COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Ishita Sitwala, PHX INDIA, Arch-Exist Photography, Jeanne Canto, Fernando Guerra, Avesh Gaur and Sohaib Ilyas Design, Andrés Cedillo, FLINK Studio, Studio CAPN, Paul Warchol, Andrés Cedillo

The 2026 WAF shortlist features 416 projects across categories ranging from best Creative Re-Use, Housing and Education to best Hotel, Health, Sports and Culture. Selected from over 630 entries, this year’s shortlist celebrates incredible, groundbreaking architectural and design achievements.

Among the entries, these remarkable buildings celebrate architecture that responds to its environment while creating distinctive, immersive and sustainable places:

Ayana

by aslam.sham architects in Coimbatore, India

Terra House

by Atelier Design N Domain LLP (ADND) in Kerala, India

The Mountain Fold – Nanshanli Community & Visitor Centre, Mount Emei

by Lacime Architects in Shanghai, China

Kiaora Residence

by STRANG in Coconut Grove, United States

ES House

by Jacobsen Studio in Guarujá, Brazil

The Hungry Caterpillar

by lyth Design in Delhi, India

Mercado Nicolas Bravo

by AIDIA STUDIO in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Bisate Sanctuary

by Black Sable Designs in Ruthengeri, Rwanda

Stöng – (Re)interpretation

by SP(R)INT STUDIO in Stöng í Þjórsárdal, Iceland

Chatham Residence

by Desai Chia Architects in Chatham, United States

Parque Quintana Roo

by AIDIA STUDIO in Chetumal, Mexico

This year’s 205 shortlisted completed buildings include everything from an immersive tropical clubhouse in Vietnam to a landmark fish market in Sydney and a 1.2-acre oceanfront park in Florida.

The 48 shortlisted interiors range from an off-grid private wildlife sanctuary and guest lodge in South Africa to a design-led rooftop bar in Bangkok, while the 12 shortlisted landscapes include a clubhouse in Vietnam designed as a living organism and an ecological landmark in the Philippines that showcases the structural material qualities of bamboo.

The 151 future projects shortlisted include a climate-responsive home in Mumbai and an ambitious vision for a children’s hospital in Texas.

World Architecture Festival and Inside World Festival of Interiors will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 18–20 November 2026. | worldarchitecturefestival.com

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PHOTOS Supplied

For many, a well-made home has more meaning than meets the eye. It creates a space for memories, for creativity and inspiration, for community. A home sets the tone, and the pieces that fill it tell the stories. It’s exactly why Pedersen + Lennard has opened the doors to its first Johannesburg store in Parkhurst.

Since day one, Pedersen + Lennard’s founders, Luke Pedersen and James Lennard, have stuck by their motto: “build a good, honest business that employs a decent number of people and creates really well-built pieces”. Eighteen years on, from a single workshop in Cape Town, they’ve done exactly that, and so much more.

Extending the brand’s home to the Johannesburg community – and meeting them where they are – therefore felt not only natural, but essential.

This year marks two milestones for the design collective: eighteen years of considered design, and a new chapter north of the Cape – one that finds its home at 62 6th Street, among Parkhurst’s leading design and lifestyle names. | pedersenlennard.co.za

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WORDS Annette Klinger PRODUCTION Drew Architects PHOTOS Elsa Young

Estate design is a challenging typology. Cookie-cutter homogeneity isn’t a good look – but then, neither is a hodgepodge of unrelated architectural styles. The trick? Aiming for that sweet spot where singularity meets context. Architect Andrew Payne, whose Courtyard House in Serengeti Estate bagged an excellence award at the PIA Awards in 2025, knows a thing or two about estate architecture. “Estate guidelines almost always hamstring whatever design ideas you may have,” he says. “The funny thing is, I wrote the guidelines for Serengeti about 15 years ago, back when I was their estate architect!”

While Andrew’s past self was quite strict in terms of the estate’s architectural parameters, he maintains that his future self had enough creative leeway to design a residence that continues to turn heads. “We love the kind of home that gives you a little hint of what might be beyond the facade when you drive past,” he says. “This house tempts you to hit the brakes and ring the doorbell – because you’re desperate to see what’s inside.”

