The countdown to Cape Town officially reigning as World Design Capital 2014 has begun and 450 projects have been given accreditation on the authoritative programme, including – dramatic drumroll – VISI magazine! As well as a whole host of our other friends such as Eat Out, Design Indaba, Southern Guild, Spier Secret Festival, Cape Town Partnership, Open Design, 100% Design, Kamers Vol Geskenke and Infecting the City.
“I am confident that the projects we have recognised for the official programme next year are true to the overall theme of ‘Live Design. Transform Life’, and through design and design thinking, improve lives for people who are challenged everyday in their communities,” said Cape Town Design CEO Alayne Reesberg (read our interview with her here), reflecting on the 10-month long process of sifting 1 253 submissions by the 38-member community-sourced curatorial panel.
Most importantly is that the projects are more than just “pretty” with a significant curatorial emphasis having been placed on the “gritty” social and community upliftment aspects. Said mayor Patricia de Lille: “The central thesis of the City of Cape Town’s approach to the WDC2014 is to use excellence in design, to design the change we want to see in our city, using the very building blocks of which our city is comprised. All of these projects are united by their use of design and design-led thinking to help us drive the social and economic change we want and need.”
In addition to the 450 public projects, Patricia said there would also be “a design project initiated by the community in each of the City’s 111 wards”. As well as the five WDC2014 signature events and existing events in Cape Town that will be leveraged, Alayne adds. The launch of WDC2014 will take place on 31 December with the grand New Year’s Eve of Design event – the biggest NYE party the city has hosted, organised by Andre Voster of MCQP fame – which will see Cape Town placed “on top of the world” for the night.
For those designers who missed the boat and would still like to get involved, the yellow supporters badge can still be downloaded and used by anyone. Alayne also encourages people to come forward, collaborate and join forces with existing accredited projects – yeah, make the circle bigger!
To say that the programme is a mammoth is an understatement, so VISI will be wading through it, sifting for gems and reporting continually as our city and country shift into gear for the biggest 365-day design shindig ever. Follow our updates here.
Browse the full list of projects on the World Design Capital 2014 website.
Get an inside peep into the WDC2014 offices in our SPRINGLOADED edition, on sale now.
