,provideMatthew
opportunitiestodevelopotherpartsof
hiscreativespectrum.Click heretovisitKingWillow'ssite.
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35 >
practicallevel,theKingWillow’sidentityhadtobe
bothboldandlegible,soitwouldlookgoodona
posterandt-shirt,aswellasafestivalbannerorweb-
site.Fortheband’sdemocoverartworkIhadim-
aginedadarkhorse,intheheatofbattleasitstrides
valiantlythroughthesmokeandchaosofawarzone.
Itwasastrikingimageinmyheadasasolitarystallion
chargesaheadwithprideeveninthemidstofde-
feat.ItwasalsoareactiontoJMWTurner’s,Death
on a Pale Horse,animagewhichhadhauntedme
sincestudyingRomanticismatuniversity.
Ifindthatdoingdesignoutsideofpaidworkand
personalexpressionhelpsmedrivemypassionfor-
ward.It’seasytofallintothetrapofjusttryingto
findthenextjobtopaytherentanditcanoften
leadtounrewardingandmenialprojectsforthesake
ofmoney.Youlosethefocusandthepassionnec-
essarytobecominga‘greatdesigner’.Also,having
diverseinterestssuchasmusic,photographyand
travelinghelpmekeepmytoeswetinexpressive
design,askillwhichisimmediatelyrecognisable
whendifferentiatingoneselffromthepack.
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37 >
Itisonlythebeginning...
WhilstIhavealreadybeenintheUKforoverfour
yearsandhavingstartedmyowncompanyasa
freelanceartdirector,Iamonlynowstartingto
trulyappreciatetheopportunitiesavailabletome
bylivinginacomplexandcosmopolitanmetropo-
lis.Ihavebeenabletoworkforfilmproducers,
advertisers,startups,architects,bands,pharma-
ceuticalcompaniesandsomeofthebiggestbrands
intheworldandIcanconfidentlysaythatIstill
havealottolearnandmanymistakestomake,but,
moreoftenthannottheprocessisasrewardingas
theoutcome.<
Photography and travelMatthewsaysthatphotographyhelpshonehis
compositionalskillsandtravelingexpandshis
perspectiveofexistencebeyondthedailycommute.
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38 >
Just Working Things
Out in My Head,2008.
Pigmentinkprint.
Fromexperimental
animation–drawing
anddancewith
MargaritaNaydenova.
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39 >
Rob Mills’convergenceofartandtechnology
By Jacques Lange | Afterspendingtwodecadesworkingasanelectronicengineerandbroadcast
industrymanagerRobMillschangedtrackstofollow
hismuse.TodayheisoneofSouthAfrica’sforemost
fineartphotographersfocussingoncontemporary
andclassicaldanceashismainsubjectmatter.Mills
workswithavarietyofphotographicmediums
rangingfromclassicalfibre-basedtonedanddigital
pigmentprintstoanimation.Healsodevelopeda
signaturetechniquecomprisingricepaperprints
waxedontoglasswithbeeswaxusinghotairand
brush.Itisauniqueprocessthatproducesanextraor-
dinarytextureandtranslucenceunlikeanynormal
paperprint.
Millswasborn1958.Hisfatherwasanengineeratthe
SABCwhopioneeredtheSouthAfricanFMradio
andTVnetwork.“Myfatherusedtobringoldbitsof
transmitterequipmenthomeforustotakeapart.
Engineeringwasthusprogrammedinourbrains
fromanearlyage.”SaysMills.
Millsstruggledthroughschool,boredandfrustrat-
edwiththeprescriptivewaysofChristianNational
Education,anddoingtheminimumtogetby.“Aswith
mostcreativepeople,therewereafewteachers
whosawpotentialandnurturedit.Someonedis-
coveredthatIwasgoodatEnglishandusefulin
drama,bothonandoffstage.”
MillswentontostudyElectronicEngineeringat
theUniversityofStellenbosch.“Peoplethoughtthis
wasthethingforme.Actuallyitwasreallyjust
somethingIcouldnaturallydo.Ihadafeelingfor
design,arapportwithtechnologyandhatedthings
thatdidn'twork.”Mills’creativeinterestshowever
persistedandhecouldneverunderstandwhythe
FacultyofEngineeringwasadrearygreycollec-
tionofsteel,glassandconcreteblockssituatedon
theoutskirtsofcampuswhiletheArtandMusic
studentsgotbeautifulbuildingstoworkin.“Ire-
memberhangingaroundtheFacultyofArtslong-
ingtobeintheredoingwhattheyweredoing.”
Followinginhisfather’sfootsteps,Millsjoinedthe
SABCaftergraduating.“Mostofmyworkwasin
thefieldofaudioresearch;luckilyatatimewhen
theSABCstillcommandedinternationalrespect
fromthebroadcastingcommunity–atleastfrom
atechnologicalpointofview.Myjobtookmeinto
musicstudioswherethemusewasnotcompletely
lockedupintechnology.”
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40 >
Angel,2000.Tonedfiberprint.Oneofthefirstworks
emergingfrommyworkwithAdeleBlank'sclasses
withtheFreeFlightDanceCompany.Limitedlight
withfilmandnotsogreatlensesforcedmetoevolve
atechniqueofabstractionwhichreflectedanintuitive
component.Theinstantdeliveryofthedigitalmedium
tendstoprejudicethiskindof‘blind’technique.
Nymph,2001.Tonedfibreprint.Anotherexampleof
abstractinginanenvironmentwithimpossiblycluttered
backgroundsbasedonacollaborationwithFreeFlight
DanceCompanyandAdeleBlank.
Barre,2003.Tonedfibreprint.ClasswiththeSABallet
Theatre.Ballethassomethingofanexcruciating
precisionaboutit.
Working Feet, Yolandi Olckers (at age 23),2007.
Pigmentinkprint.Likeinitiationscarsdancersfeet
showtheirjourney.Itwasaprivilegeformetodoa
portraitofafriend'sfeet,beautifulbeyondpretty,full
ofstrength,passionandshapedinserviceofherart.
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41 >
Theartificialbarriersbetweenscience,technol-
ogyandarthavealwaysbeenaproblemforMills.
Hebelievesthattheworldhasreducedtechnol-
ogytoutility.“ThemostprofounddifferenceI
experiencedwhenIpursuedtheroleofanartist
wasthatIwasnolonger‘useful’.Peoplebought
thefruitsofmyeffortsbecausetheyweremoved
insomewayorfoundthembeautiful.Inother
times,otheragesthedividebetweenutilityand
aestheticwaslessofanissue.”
DancehasalsobeenanabidingpresenceinMills’
adultlife.“Imarriedadancer.Wemetthrougha
raggedbandof‘missionaries’intentonbringing
theartsbackintothechurch.”In1987heleftthe
SABCandheandhiswifePamjoinedagroupfull-
time,travelling,livingincommunity(onashoe-
string)andperforminginchurchesaroundthe
country.Healsoearnedalivingbyconsultingas
adesignengineer.
Thebirthoftheirfirstdaughterandanofferfrom
MNETluredMillsbackintofull-timeemployment
wherehespendadecade(1991-2000).“Thiswas
aintenseandamazingtimethatsawDSTVandcell-
phonesbecomepartofSouthAfricanlife.AsMNET
grewandunbundledintoMultichoice,spawning
MTNalongtheway,thetechnologygroupIwas
partof,Irdeto,aDutchcompany,focussingoncon-
ditionalaccesstechnologyforpay-TVoperations.”
HereMillsheadeduptheteamthatdeveloped
thecustomchipsandsmartcarddescrambling
forsatellitereceivers.Helatermovedintoa
moregeneralmanagementrolelookingafter
technologylicensinginAfricaandMiddleEast
aswellasmanagementoftheJohannesburg-
basedDevelopmentOffice.
Millsalsoreflectsontheunexpectedtestingand
grievingtimewhenaboarddecisionwasmadeto
movethekeyskillsinIrdetoSAtoHolland.“The
Hoverlings(workingtitle),2010.Pigmentink
print.Choreographedworkincollaboration
withKristinWilson.
Work in Progress,2010.Pigmentinkprint.
Fromananimationexploringidentityandimage.
CollaborationwithKristinWilson.
The Edge of Maybe 2,2009.Pigmentinkprint
fromananimationcollaboration(workin
progress)withKristinWilsonandDanceForAll.
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42 >
closeknitfamilythatwehadbuiltwassuddenly
beingbrokenup.Allhellbrokeloose.Wehadone
suicide,anattemptedsuicideandamanicepisode.
Wehaddonetoomuchofagoodjobmakingpeo-
ple'sworkthecoremeaningintheirlives.Thisand
theillusionthatasetofrelationshipscouldbe
tradedbystrangersasatransferablecommodity
mademeseriouslyquestionwhetherIwantedto
bepartofbig-timecorporatelifeanymore.Some
18months later I finally lostmytemper inthe
boardroom,hurlingmyPDAacrosstheroomand
stormingout.Itwastimetomoveon,otherwiseIwas
goingtodamagemorethanahand-helddevice,”
explainsMills.
DuringthistimeMillswasalsoexposedtopsycho-
metricsandprocesspsychology(al laArnoldMin-
dell)throughhisinteractionswithpsychologists
MarethaPrinslooandMyrnaLewis.“In2000,Iset
outwiththeintentionofaddressingthehuman
conditionintheworldofwork,appalledbytheextent
towhichsomanypeoplespendmostoftheirpro-
ductivelivesinsomediminishedstateinajobthey
don'tenjoy.”Millsthenbeganfreelanceconsulting,
focusingonfacilitation,organisationaldevelop-
ment,managementcoachingandassessmentas
wellasdabblinginthinkingskillstraining.
RIGHT:Edge of Light 3,2005.Waxedricepaperprint
withoilsandgraphiteonglassfeaturingKristinWilson
inPieces of a DreambyNatalieFisher.Workingwith
theprint,waxingitandpaintingonitsomehow
allowedmetoownitmore.Sometimesitisnotenough
to'runanimagethroughamachine'.Onehastogeta
littlemorepersonal.
LEFT:Hecate's EmissariesfromDanceUmbrella2005.
Pigmentinkprint.Thisisoneofmyfavoritephoto-
graphs.OnewoulddowelltobefriendHecateand
heedhercounselwhennavigatingtheunderworld.
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44 >
Heexplainsthatanotherpartofhisnewlifebeyond
thebondsoffull-timecorporateemploymentwas
hiscommitmenttorekindlehislife-longinterestin
photographyanddance.“Isetmyselfaprojectto
exploremovementwhichleadmetophotographing
AdeleBlank’sFreeFlightDanceCompany.Mywife
wasdoingclasseswiththematthattimeandAdele
kindlyletmebea‘flyonthewall’intheirstudio.Ifell
inloveagain–atlastIcouldengagewithanaesthetic
whichmovedmetotearsandparticipateinmyown
way.”Theworkthatemergedfromthisexperience
wasreceivedwithenthusiasmandprovidedMills
withsomethingthathecouldusetoapproachother
dancecompanies.Thesepursuitsgrewrapidlyand
hestartedgettingcommissionsfromotherdance
companies.EncouragedbyFineArtphotographer
BobCnoops,Millsalsostartedtoexhibithiswork
andtherest,astheysay,ishistory.
Millsbelievesthatphotographygavehimanentrance
tickettotheworldofdance.Heexplainsthatother
well-knownSouthAfricandancephotographerslike
SuzyBernsteinandJohnHoggarehappytophoto-
graphperformanceswithajournalisticslant.“Ihow-
everwantedCONNECTION.Iwantedtogettoknow
thesepeopleandshowthemhowbeautifulthey
are(oddlytheyoftencan'tseeit)...Tomakework
together,ratherthanobserveandreflect.”Andso
Millspursuedcollaborationswithdancersandcho-
reographerswhichhedescribesas“conversations
oftwomediums,twodifferentheadspaces.”
Millsspeaksofhoveringshylyinthebackgroundbe-
hindhiscamera.“Iwoulddescribemyselfasagregar-
iousintrovertwhichconfusespeople.AsIbecame
moreconfidentwithmyworkandroleinthatenviron-
ment,andgottoknowpeopleandbecamealittle
moreknown,thischanged.IfIphotographaper-
formanceorworkgoingoninastudioenvironment,
itisverymuchasanobserver.Now,mostoften,I
Portrait,2004.FromaworkshopwithJazzart
andAnandaFuchs.
Portrait of Thoriso Magongwa,2006.Pigment
inkprint.Abrilliantvirtuosoperformerand
oneofthefewpeopleIknowwhohasdeveloped
narcissismtoafineandgraciousart.
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45 >
Breach of confidence,2008.Pigmentinkprint.PartofThe man in the Sensible Pants
projectreflectingonajourneyoutofcorporatelifetoartist.
Meditations from the Womb 2,2008.Waxricepaperprintonglass.Fromtheanimation
About the Floor,acollaborationwithMari-LouiseBasson.Thisbodyofworkreflectsthe
introductionofanindustrialaestheticwhichcontinuestoemergeinmycurrentwork.
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46 >
observeasafriendratherthansomeoutsider.”He
preferstodevelopacloserongoingrelationshipwith
afewcompaniesandindividualdancers.“Photo-
graphingaperformancewhereyouneedtobere-
sponsivetoeverymoveamountstoaverydifferent
experiencethansittingandwatchingasapartof
theaudience.Forsomedancersittakesawhileto
letmeinandtofindtheiressence.”
MillssaysthathisfriendMyrnaLewisusedtotalk
abouthisworkas“seeingthebreathofGod"inthe
person–theiressence.“Itismorethandocumenting
something.Itsaddingalayerofinterpretationonto
thework.”HenotesthattheEdges of lightproject
whichhedidin2004isagoodexampleofthis.“I
followedthedevelopmentofthepiecefromcon-
ceptiontoperformancebutnotinadocumentary
way.Iwastheobserverbuttheworkwastheresult
LEFT: Tango Lesson,2001.Tonedfibreprint.Iwas
invitedtophotographatangosceneinCapeTown.
TheArgentineantangoisnotmuchtolookat,being
moreofanintimatepersonalnegotiationtobe
experiencedbythedancers.
RIGHT:Waiting for Morning,2007.YolandiOlckersin
WindowsbyAdeleBlankandMartinSchönberg.One
ofthosecompositionsonemightliketotakethe
creditforbutit’saperformancethatIwasmerely
eavesdroppingon.
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47 >
ofwhattheprocessofengaginginthatwaydid
insideme–thepersonalmythologiesitawoke.
EventuallyIfoundmyselfputtingpaintandwaxonto
someoftheseworksasawayofgettingmorein-
volvedwiththem.”
Heexplainsthatitisquitedifferentinacollabora-
tivesettingsinceitbecomesasynthesiswhereits
difficulttoactuallyidentifywhatcamefromwhom.
“Iwoulddescribethisastheincarnationofacon-
versation.Iliketounderstandtheuniverseasahuge
communionofsubjectsinconversation.”Millssays
thathismostsuccessfulcollaborativeworktran-
spireswhentheconversationentailsanexchange
ofideasleadingtoaresolvetocreatesomething
new.Hementions About the Floor,astopmotion
animationasanexample,whichhecreatedwith
internationallyacclaimeddancer/choreographer
Mari-LouiseBasson.Theworkgrewfromachat
duringarehearsalbreak."I'vegotthedayoffon
Wednesday,let’smakeananimation…Andsoit
startedtotakeonalifeofitsownandsomethingis
madewithwhatevertimeresourcesandattention
canbeherdedtogether.IwastalkingtoMari-Louise
aboutsomethingIwroteinmypersonaljournalyears
beforeabout‘abeinginabox’andsoaworkgrew
fromsharedideasoflifeexperience.”
IncontrasthisworkwithKristinWilsonoriginated
fromideasaroundconsumerism,fashion,masksand
roles.HesaysofWilsonthatshehasanextraordi-
nary,playfulintelligencebeyondheramazingability
todancewhichsheisveryquietabout.“Thishas
beenalmostathree-year-longconversationofbits
apieces,comingtogether,workshoppingstuffinthe
studio,makingbigplans,andplansfallingthrough.
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I'mnotsurewhatwillcomeofallthis.Wesomehow
justhavenotbeenabletofinishanythingreallyor
dojusticetothebitsandpieces.Perhapsitstime
isnotyetright.Perhapsitsreallyjusttheprocess
thatwasimportant.Onecan'tclingtothesethings,
chainthemdown.Itsaconfoundingtightropewalk
withopportunityandhappenstanceontheoneside
anddoggedintentontheother.”
Whilesharingdetailsofhiscreativeprocessand
techniques,Millssurprisinglyconfessesthathestrug-
gleswiththeconceptofcolourinhiswork:“It’stoo
normaland itdoesnotmakeus lookcarefully
enough.Ithinkthecurrenttrendinsocialdocumen-
taryworkincolourlosessomething.”Hesaysthat
hehardlyeverleavesanartprintuntouched.“Iwent
throughastagewhereIwouldkeeponecolourand
de-saturateeverythingelse.Mostofmyartphoto-
graphsnowhavethecolourmanipulatedinsomeway.
Ihavenoqualmsaboutdigitalmanipulation.”Hecom-
mentsthatsomepeoplegetpreciousaboutthis,sug-
gestingthatthisissomehowcheatingortakinga
shortcutandthereforenot‘realart’.Heemphatically
states:“That'srubbishreally.Artisaboutinterpreta-
tionandincarnatingintent.Howyoudothatisup
toyouasanartist.Craftisperhapsarealmwhereone
mightbemorefaithfultoaparticularskillandone
mightplyacraftexquisitelyinthemakingofart.”
HavingsaidthatIliketheideaofsettingconscious
boundariesandworkingwithinthem.”Anexample
ofthisisMills’increasingfascinationwithsequences
ofimagesandhisexplorationswiththemediumof
stopmotionanimation.“Ideliberatelysticktostatic
imagesandseektoreconstructtime–manuallyas
itwere.Ihavethusfarresistedthepulltojustgrab
avideocameraandgetonwithit.InthisrespectI
relatealottoPaulEmanuelwhomakesphotorealistic
imagesbychippingawayatexposedemulsiononpho-
tographicpaper.Somethingextraordinaryemerges.”
Concentration,2010.Pigmentinkprint.
Thereisjustsomethingaboutpipes...
Commissionedpipespeakerinstallationfor
afashiondeliinLongStreet,CapeTown,2011.
Gate,2003.Photographicprint.Namibrand,
Namibia.Anexampleofmydiscomfortwith
fullcolourimages.
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49 >
Likemostfineartphotographers,Millsearnsafair
shareofhisregularincomefromworkingasacom-
mercialphotographer,andhealsodoesadhoc
engineeringconsultancy,bothofwhichhewittily
referstoas‘actsofsurvival’.Hesaysthatcommer-
cialphotographyisgreatinmanyways:“Acommercial
commissionhasaclearbeginningandend.Youdo
thework,processanddeliverandthat’sit.”Bycon-
trast,“engineeringconsultingcanmeangoodmoney
butitnormallyinvolveshighlevelsofresponsibility,
lotsofconsequenceandtimeframesofatleast
monthsifnotyears.”AccordingtoMills,mostartists,
evensomefamousones,struggletomakeasteady
andcomfortableliving.“I liketothinkthatthe
worldischangingandthosewiththecapacityto
interpret,createmetaphorsandinnovatewillbe
morevaluedthaninthepast.”
Millsnotesthatheonceaskedprominentlocalartist
RogerBallenifheeverfoundthenittygrittypracti-
calitiesofbeingapracticinggeologistworkingin
aminingenvironmentinterferingwithhiscreative
work.AccordingtoBallen’sresponseitseemednot.
ForMills,however:“Ihavefoundthatworkingand
adeterministicheadspaceoflogicandreasonsome-
howshutsdownasensitivityandcapacitytotune
intothemuseinanalarmingway.I'mgettingbetter
atit.It’saconstantstruggleformetore-framea
lifeofleftbrainprogramming.”
Whenaskedhowheperceivesthefutureoffine
artphotographyinSouthAfrica,Millsclaimsthat
photographynowholdsitsheadhighasafineart
medium.“IwouldsaythatSouthAfricanowreflects
aglobaltrend–around60%ofallfineartexhibited
isphotographyinsomeformoranother.Thiswas
notthecaseevenfiveyearsago.IthinktheSouth
Africanartsceneloadsphotographytoomuchpoliti-
cally.Thesocialdocumentarygenreisverydominant
becauseofourhistory.Isometimesthinkweare
stuckinasocialdocumentaryrut–asiflifehasno
meaningwithoutanenemy.”Millsfeelsthatthere
isstilladifferencebetweenphotography(photog-
raphers)andartusingthemediumofphotography
(artists).“Icallmyselfanartistasastatementof
intentratherthanbyvirtueofsomeclamorousfol-
lowing.”MillsconcludeswithoneofhisFacebook
posts:“Werethatfamouspenthrustintomyhand
andablankpagedrawnfromyourmuddleddepths
Iwouldwritethis:Thatpossibilitystretches in
frontlikeaskin,fragile,taut,threadedwithlife:
Askingtobetouched,perhapsevenbroken.”<
Power housing,2010.Pigmentinkprint.Partofcommis-
sionedworkforBafokengadministrationrelatingto
environmentalissuesandmining.Abandoned,incomplete
RDPhousesunderhightensionlines.
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50 >
ThewinnersofHiiibrand2010
New Graphic,oneofthebiggestandmostinfluential
Chinesedesignpublicationsrecentlyannounced
thewinnersof itsHiiibrand2010International
LogoDesignAward.Gatheringsubmissionsfrom
enterprises,designstudios,designersandstudents,
Hiiibrandrewardsexcellentlogosandthecompa-
niesthatcommissionthem.Theawarddistinguishes
itselffromothersasitonlyconsidersinnovation,
craftingandeffectivenessofasingleelement,the
logoorbrandmark,ratherthantheextendedvisual
manifestationofabrandingprogramme.
ThisyearHiiibrandreceived4136submissions
fromover60countries.Througharigorousfive-
monthselectionprocess,sevenrenownedinterna-
tionaljurorsmadethefinalselection.Theresults
provideanidealopportunitytoplotbroadinterna-
tionaltrendsinlogodesignandthejury’sreport
offersvaluablereflectionsonthecomplexworld
ofhowbrandsarevisuallymanifestedthrougha
singleelementofthevastbrandinglandscape.
BorisLjubicicfromStudioInternationalinCroatia
officiatedasthejurychairperson.Othermembers
ofthejurywereWallyOlins(Chairman,Saffron
BrandConsultants,UK),JoeDuffy(Principaland
Chairman,Duffy&Partners,USA),MinWang(Dean
ofSchoolofDesignatCAFA,China),TommyLi
(TommyLiDesignWorkshop,HongKong),Bart
Crosby(President,CrosbyAssociatesInc.,USA)
andCristianKitPaul(Co-founderandCreativeDi-
rectorofBrandient,Romania).
Thejuryfirstscoredtheentriesindividuallybefore
allmarkswereaddeduptoidentifythetopcon-
tenders.Theythenproceededtodeliberatewhich
entriesqualifiedforGold,Silver,BronzeandMerit
awards.Eachjurymemberthenalsoselecteda
personalJuror’sAwardwinner.
Intheintroductiontothejury’sreport,Ljubicic
statesthat“Logodesignformthebasisforcreating
asuccessfulbrandidentity.Itisthemostimportant
andoftenthemostcomplexpartofthevisualcom-
municationprocess.Asmallgraphicortypographic
markmustcontainastrongmessageandreflectan
organisation’svaluesforquiteabitoftime.”He
saysthatthelifespanofalogoissometimesaslong
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51 >
Gold|Agency:Bulldog
Designer:RenSpiteri(Ireland)
Client:BirdlifeMalta
Silver|Designer:Nido(UK)
Client:elephruit(Pakistan)
Silver|Agency:Brandberry
Designer:ValeraNamazov(Russia)
Client:TravelWorld.su(Russia)
Silver|Designer:NanbuToshiyasu
(Japan)|Client:JapanGraphic
DesignerAssociation
Bronze|Designer:TanHuang(China)
Client:GentlemanCoffee(China)
Bronze|Designer:AndreWeier
(Germany)|Client:NALINDESIGN
(Germany)
Bronze&BartCrosbyJuryAward
Designer:ChenHuarong(China)
Client:ColourBookstore(China)
Bronze&TommyLiJuryAward
Designer:LinShaobin(China)
Client:GuilinGruel(China)
Bronze|Agency:Hulsbosch
(Australia)|Client:Qantas
(Australia)
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52 >
as50yearsandsomecasesevenacentury.“This
meansthatthedesignershouldthinkinadvanceof
hisorhertimetoensurethatthedesignsolution
haslongevity.”
AccordingtoLjubicic,typographicsolutionsseem
tobetheeasierroutetofollow,asitonlyentails
readingofwords.Hehoweverprefersfreegraphic
signsthatmeansomethingthroughtheirshapeor
graphicqualityandhestatesthat“Thesekindsof
logosoftentakemoretimetobememorised,but
theystayinthememorylonger.”
Commentingontheoverallstandardandhisper-
sonalJuror’sAward,Ljubicicsaysthattheprofes-
sionalcategoryofHiiibrand2010didnotdelver
manyextraordinaryinnovations.Forhim,theonly
entrythatdeservea10gradeisthelogoforOcean
ArtPavilion,designedbyDuXiaoxiao,whichwonhis
voteforaJuryAward.“Thisworkaestheticallycom-
binesthetypographywithagraphiccompositionof
rectangularbluelinesthatdepictthemotionofthe
oceanandthewhitesquaresinsertedinbetween
evokethepavilion.”Hesaysthatthedesignerman-
agedtocreateauniquenarrativeandabeautiful
graphicwhichhedescribesas‘aworkofart’.
JoeDuffyselectedthelogoforDivaparfumerie,
designedbyPavelSurovy,ashisJuryAward."Ilove
thesimplicityofthelogotypecombinedwiththe
mark.Theycomplimenteachotherperfectly.The
doubleentendreimpliedinthemark(perfumeand
thefemaleform)adddepth,meaningandasense
ofdiscoverytotheidentity,"saysDuffy.
MinWang'sJuryAwardwenttothelogofor14th
YugoslavTheatreFestival,designedbyNikolaVuka-
sinovic. “The dramatic design agreeswith the
themeoftheactivityitreveals.Intheformofori-
gami,ananthropomorphicexpression,thefigure
14representsaflashofhumorwithimpressivevis-
ualeffects,”saysWang.
Bronze|Designer:ChenYongxin
(China)|Client:liyiArchitects&
Associate(China)
Bronze|Designer:PeterVasvari
(Hungary)|Client:Brandstack,LLC.
