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Plastic chair with wire detailing -
A geyser made from a PVC bucket and kettle elements -
Plastic shopping bags woven into a doormat
WORDS Claire Jowell PHOTOS Jan Ras
Africa’s enduring underground culture of “make a plan” has resulted in some inadvertent – and pretty awesome – creativity. A seat made of tyres, a bucket turned into a geyser, a chair from a shopping trolley, a jerrycan stereo… In Africa, sometimes the most unlikely materials lead to inspiring enterprise.
This is what the Yenza: Make It! project is celebrating during the World Design Capital 2014 – self-made objects, sourced from homes in some of Cape Town’s informal settlements, which prioritise function over style and celebrate the sheer human ingenuity that is born of basic need.
Speaking of style, is there anything more endearing than homemade stuff? In Africa, DIY is not so much a hipster ideal as a basic means of getting by. Celebrating the rebellious craftiness of the informal design movement, the term “bushpunk” has been coined to describe these eclectic, colourful objects. Catch some of these creations at the Design Indaba Expo from Friday 28 February to Sunday 2 March.
Yenza is featured in VISI’s WILD DESIGN issue, now on shelves.
