Design for good

PHOTOS Stephen Lamb WORDS Nadine Botha

South African designer Stephen Lamb and artist Andrew Lord wowed audiences in Shanghai with his magical upside-down mushroom forest, and is now back in Cape Town to try his low-cost growing concept on home turf.

South African designer Stephen Lamb and artist Andrew Lord have returned triumphantly from China after building the entrance pavilion for the ninth Shanghai Biennale. 

Stephen was invited to design the pavilion by the Litre of Light Foundation in Brazil, after they saw his work on the Climate Smart Cape Town stand at the United Nations COP17 conference held in Durban last year. The stand harvested water from the clouds, grew 3 800 organic vegetable seedlings in recycled 2-litre milk bottles and generated its own electricity by harnessing wind and solar energy. While Stephen was in China, the stand won a silver Loerie Award.

Having the chance to take his work to a global platform in Shanghai was the real award though. To realise this ambitious project in just three months, Stephen collaborated with Andrew and founder of Litre of Light Illac Diaz, not to mention the indispensable Chinese first-year art student who volunteered as translator. After two months of planning, the third month was spent in China, working hands-on with local suppliers and supporters. Still, time was tight.

“We worked through the night for the last three days, without sleep, and made the opening time of 10am with four hours to spare. We walked back to the hotel as the sun rose over Shanghai, with a sense of joint achievement, and slept for the entire day. When we returned we found the pavilion overflowing with people, cameras out, abuzz with excitement and wows,” enthuses Stephen.

Wow indeed when you see the result: a magical upside-down bamboo forest sprouting exquisite mushrooms. Art or reality? This highly functional method of growing mushrooms was literally invented by Stephen and his team during their month in China. 

The method relies heavily on the Litre of Light “lamps”. A gobsmackingly simple idea, a Litre of Light “lamp” is just a 2-litre soda bottle filled with water and a dash of bleach to prevent algae growth. The bottles are fitted into windowless shack roofs, creating the cheapest skylights imaginable. The dappled light that is provided is perfect for growing mushrooms.

The Shanghai mushroom forest was housed in a corrugated-iron enclosure and also acts as a prototype for low-cost housing. “We wanted to show that the ‘wood and corrugated iron’ aesthetic in South Africa does not need to represent oppression and poverty. We wanted to show that we can build low-cost structures that look contemporary and that offer light-filled spaces in which to grow plants, families and healthy communities,” Stephen explains.

The beauty of international recognition is that now Stephen’s years of campaigning for the City of Cape Town to try out his ideas are paying off. His first project, a roof garden in Wale Street, is already a success and he hopes that more will get going. He is also looking forward to introducing the mushroom-growing concept locally – we can’t wait to taste them! 

touchingtheearthlightly.com