(USA)
Merit|Agency:Babushke(Croatia)
Designer:TinaBauer,MarijaJuza,
GordanaPavlek(Croatia)|Client:
CroatianChamberofEconomy(Croatia)
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53 >
Bronze|Designer:ZouYu(China)
Client:LiuShiBambooweave
(China)
Bronze|Designer:Morandini(Brazil)
Client:BESC(Brazil)
Bronze|Agency:GDesignStudio
(Greece)|Client:Universityof
Patras(Greece)
JoeDuffyJuryAward|Agency:
CommunicationAgency(Slovakia)
Designer:PavelSurovy(Slovakia)
Client:Divaparfumerie(Belgrade,
Serbia)Client:BirdlifeMalta
Merit&MinWangJuryAward
Designer:NikolaVukasinovic(Serbia)
Client:NationalTheatreUzice(Serbia)
BorisLjubicicJuryAward|Designer:
DuXiaoxiao(China)|Client:Ocean
ArtPavilion(China)
Merit&CristianKitPaulJuryAward
Designer:ZhaoGang(China)
Client:TianweiTextiles(China)
Merit&BillDarlingJuryAward
Designer:MariaAdamFernandes
(Germany)|Client:Minimal
(Austria)
Merit|Designer:ZhangGongyu
(China)|Client:ODA(China)
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54 >
Merit|VictorAdCorp(Taiwan)
Designer:KuoChugnYuan(Taiwan)
Client:greenest(Taiwan)
Merit|Designer:VěraMarešová
(CzechRepublic)|Client:Polyclinic
Vinicni(CzechRepublic)
Merit|Designer:LiuJiangping
(China)|Client:BLACKFISH
(China)
Merit|Designer:SunDawang(China)
Client:RicetalkChineseFastFood
(China)
Merit|Agency:2M2InformationUN
(China)|Designer:WangLingyuan
(China)|Client:N2MultimediaArtLab
(China)
Merit|Jamfactory(HongKong)
Designer:AndrewTang(Hong
Kong)|Client:Grin(HongKong)
Merit|GDDesignStudio
Designer:AlexandraBubnova(Russia)
Client:place(Russia)
Merit|Designer:JohnCarlson(USA)
Client:HappyNoodleHouse(USA)Merit|Designer:Heino
Prunsvelt(Estonia)|Client:The
MinistryofCulture(Estonia)
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55 >
BartCrosby'sJuryAwardwenttotheColourBook-
storelogo,designedbyChenHuarong.crobysays
thatitis"Asimple,distinctiveandmemorableso-
lution.It'scuriousandplayful–notforcedorover
donelikemanyoftheothers."
TommyLichosethelogoforGuilinGrueldesigned
byLinShaobin,ashisJuryAward.“Itisneveran
easytasktodepictthebeautyofGuilin'sscenery
inanicon,emergingnotonlythespecificcharac-
teristic,butalsoelegantprospect,”saysLi.
CristianKitPaul'sJuryAwardwenttoalogodesigned
byZhaoGang.Hesaysthat:"Itwasdifficulttopick
oneasmy'bestofshow',butIfinallydecidedfor
TianweiTextiles,probablybecausemyownback-
groundisbasedonrebrandingoflargeentities
andIknowhowchallengingahigh-stakeprogram
canbe.TheTTsymbolisapowerfulandwittymon-
ogram,accompaniedbyasimpleandfunctional
wordmarkinaclearyetvibrantcomposition."
BillDarling'sJuryAwardwenttothelogoforMini-
mal,designedbyMariaAdamFernandes."It'savery
functionalsolutionforwhatitis:kidsclothing.For
Merit|Designer:ZhangNing(China)
Client:Pdadmusicbar(China)
Merit|Agency:SebastianyBranding
(Brazil)|Client:Ecolabor(Brazil)
Merit|Agency:Bruketa&ZinicOM
(Croatia)|Designer:ImeldaRamovic,
MirelHadzijusufovic(Croatia)|Client:
SOSChildren'sVillagesCroatia(Croatia)
Merit|Agency:G8Design(Brazil)
Designer:MarceloPierro(Brazil)
Client:GraficaComunicare(Brazil)
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56 >
example,the'continuous'lineapproachofthelogo
wouldtranslatewelltostitching/embroidery.'Min-
imal'isapowerfulwordwhentalkingaboutdesign
andimpossibletoignore,especiallywhenitisthe
nameofyourcompany!Ilikehowthesolutionis
expressiveandyettruetotheword'minimal'–a
hardbalancetoachieve.Thestyleinwhichthelogo
isdrawncouldeasilybeextendedtoillustrationsof
thegarments,secondarytypography,animation,
etc.Overall,thelogoisanicesolutionthatachieves
therightbalanceoffunction+emotion."
Thejuryfeltthattherewerefewuniquedifferenc-
esorinnovationsbetweentheentriesthatreceived
grades8and9andtherest.Afterreviewingthe
visualappearanceofthetop-rankedentries,the
juryidentifiedsomecommonthemes:
– Worksbasedonpuregeometricalshapes(cir-
cles,squaresandtriangles)ratherthantypogra-
phyandasmallernumberbasedonfreedrawing
orsymbolsfeaturingbasicideasintheshapeof
man,house,nature,gameandhospitalityand
others;
– Worksbasedpurelyontypography;
– Combinationsoftypographyandfreegraphic
forms;
– Worksbasedonnumerals.Thejuryparticularly
highlightedthisasaninnovativetrendsincethe
entries,particularlythosefromChina,showed
innovationandhumour;
– Nature,manandbookremainsaconstant;
– Photographyisalesser-usedreference,and
– Conceptuallogosthatreflectaspecialstory.
Itwasthelatterapproachthatconvincedallofthe
jurymemberstoawardtheHiiibrand2010Gold
Awardintheprofessionalcategoryforthelogode-
signedforBirdlifeMalta,designedbyRenSpiteri
fromIreland.Theentryeloquentlycombinestext
andimage,resultinginanarrativethatmergespop-
ularculturewithecologicalconservation.
Merit|Designer:MichaelSpitz(USA)
Client:BuzzdogGroup(USA)
Merit|Designer:StanislavLevin
(Russia)|Client:GauchoWineLtd
(New-Zealand)
Merit|Agency:PiaochongDesign
(China)|Client:Oldboatwood
furniture(China)
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57 >
Merit|Designer:ShayIsdale(USA)
Client:SiteSteet(USA)
Merit|Designer:ChenYu,
ShenWeiwei(China)
Client:sock(China)
Merit|Designer:FengJianjun(China)
Client:boxuepuworkshop(China)
Merit|Agency:Cubo(Spain)
Client:SaragossaCouncil(Spain)
Merit|Designer:Agnieszka
Ziemiszewska(Poland)
Client:CastAway(Poland)
Merit|Designer:LiuMing(China)
|Client:AushiLanguageand
CultureSchool(China)
Merit|Agency:daydayupdesign
studio(China)|Designer:HongWei
(China)|Client:greenest(Taiwan)
Merit|Designer:Kirill
Demidenko(Russia)
Client:muzecafé(Australia)
Merit|Designer:ChrisTrivizas
(Greece)|Client:Pavlos
Papalamprakopoulos(Greece)
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58 >
StudentGold|Title:heartmedicine
Designer:NatalieDinnikova(Russia)
StudentSilver|Title:Dolonge
Designer:ZhuangErqiang(China)
StudentSilver|Title:EDShotel
DesignerDesigner:WangZhiqi(China)
StudentBronze|Title:BrokenCocoon
Designer:HuangSheng(China)
StudentMerit|Title:Birdie
Designer:GregCuellar(USA)
StudentMerit|Title:uchino
Designer:ZhangJing(China)
StudentMerit|Title:dbc–deathby
chocolate|Designer:DeniseFranke
(Germany)
StudentMerit|Title:buy-zone.ru
Designer:IgorRyabov(Russia)
StudentBronze|Title:Union
Designer:LangTian(China))
StudentBronze|Title:Ideas
Designer:WilliamSii(Malaysia)
StudentBronze|Title:PONZUSushi
House|Designer:KeoPierron(USA)
StudentMerit|Title:LoopBarcelona
Designer:FranRosa(Spain)
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59 >
Commentingonthestudentcategory,Ljubicic
saysthat:“Iexpectedmoreexperimentsandmore
freedomininterpretation,whichwasnotthecase.”
Overall,thereportprovidedbytheHiiibrand2010
jurydoesnotbodewellwhenweconsiderthecre-
ativeinnovationofdesignersengagedinthedevel-
opmentofcorporateidentitiesandbranding.The
juryconcludesthattheywouldliketoseelogode-
signersstepupontheirgameandexperimentmore
whenenteringtheHiiibrand2011International
LogoDesignAward.EntriesforHiiibrand2011will
beopeninJune.Moreinformationcanbefound
atwww.hiiibrand.com<
StudentMerit|Title:KlimaBochenska
Gallery|Designer:FilipTofil(Poland)
StudentBronze|Title:GlassHouse
Designer:LangTian(China)
StudentMerit|Title:OutStanding
Home|Designer:HouJunwei(China)
StudentMerit|Title:OhFashionShop
Designer:SuYue(China)
StudentMerit|Title:KEEP
Designer:TrinityTuen(China)
StudentMerit|Title:RoomsCafé
Designer:WangHaishan(China)
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60 >
Creativity is unusual stuff: It frightens. It deranges. It’s subversive. It mistrusts what it sees, what it hears. It dares to doubt. It acts even if it errs. It rattles established certitudes. It incessantly invents new ways, new vocabularies. It provokes and changes points of view. It impacts the environment and society.
Fabrica is looking for people — working in visual design, illustration, photography, product design, video, music, interaction and writing — who share this vision. At Fabrica people work together, not just individually. At a maximum of 25 years old, Fabrica’s residents come from the four corners of the earth.
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61 >
Fabrica is looking for people — working in visual design, illustration, photography, product design, video, music, interaction and writing — who share this vision. At Fabrica people work together, not just individually. At a maximum of 25 years old, Fabrica’s residents come from the four corners of the earth.
To apply for a Fabrica residency and full study grant you can upload your curriculum vitae, statement of purpose and a concise pdf presentation of your work at:
www.fabrica.it/apply
(Art
dire
ctio
n: A
riann
a D
i Bet
ta)
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62 >
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63 >
HIV Positive: Iconict-shirtsthatshapeviewsandawarenessonthepandemicBy Dalli Weyers
Thedesignmostworthyofapplauseinpost-apartheid
SouthAfricacanbedescribedassimple,humble,
under-designedandbasic.Yetthesamedesign
speaksofcourage,ofaudacity,ofdaring,ofhope
andofpower.Effective,loved,cherished,feared,
ridiculed,challenged,despised,debated,worn,
torn,altered,exported–it’splaceinourfuture
designmuseumsandinournationalartgalleriesis
obvious.
TheHIVPositivet-shirtissuedbytheTreatment
ActionCampaign(TAC)wasbyfar‘themostbeautiful
object’inSouthAfricaforanentiredecade.With
countlesscolours,shapesandsizes,differentcam-
paignslogansandpicturesofdeceasedcomrades
printed,anestimatewouldbethatSouthAfrica
hasseenaminimumof100000oftheset-shirts.
Thefirstt-shirtwasproducedatthebeginningof
1999afterthebrutalmurderofGuguDlaminiin
December1998.Dlaminiwasmurderedbecauseof
herHIVpositivestatus.FromKwaMashu,atownship
ontheoutskirtsofDurban,shehadpubliclydis-
closedherHIVstatusonWorldAIDSDay.Afterher
disclosure,Dlaminiwasaccusedofshaminghercom-
munityandwasrepeatedlyassaultedandthreat-
ened.Hercallsforpoliceassistancewentunheeded.
Threeweekslater,shewasfatallyassaulted.Her
perpetratorssentamessagetoherboyfriendsay-
ing:“Youcancomefetchyourdog.Wearefinished
withher.”
InFighting for our Lives – The History of the Treatment
Action Campaign 1998- 2010,HIVpositiveZackie
Achmat,co-founderoftheTAC,retellshowhe
cameupwiththedesign:“Thereisanapocryphal
storyabouttheKingofDenmarkwearingayellow
starinsolidaritywithJewsduringtheNazioccupa-
tionofhiscountry.TheHIVPositivet-shirtserves
asimilarpurpose.Allpeople,irrespectiveoftheir
status,canwearitandshowsolidaritywithpeople
withHIV.”
Andsothet-shirtwasborn.It’sdebutalongwith
countlessotherofitsappearancesalsohappened
tobetelevisedonSiyayinqoba Beat It!,SouthAfrica’s
onlyHIVmagazinetelevisionshow.Producedby
theCommunityMediaTrust,theshow,nowinits
eighthseason,iswatchedbyonemillionpeople
everyweek.Providingreliable,scientifically-based
information,theshowalsobecameavehiclefor
thet-shirtandallitstoodfor.
On12December2002,thefatherofthenation
himself,formerPresidentNelsonMandelawas
handedaHIVPositivet-shirtbyTACmemberMathew
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64 >
DamaneataMédecinsSansFrontièresanti-retroviral
clinicinKhayelitsha.Mandelaimmediatelytook
offhisshirtanddonnedtheHIVPositivet-shirt
overhisvest.Indoingsohenotonlydemonstrated
hisunequivocalsupportforandsolidaritywith
thoseinfectedandaffectedbyHIV,healsodemon-
stratedthathispositionwasunderscoredbyscience
andacommitmenttotheSouthAfricanConstitution
andhumanrights.Thet-shirthadcometorepresent
notonlysolidaritywithpeoplelivingwithHIV,but
alsoevidence-basedscience(asopposedtopseudo-
scienceandHIVdenial),thestruggleforlifeand
dignityandthesocio-economicrightsenshrinedin
theConstitution.
DuringtheTAC’sDying for Treatment Civil Disobe-
dience Campaignin2003activistCharleneWilson
passedaway.Shewasburiedinapublicfuneral
andlaidtorestinherHIVPositivet-shirtinaccord-
ancewithherwishes.Wilson’sfeelingsaboutthe
t-shirtcanarguablybefoundinTACmemberBeatrina
Mhlongo’sview:“Puttingonthet-shirtwasmyway
ofjoiningthestruggle–arelief.”InshortMhlongo’s
emotionalexperiencefromputtingonthet-shirtfor
thefirsttimesuccinctlyarticulatesthattheper-
sonalispolitical,thatjoiningthestruggleforlife,
freedomanddignitywasahomecomingandthat
thestruggleitselfimbuesonewithdignity.Thet-
shirthadcometoalsosymboliseacommunity,a
politicalhomeandacommonpurpose.
Foreveralteringourpersonal,communal,socialand
politicallandscape,therecanbenodenyingthat
these t-shirtshavehadan indelible impacton
SouthAfricaandhavebeenindispensableinbreaking
downthestigmaandsecrecyaroundHIV.Today
theyareiconicandcontinuetorepresentthestrug-
gleforhumanrights.
1
2
3
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1. VuyisekaDubula,TAC’sGeneralSecretary,protestingoutsideashebeeninKhayelitshawhere,on13Decem-
ber2003,LornaMlofana,amotherandacommunity
educator,wassexuallyassaultedandthenmurdered
whenherrapistlearntthatshehadHIV.TheTAC’s
workhasincludedprotestingviolenceagainstwomen
andadvocatingforacriminaljusticesystemthatworks
forrapesurvivors.Someversionsofthet-shirthave
reflectedthisagenda.PhotocourtesyofTreatment
ActionCampaign.
2. TheHIVPositivet-shirt,issuedinvariouscoloursandaddressingmanyissues,hasbeenappropriatedin
countlessways.Hereprogressivetraditionalhealers,
inagreementthatanti-retroviralsaretheonlytreatment
forHIV,donthet-shirtundertheirstandarduniforms.
Therainbowflaginthedistancealsosuccinctlyillustrates
thediversityofidentitiesandcommunitiesincludedby
theTACinthestruggleforlifeanddignity.Photocourtesy
ofTreatmentActionCampaign.
3.TheTAChasconsistentlygonebeyondjustdemandingthatgovernmentsmeettheirobligationsandthet-shirts
havealsoreflectedthis.HeretheTACalongwithpartner
organisationsmarchtoaddressthe38thUnionWorld
ConferenceonLungHealththatwasheldinCapeTown
inNovember2008.ThedualepidemicofHIVandTBis
oneofthebiggestchallengesfacedbytheSouthAfrican
healthsystem.PhotocourtesyofGavinSilber.
4.ThisposterfortheTAC’sStand up for our livesmarch
inFebruary2003,whichsawbetween10000and15000
peoplemarchonparliamentduringThaboMbeki’sState
oftheNationaddress,reflectstheconfluenceofthe
symbolismofNelsonMandelaandthesymbolismofthe
HIVPositivet-shirt.Inameta-textualmannerthisposter
wasalsoprintedonthebackoftheHIVPositivet-shirts
issuedforthemarch.PhotocourtesyofTreatment
ActionCampaign.
5. SinceitsinceptioninDecember1998theTreatment
ActionCampaignhasunderscoredthecentralityofactive
citizenshipinaconstitutionaldemocracy.Giventhelevels
ofinequalitythatSouthAfricafacesandthefactthat
theConstitutionenshrinessocio-economicrightsthe
needforcitizenstospeaktruthtopower,hereoutside
thenationallegislature,isparamount.Photocourtesy
ofDanKamen.
4
5
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66 >
Someadditionaltakes/thoughts/musingson
theHIVPositivet-shirt:quotesfromFighting for
our Lives – The History of the Treatment Action
Campaign 1998- 2010
“IamproudtobeawalkingbillboardinTAC’sstrug-
gleforhumanrights.”–GeorgeChauke
“Seeingsomanybeautifulpeoplewearingthet-shirt
gavemebacksomehopeandself-esteem.Itgaveme
couragetodisclose.”–NtombozukoKraai
“Thet-shirtsymbolisesthelivesthathavebeenlost
andthesacrificesthathavebeenmade.Itmarksusas
peoplewithacommonpurpose.”–NomfundoEland
“Manyactivistshavesaid‘Cometomyfuneralinyour
t-shirts,tellpeoplewhatIwentthroughandwhatI
didinTAC–spreadthemessage!’That’swhatwedo.”
–NonkosiKhumalo
“Thet-shirtpromotesopennessandbreaksstigma.
You’llbechallenged‘AreyouHIVpositive?’Thenyou
canstartengagingwithpeople.”–ThembekaMajali
“Itleadstodiscussions,whisperings,theinternalaccept-
ancethatHIVisreal,andacultureofcomingforward.”
–PhilipMokoena
“PeoplecallmeMaAIDSwhentheyseemyt-shirtand
comewithquestions.”–MariaKhambule
Abouttheauthor
DalliWeyersisasocialjusticeactivist,politicspost-
gradgraduateandanIndustrialDesigndropout.He
nowaimstomergedesignandpoliticsthroughsoar-
ingandeloquentlywrittenexaltationsofthevirtues
ofdesignandtherolethatitcanplayinSouthern
Africawherestructuralinequalitiesstillrelegatethe
majorityofpeopletosocio-economichardship.Heis
theauthoroftheblogwww.reclaimfire.co.za<
8
6
7
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6. Havingtakenonaninternational
presencetheTAC’sHIVPositivet-shirthas
appearedinParliamentinCapeTownand
waswornbyGrammyAwardwinning
artistAnnieLennoxonanepisodeof
American Idol.InLondonithasbeenworn
bythephotographerandTurnerPrize
winnerWolfgangTilmansandaformer
BritishHighCommissionertoSouth
Africa,AnneGrant.InNewYorkithas
beenwornbyNkhensaniMavasa,from
ruralLimpopo,whenshewasthefirst
openlyHIVPositivepersontoaddressthe
UnitedNation’sGeneralAssembly.Hereit
isworn,inruralLimpopo,byNkhensani’s
comradeswhiletheyreadthelatest
editionoftheTAC’smagazineEqual Treat-
ment.PhotocourtesyofTreatmentAction
Campaign.
7. HereformerPresidentNelsonMandela
wearsthet-shirt.OnhisrightisZackie
Achmat,co-founderoftheTACandthe
conceiverofthet-shirt.Photocourtesyof
TreatmentActionCampaign.
8.Takingthemessagetothecommunities
throughpamphletsandfliersbutalso
throughsimplywearingat-shirt.Photo
courtesyofTreatmentActionCampaign.
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68 >
Let’s make condoms cool By Anton Ressel
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69 >
A new product from the Cape-based
urban africa design studio is hoping to
get people talking about condom-use
and safe sex, by making it ‘cool’ to be
responsible.
Ifarecentstudyistobebelieved,nearly50%of
teensinSAaresexuallyactivebythetimethey
turn16,butonly30%ofthemuseacondomevery
timetheyhavesex.Despiteahighlevelofunder-
standingofHIV/AIDSandawarenessofthedangers
ofunprotectedsex,acombinationofpeerpressure,
learnedsexualbehaviourandthestigmaaround
condomuseallcontributetotheseshockingsta-
tistics,accordingtothereport.
Protection for your protection
Anewproductonthemarketishopingtodoitsbit
to change attitudes to sex and condom-use
amongsttheyouthbymakingitcooltoberespon-
sible.Thesleekleatherpouch,designedtoholdup
tothreecondoms,hasbeendubbedtheSecond
Skinandismarketedwiththetagline‘Protection
foryourProtection.’
DesignerandurbanafricafounderVincentUrbain
believesthattheproductwillhelpopendialogue
amongst theyoutharound responsible sexual
practice.“Therealityisthatyoungpeoplearehav-
ingsexandthisisnotsomethinggovernmentor
anybodyelsecanchange.Whatwecanchangehow-
ever,istheirattitudetowardssafeandresponsible
sex.Inmanycommunities,condomsarenotseen
Second skin–protectionforyourprotection.Cowleathersleevemadeforcondoms.
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70 >
as‘cool’,andthisisanareawecantarget.Weare
strivingtomakethecarryinganduseofcondoms
thenormamongstouryoungpeople,bypackaging
theminasexy,hipandpersonalisedway.”According
toVincent,theSecond Skincanbeusedasakeyring,
anecklaceorattachedtoyourbelt.
Theslimlinepouch,smallerthanabusinesscard
holder,ismadealongsideurbanafrica’smainstream
productionofdesignerbelts,bags,laptopsleeves
andotherleatherproducts.ThebrainchildofUrbain
anddesigninternJessikaBalzer,theideabehind
theSecondSkinwastocreatesomethingsmall
thatcouldhavealargeimpactonhowpeopletalk
andactsexually.“Wewantedtomakesomething
inexpensivethatpeoplefeelproudtocarryaround,
showofftotheirfriendsandevenbuyasgiftsfor
peopletheycareabout,”saysVincent.
Aloveofleather
Thegenesisofurbanafricaisaninterestingstory.
BorninBelgium,Vincentalwayshadaninterestin
handmadeworkandespeciallyhandcraftedleath-
eritemsandaccessories.Thewatersportfanatic
graduatedinEconomicsanddecidedtomoveSouth,
landinginCapeTownin2003wherehewind-surfed
andundertookdifferentjobs.Oneofthesewasthe
distributionofroughhandcraftedleathersandals
madebyTanzaniancraftersontopoftheCape
Towntrainstation.
LTR:Carréwallet,Bookiecowleathernote/sketchbook,Empire belt invegtancowleather,Clutch
'n swingcowleatherclutchbaglinedwithgoatorsheepnapperleatherandiPhonesleeves.
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71 >
Vincentsoonrealisedthatmorethandistributing,
hewantedtoexploretheintricaciesoftheworld
ofleatherfirsthandandstartedmakinghisown
pairshoesfromhide.Ittookhimthreedaysand
nightsofnon-stopwork,buthewashooked!Com-
pletelyself-taughtandhungrytolearn,hethen
movedontobagsandarmbands,andchangedthe
focusfromworkingwithhidestoleather.Therange
begantotakeshape,andin2005urbanafricawas
born.
Thebusinesshasgrownquickly,andtodayurban
africasuppliesnearly100outletsandexportsits
high-qualityleathercreationstoseveralcountries
internationally.RangesaredesignedbyVincent,
whofrequentlycollaborateswithotherdesigners
suchasReanneGray,JessikaBalzerandMaraime
Sow.Allofthepiecesareindividuallyhandmade
andaccordingtoVincent“notwopieceslookthe
same,unlessyoureallywantthemto!Becausewe
allliketohavesomethingunique,ourclientscan
choosetheirownleather,stitchingandrivetcol-
oursandwewillcustom-makeaccordingtotheir
specs.Theresultisthatourclients,whetherone-
offbuyersorlargeretailoutlets,getexactlywhat
theywant.Inessenceweareofferingatailored
serviceinleatherwork.”
Pieceswithintheurbanafricarangeincludehand-
bags,laptopsleeves,belts,wallets,books,foot-
wear,keyrings,Blackberryandcellphonepouches
andnowcondomholders.Behindeachdesign,
thereisthesamecorevisionanddesignaesthetic
thatunderpinsallofVincent’swork–minimalist,
Sincehischildhood,Vincent
Urbainhadalwaysbeenattracted
toleatherandhandmadework.
The2011urbanafricaproduct
rangeconsistsof31pieces.The
rangeisdesignedbyVincent,
ReanneGray,JessikaBalzerand
allpiecesareindividuallyhand-
madebyVincentandhisteam.No
twopieceslookthesame.
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elegant,funky,timeless,understatedbutaspiring.
“Iamattractedtodesignsthatallowforindividual
expression,butnot ina loudorbrashway.My
workisneverin-your-face,butIalwaystryandbe
originalandalittlebitedgy.”
Thecompanyisenvironmentallyandsociallycon-
sciousandVincentandhisteamstrivetoworkin
waysthataresustainableandforward-thinking.In
2010,thebranddroppedtheliningformostofits
pieces,makingthebagslighter,softerandmore
flexible,butalsotominimisetheuseofharmful
gluesandreducewastage.Inaddition,urbanafrica
partnerswithanorganisationcalledAfrographic,
throughwhichleatheranimalkeyringsaremade
bytownshipwomeninCapeTownandmarketed
anddistributedbyurbanafrica.Theinitiativehas
beenahugesuccessandthekeyringsarenowsent
allovertheworld,creatingsustainableincome
anda senseofpride to these formerlyunem-
ployedladies.
A philosophy of collaboration and sharing of ideas
An interestingthingaboutVincentandhisap-
proachistheapparentlackofegoand‘precious-
ness’aroundthedesignprocess.Heishappyto
sharehisownideaswithothersandactivelyen-
couragescollaborations.“Wewelcomedesigners
fromallovertocomeandshowustheirdesigns
andideas.Ifwelikeitandallareinagreement,we
willdeveloptheseideastogetherintoafinalprod-
uct.Wewilllaunchitonoursiteandshowittoall
ourclients,andnegotiatearoyaltyorsomeother
arrangementsothatweallbenefit.Iseedesignas
acollaborativeprocess,onethatdoesnotand
shouldnothappeninisolationoravacuum.After
all,manyheadsarebetterthanone,no?”hesays
withasmile.
Arecentadditionaturbanafricahasbeenthede-
velopmentofaseriesofleatherworkshopsfor
interestedmembersofthepublic.Theworkshops
takeplaceattheurbanafricastudioinRoeland
StreetinCapeTown,whichalsodoublesasashow-
roomandshop.Attendeescanchoosebetweena
rangeofitemstomake,andtheteamaturbanaf-
ricaprovidesallmaterials,facilitateandteachthe
basicskillsofleathersmithing.Participantscan
thentakehomewhatevertheycreate.
The business of business
Thesuccessandfocusofurbanafricaledtothe
companybeingselectedasoneofonlytenpartici-
pantsnationallyintheETUprogramme,abusiness
developmentinitiativefundedbytheEmbassyof
Finlandandimplementedbyenterprisedevelop-
ment specialists Fetola. Interventions include
workshops,e-learning,marketaccessopportunities
andmentoring.Vincentalsoreceivedamarketing
strategythroughtheprogrammethatheiscur-
rentlyimplementing.“Althoughitisthecreative
processthatdrivesme,IstudiedEconomicsand
haveaninterestinbusiness.Ibelievethattherehas
tobeabalancebetweenthecreativeandbusiness
elementsforanybusinesstosucceed,”hesays.
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African dollscowleatherboxes.
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74 >
Corporateapplications
Thesamephilosophyofopenness,collaboration
andsocialinterestledVincenttodevelopthecon-
dompouches,andonceagainhestrikesabalance
betweenthecreativeandthebusinessaspects.
Thepouchescanbebrandedorembossedwith
logos,educationalmessagesandothertextor
branding,whichVincentbelievesmakesthema
suitableproductforcorporates,NGO’sandother
organisationsthatkeentohelpspreadthesafe
sexmessage.“Wearehopingthat‘hip’brandsand
LEFT:Eggtailbluestonewashbagincowleather.
