Porky Hefer‘s new collection, Plastocene – Marine Mutants From a Disposable World, features large-scale, handmade, imagined mutant sea creatures that have evolved from ocean trash.

A visual essay on the discarded detritus of hyper-consumerism, society’s addiction to convenience and the sordid neglect of the natural world, Plastocene speculates that – in an undesirable twist of evolutionary fate – sea creatures transmutate in an attempt to adapt to the abundance of plastic pollutants flooding their oceanic home.

Currently on show at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne, Australia, Plastocene comprises five works: Buttpuss, a giant octopus constructed from hand-felted cigarette butts; Q-Tip, evolved from a cotton bud and drawing reference from a hammerhead shark; Suckerfish, studded with 120 giant crocheted straws; Flat White, based on a disposable coffee cup; and Sabre Toothed Netfeesh, woven from off-cut marine rope.

As Porky’s design process is one born of collaboration, it’s unsurprising that Plastocene is the culmination of creative work by more than 80 crafters across six studios: Ronel Jordaan Textiles, Streetwires, Mielie, Wolf & Maiden Creative Studio, M Clothing and Leon at CXIXX, with African Karakul wool sponsored by Jonay Wool Carding. The entire project was co-produced by Southern Guild and will form part of NGV’s permanent collection.

Plastocene is one of 30 major new world-premiere shows commissioned for the NGV Triennial, which runs until 18 April 2021. For more information visit NGV’s website.

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The winners of the 12 IZITULO Design Challenge, a project conceptualised by Leon at CCXIX and St Leger & Viney to discover and encourage young and emerging design talent, have been announced.

The challenge received more than 140 entries from all over South Africa before 12 finalists were chosen, each creating designs that were subjected to judging trials. Three finalists were selected after a three-week social media campaign and voting at the Leon at CCXIX showroom in Woodstock, Cape Town.

Kriska Liebenberg’s “The Nesting Chair” came in first place, followed by Brigitte Bielovich’s “Umhlaba Ottoman” in second place and Lezandi Fourie’s “Lock & Lace” chair in third.

“I am ecstatic to have been chosen as the winner of the competition,” says winner Kriska Liebenberg, who is studying interior design at CPUT (Cape Peninsula of Technology), adding, “What an amazing opportunity to be a part of this whole process and to see our designs come to life in this way.”

Kriska received a 12-month design contract with Leon at CCXIX, which includes a share of the sales of her design plus a R10 000 fabric voucher from St Leger & Viney. The second and third place winners also received fabric vouchers from St Leger & Viney and will also profit from sales of their designs.

For more information, visit leonat219.com.

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The competition gives local designers the opportunity to create new seating solutions. Organised by Leon at CCXIX, the furniture company that successfully held the 12 Rooms exhibition, this competition is a call for innovation and nuance.

This is a great opportunity for anyone who has wanted to experiment within the parameters of design without the limitations of a client-based brief.

• Entrants can present easy chairs, occasional chairs, dining chairs and barstools that are commercially viable, comfortable and inspiring. The real challenge will be mixing all these elements together to produce something usable.
• The competition is open to up-and-coming designers living in South Africa and submissions should be received by the Leon at CCXIX team by Youth Day, 16 June 2017.
• The top 20 designs will be chosen by a panel of esteemed judges that include industry heavyweights and experts. Following an interview process with the top 20 designers, the top 12 will be selected and their masterpieces will be manufactured by Leon at CCXIX as part of a showroom exhibition that will be held in September 2017.
• The winning designer will receive a 12-month design contract with Leon at CCXIX, which also includes their share of the sales as well a R10 000 fabric voucher from St Leger & Viney.

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Textured timber and sophisticated upholstery are at the heart of Pim Verdoorn’s latest outdoor collection for Leon at CCXIX.

All masculine angles and elegant shapes punctuated by intricate dovetail joinery, the range is softened by the addition of luxurious upholstery fabrics in an array of colour choices.

Design conscious consumers can personalise their purchases by selecting a timber finish from a range of available options – oak, maple, iroko or teak – or choose a painted finish to ring the changes, while the base design remains constant.

Nesting coffee tables are available in a range of smooth timber tops, with powder coated stainless steel bases.

Visit leonat219.com for more information.

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The spherical shapes of the numerous boulders dotted across the coastal landscape of the Western Cape’s famed beaches offered inspiration to furniture designer Haldane Martin as he explored the coastline with his children.

Two items of furniture have arisen out of Haldane’s beach ramblings. The pebble sofa complete with timber feet and powder-coated metal supports features a pebble-shaped seat and backrests and down-filled scatters. The second item, the pebble coffee table, consists of a set of three organic shaped marble tops suspended at different heights above a white three-pronged powder-coated steel base.

The expertly created Haldane Martin furniture collection is exclusively available from furniture manufacturers Leon at CCXIX.

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Ocean House in De Hoop Nature Reserve marries luxury and eco credentials on one of the world’s most pristine stretches of coastline.

The road into De Hoop Nature Reserve snakes towards the Indian Ocean through a sea of fynbos dotted with small patches of bright white sand. The salty smack of the sea is carried on the breeze before you even catch a glimpse of the blue-grey water.

Dotted left and right are a variety of wildlife – an eland here, some springbok there. Grey rhebok and Cape mountain zebra call De Hoop home, as do the ubiquitous ostriches, grazing alongside the road, seemingly oblivious to the slow passage of vehicles. And this without a fence in sight. If you are truly lucky you may catch a glimpse of the rare Cape vulture; the reserve is home to the last remaining breeding colony of this endangered species in the Western Cape.

De Hoop covers more than 35 000 ha, of which there is 51 km of pristine white beach fringed by mounds of bone-white dunes and a marine reserve that extends 5 km out to sea. It is said to be the best place for land-based whale watching in the world.

Crouching on the edge of the fynbos fringe a scant 200 m from the beach, with 360-degree views of the bay, is Morukuru Ocean House, an off-the-grid eco retreat that delivers on the promise of tranquillity and luxury with an eco-friendly state of mind.

Owners Anke and Ed Zeeman, Dutch property entrepreneurs with a passion for Africa, bought the land to realise their dream of owning a house where bush and sea meet. Their mandate to architect Nicholas Plewman was clear: Come up with a design that complements the surrounding landscape and keep the ecological footprint to a minimum.

In response, Nicholas created a low-slung contemporary structure from local bricks, clad in local sandstone, with huge windows making the most of the views – and it operates off the grid. Even the green roof has an environmental imperative: The sections not covered with solar panels have been planted with fynbos by landscaper Sean Privett, allowing the house to almost disappear into the landscape. (There’s a back-up generator for cloudy days.) Irrigation water comes from a borehole, and hot water for the boiler and under-floor heating is available via the ESSE wood-burning stove in the kitchen.

The interior architecture is all clean lines, open-plan spaces and majestic views. Dutch interior designer Janine Butter was tasked with creating a chic yet comfortable space filled with light and hues that echo the surrounding veld. Chandeliers crafted out of shells and bones, Designers Guild curtains and upholstery fabrics, furniture made by Pim Verdoorn for Cape Town design and manufacturing house Leon at CCXIX… all the elements of the interior design pay their respects to De Hoop’s natural palette of wood, stone, sand and shades of blue, green, lilac and yellow.

It’s the picture of harmony, and it feels rather like being cocooned in luxury.

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