A 24-year-old University of Cape Town student has won a top award for designing a light inspired by South Africa’s iconic vuvuzela – a “vuvu-lamp’’.
Vuvu by John Edwards
John Edwards, a final-year student at UCT’s School of Architecture, was selected from over 120 designers in the eighth annual SOLVE New Talent Search award. The ceremony was held at the Green Point, Cape Town outlet of Weylandts Homestores in November.
The prestigious annual competition, organised by Elle Decoration magazine and sponsored by Weylandts, was open to both students and amateur designers for the first time.
The other finalists were 20-year-old Carly Warren of the BHC School of Design in Cape Town, 30-year-old Stiaan Bester of Pretoria who works as a graphic designer at KarbonBlack Creative, an information design studio, and 26-year-old Micha Koren, an architecture graduate who is the founder of korigin.com, a fledgling design company in Cape Town.
The judges looked for a simple, unique design that captured the Zeitgeist, was eco-friendly and showed an understanding of design as part of a process, from its origins to how the waste materials are dealt with. A clear understanding of the brief was essential and the production cost should not exceed R1 800.
Edwards said he has wanted to enter the competition since it started. “But I never thought I had a good enough idea!” said Edwards. “I thought I’d just try out an idea this year – and the outcome has way exceeded my expectations.” Edwards, who lives in Constantia, said he wanted to design something which was soccer-inspired because of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
“The first idea I had, ended up as the one I submitted – a light based on the vuvuzela. Next year, visitors to South Africa will want to take home more than a plastic curio – the design-savvy visitor will look for something more. The ‘Vuvu lamp’ will be made of timber and will be turned to get the right shape.”
Edwards admires South African designer Adriaan Hugo for his industrial-like, simple designs. International inspiration comes from New Zealand designer David Trubridge. “In terms of architecture, I really admire the work of the local OMM Design Workshop and, internationally, Peter Zumthor.”
Judge Chris Weylandt said of the winning design: “Perfectly pitched simplicity means that ‘Vuvu’ can successfully migrate from one room to another throughout the home, and it also translates well from a standing lamp into a bedside lamp and pendant.
“As we source much of our homeware and furniture from all over the world, it is through this competition we can discover and nurture new local talent right here at home. Although I travel the world in search of beautiful rare pieces of furniture that change, inspire and offer solutions to people’s homes; nothing gives me greater pleasure than to find some of these solutions on home soil in South Africa.”
The competition judges are all well-known in the design industry. Adam Hoets is an architect and garnered the Elle Decoration International Design Awards 2008 Lighting Design and 2009 Designer of the Year Award, along with business partner Sian Eliot, for his collaborative work on Willowlamp’s chandeliers. Paul Pamboukian lectures on lighting design, runs the Paul Pamboukian & Associates Lighting Design studio and has held lighting workshops in Sweden and Norway.
Ravi Naidoo, the founder of Interactive Africa, gives the world the Design Indaba Conference and Expo every year – one of the premier design events in the world today. Chris Weylandt of Weylandts was the fourth invited judge and the winning design will be manufactured by Weylandts and sold in Weylandts stores.
The other judges were décor stylist Doreen de Waal, Elle Decoration’s editor Karen Roos and deputy editor Lauren Shantall.