CENTRE:Quotidiencowleatherallaroundbag.
TOPRIGHT:Fishtailcowleatherbag.
BOTTOMRIGHT:Tulipcowleatherbag.
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75 >
organisationsthattargettheyouthwillseethe
valueinthisproductandthemessagebehindit,
andapproachustodotheirownbrandedrangeof
Second Skinpouches.Thesecanbedistributedat
colleges,universities,concerts,raves–anywhere
youngpeoplegatherenmasse.Theyareadesign-
erproductwithagreatsocialmessageandimpact,
andinitialfeedbacksuggeststheywillworkwell
asapromotionalitemorcorporategift.”
Goingforward,Vincent isplanningtopartner
withexistingorganisationsthatpromoterespon-
siblesexualbehaviourandsexualhealthinorder
toincreasetheimpactoftheSecond Skinandits
message.“Weneedtogetpeopletalkingaboutsafe
sex,tolessenthestigmaaroundthissubject.After
all,sexiscool,funandexciting–andsoeverything
thatgoeswithitshouldfeelthesameway!”
TheSecond Skinisbeingpromotedthroughanumber
ofchannels,includingurbanafrica’swebsite,via
selectretailersandoutletsaswellascorporate
andpromotionalgiftagencies.Click heretovisit
urbanafrica'ssite.<
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77 >
Creating complex objects of desire layer by layer
By Michaella Janse van Vuuren | Mypassionfor
creatingtechnicallycomplexdesignandartworks
hasitsrootsinmyschoolingatProArteHighSchool
fortheArtsinPretoria.HereImademarionettes
thatwerehighlydetailed,usinginnovativecon-
structionandmanipulationmethods.Manyyears
on,myworkhasdrawnmeonceagainintoadirec-
tionwherethetechnicalandartisticmeet.Today,I
workasanelectricalengineer–mydayjob–andin
myprivatetimeIfocusondesigning3Dprintingor
additivemanufacturing.IenjoydesigningandIfind
thelimitationsanddifficultiesafascinatingchal-
lenge.Ilovethechallengeofcreatingsomething
thatisplannedandthendesignedoncomputerand
seeingifmyidea‘printedout’asIenvisioned.
Theintersectionofart,designandtechnologyis
currenttlyundergoingatimeofexponentialgrowth
enabledbydigitalmanufacturing.Digitalmanufac-
turingmethodssuchasadditivemanufacturing
havechangedthewaythatobjectsaredesigned
andmanufactured.Additivemanufacturingrefers
totheprocesswhereanobjectthathasbeencre-
atedinthevirtualworldofthecomputeristhen
realisedor3Dprinted,layerbylayer,bythemelting
ordepositingofmanufacturingmaterials.This
manufacturingprocess,developedinthe1980s,
wasinitiallyintendedforthemanufacturingofcus-
tomengineeredpartsandprototypesforindustrial
productdevelopment.Inrecentyearsthetechnol-
ogyhasbecomeaccessiblenotonlytoengineers,
industrialdesignersandaselectfew,butalsotoa
widerrangeofdesignersandartistslikemyself.
Thischangehasbeendrivenbythereductionin
costofthehardwareandsoftwareneededtocre-
atethelargeprototypingfilesandalsodecreased
thecosttomanufactureobjects–massoroneoffs.
IncreasedInternetbandwidthhasalsomadeitpos-
sibletosendthelargerfilesrequiredformanufac-
turingandanumberofstart-upcompanieshave
emergedwhonowprovideshort-runmanufactur-
ingservicesforindividualswhoproducetheirown
objects.Thedesigner/artistcannowlieatthecen-
treofthisexploration.Morethaninanyotherdis-
ciplineheorshehastheabilitytocreateandex-
plore without the limitations imposed by
traditionalsculptingmaterialsandtheirinherent
properties.
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78 >
Icreatemyartbyfirstimaginingtheobject.Thisis
thentranslatedontopaper,andafteraseriesof
sketchestransformedintoatechnicaldrawing.This
drawingdictatesthemeasurementsanddimen-
sionsneededtotranslatetheartworkintothecom-
puter.Thescaleofthesculpture,distancesbe-
tweenpartsandmechanicalfunctionalityhaveto
bemeticulouslyplannedoutbeforeImoveonto
thecomputer.Iusesoftwareprogramstotranslate
theideaintoaprintabledigitaldesign.Different
softwarepackagesspecialiseinaspecifictypeof
functionalityandthereisnooneprogramthatful-
fillsallmydesignneeds.Idothe3Dsculptingin
Zbrush,thecreationofthemoveablepartsinRhino
andthe3Dmeshcheckinginnetfabb,tonamea
fewkeysoftwarepackages.Imovebackandforth
betweenprogramstocreatetheartwork.Zbrushis
adigitalsculptingprogramthatallowsyoutodo
organicandorfreeformsculpturalshapesthatare
verydifficulttocreateintraditionalCADsoftware.
Manyofmydesignshavemoveableparts.WhenI
needtocutthepartsoraddmechanicalpieceswith
precisedimensionsImoveovertoRhinoceros3D.
RhinocerosisanentrylevelCADprogram.
Whendesigningfor3Dprintingyouhavetokeepin
mindthelimitationsoftheprintingprocess.Unlike
designingforcomputerrendering,avisualrepre-
sentation,modelingfor3Dprintingrequiresalot
moreissuestoconsiderbeforeitisprintable.The
objectneedstobewatertightandmanifoldwithno
badedgestonamebutafew.Softwareprograms
suchasnetfabb,MeshlabandMagicshelptoevalu-
ateandrepair3Dfiles,ormeshes,sothatthefile
canbeprinted.Ithelpstocheckyourfilethrough-
outthedesignprocessforprinting integrityas
manyhoursordaysofworkcanbelosttryingtofix
afilethathasbecomeunprintable.Youalsoneed
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79 >
The Horse Marionettehasfullyfunctionaljoints
andmovablewings.Polyamide,203x193x166mm.
PartoftheSouthernGuildCollection2011.
Theseimagesshowarenderingofthe3Dfilethat
issenttotheprinters.Theyillustratehowthe
individualpartsofthemarionetteareplacedinthe
3Dfilesothatnoassemblyisrequiredafterwards.
Oncethepowderisremovedthemarionette
comestolife.
Click heretoseeThe Horse Marionetteinaction.
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80 >
Rocking Springbuck.Polyamide,183x156x51mm.
TheSpringbuckwasdesignedwithallits’moveablepartsinasingle
3Dfile.Rocking Springbuck hasrotatinggearsandtheymoveasthe
buckrocks.Click here toseeRocking Springbuckinaction.
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81 >
tocomplywiththeprocesslimitations.Someaddi-
tivemanufacturingprocessesallowformoving
parts,somerequirethattheobjectshouldbede-
signedasasinglesolidpiece.Partsthatarede-
signedtoosmallwilldisintegrateinthebuildand
moveablepartscannotbespacedtoocloseorthey
willfuseandnotbeabletomoveatall.
Therearedifferentmaterialsavailablefor3Dprint-
ingsuchas,steel,sand,alumide,resin,ceramics,
glassandevenhumantissue.Myfavoritematerial
andprocessisselectivelasersintering.Thepolyamide
ornylonmaterialiswellsuitedtocreatingmovable
parts.Itisrelativelyrobust,dependingonthethick-
nessofthepart,andhasthetextureandlookof
coral.
Thedesignprocessistime-consumingandrelative-
lyexpensive.Ithereforehavetodesignmysculp-
turestobeassmallaspossibleandIamalways
pushingthelimitationsofwhatispossible.Thereis
alsonoroomforerror;onesmallmistakeintheme-
chanicscouldmeanthattheentiredesigndoesnot
workasIintended.
Whenadesignisfinished,Iemailthedigitalfilesto
alocalorinternationalmanufacturer.Thesculp-
turesarethenbuiltupbyfusingthinlayersofnylon
powder.Whentheprintbuildisfinishedthepow-
derisremovedandtheobjectmagicallyemerges
fromtheheapofdepositedpowder.Afewdays
laterthecompletedsculpturesarriveatmydoor
readytobeunpacked.Thisisalwaysaverytense
moment.DidIthinkofeverything?Willitcomeout
asplanned?Alltheplanninganddesigningfocuses
onthisonemomentofpurejoywhenIholdadesign
thatlooksandfunctionsexactlyasIenvisionedit.
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82 >
Someofmymostrecentwork,The Horse Mario-
nette,Rocking SpringbuckandBirdman,werealldig-
itallydesignedinthismanner.Allthepartshave
beenplacedinthesamefilewithnoassemblyre-
quiredafterwards.The Horse Marionettehasfully
functional jointsandmovablewingsandwhen
strungupitcomestolife.TheRocking Springbuck
hasrotatinggearsthatmoveasthebuckrocks.Au-
tomataandmechanicaltoysinspiredtheBirdman
sculpture.Whentherodispulledthebeakcloses
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83 >
andhisarmsdroptothesides.Whentherodis
pushedhisbeakopensandthearmsmoveoutward.
The Horse MarionetteformspartoftheSouthern
GuildcollectionthatwillbelaunchedattheJohan-
nesburgArtFairinSeptember2011.<
Birdman. Polyamide,220x60x40mm.Automata
andmechanicaltoysinspiredBirdman.Whenthe
rodispulledthebeakclosesandhisarmsdropto
thesides.Whentherodispushedhisbeakopens
andthearmsmoveoutward.Click heretoseeBirdmaninaction.
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84 >
By Kenneth van Rensburg | Myfirstencounter
withthe3Dprintingphenomenontranspireddur-
ingaworkingholidaysomeyearsagointheUK.
Beingabuddingindustrialdesignerandaself-con-
fessedcarnerd,Ijumpedattheopportunityto
visittheJaguarfactoryinCoventry.Besidesvisit-
ingtheassemblyplantthetouralsoincludeda
visittoJaguar’sR&Ddepartment,whichturned
outtobethehighlightofmyvisit.Waitinginan-
ticipation,Ihopedtoseecardesignerssketching
andmodel-makersvigorouslyfettlingandworking
awayatclaymodels.Instead,anarmyofdesigners
greetedmefrombehindtheircomputersanda
dozen3Dprinterswerebusy‘growing’physical
modelsofpartstheyhadjustdesigned.Withina
coupleofhoursthedesignerscouldholdintheir
handsexactreplicasof,say,asteeringwheel,to
assessthepartbothvisuallyandergonomically
beforecommittingtotoolingandmanufacture.To
me thiswasmind blowing – like a Replicator
straightoutofStarTrek!Needlesstosay,Inever
expectedtoberunningmyown3Dprintingcom-
panyonlyacoupleyearslater.
Now,ifyou’renotfamiliarwiththetechnology,
youarelikelytobewonderingwhatonearth3D
3D What?
printingisandwhyIcouldbegettingsoexcited
overthemodelofasteeringwheel?(Thesecond
questionisperhapsalittlehardertoanswer…)
Unlikemanysubtractivemanufacturingprocesses
suchasCNC,wherematerialiscarvedormachined
awayfromablockorbilletofvirginmaterial,3D
printing is an additivemanufacturingprocess
wherebythepartsarebuiltup,layerbylayer.As
eachlayerbindstothepreviousone,thecumula-
tivethinlayersaretransformedintoathree-di-
mensionalobject.Crudelyput,it’swhatwaspsand
swallowshavebeendoingforages–buildingup
theirnests,onelayeratatime.Thismeansthat
complexshapes,completewithnegativesspaces
andtrickyundercutscanbe‘grown’intoonesingle
pieceinaveryshortspaceoftime.By3Dprinting
amodel,valuabledevelopmentaltimeandcosts
aresaved,fast-trackingone'sdesigntothemarket.
Sowhythenisitreferredtoas‘printing’,youmight
ask?3Dprintingisreallyanumbrellatermfora
numberofadditivemanufacturingprocesses.Many
oftheseprocessesuseinkjetprint-headtechnology
todepositlayersofmaterialorbindingagentsto
builda3Dmodel.Unlikeadesktopprinter,which
printsa2Dimageontoaflatsurfacesuchasasheet
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85 >
I,thenidentifiedareallocalneedtobridgethegap
betweenthedesignprocessandmanufacture,i.e.
prototyping.Wewererecently-qualifiedindustrial
designerswhenwewerepresentedwiththeop-
portunitytostartasmallbusinessand3Dprinting
wasanobviouschoice.Aftermeetingwithvarious
internationalagentsitwasn’tlongbeforeour3D
printerwasshippedandourcompany,Protoform
RapidPrototyping,openeditsdoors.UnlikeinEu-
rope,weverysoonrealisedthatitwasdifficultto
specialisesincenosingle localmarketwas large
enoughtosupportthefledglinglocalprototyping
industry.Andso,castingournetsalittlewider,we
beganmarketingtoindustriesoutsideofourpri-
marytargetsindesignandengineering.
Onesuchindustrywasboat-buildingandsomeof
the firstmodels thatweproducedwere scale
yachtmodelsfortheDeanCatamaran’ssales
team.Thecompany’sdesigner,RudolfJonker,im-
mediatelyrecognisedthat3Dscalemodelscould
provideahugeadvantageovertheircompetition:
LTR:AlayerofthebinderfortheSC20boatmodelbeingdeposited.Afterremovingmostoftheexcesspowder,
theSC20emergesfromthe3Dprinter.Thefinished1-15scalemodelpaintedandwithlasercutdetailing.The
realSC20afterproductioninaction
ofpaper,a3Dprinterdepositsalayerorcross-section
ontothemachine’sbuildbed.Thebedthendrops
lessthan0.1mmandanewlayerisdepositedon
topoftheprecedingone.Theprocessofbuilding
thelayersisreferredrefertoas‘growing’amodel.
3DPrintinginSouthAfrica
AlthoughrelativelynewtoSouthAfrica,thetech-
nologyitselfhasbeenaroundsincethe1980sand
thefirstmachinewasmadecommerciallyavailable
by3DSystems in1986.Thefirstmachineonly
reachedSouthAfricanshoresin1991andonlya
handfulofmachineshavesincebeenavailableup
untiltheearly2000s.Ahandfulofsciencelabsand
tertiaryeducationinstitutionsacquiredthemajor-
ity;withasmallnumberusedcommercially,but
largelyin-house.
Itwasonlyin2008thatIsawthefirst3Dprinterin
SouthAfricafirsthand.Mycolleague,JonSmithand
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86 >
“Ithinkforus,themodelreallymadeadifference
infinalisingthelastexteriordesigndetails.Tobe
abletoshowascale-modeltoprospectivebuyers
beforethefirstboatwasevenbuiltgaveour
marketingpeopleabighead-startinmarketing
thenewboat.”
Itwasn’tlongbeforeProtoformweresupplying
boatmodelsabroadaswell.ScandinavianCruisers’
founder,NisLorentzen,required1:15scale-models
ofhisSC20toassistwithbothdevelopmentand
marketing.AsNisexplains,"Buildingboatshasa
lottodowithapassionforboatingandthesea.
Beingabletotransform3Ddrawingsofanewboat
designintoacompletepaintedscalemodelwithin
justacoupleofweeks,asopposedtothemany
monthsittakestobuildtherealthing,isveryex-
citing.Itislikeseeingyourfirstbabybeingborn”.
Bytheendof2008Protoformwasalsosupplying
prototypepartstotheautomotiveindustry,mod-
elsforsandcasting,trainingmodels,architectural
models,sculpturesandpropsforthemovieindustry.
Bythen,we’venoticedisthat3Dprintingwasoften
misunderstoodasaprocessstrictlyforengineering
prototypes,butthiscouldn’tbefurtherfromthe
truthandsincethen,Protoformhasassertively
triedtomakediversepotentialusersawarethat
3Dprintingisalsoapowerfulandcreativetool.A
3Dprintercanreplicatealmostanythingthatyou
canmodeldigitally,beitlightfittings,shoes,artis-
ticsculptures–thepossibilitiesarealmostlimitless
and3Dprintedmodelscanbeused‘asis’orpaint-
edanddetailedforpresentation.Theymayeven
beusedtomakemouldsforcastinginplasticsand
metalsandfroma3Dprintedmaster,onecaneasily
makelowvolumeplasticcomponentswithaccu-
racythatcompeteswith injectionmoulding. In
conjunctionwithothertechnologies,suchas3Dand
CTscanning,thepossibleapplicationsaretrulyin-
finite.
OnesuchcreativeproposalcametoProtoformin
2008whentheprominentadagencyTheJupiter
TOPLEFT:Anengineeringmodel
showingthelevelofdetailthatis
possiblewith3Dprinting.
BOTTOMLEFT:1-10scalemodelsof
slurryvalvesusedinthemining
industry.
TOPRIGHT:1of5plasticcompo-
nentsforalargeautomotiveclient
usingthe3Dprintpartasthemaster
forthemould.
BOTTOMRIGHT:1-1scalecylinder
headforapassengervehicle.
RIGHT:Twoofthe3Dprintedsculp-
turesusedforthe2009Design
Indabaadvertisingcampaign.
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87 >
DrawingRoomapproachedustorealisetheirconcept
forthe2009DesignIndabaadvertisingcampaign.
Theyneeded tomake tangiblea concept that
showcasedtheideasandidentitiesoftheeinnova-
tors in the formof sculptures.The sculptures
neededtobesufficientlydetailedtoconveythe
personalitiesofthesubjectsaswellasincorporat-
ingeachinnovator’sideaintheformofanobject,
emergingfromtheirheads.Inordertomeetthe
brief,theheadsofthechosenthreeinnovators
werescanned tocreatedigital3Dcopies.The
modelsfortheirinventionswerethendigitallyma-
nipulated,togetherwiththescannedheadmodels
andmadetoappearasifemergingfromtheheads.
Thesewerethen3Dprintedatlife-sizeandassem-
bledtoproducefascinating,life-likesculptures.
Thesculptureswerephotographedandusedina
numberofapplicationsandthecampaignwenton
towinseveraladvertisingawards.
Anotherunexpectedbutexcitingapplicationof
3Dprintingisthemedicalindustry.Overthepast
threeyearsProtoformhasbeensupplyingmedical
modelstosomeofSouthAfrica’sleadingmaxilla-
facialsurgeons.Alargepercentageoftheirwork
entailsreconstructivesurgerytocorrectdamage
causedbytumors,gunshotwoundsandsevere
damagecausedbyburns.Typically,thepatient
wouldbeCT-scannedfromwhicha radiologist
wouldpreparepre-operativeplanningmodelsofa
patient’sjaworskull.Wethen3D-printmodels
thatarethenusedastemplatesbysurgeonsto
accuratelycreatecustomised implants– these
modelscanevenbeproducedinaslittleasaday
inemergencies.Accordingtoradiologist,Carol
Spence,thetimeaffordedbythesemodelscan
easilysavesurgeonsuptotwohoursofsurgery
time,andwiththeatreratesofaroundR100per
minute,that’samassivefinancialsavingtoboth
patientsandmedicalaidschemes.Apartfromthe
monetarysavings,thisdramaticallyreducerisksto
thepatientsbecauseitreducestimeunderanesthesia
andensuresthatimplantsthatfitprecisely.Previ-
ously,implantswouldhavetobecustom-shaped
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88 >
andfittedundersurgery.Carolisquicktomention
that3Dprototypedmodelsmeanthatsurgeons
cannowevenfitimplantsintra-operatively,leav-
ingthepatientwithminimalscarring.
TheFuture
So,whereis3Dprintingheaded?Well,forastart,
itwon’tbelongbeforewehavedesktop3Dprinters
insmallbusinessesandinhomes.AbasicRepRap
orMakerbot3Dprinteralreadycosts lessthan
whatadesktoplaserprinterdidin1985,whichto-
daywefindinalmosteveryofficeandmiddle-class
home.Forexample,televisioncelebrityandcar
enthusiast,JayLeno,hasa3Dprinterinhisgarage
toproducesparepartsforhisclassiccarcollection.
So,perhapsinthefuture,ifyoubrokeahosefit-
ting,youcould‘grow’areplacementovernightor
thatfrustratingmissingpiecefromafavouritetoy
orgadget.Sure,forlargerandmorespecialised
modellingyou’dstillprobablymakeuseofapro-
fessionalserviceproviderfortheirexpertiseand
high-endequipment.Newmaterialsfor3Dprint-
ingarebeingdevelopedandexperimentedwith
almosteveryday–variousmetals(includingpre-
ciousonesforjewellerydesign),newpolymers,
ceramics,clay,sugar,sawdustandevenpasta!As
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89 >
thisdevelopsandthetechnologybecomesmore
affordable,newindustrieswillstartup.
Forme,themostexcitingdevelopmentatpresent
is3D-printedorgans.That’sright!Already,scien-
tistshavedevelopedprototypemachines that
coulddothatandIpredictthatinacoupleofyears
doctorscouldbe3D-printingyouoralovedone’s
anewkidneyorheartvalveusingyourveryown
cellsasbuildingblocks.
Quitefrankly,thepossibilitiesof3dprintingare
endless.Ifyoucanthinkit,itcanhappen.Allyou
needisanidea.
Abouttheauthor
KennethvanRensburgisanindustrialdesigner
andpartneratCapeTown-basedProtoform Rapid
Prototyping.<
FARLEFT:Variousarchitecturalapplicationsof3Dprinting.
CENTRETOP:Sectionalmodelofapatient'sMaxialla.
CENTREBOTTOM:Pre-operativeplanningmodelforsurgery.
BOTTOM:LittlemirroredFiat500'semergingfromunderthe
powder.
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90 >
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TurningTalentIntoSuccessACapeTownbusinessdevelopmentconsultancyis
makinganimpactnationallyinthefieldofenterprise
developmentandeconomicempowerment,witha
specialfocusonthecreativeindustries.
Fetola,aSothowordmeaning‘change’or‘changing’,
specialisesinboostingemergingentrepreneurs,
creatives,grassrootsprojectsandcommunity-based
organisationstowardssustainability.BasedinWest-
lakeBusinessParkintheCapeandwithanational
footprint,Fetolawasfoundedin2006byenter-
prisedevelopmentpractitionerandentrepreneur
CatherineWijnberg.
“Whatmakesusdifferent”saysCatherine,aZambian-
bornentrepreneurandMBAgraduatewithexperi-
enceinfivesectors,“isthatweteachwhatwecall
‘theBusinessofBusiness.’Ibelievethesuccessof
enterprisedevelopmentliesinunderstandingthe
dailychallengesfacedbysmallbusinessowners,
andofferingsimple,practicalandreplicablesolu-
tionsthatarerelevantwhetheroneissellingcraft,
cars,creativityorcabbages.Therearecertainbusi-
nessfundamentalsthatneedtobeinplaceinany
enterpriseforittobesustainableandsuccessful,
andthatiswhatwefocuson.”
Theorganisationrunslong-termenterprisedevelop-
mentprogrammesaswellasworkingdirectlywith
entrepreneursandSMME’sonaneeds-basis.Offer-
ingsarediverseandincludementoring,skillsdevel-
opmentandtraining,practicale-learningcourses,
systems development and strategic planning.
“Whatsetsusapartisthatwehave‘walkedthewalk’,
especiallywhenitcomestothecreativeindustries.
91 >
Aselectionof
innovativelighting
productsdesigned
andproducedby
HeathNash,oneof
thenotablepartici-
pantswhoare
benefittingfromthe
ETUprogramme.
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BambookitchenbyCabinetworks.
LuxuryleatheraccessoriesbyMajdaRabinofChimpel.
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93 >
IwasProgrammeManagerattheCapeCraftand
Design Institute (CCDI)beforeopeningFetola,
whileourseniorconsultantAntonResselwasco-
founderofStreetwires,oneofthelargestsocial
enterprisesinSouthAfrica.Allourconsultantsand
mentorsarebusinesspeoplethemselves–how
canyouteachentrepreneurialthinkingifyouhave
neverbeenanentrepreneur?”asksWijnberg,in
referencetothetheory-heavy,‘chalk-and-talk’of-
feringofmanyskillsdevelopmentorganisations
outthere.
TheLegendsProgramme
Fetola’sflagshipenterprisedevelopmentinitia-
tive,theOldMutual-supportedLegendsProgramme,
wasaFinalistinthecovetedMail & GuardianIn-
vestingintheFutureAwardsintheBestEnter-
priseDevelopmentProgrammecategoryin2010.
Legendsnowsupports67enterprisesinnineprov-
inces,andhasbecomeoneofthelargestvirtual
incubatorprogrammes inSouthAfrica.Partici-
pantsincludecraftanddesignorganisations,fur-
nituremanufacturers,skillstrainingorganisations,
NGO’s,communityprojectsandanumberofup-
and-comingyoungentrepreneursinthefilmand
designspheres.
Ifthefiguresareanythingtogoby,Legendsisin-
deedhavingasignificantimpactinitsaimstore-
duce poverty, create jobs and develop skills
amongstitsbeneficiarynetwork.Annualpartici-
pantsalesturnoverincreasedfromZAR690000in
2007toZAR2.385millionin2010–anincreaseof
290%,whiletheprogrammehasmorethandou-
bledinsizefromsupporting350beneficiariesin
2008toover1000in2011.
TheETUSMMEAcceleratorProgramme
ArecentFetolainitiativeaimedatmoreestab-
lishedbusinessesistheETUSMMEAccelerator
Programme,fundedbytheEmbassyofFinland.
‘ETU’isaFinnishwordmeaning‘benefit’.Thispro-
grammeworkswithparticipantsinthecreative
sectorthatareprimedforgrowth,andincludes
amongstothers,internationallyrenownedlighting
designerHeathNash,high-endfurnitureandinte-
riorsbusinessCabinetworks,luxuryleatheracces-
soriesdesignerMajdaRabinofChimpel,Vincent
Urbainofurbanafricaandfast-growingceramics
studiosImisoCeramicsandZizamele.
Beneficiariesofbothprogrammesreceiveasuite
ofsupportincludingpracticalbusinessskillstrain-
ingandongoingaccesstoabusinessmentor.Both
programmesutilisean innovativepeer-to-peer
emailnetworkresource,enablingbeneficiariesto
communicatewitheachother,sharelessonsand
askforadviceandsupportsimplybysendinganemail.
ThisresourceisalsousedbyFetolatodistribute
weeklye-learningtrainingondiversetopicssuch
assalesandmarketing,finance,strategicplan-
ning,administrationandcostingandpricing.The
overallintentionistohelpbeneficiariesbecome
morebusinesslike,competitiveandsustainable.
“Whatwehavefoundovertheyearsisthatmany
creativepeoplefindthebusinesssideofthingsfar
lessinterestingthanthedesignandcreativeproc-
ess.Myresponsetothis–thatiswhythereareso
manygifteddesignersinthepoorhouse!”saysFe-
tolaconsultantAntonRessel.“Inallseriousness,it
israretofindacombinationofcreativeexcellence
andbusinesssavvyinanentrepreneurorsmall
business,butthereality isthatcreativetalent
aloneisnotenoughtosustainabusiness.There
areanumberoffundamentalsthatmustbe in
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94 >
placeforanybusinesstothrive,andthisiswhat
wetryandimpartthroughourwork.”
FetolaProjectManagerChantaldeKockbelieves
thatsmallbusinesssuccessbeginswithasolid
self-beliefandbusinessvision.“Beyondthis,the
essentialbusinessfoundations-soundfinancial
andadministrativesystems,agoodunderstanding
ofmarketingandsales,aproductorservicewith
potentialandarealisticgapinthemarket,are
wheretheedgeiscreated,”sheadds.