The low-slung rectangular street facade is almost unassuming in its simplicity, punctuated only by a slatted steel gate and porthole to the right. “To balance budget and aspiration we worked hard to keep the design simple and sculptural, using only concrete, brick plaster and white paint – almost as though the house has been hewn from a single material,” says Andrew. Beneath the seeming austerity, however, runs an undercurrent of fun. Visible through the front gate, a five-metre-long steel window box juts out from the bottom of a wall, allowing passers-by to glimpse – depending on their timing – the residents’ feet, their small dogs, or the eponymous courtyard beyond. And what a courtyard it is: accessible from all sides of the home via sliding pocket doors, the lush, tranquil space accommodates a lounging area with a mature jacket plum tree peeking its canopy through a cutout in the concrete slab above it. “The curved corners of the cutout bring softness and balance to all the straight lines, and the tree offers a layer of privacy between the main suite and the lounging area,” says Andrew.

A courtyard-centred design not only accommodated the clients’ wish for privacy, but also made the most of the plot’s golf-course frontage and nature-reserve views. “We started with the question of how we could create a building that looks only at itself and at nature,” says Andrew. “We pushed the building to the boundaries of the site to create the courtyard, which bleeds beautiful natural light into all the rooms, and north light into all the bedrooms.”

While the layout seems relatively simple on paper, it translates into an immersive experience in practice, with pockets of interest tucked around every corner. As you approach from the motor court, for example, a solitary olive tree stands marooned on a square island in the middle of a koi pond, which has to be traversed via floating slabs to reach the front door. The double-volume entrance hall is a gallery space that houses the family’s art collection – plus another gently gurgling pond, for good measure – and allows you to survey the landscape beyond through the courtyard. Then, as you make your way through the house, a discreet staircase behind the courtyard lounge leads up to a covered rooftop bar with views for days. A bonus level, if ever there was one. “We love the idea of being led through a home via a series of curated and playful experiences that both entice and delay the journey,” says Andrew.

It’s a journey that doesn’t get old, according to the home’s owner Daniel Courtney, who has lived there with his family for three years. “The way the house connects us to nature, the sound of the water features… We feel like we’re on holiday every day,” he says. “Stepping into the entryway and being greeted by that view through the courtyard and onto the greenbelt is something that doesn’t wear off . I’d say we probably leave the courtyard doors open for nine months of the year.” We’d say, with surroundings like these, an open-door policy seems par for the course. | studiodrew.co.za

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There’s an item in your home that you likely did not select. It’s probably monotone, usually plastic, and almost certainly hidden behind the television.

It’s also one of the most important objects in the house. The router is what makes everything work; streaming, working from home, and calling friends and family all over the world. It’s become the intangible layer that connects any contemporary home.

Earlier this year, rain commissioned ten artists and design studios selected by VISI to create new skins for their 101 5G smart router range. The result is a striking collection of interchangeable adhesive covers that let the router become the centrepiece of the room instead of awkwardly existing in it.

Applying depth to dimension

Three of the studios work primarily with ideas of depth. Through ceramic glaze, light, shadow, and reflections, each was challenged to bring their three-dimensional discipline onto flat vinyl.

Vitalli. Design’s Ryan Olivier put the difficulty plainly: his furniture communicates through tactility, form and presence, none of which survive the translation. He pulled back until rhythm and materiality could carry what texture normally would. Studio Kalki built depth back in, starting from their Fynbos-inspired patterning and adding translucent glazes to each waterjet-cut piece so the layering still reads.

Spectrum Mirror went the other way. Caitlin Warther and Wendy Dixon work with chromatic mirror surfaces that shift with the light and the angle and the person standing in front of them, a quality a printed skin cannot have. After several explorations, they photographed their own panels and used the images as the design. The solution goes back to the source material, and that instinct runs through the whole collection.

Pattern as memory

Where some studios set out to solve with surface tension, others treated the101 skin as somewhere to put a story.

