Celebrating the richness of African creativity, Africa Adorned 2012 presents a brilliance of colour in diverse crafted objects.
Africa Adorned was created in 2005 after a desire to expose traditional African ornaments. This year, Design Afrika is holding yet another showcase of handmade beautifications in the Africa Adorned 2012 exhibition.
Aiming to praise varied forms of creativity in Africa, a select group of designers, craftsmen and entrepreneurs contributed their work to the exhibition.
Binky Newman of Design Afrika presents hand-woven multi-coloured baskets from the northern African regions of Niger and Burkina Faso. Taking inspiration from African prints, Sue Clark created a series of paper mache bowls revealing a distinct African print. She also contributed her “Imfanikiso” series of traditional Xhosa frames that serve to protect treasured pictures or precious documents. A newcomer to the exhibition, Christa Clark introduces the concept of Furoshiki, a Japanese art of wrapping and tying cloths to protect and carry multiple objects. For her design she gives each bag a clear African twist.
Other designers and craftsmen include Gidemore Chigama, showcasing his internationally famous necklaces, Louise Hennigs, famous for her handcrafted leather gifts, and Ena Heese, taking inspiration from Cape Fynbos for a series of hand-painted fabrics.
Africa Adorned 2012 will be on display at Design Afrika in Woodstock from 29 November to 2 December 2012.