Turningthelighton
OnenotablesuccessstoryistheworkFetolahave
beendoingwithHeathNash.Agifteddesigner
withagrowinginternationalprofile,Nashjoined
theETUprogrammebecauseherecognisedthat
thebusinesssideofhiscompanyneededatten-
tion.“Ihavealwaysfoundthedesignandcreative
processsomuchmorestimulatingthanthefinan-
cialoradministrativesideofthings–obviously!”
saysNashwithasmile.“However,Ifoundmyselfin
asituationwhereIwasworkingharderandharder
butnotreallymovingforwardinabusinesssense.
Sure,myprofilewasgrowing,butthiswasnot
translatingintofinancialsuccessandsustainability
forthebusiness,becausethissideofthingswas
alwayssecondfiddletothecreativeside.Thathas
changedsinceIjoinedETUandstartedworking
withFetola,andthebenefitshavebeenalmostim-
mediate,”hesays.
ThestartingpointwastoempowerNashwithin-
formationabouthisbusinessthathecouldunder-
standandembrace.Thismeantregularsalesre-
ports,managementaccountsandaclearpictureof
whathisexpensesandincomewereonamonthly
basis.“Istartedseeinghowmuchmoneywasbeing
wastedoninefficientproductionprocesses,un-
productivestaffandpoormanagementofmaterials.
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Asmallselectionofthevastproductrangeproduced
byETUSMMEAcceleratorProgrammeparticipant,
ImisoCeramics.
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TOPLEFT:Fetolainterventionsincludework-
shops,mentoringandone-on-onebusiness
support.
TOPRIGHT:CatherineWijnberg,Director
Fetola&Associates.
LEFT:Fetolaprogrammeparticipant,Theresa
WormserofTWCeramics.
AselectionofproductsbyETUSMMEAcceleratorProgrammeparticipant,Zizamele.
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Theknowledgewaslikeswitchingalighton!”says
Nash.Athoroughrecostingofallhisproducts,re-
sulting inanewandmorecompetitivepricing
structureandgreaterprofessionalisminthebusi-
ness, followed this. “Weare fortunate in that
Heathlearnsveryquicklyandisdeterminedto
strengthenhisbusinessknowledge.Infact,Ithink
heactuallyfindsthebusinesssideofhiscompany
farmoreinterestingandexcitingthanheeverim-
aginedhewould!”saysRessel.
Innovationequalssuccess
Givenitsgenesisandcloselinkswiththecreative
industries,itisnosurprisethatFetolapridesitself
on innovation.“Wearealways lookingfornew
waystoincreaseourimpactanddomoreforless,”
saysWijnberg.OneexampleistheMentorHot-
line©,a24-houremail,smsandtelephonehotline
thatprovidesfastaccesstoexperiencedbusiness
mentorsforbeneficiaries.
AnotherrecentinnovationistheFetolaVolunteer
Mentorprogramme,anational(andpossiblyinter-
national)matchmakingprogrammethatpairsex-
periencedbusinesspeopleandentrepreneurs
withemergingentrepreneursandorganisationsin
needofbusinesssupport.
“OurVisionistochangelivesforthebetter,for-
ever.WeseethedevelopmentoftheSMMEsector
asabsolutelyvitaltothegrowthandprosperityof
ourcountry,andfeelprivilegedtobeabletopart-
nerwithcorporateslikeOldMutualandothers
whoshareourvision.OurcreativetalentinSouth
Africaissohuge,ifthiscanbecoupledwithsound
businessknowledgeandskills,watchoutWorld!”
concludesWijnberg.
Click heretolearnmoreaboutFetolaandthepro-
grammesthattheyrun.<
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By Judy Bryant | Doyouhaveanideaforaproductordesign,andwanttoexploreitfurther?Ifso,the
ProductSupportSpaceattheCapeCraftandDesign
Institute(CCDI)couldbeyournewplayground.
TheCCDIhasforsomeyearshoused,atitshead-
quartersinHarringtonStreet,CapeTown’sonly
FabLab–anassistedDIYcomputer-aideddesign/
manufacturingenvironment.Now,thisfacilityhas
evolvedwithmoreservices,full-timestaffand
state-of-the-artequipmentinanexpandedspace
ofabout300m².
AlanAlborough,theCCDI’sProductSupportPro-
grammeManager,saysitisauser-friendlyenviron-
mentwhereuserscanexperimentandprogress
fromideaconceptualisationtophysicalmanifesta-
tion,withtheappropriatesupport,infrastructure,
tools andequipment. “Peoplehave ideas,but
thesecangetlostbecausetheyarenotnurtured
andpeopledon’tknowhowtodevelopthem”says
Alan.“Weareofferingaplacewhereusersfeelse-
cureandempoweredtodowhattheywanttodo.
Wemeetwithusersonanindividualbasistohelp
themtosolveproblemsaroundanyprocessorma-
Supportingideasintoprototypes
terial.Ifsomeonecomesherewithanidea,they
candevelopitthroughtotheprototype.Issuesare
oftennotprocess-ormaterial-specific;itisoften
acaseofhelpingpeoplethroughaproblem-solv-
ingprocess.”
“Thegoalistohavetheappropriatetechnology
forwhatneedstobedone,soequipmentranges
frombasichandtoolsandworkshopmachinery
suchasasanderandabandsaw,tomoresophisti-
cated,computerisedequipment”addsProduct
SupportFacilitatorPieterCilliers.
ExistingFabLabmachines,originallyfundedbythe
DepartmentofScienceandTechnology,havebeen
supplementedbyadditionalmachinesbudgeted
forbytheCCDI.Thesearegroupedintodedicated
workstations.Safetyisparamount,andthestaff
(trainedinfirstaid)workcloselyalongsidevisitors
onaone-on-onebasis.
TheProductSupportSpaceissplitintotwomain
areas,theResearchandDesignAreaandtheTool
Room.TheResearchandDesignAreaconsistsofa
centralconsultationandplanningarea,andcom-
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TOP&CENTRELEFT:MikeRichardsofPersonalityPensat
workintheProductSupportSpace.CENTRERIGHT:The
CCDIProductSupportSpaceexposedAlisonPresttoa
newtypeofresinthatenabledhertodevelopasuitable
finishforherhandmadeflowervessels.BOTTOMLEFT:
LindyGreylingandSibuleleTomworkingwiththeCCDI's
heatpress.BOTTOMRIGHT:Laser-engravedfabricand
heat-transfervinyldesignbyCarynnUnderhill.
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100 >
putersforresearchanddesign.Theresearchcom-
putersareforanyonetousefreeforproduct-spe-
cificInternetresearch.Thedesigncomputersare
allocatedforspecificuses,sowhilesomearefor
designingtowardsfabrication(machinessuchas
laserandvinylcutters),othershaveprogramssuch
asdigitisingembroiderysoftware.Therearealso
twocomputerswithsurfacedesignsoftware,ideal
forcreatingpatternsanddesignsfortextilesand
prints.
TheToolRoomincludesawiderangeofconven-
tionalhandandpowertools,usedforfixing,cut-
ting,marking,scoring,gluing,andworkingwitha
widerangeofmaterialsaswellasthecomputer-
isedmachinessuchasthelaserandvinylcutters.
Thelatestpurchasesincludeaheatpressfortrans-
fers,alinebenderforbendingPerspexaccurately,
asmallvacuumformerformouldingthinthermo
plasticsandahotwirecutterforcuttingfoaminto
allkindsofshapes.
Full-timestaffavailabletoworkalongsidevisitors
includeProductSupportFacilitatorPieterCilliers
whojoinedtheCCDIasan intern in2008after
completinghisMFAspecialisinginsculpture;Prod-
uctSupportAdvisorDavidvanStadenwhofree-
lancedasagraphicdesigneraftercompletinghis
BA(FineArt)beforejoiningtheCCDIin2007;and
Product SupportAdvisorCaraghBarwisewho
joinedtheCCDIin2009afterstudyingindustrial
design,completingajewellerycourse,andwork-
ingasacraftproducer.
Someofthecraftproducersanddesignerswho
havealreadyusedthefacilitiestoimprovetheir
productsormanufacturingprocessesincludeJohn
Bauer,AlisonPrest,MichaelRichardsandWalter
Zandamela,tonamejustafew.
CeramicartistJohnBauerisinspiredbysalvaged
itemssuchasantiquedoilies,mintleavesandChi-
neseNewYearsymbolsandrecreatesthesepat-
ternsinceramics.Johnhasbeenabletoenlargeor
diminishhispatternswithinputfromtheProduct
SupportSpace,enablinghimtopushthelimitsof
whathefindstechnicallypossibleinceramics.
HehasusedtheProductSupportSpaceasapro-
totypinglaboratorywherehecreatesworkona
lasercutterthatislaterincorporatedintoother
pieces.Forexample,hehasover1000doiliesin
hiscollectionandtakesnegativesandcreatestex-
turalreproductionsthataretrueandcanbeen-
largedorshrunken.Thissetshisworkapartasa
craftproducerasheachievesPhotoshop-typere-
sults,whileonlyusingadoilyoncebeforeputting
itbackintohisarchive.
TheProductSupportSpacestaffhavealsohelped
Johntocreatestampsofhissignature,indifferent
sizes,includingsomeinChinese.Theseimprinthis
work.“Yoursignatureiscritical,becauseifsome-
onelikesyourproductbutcan’tfindyourname,
theycan’torderitfromyou,”hesays.
JohnalsospecialisesincombiningProductSupport
Spacetechnologywithothertechniques.Forex-
ample,hisworkcouldincludelayersofblackand
whiteceramic,whichhebruisesonthesurfaceand
thenreintegratesintoasmoothskin,givingaghost
image.ThePerspexblockfromthePSScreates
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101 >
TOPLEFT:AlisonPrestexperimentswith
resinduringamould-makingsessionat
theProductSupportSpace.
TOPRIGHT:CCDIProductSupport
facilitatorPieterCilliers.
CENTRELEFT:CCDIProductAdvisor
DavidvanStaden(centre)showsIsaque
Mohamed(left)andDionisiaMambo
fromMozambiquesomedifferenttypes
ofheat-transferablevinylintheCCDI
ProductSupportSpace.
BOTTOMRIGHT:CeramicartistJohn
Bauer.
LEFT:CeramicworksbyJohnBauerwho
hasusedtheProductSupportSpaceto
expandtechnicalboundariesinhiswork.
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102 >
anotherimageinthis.Johnhasshownhowphoto-
graphicimagesfromadriver’slicencephotocan
beusedtoachieveafinelevelofreproduction,
andsaysthistechniquecouldalsosuitcraftpro-
ducersmakingitemssuchassoaps,biscuitsand
candlestomakethemappearengraved.
AlisonPrestisafloraldesignerandauthorityon
plantsandsucculentswhoopenedtheSoanesbury
SchoolofAfricanFlowerDesigninCapeTown.Last
yearAlisondevelopedarangeofplantvessels
madefromrecycledmaterialssuchasyoghurtand
margarinecontainers,papier-mâchéandresin.She
attendedamould-makingsessionattheProduct
SupportSpace,andwhenstrugglingtodevelopa
suitablefinishforherpots,thestaffintroducedher
toanewtypeofresin.ThisenabledAlisontode-
velopherownmixturetofinishherpotstothe
standardshedesired.Herrangehasreceivedpub-
licityinrespecteddécorandlifestylemagazines
suchasElle DecorationandVisi.
MichaelRichardsofPersonalityPensstartedwork
asadraftsmaninDurbanandlatertookupwood
turning.Henowproducesbeautifulhand-turned
andfabricatedpensthatwereselectedforthe
2011CCDIHandmadeCollection,whichlaunchedat
theiconicDesignIndabaExpo.ProductSupport
SpacestaffhavehelpedMichaeltoimprovehispro-
ductionability,throughmakingjigs(toolstocon-
trolthelocationandmotionofanothertool)and
templatesforimprovedmanufacturing.
Craftproducersfromneighbouringcountrieshave
also found inspiration at theProduct Support
Space.TheKelloggFoundationfundedaseriesof
workshops, residencies and an internship pro-
grammewhichwasfacilitatedbytheCCDIandin-
cludedahalf-dayintroductiontotheProductSup-
portSpace.The2011residencygraduatesincluded
WalterZandamela,aMozambicanartistandtechni-
cianworkinginvariousmaterialssuchaswoodand
ceramics.AfterhissessionwiththePSS,Walter
continuedtoexplorevariousmaterials,especially
wood,makingarangeofobjectsthatcombinedAf-
ricanandAsiancultures.
ProductSupportSpaceaccessisonanappointment
basis.Click hereformoreinformation.<
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103 >
TOP:Theproductsupportspaceincludesresearch
computerswherepeoplecansearchforinternet
resources.
LEFT:WalterZandamelafromMozambiqueexperi-
mentedwithwoodproductsatthePSS.
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104 >
South Africa learns
from the Swedes
InOctoberlastyear,RaymondEllerbeck,Directorof
C.O.Designs,accompaniedbyagroupof14South
Africansfromwithinthefurnitureindustry,visited
SwedenonaoneweekstudytouroftheSwedish
furniture industry.With the Swedes sharing a
wealthofpracticalexperienceandknowledge,the
SouthAfricanfurnitureindustryhaslearntmany
lessonsfromtheSwedishfurnitureindustry.
BELOW:C.O.Designs’Concept Deskisafullyfunctional
workstationwhichaimstoservicetheneedsofdesign-
ers in various industries. The desk includes a built-in
lightboxaswellasautilityrailwhichenablesthedesign-
ertooptimisetheworksurface.Thedeskincorporates
various ergonomic features including a sit/stand desk
framewhichallowstheusertoconvenientlyandseam-
lesslyalternatebetweenseatedandstandingpositions.By Stacey Rowan
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105 >
TheSouthAfricanfurnitureindustryisunderthreat
andindecline.Thiscouldeithermeanapermanent
declineoranunfortunatebutinevitablepruningof
‘deadwood’inpreparationforarestructuredin-
dustrythatcansustainitself.Fortunatelyitisoften
smalladaptationsdoneproactivelythatensures
survivalofanyindustry.TheSwedishstudytouris
onesuchproactivemovetowardsgainingknowl-
edgeandnewinsightsandcreatingsolutionstoour
decliningfurnitureindustry.
HostedbytheTibrofurnitureindustryclusterinthe
Tibrodistrict(consistingofabout70furniturecom-
panieswhichmanufactureavarietyoffurniture
productspredominantlyfortheinteriorcontract
market),theinformationgainedexposedtheSouth
Africangrouptotheindustryasawhole.Itcovered
responsestoglobaltrends,socialandeconomic
threats,technologyandhumancapitaldevelop-
ment.Theinsightsgainedillustratedhowthestate
ofanyindustryisdefinedbythesocialandeconom-
icenvironmentwithinwhichitoperates.Inthiscon-
textthediscussionseemedtodriftawayfromfurni-
ture interests into culture, social commentary,
economicsandevenpolitics,butalltheseinfluences
shapethedestinyofanindustryandneedtobeun-
derstoodtoensurethefurnitureindustry’ssurvival.
SeverallessonsfortheSouthAfricanfurniturein-
dustry:
1.SouthAfricansmallcompaniescangrowintoglo-
ballycompetitiveorganisations,stayafloatand
gainmarketshareduringaneconomiclowtide.The
recipeissimple–constant improvement and in-
novation.
2.Withindustries,likeourownfurnitureindustry,
clustering together and joining forces,individual
companiesdonothavetogrowintointernational
giantsinordertobecompetitiveintheworldmar-
kets.Companiescanratherstayoptimallysizedand
nimble,abletoadapttochangeandcollectivelypool
marketingandlogisticresourcesinpartnershipwith
regionalgovernment.Firstweestablishdominance
regionally–internallyandtheninAfrica.
Thegoodnewsisthattheseverydynamicsarecur-
rentlyactivewithintheWesternCape,forexample
theWesternCapeFurnitureInitiative(WCFI),De-
signIndabaExpoandgovernment-sponsoredindus-
trydevelopmentinitiativesfacilitatedbytheDTI
andProductivitySA.
3.AstheSwedishmodelproves,awell educated
population couldbethesilverbullettoensure
worldcompetitiveness.Educationdrivesinnova-
tionandsocialcooperationandtolerance,apow-
erfulformulaforsustainablesuccess.Wehaveto
investintheeducationofourpeople,apartfrom
technicalandliterateskillswhichindustryneeds;
italsobringslifeskills,creatingstablecommuni-
tiesandareliable,productiveworkethic.Govern-
ment’smandateistomanageschoolingandterti-
aryinstitutions,establishingapipelineforindustry.
Asan industrywemusttakeresponsibility for
adultskillsdevelopmentwithinourworkforce,
focusingonbothhardandsoftskills.Largercom-
paniesmayhavetheHRresourcestomanagethis
whilesmallercompanieslacktheHRmanagement
knowhow.Governmentassistanceandsubsidies
forSME’sarethereforepoorlyutilisedandoppor-
tunitiesgotowaste.Asbusinessentrepreneurs,
HRdevelopmentshouldberecognisedasavalue
addingopportunityinasimilarlightasacquiring
newtechnologyandmachines.Thiswillallowusto
acceleratethedevelopmentofourindustrybyal-
lowingtechnologyandeducationtoleverageeach
other.Forexampleitcanensurethatinvestment
inproductiontechnologycanbefullymaximised
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106 >
C.O.Designs’Ruotare Unitisbasedonamodularconceptandits
innovativerotatingconstructionallowsittobeusedasaspace
divider,asaTVunitortoshowcaseproducts.Otherconfigurations
rangefromacompacthomeofficespacetoaversatilehospitality
serverincorporatepauseareas.Theproductisaresultofsuccessful
collaborationbetweenC.O.DesignsandChromeCherrywhoconcep-
tualisedtheproduct.ItismanufacturedfromHollowcore,amaterial
thatconsistsofarecycledcardboardhoneycombcorethatisfive
timeslighterthansolidwoodmaterial.
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107 >
withthenecessaryexpertise,asfrequentlysophis-
ticatedmachinesarepoorlyrunandmaintained
withmanyinbuiltfeaturesbeingunderutiliseddue
toanunderskilledoperators.Technologyinvest-
mentneednotsacrificejobsasaneducatedwork-
ercanfindjobopportunitiesinothersectors.
4.Innovation through design–themoderncon-
sumerwantsmorethanmereproductfunctionality
–theywantstyle,aesthetics,andfashiontofuel
theiraspirationsanddefinetheirlifestyle.Ourfur-
nitureindustry,liketheSwedishneedstodefineits
ownbrand,drawnfromouruniqueAfricanculture.
Theleastattractivealternativeistoemulatesuc-
cessfulinternationalbrandsandtrends,attherisk
ofrelegatingourselvestotheroleoffollowerstry-
ingtokeepupwiththeleadersandinnovators.
ApartfromSweden,USA,Italy,GermanyandJapan
allhavetheirdistinctivefurnituredesignsignatures
drawnfromtheirenvironmentandcultureand
evendevelopingcountrieslikeIndonesiahavea
uniqueparticularstyletheyareofferingtheworld.
Ourcraftindustrygivesinsightintotherichcrea-
tiveandculturaldiversitywehave.AsSouthAfri-
cansweneedtoovercomeouridentitycrisisand
findourtrueselves.
5.Market and brand our products locallyandinter-
nationally.Weareblessedwithsomeoftheworld’s
mostcreativeadvertisingandmarketingagencies.
Expandthe‘ProudlySouthAfrica’and‘localislekker’
themesinordertostrengthenourlocalindustry.
Allinall,keylearning’swhichC.O.Designshaveim-
plementedaresimple:Constantimprovementand
innovation;clustertogetherandjoinforcesinorder
tobecompetitiveonaglobalscale;educationiskey
foracompetitiveedge;innovationthroughdesign
andmarketandbrandproductsbothlocallyandin-
ternationally.Theseareallvitaltoincludeinthe
businessstrategyandtoimplementtoensurethe
furnitureindustryinSouthAfricaisaglobalplayer
ininternationalmarkets.
“Thelearning’sfromthetour,whethertheybeglo-
baltrends,socialoreconomicarevitaltounder-
standwhenlookingattheglobalfurnitureindustry
asawhole.Allcountriesandthereforeindustries
arepartoftheglobalvillageandthereforedirectly
affectedbyglobaleconomics,aswillingorunwill-
ingparticipants,”saysEllerbeck.
C.O.Designswasestablishedin1994withaprimary
focusonservicingthefurniturerequirementsof
corporateclients.Theirproductrangeincludesa
widespectrumofofficefurniture,desking,seat-
ing,screeningandfurnitureincommonareas.The
companyhasgrownconsistentlybothinsizeand
reputationbysuccessfullyapplyingaconsistent
customerfocusedstrategyofofferingmorethan
justofficefurniture.Theirserviceofferingincludes
productdesignanddevelopment,workstationde-
sign,manufactureandcountrywidedeliveryand
installation.
Asanestablishedcompanywithinthelocalindus-
try,theysupportdevelopmentasafoundermem-
ber of theWestern Cape Furniture Initiative.
Throughcontinuousimprovementandtrainingin
conjunctionwithProductivitySA,C.O.Designsin-
vestinskillsdevelopmentandhelpensurethecon-
tinuationofkeyindustryskills.
“AtC.O.Designswefeelthatweareleadersinthe
industrybecauseweunderstandandlearnfrom
countriessuchasSwedenandwehopetocontin-
uetoapply,deliverandadapttoaneverchanging
market,”concludesEllerbeck.<
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PRECIOSA illuminates another One & Only complex
109 >
DubainowboaststhesecondOne&Onlyhotelcomplex,One&OnlyThe
Palm,whichopenedontheartificialislandofPalmJumeirainOctober
oflastyear.Theinteriorofthisstylishgem,whichisagainlitupbylamps
andfixturesfromPRECIOSA,isfullofenergy,emotionandsensuality.
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110 >
ThiscolossalOne&OnlyThePalmproject,onwhich
PRECIOSAworkedforalmostthreeyears,isyet
anotherexampleofthevastdesignabilitiesand
productioncapabilitiesthatthisCzechcompany
hasinitsrepertoire.Ninehundredpiecesandover
150differenttypesofluminaireswerecraftedby
thehandsofmasterglassmakersintherenowned
NorthernBohemianglassregion.
PRECIOSA’sversatilityillustratesnotonlythediver-
sityofdesignstyles,butalsothemyriadofpossible
LEFT:TheOne&OnlyThePalm'slobbylounge.
RIGHT:Lobbyfountain.
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111 >
lightingsolutions.Theuniquedesignscreatedfor
theOne&OnlyThePalmperfectlyharmonisewith
eachinterior,somuchsothattheyseemtobeanin-
delibleandintegralpartofeachspace.Contempo-
rary,traditionalandArabicdesignstylespermeate
thevariousrooms.Tocapturethespiritofrecent
trends,crystalspiralsandglobesweremadeto
createthefeelingofsteppingintoasparklingice
kingdom.Themostpopularoftrendsinlightingtoday
arealsorepresented,includingspectacularhang-
ingsculpturescomposedoffree-formhand-blown
glass.Incontrastwiththeseabstractpiecesarethe
curvesoftimelessclassics,adaptedtothiscentury
throughtheuseofsomeofthemostinteresting
moderndecorativecomponents.Lastly,typicalorien-
talchandeliersarealsopresent.Lanternsofvarious
shapes,eitheraloneorinexcuisiteclusters,are
furtherembellishedwithintricatelaser-cutdeco-
rativeelements.Whetheryoumeanderoutsideor
insideofthislargecomplex,youwillencountera
widerangeoffree-standingfixtures,tablelamps,
andsconceswhichdecoratemanyawall.
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112 >
LuxuriousdecorativechandeliersfromPRECIOSA
canalsobeseenthroughouttheOne&OnlyThe
Palm.Theybothcreateandcomplementthe
atmosphereofthereception,restaurant,well-
nesscentre,beachlounge,bathroomsand,of
course,theindividualhotelguestroomsand
villas.
AboutPRECIOSA
PRECIOSAisoneoftheworld’sleadingproducer
ofcutcrystal,specialisingmainlyintheproduc-
tionofmachinecutchatons,beads,stonesand
LEFT:The101MarinaRestaurant&Bar/Lounge.
CENTRE:AlldaydiningatZest,theresort’smain
restaurant.
TOPRIGHT:Specialtyrestaurant.
BOTTOMRIGHT:Alldaydining.
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113 >
otherfashionjewellerycomponentsoftopquality
andinabroadvarietyofshapes,colorsandsizes.
Thecompany’sheadquartersisbasedinJablonec
nadNisouinNorthernBohemia,aregionwithhun-
dredsofyearsofglassmakingtradition.
PRECIOSAproducescrystaltrimmingchandeliers
aswellascontemporarydecorativelightingfixtures
inthetownofKamenickýŠenov.Italsoproduces
custom-madelightingfixturesforawiderangeof
prestigiousbuildingssuchastheaters,hotels,lux-
urypalacesandprivateresidences.Examplesof
prominentlightingprojectsexecutedbyPRECIOSA
inrecentyearsincludetheBolshoyTheaterand
TheCzaricynoPalaceinMoscow,theEmiratesPalace
HotelandtheYasHotelinAbuDhabi,TheAddress
DowntownBurjDubai,RegencyCasinoMontParnes
inAthens,One&OnlyCapeTown,andtheover-
haulofhistoricallightingfixturesintheroomsof
PragueCastle,theseatoftheCzechPresident,to
namejustafew.<
Specialtyrestaurant
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114 >
TheUpperEastSide
Hotel:BeautybyContrast
114 >
By Stacey Rowan & Shiree Darley
Theopenspacesofthehotelhave
numerouslayersofunconventional
materials,rhythmicpatterns,vibrant
coloursandlightingandare
adornedwithindulgentaccessories.
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115 > 115 >
LeCorbusier,aSwissarchitectandoneofthepioneersofModernarchitectureorthe
Internationalstyleoncesaid:“Ihavedecidedtomakebeautybycontrast.Iwillfindits
complementandestablishaplaybetweencrudityandfinesse,betweenthedullandthe
intense,betweenprecisionandaccident.Iwillmakepeoplethinkandreflect…”This
statementaptlydescribestheoveralldesignconceptoftheUpperEastSideHotel
wherekeyinteriorarchitecturalelementspartitionandbreakupthespace,creatinga
somewhatambivalentatmosphere,asenseofmysteryandsurprisewhenwhatyou
thinkyouareseeingmaynotbewhatitseems.
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116 >
TheUpperEastSideHotel,anewlyrevamped4-Star
CityHotelcompletedearlierthisyear,issetinone
oftheoldestsuburbsinCapeTown–Woodstock–
whichislocatedbetweenthedocksofTableBay
andthelowerslopesofDevil’sPeak,justEastofthe
CityCentre.Thisurbanrenewalareaisservedby
tworailwaystations,resultinginanindustrialset-
tingtothearea.Woodstock’sdilapidatedcharmis
whathasmadeitsuchanexcellentcontingentfor
theinner-cityrevivalthathasrecentlytakenthe
suburbbystorm.TheUpperEastSideHotelisonly
oneaspectofthisrevival,withvariousothercom-
ponents includingLoftApartmentsandavibey
ShoppingCentreformingpartofthisurbanrenewal.
WithArchitecturedesignedbyDesign360Archi-
tectsforRedefineProperties,theclient,theUp-
perEastSideHotelfeaturesopenplan,double
volumeandcombinedlowerceilingpublichotel
areasaccommodatingthereceptionlobby,conver-
sationlounges,atrendydiningareawithcocktail
Bar,businessmen’slibrary,cigarbarandoutdoor
diningterrace.
DarleyInteriorArchitecturalDesign(DIAD)–the
hotelspecialistinteriordesignteam–designedand
createdtheinteriorsforthepublicareasoftheUp-
perEastSideHotelworkingwithintheparameters
oftheexistingstructure.Thisinvolveddeveloping
thearchitecturalframeworkbyconceptualisingand
designingtheinteriorspaces,space-planning,ac-
commodatingtheclient/operatorsrequirements,
themeingthediningandbarareasandselecting
anddetailingallfinishes,shopfitting,panelingand
lighting–allwithinapre-determinedbudgetand
veryfasttrackprogramme.Furnishingswherecus-
116 >
LEFT:Furnishingsarecustomdesigned,fabricsselect-
edandaccessoriessourcedtocreateconversationand
relaxationlounges.