Sipho Khwebula Twala combined Nigerian Nsibidi symbols with Nguni diamond patterns and shields landing on a design story that talks about a shared road, on a device built to close distance. Bonolo Chepape of Lulasclan started from the interior itself, describing homes as living archives of the pieces and memories that tell us who we are; her 101 skin holds a conversation with the objects around it rather than dominating them. Zinhle Sithebe’s Hold Space for Your Dreams puts hands around a heart with a sun at its centre as a constant reminder to “pour back into ourselves.”

Connected by design

Ten artists and design studios with one shared canvas. Connecting is what designers have always done: put the inner and outer world into functional relationship with each other and make it worth looking at.

The 101 range answers in kind. The point is not that a router becomes beautiful. It is that it becomes chosen. This collection asks something that’s hidden in plain sight: if the hardware delivering connectivity is going to live in your home, shouldn’t it look like it belongs there?

Win with rainOne unlimited

Stand a chance to win 12 months of rainOne unlimited: unlimited 5G home wifi and unlimited mobile, with the101 5G smart router and LoopPhone free-to-use. Only on rain. South Africa’s unlimited 5G network.

Ts & Cs apply.

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Experience the craftsmanship and generous spirit of the Cape Winelands with a beautifully curated Tokara Director’s Gift Box.

Situated on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain outside Stellenbosch, Tokara is a family-owned wine and olive estate where wine, food, art and nature come together. Its acclaimed wines and award-winning olive products reflect the estate’s commitment to quality, from the vineyard and olive grove to the finished bottle.

Two lucky readers will win a Tokara Director’s Gift Box featuring a selection of the estate’s flagship wines and celebrated olive products.

The gift box includes:

• Tokara Director’s Reserve Red
• Tokara Director’s Reserve White
• Tokara Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Tokara Kalamata Olives
• Tokara Olive Paste

Thoughtfully presented and made to be shared, the collection offers a taste of Tokara at home. It is ideal for marking a special occasion, gathering around the table with friends or simply enjoying some of the estate’s finest offerings.

Enter now for your chance to win the Tokara Director’s Gift Box.

Discover more about the Tokara Director’s Gift Box and the estate’s wines, olive oils and experiences at tokara.com.

Entrants must be 18 years or older. The prize will be couriered to the winners within 6 weeks of the final draw.

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WORDS Palesa Mohola PHOTOS Supplied

In early March 2026, Mantis Hiddn opened its doors to the public. Located at the centre of Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, the lodge was designed to fit into the landscape instead of interrupting its surroundings. Not only does its sustainable design blend with the environment, but each handcrafted piece of furniture and decor item carries a story.

“Conservation is about far more than protecting wildlife,” says Samantha Levey, Director of Design and Technical Services at Mantis. “It is about protecting heritage, preserving traditional skills and creating meaningful economic opportunities for local communities.”

The Mantis design team consciously decided to collaborate with local Eastern Cape designers and artisans. One such collaboration was with Barnard Mohair – a small weaving company in Alicedale, founded in 1967 by the late Jan Paul Barnard and his wife, Elsa Barnard – which is currently led by their daughter, Louise Cameron, who was taught the weaving business from a very young age.

“Our family didn’t simply own the factory, we grew up working in it,” says Louise. “During school holidays we learnt the craft, helped at exhibitions and developed an appreciation for what makes mohair such an exceptional fibre.”

Barnard Mohair is a purposefully small and deliberately slow company of eight employees, seven of whom are women, with several having more than 40 years of experience. They also employ local women for large commissions and provide ongoing training for younger employees to ensure the craft is passed down to future generations.

They are known for their eco-sensitive production and use 100% locally sourced mohair from Angora goats of the Karoo, bought at auction in Gqeberha – a raw fibre that must be spun into yarn, then hand-dyed and dried naturally in the sun, before being woven.

“It is a noble fibre,” Louise explains. “Only five fibres in the world are classified as such. Mohair is light, warm and regulates temperature. It also dyes exceptionally well, allowing you to achieve rich, vibrant colours, which help achieve beautiful designs.”

In this collaboration, they worked closely with interior design company MI Design to curate a unique collection of colourful mohair throws for Hiddn. The design vision was to reflect Africa’s natural landscape, with colours mirroring the contrasts of the surrounding wilderness. The team developed new shades through multiple test runs and samples, using eco-friendly Lanaset dyes until the perfect colours were achieved.

