WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo
From 29 April until 2 May, Decorex 2016 will take over the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Since its founding over two decades ago, Decorex has grown to be the country’s largest decor, design and lifestyle exhibition. As always, we are looking forward to it. In fact, here are our five not-to-be-missed items on the weekend’s programme.
1. Picture Africa Exhibition
Curated by Platform Agency’s Cathy O’Clery and presented in association with furniture manufacturers Southern Hospitality, this exhibition will present fresh perspectives on African print- and image-making by juxtaposing work from street photographers, textile designers and the fine arts, all to capture Africa’s creative energy.
2. #Decorexhotseats
We do love a competition, and this one sounds particularly fun. Ten Decorex ambassadors have each chosen a chair from a curated collection of locally available, homegrown designs, including chairs from OKHA, Woodbender, Meyer Von Wielligh, John Vogel and Pierre Cronje. Simply snap a selfie of yourself on one of the chairs, upload it with the #decorexhotseats hashtag and you stand a chance to win the chair or a shopping voucher.
3. Décor & DIY Theatre
A first for Decorex Cape Town, there will be a series of talks and an interactive advice-sharing platform for all things décor/DIY. Speakers include Claire from the Plascon Spaces showroom, Gavin and Samuel from Bespoke Bamboo, Tammy from Crafting Connection, as well as Lincoln from Bead and Wire Connection.
4. Makers Corner
This will be another interactive space, but with a tech edge. Expect high-tech smart home technology to low-tech textile and lighting production. Visitors will be encouraged to get involved and let their creative flag fly as they play with the technology to create DIY technological solutions for their homes.
5. Trend Pods
Whether it’s fashion, art or decor, there’s no denying that all things African are trending hard right now. We can’t wait to see what these “African-Inspired Trend Pods” are going to look like.
Decorex Cape Town will be open from 10am to 7pm daily (6pm Monday). Tickets cost R85 for adults; R75 for trade, pensioners and students and R20 for kids under 12. For more information, e-mail decorexsa@ThebeReed.co.za or visit decorex.co.za.