RIGHT:Openplanspacesareskillfullyzonedusing
raisedplatforms,stoneboxes,screensandpostbox
framestocreateintimacy,butnottotalseparation.
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117 >
tomdesigned,fabricsselected,artworkcommis-
sionedandchandeliersandaccessoriessourced.
Thesewereallthanprocuredandinstalledbythe
DIADteamincludingprojectmanagementofthe
shopfittinginstallation.
DIADfounddesigninspirationfromtheup-and-
comingWoodstocklocationwithitsunderlying
industrialnuances.WiththeUpperEastSideHotel
aimedatamoreyouthfulmarket,bothinterna-
tionalandlocal,aswellasseekingtoencourage
residentandcorporatebasedprofessionalstofre-
quentthediningandbarvenues, the interiors
neededtobestylishandchic.Thearchitecturalap-
proachisslickandminimalistsoDIADdecidedto
createayoungvibrantinteriorfilledwithunusual
diversespaces–sothatpatronscouldhaveinter-
activeorindividualexperiences.
Fromaninteriordesignperspective,thevarious
visitoractivitiessuchasarrival,eating,business,
117 >
bar and relaxation have been combined and
plannedwithinthemainpublicareasmaximising,
whereavailable,thegenerosityofthevolumed
spaceswhichareframedbymezzaninelevels,and
thenplayingontheintimacyoftheexistinglow
ceilingareas.Ratherthanclosingoffandseparat-
ingtheamenities–thedesignphilosophywasto
accommodateallrecreationwithin“onespace”.
Thisledtothechallengeofdistinguishingthedif-
ferentopenplanspacesandcreatingintimacybut
nottotalseparation.
DIADachievedthisbyskillfullyzoningtheareas
withraisedplatforms,stoneboxes,screensand
postboxframes.Differentcolourpalettesofplay-
ful light,textureandfabricswherethenjuxta-
posed.Thedesignconceptwaskeptcoherentwith
themonochromaticblackandwhitebackground
embellishedwithasignaturelanguageofdesign
patternswhichwererepeatedindifferentapplica-
tionsthroughouttheareas.
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118 > 118 >
Theoverallconceptproducedthecreationofnumer-
ouslayersofunconventionalmaterials,rhythmic
patterns,vibrantcolouredfabricsandlighting,
adornedwithindulgentaccessories,providingthe
clientelewithvisualdiscoveriesandillusionspro-
gressingfromspacetospace.
Diningoptionsofferedare
2and4seaters,casualbar
styleseatingandcomfort-
ableintimatebanquette
styleseating.
DesignConcept
Theinteriorswhereinspiredbytheblackandwhite
filmeraandartworkofthe“RoaringTwenties”,a
boisterousperiodcharacterisedbyrapidlychanging
lifestylesandthefastpaceoftechnologicalad-
vancements.Theeconomyinthe1920’ssoaredaf-
tertheFirstWorldWar;muchasWoodstockhas
duringthisrenewalandrevampperiod,departing
fromthehistoryofaslightlyseedyneighbourhood.
Nightclubsanddecadentrestaurantswerechic
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119 > 119 >
placestomeetandbeseenandthisiswhatDIAD
setouttocreatefortheUpperEastSideHotel.
The1920’sart,artistsandillustratorswereanad-
ditionalsourceofinspirationtotheDIADteam
whilstestablishingthedesignconcept.Thetwo
artmovementswhichhadtheirgenesisduringthe
1920’swereSurrealismandArtDeco.Surrealism
beganinpostWorldWarIavant-gardeliterarycir-
clesandfeaturedelementsofsurprisewithunex-
pectedjuxtapositions.Photographyalsobecame
recognisedasanartforminthe20’sanditsblack
andwhitedepictionsestablishedastrongmotiva-
tiontocreateabasethemeofamonotonearchi-
tecturalbackdrop.
Hence,theoverallbackgroundoftheinteriorsis
detailedandfittedoutwith refinedblackand
whitefinishesinopulentdesignsandpatterns.
Thesearethenlayeredandsplashedwithbright
coloursandavarietyofcontrastingfinishesto
bringinthefunkyvibe.Thespacesareadorned
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120 > 120 >
andlayeredwithclean-linedfurnitureiniridescent
fabrics,cascadesofcrystalsandboldpatterned
wallcoverings.Acontemporarytakeontheexcite-
mentofthe1920’sera,thisdesignthemegener-
atesthethrilloftheexcessandindulgenceofa
theatricalpastime.
DesignWalkthrough
Strollingthroughtheinternalshoppingplazafrom
thePorteCochere,past thecaféstyle terrace
seating,oneentersadoublevolume,openspaced
entrancelobby.Thecrispwhitestonereception
deskwithasoftglowingbluecirclepatterned
glassinsert,contrastsagainsttheblackreflective
floorandissetagainstapaisleywallpaperedback
dropdisplayingoneofthecommissionedartwork
pieces.
Surreptitiously tuckedbehind the customde-
signedhighbackedbanquetseatisthediningven-
ue–Liberty’s–featuringaversatileconversation
piece–thecontemporarystyledButcher’sBlock
whichistransformedintotwolargetablescen-
teredintherestaurantforthebreakfastbuffet
set-upandthenplacedinamirroredniche,ele-
gantlydecoratedwithornateblackaccessories
duringthelunchanddinnerservices.Diningop-
tionsofferedare2and4seaters,casualbarstyle
seatingforthesinglebusinessmenwithlaptop
spaceandcomfortableintimatebanquettestyle
seating.
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Fromthediningarea,theguestmovesthrougha
screenopeningintotheprivatelibraryareawith
oversizedacidgreenrecliningchairsforcomfort-
ableTVviewingorrelaxedreading,withgenerous
selectionsofcomplimentarynovelswhichlinethe
oversized,glamorouslyaccessorisedbookshelves.
Featuredbehindasandblastedglassdooristhe
cigarbarwithtranslucentglasswinedisplayssur-
roundingtheguestwithanextensiveselectionfor
personalisedchoicefromcognactochampagne.
The focalwall is linedwith a voluptuous, full
heightplumbanquette seat and intimate tur-
quoisetubchairsnestlearoundfunkytimberand
glasstables.Asenseofhumourhasbeenaddedto
thisspacewiththepolishedchromehorsehead
sculpturessurveyingtheroomfromfloatingniches
andthewallofclocksalltotheirowntimecreat-
ingatimelinespin.
Glamwithloadsoffunkistheonlywaytodescribe
thecocktailbar–Estreet.Anenormousmirrored
andglassbackbardwarfsthebarmanbelow,exag-
geratingthedoublevolumesurroundsandcreating
adeceptivemyriadof3Dreflectedimages.With
thebraveuseofthestrongblackandwhitestripe
wallcovering,themirrorsparkleswiththereflec-
tionofcascadingcrystalchandeliersandlasercut
patternedscreens,creatingaconstantlyanimat-
ed,livelyspacewhichvariesaccordingtothelight-
inglevels.Thevibeherevarieswiththeadjust-
mentofthelightingwhichglowsfromthebar
panelsaswellasceilingrecesses,betweentrendy
cocktailtodecadentnightclub.
Thewhitestonewallscontrastwith
againsttheblackreflectivefloor.
Theyoungvibrantinteriorsarestylist
andchic,withaminimalistlook.
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Inspiredbythe1920sera–withthedeliciousness
ofexcessandindulgences,themonotoneblack
andwhitebackgroundislayeredwithcolour,deca-
denttextures,overscaledpatternedwallfinishes,
crystalchandeliersandornateaccessories,with
theslicknessofthedesigndetailingcreatingan
undeniablesenseofglamour.
Reasoningbehindthedesign
DIADsetouttobreaksomeoftherulesoncontem-
porarydesign,creatinganalluringandwhimsical
interior,butwithcarefulattentiontodetail,comfort
andscale,providinganexpressiveinner–cityliving
destinationwithvibrant,interactivespaces.
Withphotographybeingarecognisedartformin
the1920s,itsblackandwhitedepictionsestab-
lishedastrongmotivationtousethemonotone
architecturalbackdropthatDIADexplored,then
bringinginthelayersandsplashesofvibrantcol-
ourwithfabricselectionsandlightingpanels–
theseallinspiredbythefashionoftheday.
TheinspirationofSurrealismandArtDecoisevident
inDIAD’sdesignwiththecircularpatternscreating
aconsistentthemewiththecounterfronts,screens
andcarpetdesignssetagainstavarietyofindulgent
patternsandtheblendingofman-made materials
ofbacklitart-glass,lasercutscreens,polishedtechni-
stoneandmirroredstainlesssteel.
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Opulentdesignsandpatterns,
splashedwithbrightcoloursand
layeredwithclean-linedfurni-
turebringinafunkyvibe.
123 >
HoweverDIADhavestillputanemphasisonsim-
plicity, functionality, efficiency and economy.
Openspaceswereretainedandsimilarfinishes
usedthroughouttocreateaunifiedinteriorwith
adefinitecontinuitycreatedbytheconsistentuse
ofdifferentmaterialcombinationsindifferent
applications.
KeyElementsandDesignInnovation
Oneofthekeyinnovativefeaturesofthisproject
wasDIAD’screationofagatheringplacewithin
thehotel’spublicspaceswhereclientelecando
business,dine,relaxandsocialise,encouragingan
interactivespacethatneversleeps.Thechallenge
ofestablishingdistinctpathsforfunctionalhotel
operationandfoodandbeverageservices,within
theopenplanspaces,withoutimposingorintrud-
ingontheguests,wasmanagedwiththeskillful
partitioningofthespaceusingkeyarchitectural
elements.Theseincludedlaser-cutscreensand
postboxframesmanufacturedfromacombination
ofmaterialsofmetal,sandblastedglassandtim-
ber,givingrisetoaplayonpositiveandnegative
spaceswiththeirpatterningandfilteringoflight-
ing,creatingadesignvernacularuniquetothisin-
ternationalawardwinninghotel.<
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RadissonBluGautrainHotel:Symbolismindesign
ByStaceyRowan
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Beingspoiltforchoice,guestscanenjoya
cocktailontheoutdoorpoolterrace.
Giventhecrucialnatureofitslocality,TheRadisson
BluGautrainHotel,locatedintheheartofSandton
nexttotheGautrainrailstation,bearssymbolismin
itsdesign.Basedonthethemeofatrainstation,
theconceptofthehoteldesign isrepresented
throughthemanytrain-likedesignsymbolsused
withinthehotel,witheveryelement‘talkingto’,
andgivingreferenceof,theGautrainthatfacesop-
positeit.
“RadissonBluGautrainHotelisdesignedaccording
toatraintheme.Thefloorcolourswithredlevels
andyellowlevelssymbolisedifferenttrainroutes.
Thelinesonthecarpetrepresentarailwayandat
theendofeachcorridorapictureofatrain,subway
oratrainstationcanbeviewed.Theroomnumbers
onthedooraredesignedasadigitalclock,similar
tothoseintrains,andonthe3rdfloornexttothe
guestliftadifferentdesign,influencedbyasub-
way,wasused.ThisallkeepsinlinewiththeGau-
trainthemeanditpromotesrapidlink,”saysJesper
Henriksen,GeneralManager,RadissonBluGautrain
Hotel.
Forthearchitects–TowerDesignStudioArchitects,
ledbyWernerAlberts–thedesignhadtodraw
peopleinfromthetrainstation,whilstcapitalising
ontheideaoftheinternationaltravellerwhois
usedtotheideaofpublictransport.
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Notonlywerethearchitectsresponsibleforcreat-
ingthissymbolicdesign,butinternationalinterior
designerMariaVafiadis,ofMKVDesign,alsocon-
tributedtoputtingthisdesignconceptonthefast
track.AccordingtoMaria,theuseofalocaltheme
shouldneverbeunoriginal.Ifitis,thenthehotel
itselfrisksbecomingjustanimitationoftheGau-
train,failingtocelebratethethemeitself.Cleverly,
MKVDesignmadetheirdesignforthehotelrefer-
encetrains,butinthemostsubtleway.Oneexam-
pleofthisentailedtheparquetflooring,usedex-
tensively throughout thepublicareasusingan
Africanteak,beinglaidinthemannerofrailway
tracks and sleepers instead of conventional
straight-laidplanks.
SettinganewarchitecturalstandardintheSouthAfricanhospitalityindustry
Thefivedistinctbrandsundertheprestigiousinter-
nationalRezidorHotelgroupsportauniquestyle
andfeel–fromworld-classluxuryatRegent;afash-
ionablestayatHotelMissoni;cosyhospitalityat
CountryInnanddynamicambiancewithParkInn–
andtheRadissonisnoexception.Fromthearchi-
tecturewithitsclassic,cleanlinesrightthroughto
thetrendydécor,theRadissonBluGautrainHotel,
managedbyRadissonBluHotels&Resorts,setsa
newarchitecturalstandardintheSouthAfrican
hospitalityindustry.
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LEFT:Theinterior,withitselegantfurniture,issophisticated,modernandavant-garde.
CENTRE:Theredcarpetcolour,combinedwithitsstraightlines,representatrainroute–anotherfeature
contributingtothesymbolismindesign.
RIGHT:Artworkpieces,bylocalartists,areplacedthroughoutthehotel,integratingSouthAfricanculture
andheritanceintothehotel.
TowerDesignStudioArchitectscantakeownership
ofthisnewachievement.Thebriefgiventothear-
chitectsentaileddesigningahighrise,mixed-use
developmentthatcouldaccommodateahotel,a
retailcomponentaswellasofficespace.Inorder
forthistobeachieved,thedesignhadtobeflexible
enoughtoaccommodatealltheseaspects,together
withundergroundparkinggarages.
Acentralcore(orrigidspine)withinthebuilding
wascreated,whichisusedtosupportstructuralcol-
umnswhichflowtotheperimeters.Duetobudget
limitations,pre-castpanelsfortheexteriorofthe
newhotelwereputinplace.Withallthisstructural
mass,and thebuilding’shighdensitybulk, the
RadissonBluGautrainHotelmaybedescribedas
masculine,borderingonimposing.However,with
thearchitecturaldesignofthehotelbeingofasim-
ple,clean,modernandplainstyle,itcreatesfora
contemporaryfeel,decreasingitsheavyappear-
anceonitssurroundings.
Anotheruniquearchitecturalfeatureofthehotelis
itsroofspaceusage.Beingbothindemandandin
shortsupplyinJohannesburg,roofspacehasbe-
comeanarchitecturaltrend.Cleverly,theRadisson
BluGautrainHotelquicklyfollowedthistrend,with
itscreationofZAR,afunkynewbarvenue,located
onthetopofthehotel.
Itisthroughtheseachievements,amongstmany
others,thattheRadissonBluGautrainHotelhas
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HQ Store: 150 West St CNR Maude St, Sandton Shop 16, Sandton Eye, CNR West & Rivonia Rd, Sandton
T: +27 11 384 5600 www.africanromance.com
EXCELLENT CUT DIAMONDS. AFRICA’S FRIST LUXURY
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nowsetanewarchitecturalstandardinthehotel
industry–allthisbeingaccomplishedwithintwo
years,fromdesigntocompletion.
Originalinterior,internationalbrand
EventhoughtheRadissonBluGautrainHotelbe-
longstotheRezidorHotelgroup(whichholdssimi-
laritiesthroughoutitshotels),itwasimportantfor
MKVDesigntoachieveinteriorsthatareoriginal
anddistinct.Throughviewingtheinsideoftheho-
tel,with itsglazedelementsandflowofpublic
spaces,itisevidentthattheflowandmovementof
thestationareasispickedupintheinteriordesign.
AccordingtoMariaVafiadis,theRadissonBluGau-
train issophisticated,modernandavant-garde.
MKVDesignsusedamonochromaticcolourpalette
togetherwithmodernclassicfurniture,whichadds
adistinctiveelegance.
MKVDesignsmadesurethatthenewexperienceof
thishotelhaditsownauthenticstory;thatitworks
asahotelandthatithasitsown“soul”.
TheRadissonBluGautrain,althoughbeingcreated
fromaninternationalbrand,withaEuropeanper-
spective,hadtostillintegratelocalSouthAfrican
cultureandheritancewithinit.Thiswasachieved
throughplacinglocalartworkpieceswithinthe
hotel,whichwerecreatedentirelybylocalartists.
The‘proudlySouthAfrican’artwork,amixofdif-
ferentmediaaswellasconventionalpaintings,
aidesincombingtheinternationalbrandwithits
localsetting.
Sumptuouscuisineisprovided
foratthe
up-m
arketrestaurantswithinthe
hotel.
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SpoiltforchoicewithWorld-classamenities
Withalltheworld-classamenitiesthattheRadisson
BluGautrainHoteloffers–includingafitnesscen-
tre;cocktaillounge;boutiqueretailemporium;up-
marketrestaurants;hautecoutureclothingbou-
tiques;arelaxingspa;trendyhairsalonsandZAR,
guestsarespoiltforchoice.Withsumptuouscui-
sineprovidedbyCentralOneBar&Restaurantand
cocktailsbytheoutdoorpoolterrace,inadditionto
alloftheotherofferings,guestsneedn’tleavethe
hotel.
Visitorsare‘spoiltforchoice’because“…We’rea
multipurposebuildingwithavarietyofoptionsun-
deroneroof,”saysJesper.
Forthosejustwantingtorelaxintheirrooms,216
–MariaVafiadisdesigned–contemporaryrooms,
Guestscanalsorelaxinstyleatthelobbybar.
130 >
allwithbreathtakingviewsoverSandton,areavail-
able.“Wehaveapenthouse,standardrooms,busi-
nessclassrooms,ajuniorsuiteandacornersuite
available.”Modernamenitiessuchasfreehigh-
speedwirelessInternetareavailablewithinthe
rooms.Notforgettingabreakfastbuffetaftera
goodnightsrest.
Forthoseonbusinesstime,theRadissonBluGau-
trainHoteloffersitsbusinessvisitorsversatilecon-
ferencespaces,seatingupto235delegates,and
state-of-the-artmeetingfacilitieswhichinclude
freehighspeedinternetandthelatestaudio-visual
equipment.Thishotelprovidesforbothbusiness
andleisure.
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Theoutdoorterraceandpoolw
ithaview
ofsurroundingJohannesburg.
Shopwithfullwallets
Notonlyisthehotelasuccessinitself,but,equally
important,theretailarcade,withinthehotelcom-
plex,hasproventobeasuccessasahighendbrand
initsownright.
Theshoppingarcade,consistingofstoresthat
rangefromexclusivecoffeeshopstohighendlux-
urygoodsstores,isacrucialaspectofthewhole
architecturaldesign.Likethehotel,thearcade
wasalsodesignedwiththe‘train’themeinmind.
Theentranceoftheshopssitsdirectlyopposite
theroadfromthestation,andassuch,thehigh
endstoreshadtoappealtointernationaltravel-
lerswhowantedtoshopinahurry.Fundamental-
ly,theshoppingspace,intermsofdesign,hadto
echothatofthehotel–tocreateacohesivewhole.
GuestscannowshopwithfullwalletsusingATM’s,
withinthehotel,suppliedbyATMSOLUTIONS,the
proudpreferredATMsupplierofchoice.Moreand
moreSouthAfricanhotelsandhospitalitygroups
areinstallingATMSduetothesafe,convenient
andinstantaccesstocashtheyprovidefortheho-
tel’sguests.Asidefromtheconvenienceofcash,
theirATMsaddvalue toany location, like the
Radisson,astheyaredesignedandmanufactured
tobevisuallyappealing.ATMSolutions,leadersin
ATMoperation anddeployment, installs bank
brandedATMSforeightofSouthernAfrica’slarg-
estbanksandhasbeenintheindustryforoverten
yearsdeployingover4000off-premiseATMsto
date,whicharesupportedthroughadedicatednet-
workofservicecentresandtechniciansthrough-
outtheregion.
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Easyreach
Apartfromthesefantasticamenities,thehotel’s
primelocation,situatedonRivoniaRoad,allows
gueststoenjoyvisitingSandtonCity,multinational
corporations,NelsonMandelaSquare,theSandton
InternationalConventionCentre,GautrainStation,
variousshoppingupmarketshoppingmallsandthe
JohannesburgStockExchange,allofwhicharein
walkingdistance.
Inaddition,departingfromtheO.R.TamboInter-
nationalAirport and travellingbyGautrain at
speedsofupto160km/h,visitorstotheRadisson
BluGautrainHotelwilltakeonly15minutesfrom
theairporttoreachthehotel’sdoorstep.Thisis
anotherfactorthatmakesthehoteluniquefrom
anyotherhotelwiththehotelgroup.
“YesIcan!”
AspartoftheRezidorHotelGroup,gueststothe
RadissonBluGautrainHotelnotonlyenjoyallthat
thehotelhastoofferarchitecturally,buttheyare
alsoassuredofimpeccabletreatmentandatten-
tionbasedontheGroup’sworldwide“Yes,Ican!”
serviceexcellencephilosophy.
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“YesICan!,theserviceculturethathasbecomea
wayoflifetothosethatworkthere,hasbuiltserv-
iceexcellencewithintheRezidorHotelGroupand
hasbeenproventosuccessfullycontributetoa
proactive, creativeserviceperformanceandto
higherguestsatisfaction.ThismakesRadisson,in
termsofitsservice,differentfromanyotherhotel.
AsJespermentioned:“YesICan!”embodiesthevi-
sionandphilosophyofRadissonSAS–beingthe
cornerstoneofthehotel’scommitmenttobuilding
one-on-onerelationshipswithourguestsandaper-
sonaluniqueserviceapproach.The‘H.E.A.R.T.of
RadissonSAS’underlinestheapproachthatitall
comesfrompositiveattitudeandfromtheheart–
beingtheabbreviationfor'Host,Engaged,Always,
ResponsibilityandTeamwork.’Allinall,thehotel
offersexcellence,bothinthespheresofexcellence
andinarchitecture.
Whenconsideringtheresponsefromguestswho
havestayedatthehotel,Jesperconcludes:“There
hasbeenapositiveresponsefromguestswhofind
thenewageaccommodationvibrant;thelocation
convenientandtheservicetobeexcellent,ofwhich
weprideourselvesfor.”<
216MariaVafiadisdesigned
contemporaryrooms,with
breathtakingviewsofSandton
areavailable.
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AFGRIHEADOFFICEArchitecturethatfloats
By Stacey Rowan
WhenitcomestotheAFGRIHeadOffice,thearchitects–ParagonArchitects–can
beseenasmagicians.Theyhavewavedtheirarchitecturalwandandhavedefied
gravity,creatingabuildingthatholdstheillusionoflevitation.Withitsstarkwhite
contrastingcolourandlargeglasscurtainwalls,theAFGRIheadofficeisanim-
maculatefloatingapparition.
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LEFT:Thebasementlevels
andfourofficelevelsareall
supportedbycolumns.
RIGHT:Asanimmaculate
floatingapparition,the
buildingholdstheillusionof
levitation.
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WhenitcomestotheAFGRIHeadOffice,thearchi-
tects–ParagonArchitects–canbeseenasmagicians.
Theyhavewavedtheirarchitecturalwandandhave
defiedgravity,creatingabuildingthatholdsthe
illusionoflevitation.Withitsstarkwhitecontrast-
ingcolourandlargeglasscurtainwalls,theAFGRI
headofficeisanimmaculatefloatingapparition.
LocatedbetweentheJohnVosterandBothaAvenue
off-rampsinCenturion,theAFGRIheadoffice,the
firstbuildinginafutureofficeparkcomplex,isnes-
tlednexttotheN1highway.Asthesiteisvisible
fromthehighway,this,fortheclient,gaverisetoan
opportunity.Withtheenvironmentbeingthebig-
gestinfluenceofdesign,thiswasachancetoshow-
caseanimageofaforward-thinkingcompany,
throughthevisiblearchitectureofthebuilding.
“Thebrief,fromM&TDevelopment,wastodesign
abuildingthatwouldtakefulladvantageoftheex-
posuretothehighway,whilemaintainingmorepri-
vateexternalseatingandlandscapedareas.Thebuild-
ingwedesignedturnsitslouveredNorthfaçade
towardsthehighway–itisstrikingandsculptural.
Thecurvedlouversseemtoflowwiththemovement
ofthetraffic,whilescreeningtheoccupantsinthe
buildingfromthenoiseandanydirectsunlight.Pri-
vateseatingareaswerealsocreatedontheSouth
sideofthebuilding,takingfulladvantageofthe
wetlandarea,”saysEstelleMeiring,Projectarchi-
tect&associate,ParagonArchitects.
AFRGIHeadOfficecomprisestwosquare-shaped
basementlevelsandfourofficelevels,allsupported
bycolumns.Thebasementisdedicatedtoparking
andeffectivelyliftsthelevelsofofficespaceoffthe
site.Pushingthebasementoutofthegroundmeant
thatthegroundlevelhadtoberaisedhigherthan
theusualofficefloor,whichineffect,madeitex-
tremelylight.Thelightnesswasachievedbyweaving
curvedglasswallsalongtheslab.Theglassitself
onlyhasfins,ratherthananaluminumstructure,
whichwouldhaveweighedthefaçadedown.
Post-tensionedslabsfromthefirstfloortorooflevel
wereused.Concreteslabswerecastaspost-ten-
sionedstructuresinordertospeeduptheconstruc-
tionprocess.Conventionalslabswerehowever
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138 >
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usedonthegroundlevelandforthebasements.
Thegablewallswerethenconstructedasinsitu
concretestructuresandthecurtainwallsinstalled
ontheedgesoftheslab.Thedesignofthesupport
workforeachcompletedwallslabwasmostcritical
forsuccessfulconstructionofthegablesandhadto
bespecificallyengineered.Theengineersdesigned
thesupportworkfor2m-highwetconcretewithall
theweightiftheshutteringandrebar.Aplatform
wasbuiltfromthegroundfloortothebeginningof
thewallbeingcast.Supportworkisthenerected
fromtheplatformuptothecurvedshuttering.As
eachnewsectionofthewalliscast,itjutsoutfurther
overtheplatform.Thesupportworkisthenshifted
andrealignedtosupportthenextwallslabuntilit
cures.Thisprocessisrepeatedsixtimesperwall.The
gablewalls,topandbottomslabedgeandsoffit,
werethencladdedinwhitebrokentiles.Thisbroken
ceramictilefacing,knownasazelejos quebrados,was
madepopularagainbySantiagoCalatravainrecent
years.“Thebrokentilecladdingthatwasusedis,we
believe,afirstinSouthAfricaandweareverypleased
withtheoutcome.”
Theatrium,atthecentreofthekappa-shapedstruc-
ture,housestheliftandthetoiletcore.Twopavil-
ionsofoffices,joinedatthehipandsetatarakish
angle,arecocoonedinacurvaceousconcreteskin.
Theysitabovethelifestylezonespreadontheground
floor.Theglasslinefollowsadifferenttuneofits
own,shieldingcompressedandexpandingspaces
fromthesun,weatherandnoise.Wheretheglassskin
istooindecentlyexposedtothesun,acurvaceous
secondskinoflaser-cutshimmeringaluminumlou-
vers,tailoredtosuit,coversthedenudeareas.
Thebuilding,initsdesign,isstrikingandsculptural.