The weaving itself was also customised, yet still preserved the softness for which mohair is renowned – achieved through a six-stage production process requiring patience and precision.

Mantis’ decision to invest in artisans from its own province not only sheds light on local creativity but also increases economic value within the Eastern Cape, while celebrating one of South Africa’s finest natural resources – proving that luxury need not be imported, but can instead be found at home, with important and relatable stories to tell. mantiscollection.com | barnardmohair.com

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The most human-centric offices share a common architecture of beliefs. From the materials chosen to the way space flows, each decision contributes to an environment that puts people first.

For Trend Group, office interior design-and-build specialists with studios in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, London, Dubai and Cairo, creating spaces that work for people is both philosophy and practice.

Trend Group brings design and delivery together, giving clients the flexibility to engage the studio for a complete Design and Build solution or to work alongside their own Design Team. Either way, clients receive one accountable team and a dedicated single point of contact from first conversation to final handover. Working alongside architects, interior designers and professional teams, the studio functions as the trusted delivery partner behind some of Africa’s most considered workspaces – managing the complexity of project coordination, construction and fit-out to carry the vision through from concept to completion.

Four key principles help define a working environment that people genuinely want to spend time in:

Sustainability

Sustainable thinking starts at the design stage, with decisions around orientation, natural light, energy use, material selection and the efficient adaptation of existing space. It then carries through into the build, from responsibly sourced, durable construction materials to waste reduction during installation and careful consideration of how the space can evolve. Sustainability is not a final layer added to a project, but something embedded in the thinking from the outset.

Culture

Brand culture is expressed through the way a space feels, functions and brings people together – from the materials and spatial hierarchy to the environments created for collaboration, focus and connection. A thoughtfully executed design reflects how an organisation actually operates and what it values – and the workplace, in turn, becomes a genuine expression of its culture.

Connection

People need different environments for different tasks throughout the day, which is why people-centred office design prioritises flexible working environments – from café-style spaces that invite collaboration to focus zones that support deep work without interruption. This reflects a broader shift away from corporate minimalism towards a sensory, hospitality-driven aesthetic. As a result, offices are becoming layered, textured and emotionally supportive spaces that feel genuinely comfortable to inhabit.

Atmosphere

One of the most significant shifts in office design is the incorporation of biophilic design principles. Natural light, greenery and acoustic solutions are no longer treated as decorative add-ons or post-design afterthoughts. Working in conjunction, they boost not only staff productivity but also employee well-being.

For Trend Group, this is the purpose behind every workplace it designs and delivers: creating environments that respond to the people who use them, support the way they work and reflect the organisations they represent. Because the best workplaces aren’t simply built for work – they’re built for people. | trendgroup.co.za

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WORDS Tom Lead and Steve Smith PHOTOS Sarah de Pina

It’s safe to say most parents would, at best, discourage their kids from becoming an artist. Rather be a lawyer, or a doctor – now there’s a decent career. Young Thomas Lead had the opposite to contend with. “I was brought up in a creative family, so it was inevitable that I’d end up doing something creative,” he says. “I was under pressure to become an artist!”

Studying art in high school led to an art degree at Wits, which is where his passion for furniture sparked. Here’s his story.

That Spark – and The Fight

“I was conflicted about what to do for my final year. The year before, I’d done a series of acrylic paintings of home spaces that addressed lockdown living, and, looking down the daunting barrel of my final year, I was overwhelmed about what the subject of the next series of paintings would be.

“I decided to stick with something I knew – chairs. I had an interest in drawing chairs, mainly because they make for great still lifes. As someone who had little design experience at the time, and no idea of the complexities and depth involved in designing a chair, let alone a unique one, I naively thought, ‘Let me just design my own chair.’

“After six months of working tirelessly in the Wits workshop – and 15 iterations later – I had a newfound appetite for chair design. Each chair was a sculptural puzzle that needed to be solved, often creating more questions than answers. I became obsessed; I practically lived in the Wits workshop. The managers would lock me in during lunch, and chase me out at the end of the day. I was the first person to win the ‘Golden Hammer’ award for dedication in the workshop.

