Design Indaba promises all-round innovation
A smorgasbord of architectural, fashion and jewellery design innovation will be served up at the 8th Design Indaba, to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), from 23 to 25 February 2005.
The Indaba will welcome internationally reknowned Brazilian brothers, Fernando and Humberto Campana, who have shaken up the design world with their exquisite, imperfect, hand-made objects and structures, inspired by Brazilian street life and carnival culture. The brothers use everyday-found objects, such as scraps of wood, rubber hose, tissue paper, string and fabric, and combine them with advanced technology to create colourful, energetic and distinctly indigenous designs.
The Campanas have created work for Philippe Starck, Alessi, Cappellini, FontanaArte, O Luce and the Italian experimental furniture company, Edra. Their work has appeared in the International Design Year Book and been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Despite their international superstardom, the brothers remain committed to promoting authentic indigenous design as a means of social upliftment.
Jewellery Design
The Indaba will also include a Jewellery Design Indaba, focusing on the export of South Africa's treasurehouse of precious stones and minerals, not in raw form, but as exquisitely-designed, indigenous jewellery. The Jewellery Indaba is a challenge to South African designers everywhere, to produce world-class designs with a distinctly South African signature.
Speakers
Guest speakers who will expose new ideas in emerging international jewellery design, include:
1. Lorenz Baumer, based in Paris, who's skilfully-crafted jewellery, is exclusive to each individual client, and often includes such whimsical designs as jewelled fruits, animals and geometrics.
2. Beverley Price and Geraldine Fenn, two of South Africa's most original contemporary jewellery designers, are both passionate advocates of South African design, and are actively involved in skills development to help empower struggling communities.
3. Italian master jeweller, GianCarlo Montebello, is credited with re-invigorating the art of gold design, and works in collaboration with some of the world's finest contemporary designers. He also designs exquisite lamps, cutlery and glasses.
Workshops
Delegates to the Jewellery Indaba will also have the choice of three workshops:
Feasting for a good cause
The annual Design Indaba Banquet takes on a socially responsible dimension this year, in order to raise funds for design education, and guests will enjoy fine cuisine and wine, live music and performance art. Each table will be allocated its own designer or media personality.
There will also be a charity auction of furniture inspired by street furniture constructed by street vendors and hawkers, and specially created for the banquet by prominent South African designers. The project, curated by Greg and Roche Dry, Egg Designs, has produced a stunning collection of high-end, contemporary pieces.
Proceeds of the Banquet and auction will go to leading public institutions in creative and design education, including Cape Technikon, Wits Technikon, Durban Institute of Technology, Port Elizabeth Technikon, Free State Technikon and Pretoria Technikon. The money will be used to create bursaries for previously disadvantaged students to study design or related creative industry disciplines in the next academic year.
The fund-raising aspect fits neatly into Design Indaba's mission: to elevate indigenous design to international standards. The Design Indaba Charity Banquet will be held in the East Ballroom of the CTICC on 22 February from 19h00. To find our more, or to book a table, please contact Adriane Lugtenburg, Yellowzone Marketing, on +27 21 418 6668 or email .
For more information, contact Shaheda Sayed Patel at +27 21 418 6666 or email , or go to www.designindaba.com.