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“Allthematerialsthatwereusedarestandardand
readilyavailable,however,theywereusedininnova-
tiveways.Ittooklotsoffaithfromtheclient,lotsof
planningfromthemainbuildingcontractor,lotsof
inspectionandfeedbacktimeforusonsiteand,lastly
butmostimportantly,averyskilledanddedicatedtiling
subcontractor,”addsEstelle.
Consideringthecolourpaletteused,externallyand
internally,Estelleexplains:“theexternalcolourswere
keptsimple.Thecurtainwallshaveadarkgreyappear-
ance,duetotheperformanceglassused,andtheshells
arecoveredincrispwhitetiles.Theinternalcolours
LEFT:Anexternalviewofthe
buildingatnight.
CENTRE:Wheretheglassskinis
tooindecentlyexposedtothe
sun,acurvaceoussecondskinof
laser-cutshimmeringaluminum
louvers,tailoredtosuit,covers
thedenudeareas.
RIGHT:Twopavilionsofoffices,
joinedatthehipandsetata
rakishangle,arecocoonedina
curvaceousconcreteskin.
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141 > 141 >
werealso,ingeneral,quitesimple,withflashes
ofcolourtogiveinterest.”
Itisthroughtheuseofallthesematerials,thecol-
ourpaletteandtheimplementationofthedifferent
designelementsthatmakesforanutterlyunusual
Paragon-designedbuilding,whichboastsanoverall
floatingeffect.Leaningtothemoresculpturalside
ofBrazilianModernism,thebuilding’sdistinctive
silhouettehasalreadymadewavesinthearchitec-
turalindustry.
Obstaclesovercome
Afterageographicalinvestigationofthesite,the
teamrealizedthatpiling,insteadofaconventional
raftfoundation,hadtobeusedduetothedolomitic
conditions.“Thesoilconditionsmeantthatwehad
touseaspecialtypeofpileincertainareasandthis
causedquitealargedelaytothestartoftheproject,”
saysEstelle.Whendiscussingotherchallenges,
shecomments:“TheEastandWestinsituconcrete
shellswerealsoquiteachallenge,bothstructurally
andfromabuildingcontractor’spointofview.The
constructionofthescaffoldingalonewasquitea
processanditendeduplookingverymuchlikeaskate
boardinghalfpipe.”
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Thedifferencebetweenmediocreandgreat
Althoughthebuildingisownedanddevelopedby
M&TDevelopment,thebuildingwasalsodesigned
accordingtoAFGRI’srequirements.Intermson
designingforanoffice,onethingthatdistinguishes
betweenamediocreofficebuildingandagreatone,
is“howusabletheofficeplatesare;howmanypeople
canbecomfortablyfittedontooneplate,”saysEs-
telle.Shecontinues:“Weachievedahighlyefficient
platebyplacingthebathroomcoreandliftsinthe
atriumspace,linkedwithbridgesfromthetwooffice
plates.”Anotherfactortoconsiderwhendesigning
foranofficeisgoodcommunication.AsEstelleex-
plains,“peoplefromdifferentdepartmentsneedto
beabletoreacheachotherwithoutpassingthrough
longcorridors.Thiswasachievedbythecentral
atrium,withitslinkbridges,allowingnaturallightto
filterintothefloorplates,whilecreatingacovered
linkbetweenthedifferentareas.”Whendesigning
foranydevelopment,thepurposeofthebuildingand
itsfuturefunctiontakestoppriorityintermsof
thelistofthingstokeepinmind.“AFGRIiswell
suitedtoitsfunction.Wehavecreatedabuilding
filledwithnaturallight,thatfeelsspaciousandin-
vitingandoffersalotoflifestylecomponents,
whilestillretainingprivacyandquietnesswhere
needed,”saysEstelle.Fulfillingitspurposeasawork
environment,thebuildingalsohasabasementpark-
ing,canteenareawithinternalandexternalseating,
meetingroomsandtrainingrooms.
WhenitcomestoAFRGIheadoffice,thereisnocom-
parison.WhatmakesAFGRIinteresting,accordingto
Estelle,isthat“…ithasanaestheticthatcannotbe
comparedtoanythingelsebuiltinSouthAfricaupto
now.Wereallyenjoythefactthatthegeneralpublic
seemstobenoticinganddiscussingthebuilding;eve-
ryonehasanopinionaboutit,”concludesEstelle. <
Theatrium,atthecentreofthekappa-shapedstructure,housestheliftandthetoiletcore.
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144 >
WaverleyOfficePark:Neo-Africaniconography
144 >
By Stacey Rowan
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Withtheexpectationsofbecomingoneofthe
mostprominentofficeparkdevelopmentsinthe
SouthernSandtonarea,theWaverleyOffice
Pwarkneededanarchitecturalimagethatwas
suitableforadevelopmentofthisnatureina
21stcenturyGautengenvironment.Thatarchi-
tecturalimagewouldarisefromNeo-African
iconography.
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TheiconographychosenforWaverleyOfficePark,
whileittakesitsinspirationfrominternationalde-
velopmentsofthiskind,istobedistinctlyneo-
African.Itishopedthatthecombinationoftheele-
ments,coloursandmaterialsusedandtheoverall
design(thatreflectsanemergingAfricanesque ar-
chitecture)willinsomewayinspirethewayforward
inthequestforsomethingtrulyarchitecturally
SouthAfrican.
WaverleyOfficeParkisdevelopedbyNewOrder
Investments,ajointventurebetweenpropertyde-
velopersandinvestorsVlaming(Pty)Limited,Devcon
Projects(Pty)LimitedandTop-FliteProperties
(Pty)Limited.
DesignedbyMessarisWapenaarPartnershipCon-
sultingArchitects,alongmodernbuildingprinci-
ples,thevisionforWaverleyOfficeParkwasto
createavisuallystrikingbuildingwithlayersand
depththatensuresapositiveworkenvironment
whichmaximiseson,andfuseswith,thepositive
elementsofthesiteandsurroundings,blending
withtheoutdoorelements.
Thelandmarkofficeparkfeaturesavisuallyspec-
tacularduoofsymmetricalofficeblocks,linkedby
anarch,whichisalsothefocalpointofthedevel-
opment.Thearch,whichistiledwithhigh-grade
porcelaintiles,servesasawelcominganddirec-
tionalelementtovisitors,whoentertheoffice
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parkthroughanunder-statedgatehouse.Tocom-
plimentthetiledarch,thebaseofthebuildinghas
alsobeentiledwithhighgradeporcelaintiles,cre-
atingaheavybase.
Onceinthepark,thebuildingssurroundaboule-
vard,creatingan internalisedpark-likeenviron-
ment.Inthisenvironmentthearchitecturalele-
ments,whilecloselymatchingthoseoftheexternal
ones,arebroughtdowntoamorehumanscale.
Thehorse-shoeshapedbuildingswithinthedevel-
opmenthaveacurvedouter‘shell’inlayerspaying
respecttothosedevelopmentsofarchitectslike
RenzoPianoandthelike.Thebuildingachievesa
slickandmodernfeelthroughtheuseofthese
curvedlayers,whicharesetoffagainstthecrisp
sharpnessofthefullheightglazingofthecorners.
Aglazedcurtainwallontheoutsideofthebuild-
ingalsohelpstoachievethisslickandmodern
feel.
Inaddition,thebuildingshavebeendesignedusing
cavitywallconstructionanddeepsetnarrowfenes-
trationonthemajorityoftheelevationstoad-
dresstheAfricanclimate.Thishastheeffectof
dramaticallyreducingtheclimatecontrolrequired
inthebuildings,andconsequentlycontributing
enormouslytotheenvironmentalconsiderations
surroundingthedevelopment.TheWestfacing
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148 >
ofsuburbiatookthedevelopersagreatdealof
timeandeffort,asdidthetownplanning.
Consideringtheenduser
WhendevelopingWaverleyOfficePark,thede-
signofthefinalproductwasconstantlychang-
ing,notonlytomeetthechangingextentof
thepark,andphasingofthetownplanning,but
façadeshavesunscreens,whichdoubleupassig-
nagesupportforthefreeway.
Thematerialsusedfortheconstructionarelocal,and
asenvironmentallyfriendlyasispossibleinthecon-
textofadevelopmentofthisnature.Althoughthe
developersanddesignersdeliberatelysteeredaway
fromplasticsandanynoxioustypesofmaterialfor
theproject,itwasuptotheenduserstodecidehow
fartheywerepreparedtogotopursuetheenviron-
mentalconsiderations,whichthedesignhasiniti-
ated.Thedevelopersalsorecommendedtheomis-
sionofgeysersfromthisprojectaltogether,however,
thechoicelaywiththeuser,astowhethertheyare
preparedtogowithrecommendationsofthisnature,
andastohowtheyultimately‘live’inthebuildings
intermsofwastemanagementandthelike.
Technicallytheprojectusestraditionalconcrete
frameconstruction,withbrickinfill,aluminiumwin-
dowsandsheetmetalroofing.Thedevelopersusu-
allyapproachnewtechnologies,usedwithindiffer-
entprojects,withadegreeofcaution,untiltheyare
provenoveraperiodoftime.Thisparkwasnoexcep-
tion.Thebuildingmethodsandmaterialsarechosen
toinsurethelongevityofthebuildingswithinthepark.
Apartfromtheexterior,afterconsultingwithin-
teriordesigners,itwasdecidedthattheinterior
shouldfeatureaneutralpaletteandbackground
withfocalareas.Highgradefinisheswereincor-
porated,andnowsetthetonefortherestofthe
development
Overall,thechallengeintheplanningofthisparticu-
larofficeparklayinthefactthattheprecinctconsists
ofblocksofsuburbia.Theconsolidationoftheseblocks
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149 >
alsothespecificneedsoftheendusersofeach
building.Thiswasdone,whilstretainingtheinteg-
rityoftheoriginalconceptforthepark.
Whenbuildinganydevelopment,theendusermust
alwaysbeconsidered–inthiscase,theofficeten-
ants,likethepersonneloftheGautengGambling
BoardHeadOffice.Primeofficespaceisstillavail-
ablefortenantswhorequireareasrangingfrom
250sqmupto2400sqm.
Locatedinabusynode,variouselementswerein-
corporatedintothedesigntoabsorbanddeflect
noisewithoutaffectingthetenants.Inthisway,the
buildingactsasatransitionzonebetweenthebus-
tlinghighwayandleafyresidentialzone.Curved
walls,layersontheoutsideofthebuildingandwin-
dowsarestrategicallyplacedtohelpeliminate
noisedistraction,creatingapeacefulworkingenvi-
ronment.Thehorse-shoeshapedesignofthebuild-
ing,whichcreatesanenclave,alsohelpscreate
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150 >
morenaturalsetting,”saysJanVlaming,Vlaming
(Pty)Ltd.
WiththesitehavingcloseproximitytotheM1
highway,MelroseArchandwithexcellentvis-
ibilityaccessibilityfromCorlettDrive,thisof-
fers corporate tenantsmaximumbenefits
fromthegreathighwayfrontage,maximising
on its location inabusynodeandcreating
depthofseparationfrombusystreetsandinter-
sectionstocreatealevelofprivacyfortheoffice
tenants.Cornerwindowsallowbeautifulscenic
viewsofsurroundingparks,aswellastheenergy
pointofCorlettDrive,whichcreatesacomforta-
bleworkenvironment.
Apartfromthemeasuresundertakentocreatea
harmoniousandwelldesignedindoorofficespace,
thedevelopersalsoconcentratedontheoutdoors,
inordertocreateawell-roundedofficeparkforall
whoworkatthepark.Waverleyfeaturesgreen
outdoorspaces,withindigenoustreesfortenants
toenjoyandrelaxin.Terracesthatappearonthe
groundandlowergroundfloorhelptenantstoin-
teractwiththeoutdoorspaceslocatedwithinthe
officepark.Inaddition,acoffeeshopisalsoavail-
ableforpersonnel.
Toaddtothenature-likeatmosphereoftheoffice
park,apondwascreatedwithinthedevelopment
asameansofattenuatingstormwater.Although
theattenuationofstormwaterwasfirstseenasa
challenge,thepondnowoffersanopportunityto
createanareathatwillenhancetheoutdoorspace
oftheofficepark,benefitingthetenants.
Designedtoflourishinurbannode
PerchedinprimepositiononthecornerofCorlett
DriveandtheM1Highway,theparkiscentrallylo-
catedbetweenthehighwayandsurroundingresi-
dentialareas,creating“…aspacethatdrawsfrom
theenergeticnodewhisthavingthepleasureofa
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brandingopportunities.Withthisinmind,value
underpinstheWaverleyofficePark.
“Everyelementofitssurroundingsandthemaximisa-
tionofopportunitiesweretakenintoaccountwhen
theofficeparkwasdesigned,”saysVlaming.“Waver-
leyOfficeParkwilloffertheperfectenvironmentfor
aharmoniousandproductiveworkplace,whilststill
offeringadynamiclocationclosetoallamenities.”<
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152 >
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15ALICELANETOWERS:RaisingthebarincorporateheadofficedesignBy Stacey Rowan | Thebarhasbeenraisedincorporateheadofficedesignin
SouthAfrica,withthecompletionofthe15AliceLaneTowers,memorableforits
iconicbuildingformcomposedoftwocurvaceoustowersandaglassandaluminium
façade.Notonlyhavethestandardsofdesignbeenraised,but,asahigh-risebuild-
ing,thisdevelopmenthasalsoredefinedandreshapedtheskylineofmetropolitan
Johannesburg.
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154 >
TATOO3revise 7/27/06 2:01 PM Page 1
Composite
Need a strong cable conduit that can take the knocks? You need Kabelflex®. You’ll recognise it by its
unique yellow stripe. Kabelflex conduit is manufactured from virgin HDPE to SANS IEC 61386-24.
And thanks to the reinforced external corrugations Kabelflex has 5 times more compressive
strength than uPVC pipes* and far superior impact strength. Now, would you argue
with that?*Normal duty SABS 791:1986
Manufactured by Nextube 011 708 [email protected] or www.nextube.co.za
CJ GRAPHICS 02
Tough enough?
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155 > 155 >
Completedinlate2010,15AliceLaneTowersnow
providesultra-desirableheadofficespaceforthe
newoccupants,DeneysReitzAttorneys.Designedby
AnthonyOrelowitz,RajPatelandAndrewButcher,
fromParagonArchitects,forco-developersZenprop
HoldingsandTiberProjects,theofficetowerisan
exceptionalhigh-profileadditiontotheareaof
Sandton.
Setatopasix-storeyparkingbasementstructure,
thetwotowersrise17storeysintotheSandtonsky.
LocatedatthewesternedgeoftheSandtonCentral
acropolis-likesetting,thebuilding’ssilhouette,
andcurvedfaçade, isat itsmoststrikingwhen
seenacrossthelushforestsofJohannesburg’s
north-westernsuburbs.
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157 >
Theglass-andaluminium-cladtowersarelinkedby
adramaticcanyon-like,verticalatriumspacethat
isonlysixmetreswideatitsnarrowestpoint.Each
towerhasglazedwingswhichcantilever2.5m
pasttheirgableends.Northandsouthfacadesare
wrappedinahighlypatternedskinofseemingly
randompanesofclear,darkgrey,andwhitetrans-
lucentglass.Theresultingeffectisoneofascale-
lessbuilding,inwhichitisalmostimpossibleto
gaugethenumberoffloors.EastandWestfa-
cadesareconstructedtoexcludedirectsun,with
sculpturalhand-formedwarmmetallic-coloured
aluminiumboxessetarounddeeplyincisedglass
lines.
Walkwaysandbridgesspiralupwardsandarear-
rangedinafan-likepattern,whichcreateadramatic
internalenvironment.Thesewalkwaysconnect
thetwotowersbelowanatriumroofwithvoluptu-
ousfunnel-likeskylights.Internally,thelobbyof-
fershighceilingsandgenerousvolumestocreate
asenseofopulenceonentry,andextendsintothe
manyfloorsofpremierofficespace.Theinterior
fit-outforDeneysReitzwasundertakenbyParagon
157 >
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Main Contractors
(Tel): 011 430 7700
(Fax): 086 502 2404
12 Desmond Street
Kramerville
Sandton
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159 > 159 >
Interface,thespaceplanningandinteriorfit-out
businessintheParagonGroup.MarilizevanDyk,
KirstySchoombieandLeanieRoestorfmadeup
theParagonInterfaceteam.
Viewedfromallangles,thebuildingpresentsahighly
patternedandhighlyabstractedsurfaceofarchitec-
turalelementsthatchangeconstantlywiththechang-
ingtimeandatmosphereoftheday.Low-energyglass
andbasicrulesoforientationandcommon-sense
detailingassistedinminimisingenergyusage,to-
getherwithcontrolandbuildingmanagementsys-
temsthatarenowbecomingindustrystandards
amongstresponsibledevelopersandtenants.
Occupant’srequirements
Withtheleadinglawfirm’sexistingpremisesno
longerbigenough for itsexpandingbusiness,
DeneysReitzneededtomovetoalargerbuilding.
Anumberofcompaniesproposedtheirdevelop-
mentstoDeneysReitzAttorneysandultimately
Zenpropwasselectedfortheirabilitytodeliverto
thepractice’sspecificrequirementsanddosoat
anappropriatemarketrental.
TherequirementssoughtbyDeneysReitzwere
precise:theefficiencyandenvironmentalfriendli-
nessofthebuilding,qualityofspaceandfacilities
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160 >
siteTel: +27 (0)12 667 2780Fax:+27 (0)12 667 4104
Head Office (Centurion)
96 Koranna AveDoringkloof, 0157
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161 >
forstaffandclients,andtobelocatedwithinthe
Sandtonlocation.WithsevenofSouthAfrica’smajor
lawfirmsalllocatedwithinakilometreofeachother
withintheSandtonCentralnode,theattorneys
wantedtostaywithinthisarea–whichhasbecome
thecentralfinancialandlegaldistrictofJohannes-
burg.
Thebuildingofferstherequisiteinfrastructurein
termsoffunctionalofficescomplementedbyad-
equateconsultingroomsandanauditoriumto
hostseminars.
AliceLaneOfficeTowersalsomeetsthepractice’s
needforfutureexpansionoptionswithinthebuild-
ing.Withsome500staffmembersthebuildingof-
ferstheoccupantsthespacetheyrequire,withroom
tospareforfutureexpansion.
Iconicarchitectureandenvironmentalimpact
15AliceLaneisnotonlyiconicinitsdesign,butit
isalsopushestheboundariesintheenvironmental
principlesthatwereusedduringconstruction.
Carefulthoughtandenvironmentalconsideration
wasgiventoeveryelementofthebuilding–from
itspositionintheheartofAfrica’smostvibrantand
prestigiousbusinesshub,tothebuilding’senergy
footprint.
Materialselection,theplacementofthebuilding
itselfandattentiontodetailwereusedtoachieve
thebestpossibleenergyperformanceforthis
high-risecommercialproperty.Boththeeastern
andwesternfacadesarethermallyinsulatedwith
161 >
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162 > 162 >
punchedwindowstoreduceglazedareas;andthe
northernandsouthernfacadesaredouble-glazed
tocutenergycosts.Thedesignensuresthattheend
wingsofthenorthernandsouthernfaçadesare
shadedwithblindstoreducetheheatload.The
building’sgreennatureishighlightedbyitsloca-
tioninanextensivegreen-scapesurroundedby
reflectivepondsandwaterelements.
Glassprintingtechnology
Theprojectusesglassprintingtechnologynewto
SouthAfrica,andinnovativefacadeassemblytech-
niquesthatminimisescaffoldingcostsandensure
thatmoreofthebuildingcostendsupinthebuilt
product,andlessinthebuildingprocessitself.
GlassSouthAfrica(GSA)suppliedtheglassfrom
thenewGraphixArt™range.Variousglasstypeswere
usedwhich included24mm Insulvue®;double
glazingcomprisingEclipseAdvantageGreywithand
withoutastripe;Armourplate®EclipseAdvantage
Grey6mmToughenedSafetyGlass;complement-
ingArmourplate®singleglazing comprising
EclipseAdvantageGreyand6mmArmourplate®
clear;Armourscreen®LowIron6mmToughened
SafetyGlass.Thiswasthefirstmajorinstallation
oftheGraphixArt™rangeofglassinanarchitec-
turalproject.TheglasswasmanufacturedatAd-
vanceArmourGlassinIsando.
Qualityclaybrickproduction
15AliceLaneTowersisoneofthelatesthigh-pro-
file,high-risestructureswhereOconbrick’sleader-
shipinqualityclaybrickproductionwasharnessed.
Morethan1500000Oconbrickclaystockbricks
wererolledontotheSandtonsitesinceconstruc-
tionbegan.Thefirstdeliverywason1April2009,
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163 > 163 >
andthelasttruckloadfromthecompany’sMeyer-
tonplantunloadedon4November2010.Through
the18-monthconstructionperiod,prioritydeliver-
ies tobuilding contractor,TiberBonvec,were
doneregularlyandmetdeadlines.
15AliceLaneTowerswasone,amongstmany,of
Oconbrick’sproductionanddeliverychallenges,at
atimewhennewcorporateheadquarters,hotels,
shoppingmallsandbusinesscomplexeswererising
abovethecityhorizon.
Largeclaystockbrickordershaveincluded2-million
bricksforABSATowers,thebank’snewthree-block
AfricacorporateheadquartersincentralJohan-
nesburg,androughlythesamequantitywasre-
quiredforconstructionworkatTheZonecommer-
cial and shopping centre in Rosebank. Other
importantprojectsaretheexpansionoftheHobart
RoadretailcentreinBryanston,andtheStation
PlacehotelandretailcomplexandProteaPlace
officeblockinSandton,alsodesignedbyParagon
Architects.
“Theseareallhigh-profilecorporateprojects
whichcarryspecificationsforbrickworkofequally
highquality,”saysNicoKemp,operationsdirector,
Oconbrick.
AnotherbigorderforOconbrickhasbeen2.5-million
bricksforamosque,school,clinicandshopping
centreinMidrand.
Althoughthecurrentdownturninthebuilding
constructionindustryhasseenaslowingdemand
forbricks,Oconbrickismaintainingproduction
levelsthatcontinuetoensure‘off-the-shelf’avail-
abilityofstock.
“Weunderstandthatsomeclaybricksuppliers
havebeenforcedtoscalebackonproduction,
leadingtosomesupplyshortages,butOconbrick
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Décor Interior Contracts is the contractual division of Décor Wallcoverings, and have been involved with the installation of wallcoverings for over 40 years.
We have built up a very strong, reliable association with all the major construction, architectural, design and project management companies throughout the country.
The following are just some of the major clientele and contracts that we have been responsible for:
Décor Wallcoverings is engaged in the development, production and distribution of high quality and well thought out wall coverings. We are market leaders in the southern African contract and hospitality market. Thanks to a varied and comprehensive range of colours and designs, our products greatly enhance the appearance of every possible interior in the contract market.
Décor stands for quality both in technology and design. A variety of designs and durable materials form the basis of our exclusive and original collections. With this, we optimally satisfy the aesthetic and functional requirements of offices, hotels, financial institutions, and corporates to name a few. Long lasting success is characterised by our constant strive to present the latest trends.
One of today’s major trends is the advent of digitally produced and printed wallpapers, which make it theoretically possible to get anything you want. Avant-garde art, ecological, wild and crazy retro designs are some of the latest choices in ART wallcoverings. At Décor Wallcoverings we offer a huge repertoire of great diversity, either from existing collections or bespoke.
DÉCOR INTERIOR CONTRACTS
• Standard Bank Nationwide• Absa Nationwide• Liberty Life Corporate• Anglo American• Sheraton Hotel Group• Southern Sun• Intercontinental Hotel• Rosebank Hotel• Mount Grace Hotel• Radison Hotel Group• Momentum Life• Rand Merchant Bank• Microsoft• Sappi Head Quarters• Value Logistics
• New Head Quarters – South African Intelligence• The Hilton Hotel – Johannesburg• Melrose Arch Hotel• Sandton City Refurbishments• Ellerines Group (6 brands)• Trevenna Business Park (Pretoria)• Waverley Offi ce Park• Vodacom• MTN• Cell C• Nedcor• Lindsay Keller Attorneys• Werksman Attorneys• Nokia• Nashua Mobile
Our expertise in handling all types of wallcoverings is second to none.
We are also proud of our BEE Status with a recognition rating level 3.
Head Offi ce – 201-205 President St, Johannesburg • PO Box 1056, Johannesburg, 2000Tel: +27 (0) 11 402 1960 • Fax: +27 (0) 11 402 7674 • E-mail: [email protected]
Cape Town – Wallpaper Inc., The Palms Centre, 145 Sir Lowry Rd, WoodstockTel: +27 (0) 21 465 6547 • Fax: +27 (0) 21 465 1711 • Cell: +27 (0) 82 920 4174
Pretoria – Cell: +27 (0) 82 594 1594 • Cell: +27 (0) 76 812 2164
Durban – Linda-Lee Smith, 45 Claribel Rd, Morningside, Durban, 4001Tel: +27 (0) 31 564 7775 • Fax: +27 (0) 86 648 3591 • Cell: +27 (0) 82 780 1368
Eastern Cape – Windovert, 130 Paterson Rd, Northend, Port ElizabethTel: +27 (0) 41 484 4670 • Fax: +27 (0) 41 484 5981 • Cell: +27 (0) 82 556 8895 • Cell: +27 (0) 82 954 2743
www.decorwp.co.za
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165 >
continues tohaveahealthyorderbook,” says
Kemp.“Eventhoughwearenotrunningatfullca-
pacity,wearewell-equippedtomeetallcurrent
andfuturedemandforbricks.”
Inadditiontocommercialandprivatedevelop-
mentsprojects,Oconbrick’sorderbooksidentify
infrastructuralprojectstoo–typicallyschools,uni-
versitybuildings,andotherpubliceducationalfacili-
tiesintheregion.
InvestinginJohannesburg
Thedevelopmentof15AliceLaneisacontinua-
tionofZenpropHoldingsandTiberProjects’com-
panystrategytobeinvestedinSandton,South
Africa’spremierofficenode.
Commissionedandbuiltentirelywithinthehard-
esteconomicrecessionthattheworldhasseen,
thisbuildingisastatementoffaithinthefutureof
Johannesburg,andameasureofwhatcanbeachieved
whenwell-integratedteamsmeetaroundsingular
challenges.Thebestdesignandmanagementskills
ofall involvedcompanieswerefocusedonthis
project,andexceptionalvalueandskillisembedded
inabuildingthatwouldhavebeendifficulttobuild
atthiscostandwiththisleveloftechnicalambition
inamorepressurisedeconomicenvironment.<
165 >
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Inarchitecture,especiallywhenitcomestoa
company’sidentity,firstimpressionsareevery-
thing.Atfirstglance,thespaceorbuildingin
whichabusinessoccupiestellsalotaboutthe
businessitselfandthepeoplethatworkwithin
it.OccupiedbyCliffeDeckerHofmeyr,1Protea
Placeisaniconicstructurethatreflectsthelaw
firm’sprogressivebrandidentity.
1 PROTEA PLACEReflectingabrand’sidentity
througharchitectureBy Stacey Rowan
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PhotobyAndrweBell
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Although1ProteaPlacewasdesignedpredominantly
forlongtermvalueforthedeveloperZenprop,the
needsofCliffeDeckerHofmeyrwerealsoamajor
designconsideration.Asaresult,thebuildingnow
providesthebestpossiblesolutiontothetenant’s
specificrequirements.“Theintentionofthedesign
teamwastodeliveracontemporarybuildingwith
crisp,cleanlines,forbothparties,”saysKorinaHolley,
projectarchitect,ParagonArchitects.