“Since then, my journey has been a bumpy roller-coaster with quite a long drop in the beginning. In 2023, I was diagnosed with a rare type of lymphoma. My whole world got flipped on its head; I went from worrying about what I was going to do for my gap year to worrying about whether I would be alive in a year’s time. Luckily the cancer responded well to treatment, and I went into remission after about four months of chemo. I then spent 18 months in and out of hospital for ongoing treatment. It changed me as a person and as a creative. That level of isolation and feeling of separation is something I’m still recovering from. It felt like someone had stomped out the fire that had erupted a couple of months prior, in my final year at Wits.

“I had to work hard to keep my creative embers glowing. I kept my sketchbook next to my hospital bed and, on the rare occasion that I had an idea for a design, I’d grab my book and get it down. I have memories of waking up in the early hours of the morning, turning on my light, and sketching an idea in my sketchbook. That practice created quite an intimate bond between me and my designs; they were like friends who would distract me from the pain of my reality.

“I was only able to work professionally in 2025, starting with Khyle Strydom and Simon Hough at Stripped Collective, and the design of the Koppie. It’s been an incredible journey. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come under the circumstances, and I’m excited to see where I’ll go next.”

The Story of The Koppie Chair

“I came up with the basic concept for the Koppie in hospital, but it’s evolved significantly since then. I knew I wanted to design a three-legged dining chair that was exciting. I didn’t have the strength or immunity to work in a workshop, so I had to make maquettes of the designs whenever I came home. The mini three- legged chair is lying around my mom’s house somewhere.

“I was first drawn to three-legged chairs in my Wits days. They pose a unique challenge both structurally and aesthetically, and they have strong roots in African history. The process of trying to reimagine that in a modern African context interested me. My brief from Simon and Khyle was to design a chair that is simple, timeless, unique, humble and honest; a chair that represents the company and what it stands for. I was trying to make a chair that was rooted in Stripped’s identity… What I didn’t consider was that I’d become a part of Stripped, and that I would end up capturing a relationship in a chair. As my relationship with Stripped blossomed, the design followed suit.”

His Design Approach

“Because I didn’t have a formal design education – I am an artist – my approach to design is artistic and sculptural. I’m drawn to the structure of things; I like to play with the mechanics of furniture and push the boundaries of materials. I’m drawn to creating objects that are visually illusive yet structurally sound. I love when people have to take a second look at something I’ve made. This interest in structure influences the way my designs are made. Exploring new, interesting joinery techniques is something I strongly consider when designing; often, the joinery system will inform the design.

“It was something that informed the Koppie’s design. I came up with a joint that we named ‘the duck’ (as a result of its duck-like side profile) during the prototyping because I needed a more efficient way to test out different designs. So instead of creating a whole new chair every time I tweaked the design, I could instead make a new leg and slot it in. This system ended up moulding the design into its final form.

“Simplicity – designing something that feels light and that doesn’t demand too much – is something that I strive towards. I generally stay away from heavy design – it doesn’t feel very me. I put a lot of weight on being original. It’s so easy to be influenced by other designers and their work. For this reason, my process is very important. The time I put into drawing, playing and following my intuition without too much influence from other material is what allows me to create pieces that are pieces of ‘me’.

“My design approach has been influenced by the environments I’ve moved through. I’m part of a super-exciting generation of young South African designers who are expressing the country and the cities and the people around them. It’s exciting and encouraging to see. In that respect, my approach is decolonial and New Age South African.”

His Inspiration

“There are many things that spark my creativity. Materiality is a big one. I’ve worked predominantly with wood, and my approach is to think of it as a collaboration in the sense that I’m not using a material, but rather we’re working together – learning its texture, how it cuts and moulds, and where its limits are. It’s an incredible material and there are so many variations that function, feel and smell so different. It’s a strange one, but the smell of the wood I’m working with influences the design.

