Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Handmade just keeps on getting better
Products selected for collection ‘show that design is capable of making the world more beautiful’
ACOOKING oil container takes on a new life in the form of a bright yellow floral sculpture; plastic is upcycled into covetable jewellery; and a discarded pair of jeans is turned into toys guaranteed to make children smile.
These are just some of the items in the Handmade Collection, a curated selection of the finest handmade work from some of the Western Cape’s most talented craft producers and designers.
Every year the Cape Craft and Design Institute makes a selection for the Handmade Collection, and it goes on show at the Design Indaba Expo next weekend, from March 1 to 3, at Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Marjorie Naidoo, who manages the collection, said it was in line with the World Design Capital 2014 slogan – Live Design. Transform Life.
“These handmade products show that design can make the world more beautiful. Certainly, with nearly 3 000 businesses on our database, representing an estimated 14 695 jobs, it has the power to transform lives.”
This week the city will transform into a design hub when designers from around the world converge here. The conference begins on Tuesday.
This is the fifth collection and is a slice of the creative talent on offer at the expo.
It follows on from themed exhibitions curated by the institute since 2003.
A panel selected 82 pieces by 60 designers from 198 entries. Pieces include ceramics, wirework, beadwork, basketware, textiles, jewellery, metalware, wood and upcycled waste.
The collection reflects Cape characteristics – a wire work portrays a woman struggling to walk as she is buffeted by the south-easter, carved west coast birds are perched on a bundle of Atlantic kelp and a silver ring is embedded with a ceramic Newlands brewery bottle top.
The Cape’s rich floral and marine life is also a source of inspiration: protea-printed fabric adds comfort to a stool; delicate ceramic ware is painted with blooms and leaves; a silver whale lobtails above a translucent sea glass pendant.
The darker underbelly of Cape Town is also reflected.
Drawing from the arts of embroidery, lace and crochet, there is a fine metal curtain that also provides a protective screen against intruders. Striking floral wallpaper, on closer inspection, reveals texts that inspired women to endure and recover from domestic violence.
The institute’s story has been published in a book called An Imperfect Beauty to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
It started in 2001 when Mel Hagen from the Cape Technikon approached the provincial govern-