Context & insight

The Western Cape Furniture Initiative's exhibition and trade show consider the state of contemporary furniture and lighting design in South Africa.

The Western Cape Furniture Initiative's (WCFI) exhibition, In Context, and trade show, Insight, opens today in Cape Town as part of the OPEN DESIGN festival in the Mother City. 

Showcasing the work of 27 designers, including ThingkingHaldane MartinTonic, Gregor Jenkin, Willowlamp, James Mudge, Indigi Design, Wild Design, Goet, David Krynauw, Snapp and George Hay, In Context considers the current state of flux in contemporary South African furniture and lighting design. 

Both the exhibition and trade show explore the dual realities of design – the conceptual process and the physical manifestation of a given object. 

In Context is curated by Agata Niemkiewicz, a Cape Town-born Design Academy Eindhoven graduate, whose "Remember Me, but ah, Forget My Fate" graduate project we featured here

The exhibition seeks to give visitors a glimpse into a creative’s mind while also exploring the designer’s inspirations. The unique process that happens between thought, concept and reality is highlighted in In Context. It's about making both the design piece and the design process more accessible - even opening it up to critique by the public. 

Together with showcasing and promoting the work of foremost South African furniture and lighting designers, In Context also wants to enable visitors to understand the "calibre, thinking and understanding between conceptual thinking and [the] realiity in which South African designers function", Niemkiewicz explains. 

As a playful addition to the exhibition two musicians, Garry Morris and Marco Filby, created a 70-minute audio track inspired by the sounds of the studios represented. "The artists sampled the sounds of the designers' making process and created a unique and inspiring piece that moves the viewer into the realm of the maker," Niemkiewicz says. 

At the trade show, Insight, visitors are invited to interact of crafting, manufacturing and producing. The venue for Insight is the Selections Warehouse in Gardens. In Context, meanwhile, is on at The Bank in Cape Town's Fringe District until 31 August 2013. 

 

 

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