“Limitations are another big source of inspiration. They’re something I used to fear as an artist, but learnt to love, and now impose. How to work around a limitation and the problem it imposes excites me. It was something I learnt from Prof David Andrew at Wits: ‘Make a painting with only your left hand’ and ‘Use a metre-long paintbrush.’ It’s often where a new idea stems from. Designing a stable chair with three legs is the limitation that created the Koppie.

“People spark my creativity too. Working with other designers influences my process. That’s another limitation – figuring people out. Having people to conceptualise ideas with, to critique and be critiqued by, leads to work I couldn’t do in isolation. Creating a manifestation of a relationship is powerful.

“Music is also a big part of my life. When I went to university, it was either going to be music or art. I’m glad I didn’t choose music; it would have tarnished my relationship with it. I play piano and guitar; I sing. It’s such a different form of creative practice, but I’ve found that my music can inform my design. Rhythm, space, harmony, silence – they have all inspired my work. The overlap between design and music in my practice is a very interesting space.”

The Stripped Collective Bond

“There’s something grounded, humble and genuine about Simon and Khyle and what they have created at Stripped. I was drawn to working with them on a design basis – but on a deeper level, I really liked who they were as people. Our mutual fondness and our shared values have played a huge role in our work together.

“Simon and Khyle believed in me as a designer and gave me the freedom to explore. They allowed my curiosity to wander, and gave me the space I needed without neglecting me. The biggest lesson I learnt was how to partake in constructive conflict – how to put egos aside and come to a decision as a team, because that was best for the design regardless of who was right or wrong. There were some decisions we battled over for days. I found that those points of contention resulted in some of the strongest elements of the design – they transformed us from a professional team into good friends.” strippedcollective.co.za | @tom_lead_design

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WORDS Palesa Mohola PHOTOS Courtesy of FNB Art Joburg

In a city deemed nobody’s home, FNB Art Joburg has become a gathering where artists, galleries, collectors and cultural producers converge to engage with work that shapes how Africa sees itself and how the world sees Africa.

The fair returns for its 19th edition this year at the Sandton Convention Centre from the 4th to the 6th of September with multiple celebrations from its curated fair sections and public programme, to city-wide initiatives such as Open City, which returns in partnership with Brand South Africa, the BMW Art Generation, and the celebration of Johannesburg’s 140th birthday.

“Johannesburg has always been a place where ambition meets possibility; where artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers and communities arrive carrying different histories and leave having built something entirely new. It is a city propelled by movement, sustained by inquiry and shaped by people willing to imagine beyond what already exists. That restless energy has made Johannesburg one of the continent’s great cultural engines, and it remains the reason FNB Art Joburg continues to call this city home,” says fair director Mandla Sibeko.

With dozens of exhibitors, the fair is designed to highlight a distinct facet of contemporary art in eight specialised sections: Gallery HUB, Gallery LAB, MAX, GIF, INK, AUX, ORG, and the newly added ARC section, ensuring that there is something for everyone.

Gallery HUB: Showcases Africa’s leading galleries, representing institutionally recognised artists shaping global narratives.

MAX: An extension of the fair’s Gallery HUB presents large-scale installations that reimagine scale, space and audience engagement.

Gallery LAB: Curated by Kim Kandan (Fair Manager, FNB Art Joburg), Gallery LAB supports emerging and hybrid spaces that experiment with new modes of presentation and representation.

ORG: Gives visibility to non-profit and artist-run initiatives driving cultural infrastructure and community building.

AUX: Offers talks, screenings and performances that invite audiences into meaningful conversations about art and its contexts.

INK (formerly ETC): Celebrates print culture, spanning critical writing and art publications to artist books and limited-edition prints that acknowledge language and documentation as central to cultural legacy.

GIF: Focuses on photography as one of South Africa’s most significant artistic mediums, tracing both its histories and its futures.

ARC: This new section expands how contemporary artistic practice is encountered at the fair. Dedicated to artists and works that challenge convention, it creates a space for discovery, dialogue and critical inquiry. | artjoburg.com

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INTERVIEW BY Palesa Mohola PHOTOS Courtesy of Berman Contemporay

While many walk along the shore to collect shells and cute pebbles, Thirza collects plastic waste that has washed ashore, which she takes to her studio to make bright and colourful sculptures that are later photographed and disposed of – because her sculptures are not made for permanence, but rather to raise awareness around pollution and to try to prevent, or at least reduce, the use of plastic.

