Furniture design was the focus of the monthly Creative Clusters Breakfasts at Bird Café in June.
Designers Porky Hefer of creative consultants Animal Farm and the Pedersen and Lennard team of Luke and James joined Ziggy Strohbach of the Department of Industrial Design at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Bernadette Isaacs of the Western Cape Furniture initiative (WCFI) to meet with Zayd Minty of Creative Cape Town and Lorelle Bell who is heading the city’s 2014 World Design Capital Bid.
Porky’s recent intervention in public art sadly did not make it into the Cape Town landscape. His 2010 “cratefan man” – a 16,5 m lego-like fan-man made of 2500 Coca Cola bottle crates – was installed in Newton, Johannesburg. Sponsored by Coca-Cola, the fan-man reflects the company’s packaging recycling goals. Porky is well known, however, for his quirky ideas and products, including his human sized Weaver Nest. “Made in collaboration with Mariki and Beyers Beyers, who run a job-creation project in Riversonderend, the nest is weaved from Port Jackson, Black Wattle and Poplar alien trees. At a size of 3m x 2.5m, suspended 3m above the ground, it can carry two adults and a small child. A larger version, which can carry four adults, is currently being built.” (Design Indaba). Check out his “Lite” made of plantation wood and his crate chair. See more on Porky.
Pedersen and Lennards’ bucket stools and other products featuring reworked, recognisable consumer products, also find more of an audience in Johannesburg (where they have a showroom in the exciting Arts on Main complex), although their products also feature at the Saturday Neighbourgoods Market at the Biscuit Mill in Woodstock.
The Western Cape Furniture Initiative is a provincial government of Western Cape’s special purpose vehicle tasked to develop the furniture sector in the province. Its works closely with all levels of the industry and recognizes the importance of supporting designers needs as a critical feature towards improving the sector. The discussion ranged from the appreciation (or lack thereof) of design and its contribution to products, to the state of local manufacturing and the reluctance of some Cape Town retailers to stock local products.
A point of tension was revealed in the collusion between consumers and manufacturers to bypass the designer and copy designs without permission, undermining the designers’ wish to acknowledge the manufacturers.
Porky related how his organic treehouse cum lounger, based on the indigenous Weavers Nest made from alien trees, was simply ordered directly from a local job creation project whom he had supported and promoted. Worse was that the organisation simply agreed to copy it for a customer without Porky’s permission. Luke and James had similar problems in working with local crafts people who often are not interested or able to produce on time or to specifications due to their own circumstances or willingness.
An exciting discussion ensued about the retail and marketing of locally produced furniture, Woodstock’s place in the history of furniture manufacture and retail and – supported by the WCFI – what could go into policy around the stocking of local design and products by retailers.
Sadly other invited designers such as Haldane Martin, Gregor Jenkins, and Pierre Cronje were unable to be there.
The monthly Creative Clusters Breakfasts at Bird Café hosted by Creative Cape Town give design practitioners the opportunity to meet and share information; often leading to exciting ideas and collaboration and are part of its broader networking strategies.
