The best of local beauty at Design Indaba

Renowned Dutch designer Jurgen Bey, one of the keynote speakers at the Design Indaba, will be selecting the most beautiful of the fifteen most beautiful objects in South Africa at the private Expo opening function on Thursday evening, 22 February 2007.

Sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), the objects are currently on display at the Design Indaba Expo at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, 23 - 25 February.

Expo content manager Lauren Shantall explains: “The objects have been chosen by a high-profile curator panel made up of leading South African designers and critics, stylists and editors, who evaluate all exhibitors before they may show their designs at the Expo. Each was asked to name the particular object they considered the most beautiful.

“Our first, DAC-sponsored ‘Most Beautiful Object In SA’ (MBOISA) project generated huge public and media interest last year, as well as an international distribution deal for one of the MBOISA finalists. The opportunity in 2007 is for DAC to continue to grow this competition’s profile and to benefit further through its association with this initiative.”

The objects are being exhibited in the central area of the Expo, carrying DAC branding and labeled as the “Most Beautiful Objects in South Africa”. Each object will is displayed on a plinth carrying the name of the curator that chose it, and a motivation explaining why they chose that particular object.

The winning nominations include jewellery, fashion, lighting, ceramics, a pre-fabricated home and more:

• Ferial Haffajee: gown by Stoned Cherrie
  
• Mokena Makeka: rocker by Egg Design
  
• Veejay Arhcary: Mooj by Joom
  
• Marisa Fick-Jordaan: mobile house by ZenKaya
  
• Jennifer Fair: porcelain bowl by Christina Bryer
  
• Geraldine Fenn: protea brooch by Vonk en Vaderland
  
• Gerard Back: pottery/teacups by Frauke Stegmann
  
• Egg design: red willowlamp by Team Two
  
• Beverley Price: gold neckpiece Mapungubwe
  
• Jan Malan: Superella fashion by Ella Buter
  
• Jackie Burger: gown by Story
  
• Sumien Brink: white unfired clay by Ceramic matters
  
• Bernard Smith: condom applicator by …XYZ Design
  
• Justin Rhodes/what if the light: Donker light by Gregor Jenkin

  To view all the objects, go to www.designindaba.com/media/mboisa.htm.
  
  For more:
  www.designindaba.com