Here, Thirza tells us about her plastic-reuse practices and current body of work.

What first inspired you to create After the Tide, and what story are you hoping this exhibition tells?

“After the Tide is an exhibition curated by Candice Berman (Berman Contemporary), showing a selection of previously unseen works from the Plastic Ocean series, as well as new works specially made for this exhibition. The new works are a series of sculptures photographed against a white background in the bright African sunlight. These playful 3D collages (sculptures) receive full attention in the harsh sunlight against the plain background.

“The exhibition is intended to provoke questions about consumption, idolatry, and what it is we value in our lives today. It also examines our changing relationship with plastics and the increasing and overwhelming presence they have in our lives.”

Your work transforms discarded plastic into still-life photographs. What draws you to finding beauty in materials that most people would overlook?

“I see the beauty in the pieces of plastic washed ashore, aged by the currents, salt, and time. The faded colours made me keep the items I picked up instead of disposing of them. They felt like small treasures that I had found and wanted to keep.”

Can you walk us through your creative process, from collecting plastic on the coastline to producing the final sculpture to photograph?

“At the start of the project, I picked up daily waste from the beaches, created a work each day, and posted it on Instagram. Later, I went on trips to desolate beaches to find even more interesting treasures.

“I built small, one-minute sculptures, which often collapsed while I was photographing them. The unstable structures needed only a breeze of wind to fall into pieces. At one point, I was tempted to make the impermanent structures permanent and started to fix them together.”

Your photographs evoke the style of traditional still-life paintings. Why was it important for you to reference that art-historical tradition in this body of work?

“The Plastic Ocean series provides a kind of Vanitas for the 21st century. Traditional icons of mortality, ephemerality, and wealth have been traded out for bottles, baskets, and bowls: single-use items which are used and discarded, now only existing as empty vessels of destruction.”

Has there been a particular object you’ve found on a beach that stayed with you emotionally or changed the way you think about plastic pollution?

“One of my first finds was a bottle which could still stand on its own, but half of the bottle was gone, as if a shark had taken a bite out of it. What changed the way I think about plastic pollution is the enormous and endless amount of it that I find.”

Your work is at the intersection of art and environmental awareness. Do you see yourself primarily as an artist, an environmental advocate, or both?

“I am primarily an artist with great emotional depth; that is what drives me to make art.

“But honestly, I cannot say one or the other. I would say they are inseparable. The ecological grief I experience is the motor behind my work in Plastic Ocean, the Fatal Flowers painting series, and the personal grief in my figurative paintings.”

Many viewers may initially be captivated by the beauty of your images before realising they’re made from waste. How do you hope that moment of realisation affects them?

“The images show a clash between worlds, offering minimal and aesthetically pleasing compositions which, on closer inspection, instil a sense of ecological grief. Plastic Ocean questions consumption, idolatry, and what it is we value in our lives today. The effect is a quirky, playful, and Pop Art paradox.

“At first glance, the debris do not disgust us. On the contrary, their dainty appearance almost seems to gloss over the ugliness of all the plastic pollution on our beaches. But only for an instant. Our initial attraction soon fades.”

What conversations do you hope After the Tide will spark among audiences here in Cape Town, a city with such a strong connection to the ocean?

“The visibility of the problem is important, and we need to pass our concern on to the younger generation. It should be part of education in schools.”

After spending years documenting plastic pollution through your work, has your own relationship with consumption and sustainability changed? If so, how?

“I learned that we are well-trained consumers, and that is something that should change. We don’t need a new this and that most of the time. ‘Use what you have and buy what you need’ is a slogan that helps me every time I am tempted to buy something.

“I can still be tempted sometimes. What is a great help as well is to sleep on a decision to buy something. You will see that most of the time the urge passes, and you forget about it.” plastic-ocean.net | @thirzaschaap

After the Tide runs until 28 November at Berman Contemporary in the Silo District at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. | bermancontemporary.com

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