1ProteaPlaceconsistsofsevenparkinglevels,of
whichfiveareunderground,andnineofficelevels
whichriseabovethevisibleparkingpodium.“The
basicfootprintofthebuildingiscomposedoftwo
towersenclosingacentralatrium,setatopthe
heavierbaseoftheparkinglevels.Thecentralatrium
haseastandwestfacingglasswalls.Theeastern
atriumwallopensupoverawaterfeature,allowing
pedestrianstoenterthebuildingbycrossingthe
watersurface.”Korinacontinues:“Theinternal
atriumadmitsgenerousamountsofnaturallight
intothebuildinganditsofficeplatesandprovides
activeawarenessofboththeinteriorandexterior
environmentsofthebuilding.”Thus,averyopen
andairyfeeliscreatedwithintheoffices.Theatrium
wallofthesoutherntowerrakesouttowardsthe
centreoftheatrium,andaddsadramaticeffectto
theotherwiserationalcompositionofthetwo
towers.“Stripskylightsintheatriumroofprovide
aneverchangingplayoflightwithintheatrium
volume.Thetwotowersareconnectedby link
bridgesspanningacrosstheatriumspace.The
towersarecoveredbyalargefloatingroofthat
soarsovertheeasternentrancefaçade,”explains
Korina.Thewestfaçadeofthenorthtowerand
theeastfaçadeofthesouthtowerformacombi-
nationofthelightsee-throughglazedfacesand
Itsprominentshapemakes1ProteaPlace
oneofthemosticonicstructuresinSandton.
PhotobyAndrweBell.
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169 > 169 >
thesolidM1,andconcrete,elements.Accordingto
Korina,thesolidstripsarerandomlyinterspersed
withverticalstripwindowssettingupadynamic
relationshipbetweentheelements.“Thematerial
choiceforthesolidstripsonthewestfaçadeof
thenorthtowerandtheeastfaçadeofthesouth
towerwentthroughalongdevelopmentprocess
butourchoiceofmaterialendedupbeingapanel
madeupofM1,anorganiccompositematerialcon-
sistingofamineralcrystalbaseandawater-based
acrylicresin.”Thefloorsandcolumnsarecastcon-
creteandthefaçadecomprisesofglassandM1
panelsinacurtainwallsystem.
Theprimarymassingofthebuildingisarticulated
throughtheuseofalimitedmaterialpalettegiving
dueprominencetothesculpturaleffectsofthe
architecture.Thefacadesareshapedaccordingto
theirorientationandfunctionasanintegralpart
ofthebuilding.Themainformofthebuildingislight
andglazed,contradictedbyasolidsculpturaloff-
shutterconcretetowerintheSouthWest.“Toen-
hance the sculpturalmassingof thebuilding,
glazedfacadesareexpressedasonemasswithas
littledifferentiationbetweenthevisionandspan-
drelpanelaspossible.Beingexposed,theglass
hastocomplywithstrictperformancefigures.
Thusthechoiceofglazingbecameaveryimpor-
tantdecisionandthefinalchoiceofabluegreylow
eglassbyGuardianwasbasedonmanystringent
criteria,”saysKorina.
AnewwayofapplyingM1–afirstinSA
M1wasusedasaunitisedfaçadecladdingelement
onthe1ProteaPlacedevelopment.“Thisisthefirst
timeinSouthAfricawherethismaterialhasbeen
usedinthisapplication,”saysKorina.
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Shecontinues:“Thelightnessandversatilityof-
feredbytheM1materialmakesitanidealfaçade
claddingmaterial.Thepre-mouldedM1panelsare
fixedintotheunitisedfaçadecladdingsystem,
purelyasadecorativeelement.”
M1hasmanyuniquepropertiescontributingtoits
strength,durability,weighttostrengthratio,non-
toxicity,easeofmanufactureand itsabilityto
complywiththetestrequirementsofthecon-
structionindustry,specificallythoseinregardto
performanceinfireandunderimpact.Another
benefitisitslowtoxicitybothinitscomponent
partsandinitsmanufacturingprocess,makingita
‘greener’productthanmostconventionalclad-
dingmaterials.
TheglassandM1panelsareever-changingintheir
appearance,dependingonthelightangleandevery
facadehasauniquefeaturemakingitaninteresting
structureviewedfromalldirections.
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171 > 171 >
“Theactualmaterialhasbeenusedquiteexten-
sivelyaroundthecountryintheformofmouldings
forcasinosaswellasforsculpturalpurposes.We
arethusassuredofitsperformanceandabilityto
withstandweathering.Botharchitectsanddevel-
opersareveryexcitedabouttheproductasany
shapeormaterialcanbeemulatedbytheM1–
whichopensupalotofdesignopportunitiesforthe
future.Duetoitssuperiorqualityandmoreenvi-
ronmentallyfriendlyqualitytoglassreinforced
concrete(GRC),themanufacturersareexpecting
M1toreplacemostGRCapplicationsusedexten-
sivelyintallbuildingsaroundtheworld,”adds
Korina.
Designingforoffices
Designinganofficespaceisdifferenttodesigninga
shoppingmallorhotel.Oneneedstoconsiderthe
functionofthespaceandhowthebuildingwillbe
wellsuitedtoitspurpose.“Asoneofthetenant’s
requirements,thefloorsfortheofficebuilding,
andtheshapeoftheofficeplates,neededtobe
designedtoprovidethetenantwithflexible,and
efficient,spaceplanningintermsofcombiningcel-
lularofficesandopenplanseating.Thisisachieved
byhavinglargeopenspansbetweencolumnsand
providingflexibleglazingmodulesforcellularof-
ficeconfigurations.Serviceco-ordinationbetween
alltheelectricalandmechanicalrequirementsin
anofficebuildingisamajorpartinthedesignand
oftenhasdesignimplications,”saysKorina.
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Notonlydoestheflexiblespaceplanningand
serviceco-ordinationaideincreatingagood
workingenvironmentfortheemployees,butother
facilitieswithinthebuilding,alsocontributeto
ahappyworkforce.Employeescaneatatthe
canteenwhichopensupintoacommoninternal
atriumspaceandexternaldeckortheycanen-
joyadrinkafterahardday’sworkontheeighth
floorbar,whichopensupontoanexternalbal-
cony.Meetingrooms,amongstotherfacilities
provided,arealsoavailable.
Asplashofnaturalcolour
Theinteriorpalettehasbeenchosencarefully
toaddwarmthtotheenvironment.“Natural
coloursandmaterialsinthetiles,timberwall
claddinganddetailsareoffsetagainsttheclean
glazedlinesoftheatrium.Thecloserelation-
shipbetweenthearchitectureandtheinterior
finishingiscarriedthroughtothedetailing,fur-
nishing,fittingsandartworks,tocreateaseam-
lesswholewithcarefullychosenpointsofdra-
ma and interest. The internal palette of
materialsiscorporateyetwarmandnon-clinical
incontrasttothecleanmodernexteriorofthe
building,reflectingthetenant’sprogressive
identity,”explainsKorina.
Theexteriorpaletteisgreybasedwiththedark
greyM1panels,theoff-shutterwallandthe
bluegreyglassontheremainderofthefaçades.
Dedicationovercomeschallenges
Theprocessofbuildingadevelopmentalways
comeswithitschallenges,andresultingsolu-
tions.“Thesitebeingsotightprovidedmany
Theexteriorpaletteisgreybasedwiththedarkgrey
M1panels,theoff-shutterwallandthebluegreyglass
ontheremainderofthefaçades.
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challenges.Therestrictedaccessandmovement
ofmaterialsintoandoutofthesitewasadeter-
mining limiting factor in the construction se-
quenceoftheundergroundportionsofthebuild-
ing.Thisprogrammingandsequencingdecision
hadanextensiveimpactonthesequenceofarchi-
tecturalandotherdesignwork.Theverytightpro-
grammewasanotherchallenge–MurrayandRob-
erts had one and a half years tocomplete the
building.Thebuildingwascompletedontimedueto
averydedicatedsiteteamandawellorganised
programme,”saysKorina.
Location,Location,Location
OccupyingaprominentsiteinSandton,there-
quired16000m2ofaccommodationhadtofitonto
averytightandrestrictivesite,whichprovedtobe
themostchallengingrequirementoftheclient’s
brief.“Theshapeofthesitebecamethemaindesign
driverwithregardstodeterminingtheshapeof
thebuilding.Inordertoaccommodatetheneces-
sarysize,thebuilding’sfootprintneededtotake
ontheshapeofthesitetomaximiseoncoverage.
Thedesignofthebuildinghassuccessfullyutilised
thesitetoitsfullextent,yetstillprovidesalotof
lightandgreenery.Theresultingbuildingappears
tobeaself-evidentplanningsolution,without
seeminglikeithasbeenforcedintoatightspace,”
explainsKorina.
Goinggreen
Withlocalarchitecturaltrendsnowpointinginthe
‘green’direction,architectsonthe1ProteaPlace
alsocontributedtothe‘goinggreen’movement.
“Thedesignteaminconjunctionwiththedeveloper,
whohadaninterestinthebuildingbeingdesigned
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as‘green’aspossible,haveendeavouredtoincor-
porateasmany‘green’elementsintothebuildingas
werefinanciallyfeasible.Themainelementsincluded
solarhotwater(solarpanelsontheroofwillgen-
eratethebuilding’shotwater);evaporativecool-
ingintheatriumtocontroltheairtemperatureand
theglasswhichwasusedextensivelyonthefaçades
isaloweglasswithsomeofthebestperformance
figuresofanyloweglasstype.Otherwaysinwhich
wewent‘green’include:thetopbasementlevels
beingdesignedtoallowfornaturalventilation;
theofficeplatesbeingdesignedtoallowasmuch
lightinandviewsoutaspossible;usingM1clad-
dingmaterial–whichhasalowtoxicitybothinits
componentpartsandinitsmanufacturingprocess;
occupancysensing;double-glazingtovisionpanels
androofinsulation,”saysKorina.
Aninterestingstructure
“Itsprominentshapeandmaterialpalettemakes
1ProteaPlaceoneofthemosticonicstructuresin
Sandton.TheglassandM1panelsareever-changing
intheirappearance,dependingonthelightangle
andeveryfaçadehasauniquefeaturemakingitan
interestingstructureviewedfromalldirections,”
concludesKorina.<
OccupyingaprominentsiteinSandton,therequired16000m2ofaccommodationhadtofitontoaverytight
andrestrictivesite.
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176 >
120374
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177 >
Rich aroma.Refined taste.
Find your inspiration
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178 >
TOEGYPTWITHLOVE
Anartist’sresponsetochange
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TOPLEFT:We changed Egypt.
TOPRIGHT:Our future to be.
BOTTOMLEFT:We made history.
BOTTOMRIGHT:People's revolution.
179 >
Therecentpopularuprisingandresultingdemo-
craticrevolutioninEgyptinspiredmanypeople
aroundtheworld.Manyvisualartistswho’swork
focusontheeverydaylivingconditionsintrans-
formingsocietieshaveactivelyparticipatedin
thehistoricalevensandthroughtheircreative
workensuredthatitwascapturedforgenera-
tionstocome.OnesuchartistisHossamHassan
whotooktothestreetsanddocumentedthe
tryingandtensemomentsoftherevolution.
Inspiredbyhisexhaustivedocumentationofthe
events,designerandartist,Hassanhassubse-
quentlyproducedabodyofworktitledEgyptian
Revolution Collection,whichformpartoftheTo
Egypt with love exhibitionwithfellowemerging
photographersAlaaTaherandBassemSamir.To
Egypt with lovewasfirstexhibitedattheSafar
KhanGalleryinCairoinMarchandAprilbefore
travellingtothefamousPalaisPorciainVienna
inlateMay.
Hassan,aged32,wasbornandraisedinCairo.He
saysthatthebusy,multiculturalcitywithitsrich
heritageinspiredhimasayoungstertoexplore
theworldaroundhimandtrainedhisimagina-
tiontoaspiretotheundefinedandtoreachto
thestarsandbeyond.Aftergraduatingfromthe
FacultyofAppliedArtsatHelwanUniversityin
2000,heworkedasagraphicdesigneratamulti-
nationaladvertisingagencybeforesettinguphis
owndesignstudioin2005.
Sincethen,Hassandevelopedadeepinterestin
calligraphyanditsrelationtofineart.Heasser-
tivelyhonedhisknowledgeandskillsbypartici-
patinginnumerousgraphic,fineart,photography
andcreativityworkshops.Thesediverselearning
experiencesenabledhimtodevelopasignature
stylethatnowallowshimtoproducedaring
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180 >
andinnovativegraphicandmixed-mediaartworks
oncanvaswhichheexhibitsatvariousprivate
galleriesandartshowrooms.Inrecentyears,
Hassanhasdevelopedaloyalfollowingamong
artcollectorsandhisworksnowformpartof
collectionsinEgyptandtheMiddleEast.
Merginghispassionforart,histalentasapainter
andhis innovationingraphicdesign,Hassan
capturedhisvisionandexperiencesoftheradical
transformativesocio-politicaleventsthattran-
spiredsinceearly2011.ThroughhisEgyptian Revo-
lution Collectionwewitnessthebeauty,pride
andpassionofthegreatlandofEgyptandits
proudpeople.
“InitiallyIhadstartedtakingpictureswhilepro-
testingasapersonalrecord.ThenIstartedtaking
picturesandconsideringhowIwasgoingtotrans-
latetheseimagesintopostersorontocanvas.
Theexperiencewasextremelyspontaneous,just
liketherevolution.”Hesaysthathewasalsoin-
triguedbythefluidandinspiringnatureofthe
revolution.Shootinguncontrollably,hefoundit
hardtostoptakingpictureswhiletheevents
wereunfolding.Throughoutthisrivetingprocess,
theartistassembledhisphotographs,likepieces
ofapuzzle,tocreateaseriesofultimatelyreveal-
ingdigitalartandmixedmediacompositions.
“ThewholecountrywasinastateoffluxandI
feltthatitwasimpossibletoencapsulatethe
eventsinsingleframes.”
Hassanexplainsthathisintensionwastocap-
turetheessenceofpowerandemotionandto
portrayuniquemomentsfromtherevolution.
Usinghissignaturegraphictechnique,hecom-
binedhundredsofphotographstotransform
hiscanvasesintolargeandcomplexscenesthat
capturethefeelingsofeverypersonrevoltingin
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181 >
TahrirSquareinCairo.Hesaysthattheresulting
artworks portray the feelings of the huge
crowdsandeachworksignalsadifferentmes-
sageandmomentastherevolutionunfolded.“The
strongimpactofpeoplegatheredtogether,all
foroneaimandallunitedwiththesamedreams
andhopesarewhatmadethisrevolutionimpres-
sivetotherestoftheworld.”
AnimportantfeatureinHassan’sEgyptian Revolu-
tion Collectionistheincorporationofcalligraphy.
Hecombinedcalligraphyandwordsthatpeople
usedinTahrirSquarewithdigitallyalteredphoto-
graphsandboldsplashesofcolour,resultingin
visuallycomplexlayersthatchallengeviewers
tolookcloserandengagewiththeworkson
variouslevels.
Hesaysthat:“Myaimisthatfromtheminute
youstandinfrontofmyartworksyoucannot
feelanythingotherthanbutbeingpartofthe
realevents.Theworksconveythepowerofthe
crowd.Youcanhearthenoiseandyoucanfeel
theessenceofrevolt.Iwanttomakepeoplesee
thingsthattheireyesusuallydon'tsee,engage
themandshowthemimagesthatreflectwhat
theyfeel.”
HassanconcludesthatthesuccessoftheTo Egypt
with loveexhibitionsinCairoandViennaisjustthe
beginningofhisaimtospreadthemiraculous
revolutioninEgyptallovertheworldandto
commemorateitaesthetically.“Theworldhas
beenwatchingtheEgyptianrevolutionclosely.
ThereforeIbelievethatitismydutyasanartist
torepresenttheinspirationalgloryoftherevolu-
tionandtohonourthosegloriousdaysforever
byshowingtheworldthatEgyptiancultureisin
acontinuousstategrowthandtransformation.”<TOPLEFT:A story to tell.TOPRIGHT:We died to live.
CENTRELEFT:Days to remember.CENTRERIGHT: Days
of departure.BOTTOMLEFT:Leave! Leave!BOTTOM
RIGHT:To freedom.
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182 >
PAUL STOPFORTHThemanwhoretrievesthesoapandseesinitasliverofhistory
By Judith Mason
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183 >
Somedecadesago,acertainmandiedwhilebeing
interrogatedbytheSouthAfricanPolice’ssecurity
branch.Thathehadslippedonsomesoapinthe
showerwastheofficialexplanation,justoneof
manyrisibleexcusesofferedbythepoliceforthe
deathsofpeopleintheircustody.Someindetention
‘felldownstairs’or‘leaptoutofwindows’,andordi-
narycarbolicsoapseemedpeculiarlydangerous.
Soapisnotthestuffofmartyrdom.Itisslapstick,
liketheproverbialbananapeel.Togodowninahail
ofbulletsorbehangedbytheneckuntildeadis
something.Buttodieasaresultofasillyaccidentis
tobestrippedsomehowofthelastdignityafforded
one.Insuchcases,wequicklyburythedeadandthey
aresoonlosttoourcollectivememory.PaulStopforth
isoneoftheguardiansofthatmemory,andhewill
notallowustoforget.
LEFT:PaulStopforthwithoneofhismaturestudents,CatherineKrupnick.
CENTRE&RIGHT:InstallationviewsofTorture and Deaths in Detention,1977.Mixedmedia.
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184 >
TOPLEFT:The Interrogators,1979.Mixedmediaonpaperandwoodpanel.
TOPRIGHT:Freedom Dancer (The South African),1992.Oiloncut-outbirch
plywood.CollectionoftheConstitutionalCourtofSouthAfrica,Johannesburg.
BOTTOM:End of Empire,2002.Walldrawing,mixedmedia.TheSchoolhouse
Gallery,Provincetown,MA,USA.
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185 >
Spurninggrandgestures,heistheartistofthe
quieticon,themanwhoretrievesthesoapand
seesinitasliverofhistory.Fromthefirstshocking
lifecastsinhis1978exhibitionatTheMarket
TheatreGallery,wherethefalling,wretched
figuresperformedaghastlyballetofstate-
sanctionedabuse,tomorerecentworkinwhich
mundaneobjectstestifytothegrandeurand
sordidnessofthestruggle,Stopforthhasad-
dressedhimselftothishistory,evenasitisun-
folding.Thesoapwasthereinthatfirstexhibi-
tion,atthetopofthesteps.Topickone’sway
throughthosefigureswastobecomecomplicit,
drawnintothemoralcoreoftheinstallation.
When,later,StopforthdrewSteveBiko’sbruised
corpse,theviewerfeltthatshewasattheautop-
sy,spinningawebofliesandjustificationswith
thepolice,yetweepingwithBiko’sfamilybeside
hisnakedyoungbody.Eventhirtyyearsago,
Stopforthdidnoteditoutthebadstuff.Hegave
usthefactsandexpectedustorespondwith
whateverhumanitywecouldmuster.Following
thisearlywork,Stopforthcreated,inthe1980s,
severalquasi-portraitsofthefactotumsofthe
apartheidsystem.ThepeopleportrayedinThe
Interrogatorswereself-caricaturingintheStroess-
ner/Vorster/Pinochetmold–darkglasses,grim-
facedwithmustacheslikeduellingscars.Stopforth
usedalimitedpaletteanddarkbackgrounds,and
heenlargedthefigurestocreatetheimpression
ofsomanyBigBrotherswatching,bloatedwith
power.Lookingattheseimagessomedecades
later,attheirinsidiousforensicclarity,onerecalls
theinterminablemenaceofthosedays.
Bythelate80s,Stopforthwasregardedbycol-
leaguesandcriticsalikeasoneofthemostun-
compromisinginterpretersofourmoralquagmire.
Then,in1988,heemigratedtotheUnitedStates.
HetaughtfortheSchooloftheMuseumofFine
ArtsatTuftsUniversity,andin1996wasappointed
Triangle,2007.Gouacheonwoodpanel.
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186 >
tothefacultyoftheVisualandEnvironmental
StudiesDepartmentatHarvardUniversity.Histeach-
ingpositionlefthimsometimeinwhichtopaint.
Forawhilehisworkseemedfreeofhisearlierpolitical
concernsandtheengagementthesedemanded.
Hisrichlypaintedsurfacesandnuggetyfigurines
characterisedbymatricesofdotsthatcontradict-
edandenlivenedtheimagesseemedtoengage
withanentirelydifferentaestheticandadmirers
oftheworkwouldhavelittlesenseofthedifficul-
tiesoftranslocationwithwhichhestruggled.Around
thetimeofSouthAfrica’sfirstdemocraticelections
in1994,however,Stopforth’sAmericanexperience
hadbeguntoblendwithhisSouthAfricanpastto
informworkthatwasmorereflectiveandmore
complexthaneverbefore.Apartheidwascollapsing
andStopforthwatchedwithinterestaseventsun-
folded.Hislargecut-outpiece,Freedom Dancer
(The South African)(1993),whichnowhangsinthe
foyeroftheConstitutionalCourt,anticipatedthe
cominggleeoftheelections:amineringum-boots
–atonceasymbolofservitudeandfreedom–jumps
onthedevilinthemannerofadherentsofoneof
southernAfrica’sAfricanIndependentchurches.
Thejoyofthisworkispalpableanditsquasi-Pop
sensibilitysignalsasubtleshiftinStopforth’swork
oftheperiod.Similarly,thelargewall-piece,End of
Empire(2002),celebratesliberation.Likethedanc-
er,itisdeceptivelysimpleinexecution.ItsPopand
Postmodernelementscombinewithallusionsto
Tibetantopographicalpaintingtocreateasynthe-
sisthatisalmostcinematic.Althoughitssubjectis
theZuluWar,thisworkconjuresthehordesand
heroesofpre-industrialisedwarfareanywhere,
fromtheGobiDeserttothehillsofKwaZulu-Natal.
Healer #1,2003.Mixedmediaonpaper.
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187 >
Healer #2,2003.Mixedmediaonpaper.
In2004,Stopforthwasinvitedtospendsomeweeks
onRobbenIslandasanartist-in-residence.Thework
heproducedduringandafterhisvisitmakessophis-
ticateddemandsontheviewerandiskeytounder-
standinghisoeuvre.Stopforth’scommitmentto
bearingwitnesshereassumesasubtletythatwas
notpossibleduringhisSouthAfricanyears.Then
weneededtheshockofdeedsrevealed.Butnow
theartistasksustocollaborateinaphilosophical
andaestheticpartnershipthatrequiresadifferent
kindofengagementwiththework.Centraltohis
newapproachisTriangle(2007).Twooxen–one
facingtheother,onelookingtowardstheviewer,
bothsetinapinkcolour-fieldthatresemblesa
driedsaltpan–arethemeansbywhichhedefines
ourroleasparticipants:thetitlesuggeststhatthe
vieweristhethirdbeastinanoddtrio.Stopforth
eschewsnoblerbeastsforthatbovinescrutiny
thatissomewhatcomic,somewhatfrightening,
whollyplatteland.Itremindsusofhowinquisitive
cattleare,ofhowfighterpilotsflyingoverEurope
duringWorldWarIIdreadedlandinginfieldsfor
fearofbeingringedbycuriouslivestockwhosebe-
haviourwouldgivetheirpositionsaway.
OnRobbenIsland,Stopforthfoundthesoapthat
hadcausedsuchhavocinourhistory.Nowhesees
itasiconic,assynecdochic,thefragmentthatcon-
tainsthewhole.InHealer #1 (Sunlight)(2004)the
soapisalintel:archaic,African,reflectinglightand
creatingaspacethroughwhichtheskycanbeseen
andentered.Wesmellkelpandcarbolic.Forafrac-
tionofamomentwebecomeNelsonMandela,and
thisactofidentificationisprofoundlyhealing.On
theotherhand,itisacakeofsoaponadingysur-
face:thesmellofrespectablebutimpoverished
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188 >
childhoodrisestothenose.Thepainthasabeautiful,
washboardfeeltoit,andthepromiseofSunlight.
InHealer #2 (Lifebuoy) (2004)weseethesustaining
word‘Lifebuoy’pressedintosoapsetinascumof
greypaint. It suggestsendurancewithout the
promiseofrelease.Bothworksconveytheresil-
ienceandthehopeofislandprisoners,thetedium
ofeverydaylife,thewilltomaintaincleanliness
anddignity,andtheprospectofsoap,cakeafter
cake,washingtheuserintoacaptiveinfinity.These
piecesremindusthatthehappyendingofRobben
Islandwasnotsharedbyallofherinmates.
Consider,forexample,Bethesda(2004).Robben
Islandwas,atonetime,alepercolonyandStopforth
invokesthelong,sadhistoryofthedisease–the
rottingfleshthatmadepeopleoutcastsfromsociety
andthat,evennowthatitiscurable,instillshorror
inus.Ourassociationswithitarebiblical.Thevision
ofpeopleringingbellsanddeclaringthemselves
‘unclean,unclean’hasthepowertohauntusstill,
especiallyasitresonateswithourtendencytosee
‘theother’assomehowdefiled.Itevokesracism,
xenophobia,thecontagiousdiseasesofthemind.
ButinBethesdaStopforthalsoalludestothesimple,
sadstoryofleprouswomenbathinginatidalpool,
hopingthatthewaterwillhealtheirsores.Hein-
vitesustoperformanactofidentification.Inthe
absenceofhumanfigures,weengagewiththe
landscapeasthelepersdid.Wewatchthetidecome
inbeyondtherocks.Westepacrossthegrassto-
wardsthemirageofhealinginthebrackishwater
anditspromise,Bethesda.Overtherocksandthe
The Island #8: Bethesda,2004.Mixedmediaonpaper.
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189 >
TOP: Trinity,2005.Mixedmediaonpanel.BOTTOM: Monument,2005.Mixedmediaonpanel.
cementandwaterfallsthecolourofsunsetorserum,
andweareamongsttheIsland’ssequesteredsouls.
TheexperienceofoneofRobbenIsland’smostfa-
mousprisoners,RobertMangalisoSobukwe,resem-
bledthetreatmentoflepers.Hewaskeptinsolitary
confinementunderthenotoriousSobukwe Clause,
wellbeyondhisthree-yearterm,becausethegovern-
mentfearedthathewould‘infect’otherprisoners
withhisPan-Africanism.InTouchstone(2007),Stop-
forthmovesawayfromthecommunalpoolofBethes-
datothesmallhand-basininSobukwe’scottage.
ThebasinisdryandthesoapofHealer #1and#2
isconspicuousbyitsabsence.Itisabereftandhumble
image,madesadderstillbyitsjuxtapositionwith
thebasketofbones.Thetwointeracttocreatean
elegyforamanofgreatmoralstaturewhosehealth
wasbrokenbyhisextendedconfinement.Asthe
PolishpoetJuliaHartwigwrites,‘Theimage...carries
usinthemostextraordinarywayintoaninvisible
sphere...Theexperienceofrealitythusbecomes
akindoftranscendentalexperience.’1Inthiswork
theartist’scapacitytopropelustowardsanactof
identificationisverystrong.Itisreinforcedbythe
poignant‘sampler’ofsquaresembroideredbytown-
shipwomen.Touchstonetouchesoneverythingfrom
itssubject’ssolitude,tohisdevotedfamily,tohis
untimelydeath.Incontrast,Trinity(2005)reminds
usofthecompanionshipthatANCprisonersshared.
Threesimplestools,produced,nodoubt,bythe
prisonworkshop,acquiredignityfromthefractured
shadowsofthetitle,whichloomsbehind.Theleft
andrightstoolsaresetatangles,outwards,andtheir
invisibleoccupantstakeabroadview,asiftheyareat
akgotla.2Thisisnotaconfrontationaltriumvirate
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191 >
TOPLEFT:Touchstone,2007.Gouacheonpanel.
