This last weekend Jeremy and I decided, spontaneously, to go to Beaverlac for a break. On our way up a friend phoned to let us know that there had just been a huge fire there and he wasn’t sure if the camp site was open. Determined to go on a weekend away Jeremy and I decided to take a chance.

There had been a huge fire two days before (on the Tuesday) and it had striped the mountains of any green and everything was black and ash. However, I think that the silhouettes of burnt proteas are almost as beautiful as when they are full of colour.

I have no idea what type of protea bush these burnt flower heads are from but this was my favourite silhouette. It is like a star covered in cotton wool surrounded by blackened petals and stems. The contrast of texture is wonderful.

“  S h a r i n g  ”

There is a cultural shift from owning to sharing, working individually to working together and sharing in knowledge and experience. We all want to help and have fun and I’m up for it. I think that this is very exciting.

Although Jedd McNeilage’s work (an Emerging Creative at the Design Indaba Expo) is not exactly about sharing in the same way as I mentioned it above, but I love this work and perhaps we should take the sharing culture further and literally give.

Dogs just want to to feel apart of things, they just want to be loved and have fun – is there actually much difference between them and us?

Here are some key points that I picked up from her presentations that I think are seeds worth planting in either your head or heart, watered, and left to grow into fantastic ideas or whatever they might be.

1. Togetherness. Families are working together and groups of people are coming together. This is obvious in some ways, for example with social networking, but in another it is surprising becuase many people thought that lifestyles would become closed and people isolated. However, we are reacting differently by wanting (and needing) to be with people and have ‘real’ relationships to those who matter. The individual is ‘giving himself to the group’.

The MOST BEAUTIFUL item at the Design Indaba (in my opinion) are these hanging lights designed and made by Jeremy’s cousin, Stuart Douglas & Co.

2.Another interesting change linked to relationships is the importance of grandparents to grandchildren. This relationship has never been as strong as it is today because children and grandparents have the time to spent together whereas mom and dad are too busy working and growing their careers to develop as deep a relationship. The influence of grandparents on the younger generation is increasing.

Lights made from cotton string and jute twine by Moonbasket.

3. Li and another amazing presenter, Bruce Nussbaum, spoke about how “taking things, remaking things and making things beautiful” is what we do and want. The consumer no longer wants to just consume, we want to “create beauty and share it”. Li clarified what we define as beauty today:

Materials: Brushed metal (ie, not shiny and bling but glamorous). Lots and lots of natural wood combined with ceramics and leather. Feathers. Minimal with texture.

Lights designed by David Krynauw.

Colour: Soft, tender but colourful neutrals. (Oh, and yellow is going to be the new pink apparently).

Shape: Chubby. Voluptuous. Simplicity.

Ceramics by Wonki Ware.

In conclusion, this is the image (drawn in a moment at the presentation in my notebook) that is left with me from Li’s presentation:

Now I am not an architect and am not particularly an architectural fan but Alejandro really had me on the edge of my seat. He introduced us to his career in quite an intense way and I kept having to re-read his words to allow them to sink in and by that time he had already progressed onto his next strong statement. Trying to listen, comprehend and follow I scribbled some key phrases down (not much I know) …

He asked, why does low-cost housing depreciate in value and how can these kind of houses be built, 1. within the budget provided by the government, to 2. be an asset to the home owners and 3. help them better their living standards? This is a problem that is very real in South Africa and RDP houses as we call them, are like match boxes in a bigger match box piece of land. It also never takes long for this piece of land to be rented out and built on and before you know it, there is no space, just extended shack rooms with 7 families living there.

I was desperate to find out how he solved this very difficult and real problem. He asked why build a half-good house? Rather, quite literally, build a good half house. His logic is that this way they can build on to half a good house as they can afford to. He took the money given by the government and invested a large portion of it into the land becuase position is important to those who have to use public transport.

He then took the remaining money and put it into the structure of the building as opposed to the finishes. When the tenants were asked if they would prefer a bath, shower or hot water they all choose a bath. They have never had hot water so that was not a necessity and in a bath they can do their washing, wash the children and use it for a variety of other things. The insides of these homes were barren. Really, the bare necessities.

