Calling all keen craft creatives
TWO Capetonians with an eye for craft will showcase their talent in the annual National Craft Competition.
Aimee Lindeque’s Memory Bear is one of the entries in the 2018 National Craft Competition.
The young resident of Cape Town has been working with leather since 2016 and crafts unique offerings that merit second and third looks.
A graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Art at UCT, Lindeque has tried her hand at drawing, painting and sculpting and loves to use a variety of media.
Her Memory Bear is made from scraps of leather.
“I used leather because leather carries its own history. These scrap bits had been used to make different items of clothing and furniture and come from different animals.
“I liked the idea of bringing together all these old memories to create something new, something that would carry new memories, like a child’s teddy bear,” said Lindeque.
Ilse du Plooy’s Kelp Blanket consists of 4150 individually hand-stitched blocks, with an average of 50 stitches a block, totalling about 830 000 stitches. All done by hand, they took around seven months to complete.
“My work should remind the audience that one can, through simple crafts such as sewing, needlework and crochet, find a meditative process to attain fulfilment and emotional wellbeing,” Du Plooy said.
She said that kelp has a very distinct and pleasing tactility.
“Pushing the needle through kelp feels like pushing a needle through skin, and the process became a metaphor for the trauma and emotional pain I sustained during 2015.
“My work serves as reference to the process of healing after trauma and how we cope with life’s challenges by ‘keeping it together’,” she said.
The Craft Awards are free to enter and are centred on empowerment and entrepreneurship, as well as showcasing excellence in skill.
Entries for this competition close on Friday.
Entrants need simply take a photo of their entry, next to a matchbox for size of scale, and either e-mail it to crafts@innibos.co.za or send it to 0716213597 via MMS or WhatsApp. For more information, visit https://www. facebook.com/Innibosnationalcraftawards/
Sixty entries will be shortlisted and these will form part of an exhibition to be held in Mbombela during the Innibos National Arts Festival from June 24 to 30.
The winner of the Platinum Award will receive R50 000, the Gold Award winner will pocket R20000 and the Silver, R15 000. In addition, a Craft Retail Apprenticeship with Tourvest Destination Retail will be bestowed on one of the winners. – Staff Writer