CENTRE:Another Country,2007.Gouacheonpanel.
BOTTOMLEFT: Homage,2008.Gouacheonpanel.
RIGHT: Incident,2007.Gouacheonpanel.
andthescrubbedfurnituretakesongreatermean-
ingnowthatSouthAfricansaretiringofcorrupt
politicians and the studded, ormolu-infested
thronespreferredbydespots.InMonument(2005),
ablanketpin,surelyoneofthemostbeautifulutil-
itarianshapeseverdevised,isseeninsalt-corroded
silhouetteonarustybackground.Oureyesfollow
itsbendsandcurvesanditbecomesapieceofland-
art,carvedintoamassiverock-face.Yetweknow
perfectlywellthatthismonumentissmallandin-
significant.Theartisttakesusintothebarrenness
ofacellwherewefindthatamundaneobjectisa
workofart.Beautyisagrace,heremindsus,and
contemplatingitmaykeepussane.
Fromthevastnessofasmallpintothevastnessof
asmallisland:thetopographicallyunremarkable
bloboflandoffCapeTown’scoastloomslargeinthe
world’sconsciousness.Itisalreadyiconic,sothe
artistteasesuswithashimmering,liquidshape,
evokingthehazeandthetidesandthecomingand
goingofitslonghistoryasadumpinggroundfor
lepers,lunatics,prisonersandsoldiers.Thestippled
surfacesoftheRobbenIslandworkscreateanalmost
hallucinogenicenergy,theseaalivewithmoisture
andsmallcraftwhilethelandradiatespointsoflight
asifitslayersofhistoryflickeraboveandaround
thecommonplacegeographyofprisonandlanding
strip.TogetherwiththeIslandworks,Stopforth
producedothersthatarelessspecific,moreenig-
matic.InAnother Country(2007),weseeontheleft
aglimpseofbushveldrockand,ontheright,an
ominousaspectoftheIslandprisonyard.Thecar
mirrorreflectstheislandasamemory.InIncident
(2007)weparticipateinadysfunctionaltriangle.
Weseefiguresbrawlingonalawn:arape,abeating,
aschoolyardreprisal?Aninteriorblackframesets
eachimagewithinunusuallysullenbarsofcolour.
Ontheleft,alegtearsthepark-likegrassbackto
revealthedirtbeneath.Ontheright,asurveil-
lancecamerapeersoutward,butdoesnotseemto
connectwiththeincident.Doesitwork?Isitob-
servingus?Arewebystandersorvoyeurs?Inthis,
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192 >
themostdisconcertingofStopforth’srecent
works,ourclamourforanswersisignored.
JuliaHartwigwrites,“Iftheattitudetowards
realityisthenerve-centreofeveryaesthetic,
whetherinliteratureorinart,visiblerealityhas
alwaysbeenaconstantpointofreferencefor
me.”3InHomage(2008),weseeStopforthcreat-
ingasmallandprettypieceofvisiblereality,
pinningitsbrightnerve-centretothecanvas
andmakingitanobjectofmeditation.Abougain-
villeablossomsplitsthecanvasintotwoalmost
identicalparts,amirroringdevicethatcanof-
tencreateanalmostintolerabletensionbetween
images;butherewefindourselvesthethirdpart
ofaveryagreeabletriangle.Wecould,forthat
matter,bethebaseofascalewhosecontents
areinperfectpoise,orsomebodyatacross-
roads.Inotherworkscontainingthetriangle
motif,theartistmakesuslookoutwards.The
gameheplayswithushereisexistential,per-
sonal.Wereadeachtenderlypaintedveininthe
fabricofleavesasifwehadneverreallylooked
before.Ourcataractshavebeenremoved.Trans-
lucentceriseandscarletpulsateagainstfields
ofbrokenyellow.Wewanttomeasurethespace
betweenthecolours.Istheyellowalandscape
away?Aninchaway?OrisitlikeHildegardof
Bingen’sfeatheronthebreathofGod,lighter
thanair?Here,toquoteHartwigagain,“theimage,
accessibletous…carriesusinamostextraor-
dinaryway,intoaninvisiblesphere.”4Despite
theimportantandobviousshiftsinStopforth’s
workovertheyears,hiscommitmenttobearing
witnesshasneverchanged.Hehaslookedat
objects,people,incidentsandfactsinaclear-eyed
andcompassionateway,anddeducedthata
kindoftruthresidesinanagglomerationofall
ofthesethings.
TOP:Singer: Siren Song,2010.Mixedmediaonpanel.
ApaintingofthesirenontheroofoftheRobben
Islandprison.
CENTRE: Intake: Breath,2009.Gouacheonpanel.The
BritishgunemplacementsontheIslandhadunder-
groundbunkerswhereammunitionandfoodwere
stored.
BOTTOM: Source,2010.Gouacheonpanel.Animage
oftheubiquitousoldbrasstapsthatwereattached
tobarrelsonfarmsthatcollectedpreciousrainwater.
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193 >
NOTES
1.CitedinBenjaminPaloff,‘PersonalHistories’,
The Nation(30Jwune2008).
2.‘Kgotla’isaSetswanaword.Itreferstoapublic
gatheringorcommunitycouncilcalledbyavillage
headmantodecideimportantorjudicialmatters.
3.CitedinBenjaminPaloff,‘PersonalHistories’,
The Nation(30June2008).
4.Ibid.
ThisessaywasfirstpublishedinPaul Stopforth:
TAXI-015,publishedbyDavidKrutPublising in
2010.PhotosbySusanByrne.
About the author
JudithMasonwasborninPretoria,in1938.She
studiedattheUniversityoftheWitwatersrandin
the1950s,obtainingaBADegreeinFineArtin
1960andheldherfirstsoloshowin1964.Today,
withacareerthatspansalmost50years,Masonisone
ofSouthAfrica’smostdistinguishedandprolific
artists.HerworkisrepresentedinallmajorSouth
Africanartcollectionsandmuseumsandinterna-
tionallyrepresentedinbothprivateandpubliccol-
lectionsinEurope,USAandAustralia.Click here
toreadmoreaboutMason.<
Tidal pool: Bethesda #1, 2 and 3,2010.Gouacheonpanel.RecentworksbasedonthetidalpoolcalledBethesda.
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194 >
GerhardMarx:Cumulus
Review by Gavin Younge
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195 >
GerhardMarxpresentednewworksthat
arebornoutofhisownself-designedproc-
esses,whichinvolveskillfulmanipulation
ofmaterialscollectedaspartofanengage-
mentwiththeartist’sphysicalurbancon-
text.AsaCumuluscloudconstantlyverges
oncollapse,Marx’ssubjectsborderbe-
tweenformandformlessness,alwaysrich
inassociativeandconnotativedensity.
Marxpresentedseveralcompositions
madeentirelyoutofthedriedstalksof
plantmaterial.Eachwispystrandhasbeen
carefullysortedthrough,andthosewith
the‘right’bend,orformhavebeenpasted
downontolargesheetsofcottonpaper.
Theoveralleffectisthatofalinedrawing
–onemadewiththefinest-tippednib.
Althoughhecallsthesecompositions
Cumulus I,IIandIII,theyinfactreference
thehumanskeleton.Compositeskeletons
asonemightfindinanarchaeologist’s
gravesite.Humerus,scapulaandribbone
lieupononeanother,disturbedperhaps
bytheactionsofscavengers,orlaiddown
randomlyasinamassgrave.Theartistsays
oftheseworksonpaperthattheyfocus
on‘unstableforms’and‘indeterminacy’.
ThecloudformationwecallCumulus,is
anaccretionoraccumulationpriorto
Nimbus,whenmoisturevapourreaches
saturationanditstartstorain.
Marxisaliterateartist,andthenotesthat
accompanytheworksonexhibitiontease
outaspectsthatmaynotbeimmediately
apparenttotheviewer.Taketheconnec-
tionbetweendrawnskeletalremainsand
cloudformations.Hisnotes,whichare
freelyavailable,guideanyoneinterested
inwhathetermsthe‘forensicgazeofthe
viewer’,toaless-narrativelybasedunder-
standingoftheseworks.Inotherwords,
Cumulus I, IIand IIIarenotonlyburial
sites;theyarealsositesofmoregeneral
disintegration.
Marxalsopresentsworksrelatingtothe
gardenanditswall.Henotesthattheety-
mologyoftheword‘paradise’pointsto
awalledgarden,andthatthewordis
closelyimbricatedinthe‘GardenofEden’
inbothitsChristianandJewishmanifes-
tations.Bitsofthegardenthataresuper-
fluous,ordiseased,arediscarded.Inhis
case,assomeonelivinginJohannesburg,
thesemauvais herbes arebaggedand
leftonthepavementforthe[Johannes-
burgCity]Counciltocollect,butnotbe-
foreMarxhasrummagedthroughthis
detritusandgatheredtwigsandbranches
thatmaysuithispurpose. InScion,a
bronzedsetofbranchesintheshapeof
aribcage,hehascuratedtheskeletonof
anewbody.Thiscrazyconjunction,the
Johannesburg-based visual artist, theatre director and filmmaker Gerhard Marx
presented his first exhibition with the Goodman Gallery earlier this year where
he showed new works based on his signature creative process and interest in the
urban locus. Gavin Younge reviewed the exhibition titled Cumulus.
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TOPLEFT:Skull I,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.
CENTRE:Skull II,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.
TOPRIGHT: Skull III,2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,75x57cm.
BOTTOMLEFT:Cumulus I, 2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,153x103cm
BOTTOMRIGHT: Cumulus II, 2011.Plantmaterial,acrylicpaintandglueoncottonpaper,153x103cm
196 >
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197 >
newly-bornoutoftherecently-departed,isa
trueMarxism.
OnehundredandfiftyyearsbeforeCarolus
Linneausestablishedhisplant-namingsystem
inthe1700s,LucaGhiniproducedthefirst
herbarium–ordriedgarden.Marxcelebrates
thisfeatthroughthreeworksinwhichthe
originalformofvariousweedshavebeentrans-
posedintolineandcolour.Thesearedigital
prints,buttheyderivefromcollageshemade
usingroadmaps.Weareallfamiliarwiththe
red-bounded,yellowlinesthatdesignatemajor
routesconnectingSouthAfrica’stownsand
cities;thethickandthinredlinesthatdesig-
nateminortarredroads;and,ifthescaleis
largeenough,thedottedlinesofajeeptrack.
Thetechniqueofusing‘foundlines’isMarx’s
alone.HehasgonetocourttoprotecthisIP,
andwon.[In2006Marxwonalandmarkout
ofcourtsettlementresultingfrominfringe-
mentofhissignaturecreativeprocesswhich
wasappropriatedbyamajoradvertisingagency
inacampaigndevelopedforamajorinterna-
tionalautomotivebrand.]
Sowhatarethesetwistedandmangledmap
forms?Linneaus’splant-namingsystemwas
basedonsharedsimilaritiesbetweenflower-
ingplants.Hissystemhasgivenwaytotrue
phylogeneticsystems,onesthatarepredic-
tive,andthatarebasedonDNAsampling.Thus
thethreegenesfoundinallplantsgiverise
to565floweringplantspeciesworldwide.Marx
hassingledoutplantsthatgrowopportunis-
ticallyonpavementsandonthevergesof
roads.Theretheybenefitfromtheincreased
run-off of precipitation, and there they
whither,exhaustedbyexhaustfumes.These
weedsareMarx’s‘drygarden’.Meticulously
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198 >
Hortus Siccus (for Luca Ghini) I,2011.Pigmentinkson
cottonpaper,92x92cm.
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199 >
process-driven,hehas‘mapped’theirformin
threedimensions.Thearterialroadscoalesce
orcrossoveroneanother,topographicalref-
erenceshavebeenabandoned,andtheviewer
isleftwithanindexicalasopposedtoasym-
bolicalobject.
Inawaytheseprints,andthelargecollageen-
titledHortus Siccus – Bush,couldreference
Nepenthes alata–oneoftheso-called‘flesh
eaters’,orpitcherplants.Inthiswaythein-
tendedconnectionbetweenroadmaps(which
are,afterall,codifieddesiretrails),andthe
gesturalindexofre-makingtheplantworldas
ahybridisedstructurewouldbecomeclearer.
Marxalsopresentstwolarge,sculpturalac-
cretionsofaquotidianobject–theschool
ruler,andaquotidiansubject–theweather.
Hereheiscarefultopointtotheemotional
connotationsweallattachtothisendlessly
measured,andpalpablyunpredictablephe-
nomenon.Helikesthefactthatthe‘ruler’,as
ameasureofallthings, isbasedonhuman
proportions;thatofthefoot,or12thumb
breadths. Strangelybehind the times, the
UnitedKingdomstillusesmiles,yards,feetand
inchesonitsroadways,despitehavingchanged
tometresin1936forallgeodeticpurposes.
Bylaw,beerissoldinpintsanddairyproduce
inlitres.
ButMarx isnotoverlyconcernedwiththis
confusion;heisinterestedinincrementalcali-
brationandthewayinwhichthe‘calibrated,
objectifiedabstraction’oftherulercollapses
intophenotype.Theerrorofparallaxdictates
thattherulermustbeinclosecontactwith
thatwhichitismeasuring.Butthe‘weather’is
notsolelyrainfallandwindspeed,itbringsHortus Siccus: Bush,2011.Cutandreconstructed
mapfragments,150x150cm.
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200 >
withitemotionalsubjectivity.InthiswayGerhard
Marxhopestobringtheworld(naturalphenome-
na)tothebody,andthebodytotheworld.
Notstrictlyeye-candy,theseworksextendtheart-
ist’ssignatureworkwithroadmapsandthe‘found
line’,theyalsogivethemindfulvieweraglimpse
ofhisparadise–thegardenbehindthewalls.His
gardenisthecolourofdrymesquiteandasdeli-
cateandephemeralasplacenames.Despitethe
prevalenceofblack(Scion,andWeather 1andII),
theworkshaveaninternalluminance.Theyarealso
possessing.Onefeelsandseestheirinnerlogic.
PhotoscourtesyofMikeHallandtheGoodman
Gallery.
About the author
Gavin Younge is a professor at theMichaelis
SchoolofFineArt,UniversityofCapeTownand
worksinternationallyasasculptor,author,film-
makerandcurator.Click heretoreadmoreabout
Young.<
Scion,2011.Bronze,70x100x30cm.
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201 >
TOP LEFT & CENTRE: Weather I, 2011. Plastic rulers on
black wooden substrate, 83 x 140 x 10 cm.
TOP RIGHT: Weather II, 2011. Plastic rulers on black
wooden substrate, 56 x 76 x 10 cm.
BOTTOM LEFT: Weather I, 2011. Pigment ink on cotton
paper, 62 x 91.5 cm.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Weather II, 2011. Pigment ink on
cotton paper, 62 x 91.5 cm.
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202 > Ab
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203 >
Creativity takes courage.Just ask Guy du Toit.Overcoming one’s fears is easier said than done. That’s why we sponsor the Absa L’Atelier – an art competition that rewards brave, young artists with the opportunity to live and learn at the world-renowned Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. As a look through the list of past winners will testify, when courage and this kind of opportunity come together, greatness is sure to follow suit.
Visit www.absa.co.za for entry details.
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204 >
Working with nature
View of Andrew van der Merwe's Inside Fibonacci.
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205 >
Armed with an assortment of materials ranging
from sticks, sand, water and grass, some of the world’s
top land artists joined local artists to temporarily
transform the picturesque town of Plettenberg Bay
and the Bitou municipal area where South Africa’s
first international land art event, Site_Specific,
took place at the end of May.
Site_Specific is a new, non-profit entity established
in 2011 by artists, educators and business people
who are passionate about the magic of land art.
The initiative’s organisers and supporters believe
that by viewing the different projects, visitors will
gain appreciation for their diverse natural, histori-
cal and cultural heritage. In the process, the first
Site_Specific event delivered art and environmental
education and contributed to skills development,
job creation and growth of cultural tourism.
By linking art, culture, history and the environment,
Site_Specific aims to created a sustainable model
for using the power of land art to challenge and
change people’s perceptions about their natural
environment. “Site_Specific is determined to make
land art inclusive and accessible. We are thrilled that
top international land artists and some of South
Africa’s most innovative conceptual artists have
volunteered to mentor and collaborate with artists
from the Bitou community and to lead educational
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207 >
outreachprogrammesforlocallearners,”says
HeatherGreig,Site_Specificco-founder.
Morethan30artistsparticipatedintheevent,includ-
inginternationallyacclaimedlandartistsStrijdom
vanderMerwe (SouthAfrica),Urs Twellmann
(Switzerland)andGabrieleMeneguzziandVincenzo
Sponga(bothfromItaly).Thelistalsoincludedprom-
inentSouthAfricanartistssuchasGordonFroud,
AngusTaylor,MarcoCianfanelli,Andrewvander
Merwe,JanvanderMerwe,SimonMaxBannister
(MAX),AnniSnyman,HannelieCoetzee,Marcus
Neustetter,MarkWilby,JamesWebbandTyrone
Tewson.LocalartistslivingintheBitouMunicipality
alsojoinedintheaction,eitherasparticipating
artistorashostsofexhibitions,studiotoursand
workshop.TheywereCharlesLevine,CarolNathan-
Levin,MyfanwyBekker-Balajadia,MatthewBrouck-
aert,IngridCoerling,ZaneCoetzee,WillieGouws,
AngusGreig,DarrenLyon,AmosLwana,KateMuller,
KlausOppenheimer,DeePellumReid,MartyRedder-
ing,StephenRosinandAnjaWiehl.
TheworkofItalianartists,GabrieleMeneguzzi&
VincenzoSponga,betterknowntotheSite_Specific
crewasItaly1andItaly2,isincrediblysubtleanduses
onlynaturalmaterialssourcedfromthesite.“Our
ideawasbornbylookingattheseafromthetopof
ourworkfromtherocks,andwethoughthowbeauti-
fulitcouldbetosewtogetherrocks,sandandseaas
iftheyweredifferentarts.Sowecreatedalaneinthe
sandandathreadusingonlygrass,andonthebeach,
wefoundabeautifuldriedtreefromwhichwecutthe
branchestomakeitlooksimilartoaneedle.”
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208 >
AlloftheartistsandtheSite_Specificteamcon-
tributedtheirtimeforfreeandpaidtheirownway
toPlettenbergBaywhilemanylocalbusinesses
andindividualsofferedaccommodation,logistical
support,materials,equipmentandstudiospaces.
Landarthasalwaysbeenattheextremeofart
makingsinceitoperatesoutsidethegalleryset-
tingandusestheterrainasitscanvasandanything
fromone’shandstoearthmovingequipmentas
paintbrushorchisel.Landartisoftentemporary
andinmanyinstancestheonlyartworksthatremain
forpurchasearephotographsdocumentingthe
interventions.
"We’retakingartoffthepedestalandputtingit
onthesandandintheland,"saysStrijdomvander
Merwe,Site_Specificco-founder.
Site_Specificranovereightdays,startingwitha
welcomeandsiteorientationon22May.Reney
Warrington,oneofthedocumentersoftheevent
blogged:“WespentthemorninghikingtheMilk-
woodTrailandlookingatallthepossiblesites.
Artistshadto‘claim’theirspot,spendtheafter-
noonplanning/scheming/dreamingandthenstart
placingordersforsticks,stones,boats,tractors
andtheoddchainsaw.Someartistsarrivedwith
plansmadewhileothersmadetheirplansafter
selectingthesitesfortheirworksandassessing
whatmaterialswereattheirdisposal.”Thefollow-
ingfivedayswereoccupiedbyartistsslavingaway
andcreatingmostlyephemeralpiecesoflandart.
Concurrently,creativeworkshopsandsitevisits
wereconductedwithcommunitygroupsandlocal
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GordonFroudandTyroneTewson
employedrecycledmouldsmadefor
previoussculpturalworkstocreate
theirinstallationtitledAbout potential.
“WebroughtmouldsofSperm babies
[Froud]andFat men[Tewson]withus.
Intothesemoulds,wepressedslabsof
clayfromthelocalVantellBrickworks
tocreateforms.Theseformswereheat
sealedtostrengthenthembutwerenot
bakedasweintendedthemtodisinte-
grateandreturntotheearth,metaphor-
icallyimplyingourjourneyonthisplanet.
Eachformhasatwigofwillowinserted
fromwhichithangs–thisistoprovide
anaturaltwineandtoleavenoartificial
footprintonthesite.Wehopethatthe
weather,timeandinteractionwillresult
inthebreakdownoftheforms.”
CharlesLevin’sperformancepiece
Homagedealswiththe2011Tōhoku
earthquakeandtsunamiandthe
resultingnuclearaccidentatthe
FukushimaINuclearPowerPlant.
Click here toviewthevideo.
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schools.Thesealsoincludedvisitsbyschoolgroups
whoobservedandinteractedwiththeSite_Specific
artistswhiletheywerecreatingtheirartworks.
On28and29May,artlovers,membersofthelocal
communityandtouristsparticipatedinthepublic
launchwithguides leading them through the
uniqueopen-airartdisplaysona3kmwalkfrom
PlettenbergBay’sCentralBeachtotheMilkwood
TrailinthePiesangRiverValley.
TheorganisersdescribetheinauguralSite_Specific
eventasaformofcommunionwiththelandthat
changesone’sperceptionsofgivensurroundings.
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AngusTaylor'sworktitledLosconsistsof
twoabstractedhumanfiguresconstruct-
edfromwoodwhichheinstalledatthe
mouthofthePiesangRiverestuary.The
workdealswiththefluid,liminalspaces
andritesofpassageofsocialreality
inspiredbythewritingsofphilosopher
VictorTurner.
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Itislikebeinggivenneweyes.Evenaftertheart
hasbeenreabsorbedintonature,thememoryof
itpersistsandinformsone’sinteractionwiththe
landscape.Itdoesn’tdemandhugeamountsof
visualliteracyoreducationtobemovedbytheex-
perienceofagreatlandartpiece,itisimmediate
anditenhancesone’sownsenseofbeinginthe
world.
Landartallowsonetointegratetheoftensplit
conceptsof‘culture’and‘nature’.Sometimesitis
acelebrationofthelandthatsustainsus,oftenit
remindsusofthetemporarynatureofourshared
existence.<
Credits
Informationandphotographsincludedinthisarticle
wereprovidedbytheSite_Specificorganisersand
ReneyWarrington.Warringtondescribesherself
asawriter,photographerandbloggerobsessed
withfilm,music,artandespresso.Herfirstnovel
isscheduledforreleaseinthefirsthalfof2012
andhernextphotographicexhibitionwillfollowa
fewmonthslater.Click heretoviewmoreofWar-
rington'swork.
Click here toseemoreworksfromSite_Specific.
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MarcoCianfanelli’sinstillation
titledDriftismadeofmildsteel
andfounddriftwoodofwhichthe
largestdimensionisapproximately
2.4m.“FortheSite-Specific
projectIbroughtlaser-cutsteel
wordswithme,withtheintention
ofattachingthemtotrees.On
arrivinginPlettenbergBay,Ifelt
thatthebeachwastheright
contextandtheavailabledrift-
woodasuitablevehicletocarry
thewordsformysite-specific
intervention.Ifoundtwolarge
piecesofdriftwood.Theonehad
astrongarchitecturalquality,like
aCorinthiancolumn,whichI
combinedwithwordsthatreferto
‘society’.Theotherwasvery
organicandgnarled,whichI
pairedwithwordsthatreferto
the‘individual’.Inthecontextof
thebeachandshoreline,these
worksevokeideasofarrival,
imposition,lossandredundancy
buttheyalsoevokeasenseof
growthandtransformation,like
barnaclesonaforeignobject.”
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UrsTwellmann’sartworktitled
Stranded Aliensconsistsof
about70discscutfromblue
gumtrees.Eachdiskishollowed-
outwiththeaidofachainsaw
toallowthemtocontainwater.
Theartistarrangedandrear-
rangedthepiecesatdifferent
placesalongthecoastandthe
nearbyrivertoallowthetides
andavailablelighttodictate
ever-changingconfigurations,
reflectionsandmotionsdictated
byNature’sflux.
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StrijdomvanderMerweusedthebeachashis
canvastocreatealargeartwork.“ForSite_SpecificI
becameawareoftheamountofdriftwoodthat
washeduponthebeachandthecontinuousdeposit
ofmaterialsduringhightide.Thisletmettoideaof
usingarakeanddrawingcirclesonthebeachin
varioussizesasifithadwashedupduringhightide
justtobewashedawayduringthenexttide.This
work,asinmanyofmyotherworks,takepartinthe
cyclesofnature.Itshowsthefragilityofbeauty,
whilenotlamentingitspassing.”
SimonMaxBannister’sAardmoeders(EarthMothers)
isoneofthefewpermanentartworkscreatedduring
Site_Specific.Thesculpture,situatedatKranshoek,
iscarvedfromlocalbouldersanddepictsthree
elephants.Thesculptureisthefirstofmanyplanned
tobeinstalledalongtheEdentoAddoGreatCorridor
creatingSouthAfrica’sfirstlandartroute.Asa
conservationinitiative,theEdentoAddoLandArt
Routeaimstoestablishalivingcorridoralongold
elephantmigratorypathslinkingtheGardenRoute
NationalParktotheAddoElephantNationalPark
350kmtotheeast.PhotosbyElizabethOlivierKahlau.
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AndrewvanderMerwecreatedtwo
verydifferentworkstitledInside
FibonacciandBeach Calligraphy.Inside
Fibonacciisandinstallationofblack-
enedgumtreepoles.Thepolesare
laidoutinthepatternformedbythe
seedsontheheadofasunflower–a
patternofspiralspresentinmost
flowers.Whenonestandsatthecentre,
thepoleslookrandomlyplacedand
therearenoradiallinesandanythree
polesthatlineupwouldsupposedly
representaweaknessintheflower
head.However,ifonemovesintoitfrom
anangle,thespiralsbecomeevident.
Thereare13longclockwisespiralsand
21shortanti-clockwisespiralsleading
tothecentreofwhich13and21are
consecutivenumbersintheFibonacci
sequence.
Beach Calligraphydrawsonvander
Merwe’spassionforcalligraphy:“Iam
acalligrapherbyprofessionandcarving
fantasticallettersalloverthebeachis
awelcomebreakfromworkingata
deskonsmallpiecesofpaper.Thetools
andtechniquesareonesIhaveevolved
overthepasteightyears.Beforethat,
likeanyoneelse,Iusedsticksandshells
andobjectfoundonthebeach.Much
ofmyworkhastheappearanceofletters
carvedinstonebutitiscompletely
temporal.Icallitcalligraphy,notcarving,
becausethelettersarecutdirectlyand
ataspeedclosetothatofwriting.The
formsareafunctionofthemovement.”
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HannelieCoetzee’sFamily Portrait
consistsof13stackedstonesculp-
turesfacingtheoceanonLookout
Beach.Thesculpturesrepresent
familymembersandformpartof
theartist’songoingexplorationof
herAfrikanerheritage.Theartists
saysthatallofthestoneshave
visiblequartzlinesthatsymbolise
the‘marks’thatparentsandtheir
beliefsystemsimpressontheir
children.ForfivedaysCoetzee’s
builtandrebuiltFamily Portrait
aftereverycycleoftidaldestruction.
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JanvanderMerwe’sinstallation
titledUprootedconsistsoffive
separatestructuresmadeofthe
stumpsofuprootedtreesattached
topiecesofsecond-handfurniture.
Alltheobjectshavetheappearance
ofhavingbeenscorchedorblack-
enedbyfire.Theartistssaysthat
workmayrefertothedisplacement
ofpeople,butalsosuggestsnatural
andhumanproductionprocesses.
Inthebackground(farright)is
MalcolmSolomon’sinstallation
titledBarcoded Africa.
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