The other really amazing feature about these homes is that they were built with a ‘temporary wall’. This allowed the home owner to build onto the house when they could, without damage to the existing structure.

It was an amazing project that completely blew me away. The creative thinking was so complex and the outcome so simple it was in every way what I would call awesome design. I hope some Alejandro homes get built in South Africa.

When I was in Milan I came across the most gorgeous scissor collection. Using this as inspiration I have redrawn my favourite scissors and stylised them into a one-colour screen print for a Coffee Clutch Design.

The new ‘Scissor Cut Coffee Clutch Set‘ comes in razor-blade black or old metal copper.

I have also printed two new colour-ways. The ‘Bird on a lace fence Coffee Clutch Set‘ in red …

and the ‘Soaring Seagulls Coffee Clutch Set‘ in cloud blue.

Zurina and Fatima (my two sample machinist from left to right below) came to see the bags in their lime light.

The ‘vertical draws’ that were build by Cape Town Timbers for this show worked very well. My space was a meer 2×1m which meant that I have to be creative in order to sell and replace with stock. The idea ‘behind’ these draws was that they had shelves. I could pull out a vertical plank or “drawer” and take the products from behind whilst still maintaining a facade that was easily transportable, affordable and did not distract from the product.

The surface of the plank or “drawer” was sand blasted by Millroy Artysands. Some of them came out very beautifully but unfortunately this got a bit lost by the flat light in the exhibition hall. It was also very difficult to take a photograph to show you the raised grain.

]]> http://thewrendesign.com/2010/03/01/wren-the-design-indaba/feed/ 6 http://thewrendesign.com/2010/03/01/wren-the-design-indaba/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thewrendesign/~3/FWTvfedo1qE/ http://thewrendesign.com/2010/02/24/the-ppc-cement-laptop-bag/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:41:50 +0000 wendren http://thewrendesign.com/?p=3674 This is THE bag I have been itching to share for months…
The much awaited PPC cement laptop bag…

This laptop bag is made from unused Pretoria Portland Cement paper bags.

To make the paper strong, all the layers are fused with calico so it is untearable and suitable for your laptop. It has also been scotchguarded so that it is water resistant. Friends in Switzerland have been testing the bag and it has even proven to last through long bicycle trips in the snow.

To close the bag there are two hidden magnets. One of the favourite things about this bag is the cement mixing instructions that you can read all over the bag. For example, for low strength concentrate mix one wheel barrow of cement, with 4 wheel barrows of sand and stone with 70 liters of water. The written instructions are also fantastic: “Do not leave on the ground.”

Inside there are two pockets and two sections. One pocket is large enough to carry laptop cables whilst the other is the right size for either an iPhone or mouse. The divider is padded and separates the laptop from notes or other belongings that would be carried in the bag. The base is also padded as is the side that sits against your body.

As with all my bags, I try and use organic materials where possible. The strap of the PPC Cement Laptop Bag is made from Organic Hemp. This is also adjustable.

These bags will be for sale at the Design Indaba which starts tomorrow and in my online shop from the 1st of March.

Everyday something new is arriving and products are coming together. Today I got ‘Wren’ printed Persham ribbons.

Next week is the Design Indaba and although this leaves almost no time to get these new products together, it is going to be amazing. I hope you can come and visit Wren’s space (the tiny spot C29) but if not, then don’t panic, I promise I will share the new bag designs with you online.

The layout is completely new – from right to left to point out perhaps the most obvious layout change. If you haven’t noticed yet I think I will bring it to your attention that there is a link for THE WREN SHOP. This is not up-and-running yet but don’t panic becuase it will be soon and then it will be worth the wait. Here is a sneak speak snap shot to wet your appetite.

Till then, you can visit and purchase my bags from etsy.

Basically what has been achieved (and I think quite successfully but let me know what you think) is that the page(s) are easier to navigate around and the layout is cleaner. Visit my updated ‘about Wren‘ page and ‘about me‘ page.

Lightspeed have done an amazing job – thanks guys. If anybody ever wants to do anything with Wordpress – Lightspeed are really amazing at what they do.

All the funds made from the sale of this bag will be donated to aid in Zimbabwe.