Cape Town ceramicist, Andile Dyalvane wins 2015 Southern Guild Foundation Icon Award

The award, sponsored by law firm Adams & Adams for the first time, is awarded in recognition of work produced by a highly regarded South African designer, acknowledging outstanding achievement, innovation and career advancement. The winner is awarded R30,000 as well as a legal consultation with Adams & Adams.

The firm also sponsors the Design Indaba Innovation Award and the Loeries Young Creatives Award, and takes an active interest in the intellectual property (IP) requirements of the design industry.

Dyalvane, along with co-creative director, Zizipho Poswa founded Imiso Ceramics. Imiso means "tomorrow" in Xhosa, and signifies the designers' philosophy of "Work today, change tomorrow." Located in the Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock, Cape Town, the studio produces handmade decorative pieces and functional tableware that draws inspiration from African tradition, culture and landscape.

Non-vessel piece depicts duality of Woodstock

The prized work, which won the award, is a non-vessel sculptural piece that showcased at the 2015 Guild International Design Fair. He aims to record the rapid environmental changes that are taking place in Woodstock, Cape Town, where his studio is located. Having recently participated in a workshop with Taipei master ceramicists, his latest body of work takes the form of 'non-vessels'. Inspired by the idea that vessel forms need not be represented as functional works but rather as sculptural gestures, with pure organic form as the focus, placing wonder inside. Each non-vessel form is left up to the imagination.

Supporting emerging designers

The Southern Guild Foundation Awards Programme, now in its fourth year, has supported a number of emerging designers in gaining access to product development and production funding as well as infrastructure assistance. Says Southern Guild Foundation co-founder Trevyn McGowan, "The judges felt that Dyalvane's extraordinary potential made him truly deserving of the Icon award.

"He is a true inspiration to all South Africans, not just as a designer but as an entrepreneur. He is incredibly dedicated, ambitious and talented, yet he always has time for younger or less experienced designers and shares his knowledge humbly and supportively."