Elise on Cape Town as the Design Capital 2014

Cape Town has been appointed the 2014 World Design Capital, and as a lead up to that title the city hosts the annual Design Indaba conference. Design Indaba encompasses everything from a film festival, a music circuit, community initiatives, youth trainings, a conference, and an expo. I first discovered this when I bought a book about design in Cape Town: the cover is a mish-mash of colored blocks and patterns and the word “HERE” across the top. I realized later that if you take the cover off the book, it unfolds into a giant map of Africa and reveals that the “HERE” is just part of the full title: the book is actually called “WHERE IT’S AT”, giving you the answer before it even asks the question. Inside are articles about relevant artists and art movements in South Africa as well as samples of their work. Turns out the book was produced by Design Indaba itself and it so happened that their events were due to take place while I was here in Cape Town. I had been looking forward to being involved ever since and was finally able to attend the Design Indaba Expo last weekend.

Savitri & Elise

The first stand as we walked into the showroom was an explanation of what the Design Capital 2014 means: Cape Town beat out all the other nominated cities worldwide because of the drive not just to make innovative art but to apply design to social problems. In 2014 they will host a number of programs that aim to address community building, infrastructural enhancement, and the knowledge economy. I like to think of myself as an art geek and an emerging activist, so the merging of these two passions is incredibly exciting for me. The Expo itself was very diverse, including exhibitions of fashion, crafts, jewelry, ceramics, paintings, books, and more. Much of it seemed like very standard things you would see at any similar event, however a few artists really got my attention. One was a man who produced post cards and linoleum prints of witty commentaries on South African life. They included things plays on Dr. Seuss rhymes modified to jab at Jacob Zuma, or common advertisements South Africanized with the inclusion of common products or scenes from Cape Town. Another was an exhibit that created modern African totem poles out of unusual objects while still staying true to certain traditional artistic elements (such as using bright colors or patterns resembling animal skins). Perhaps the most interesting part of the Expo was a small movie stand where you could sit and watch short films about social issues and what kinds of innovative solutions people are working on to address them.

 Overall, I actually felt like the Expo didn’t quite live up to the social justice aspect that Design Indaba stresses so heavily. At the same time, I loved being exposed to such a variety of local African artists and their methods of expression. I will definitely be keeping an eye on Cape Town’s art scene after I leave and can’t wait to see what this city has in store for itself.