Less talk, more action! South African creatives are designing for social impact
This year’s theme for Decorex Africa, the continent’s leading decor and design showcase, is Designing for Impact
27/02/2024
Design is a powerful tool for change. As part
of reshaping the industry's paradigms, this
year’s theme for Decorex Africa, the continent’s
leading decor and design showcase, is Designing
for Impact. It marks a commitment to thinking
beyond traditional boundaries and identifying
the sweet spot that lies at the intersection of
creativity, commercial viability and societal
impact.
Decorex Cape Town (6 to 9 June
2024 at the CTICC) and Decorex Joburg (1 to 4
August 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre)
will be anchored by this theme. The shows will
consider the societal and planetary impact of
design, with particular focus on encouraging
sustainable choices in exhibitors, and reducing
waste. Every exhibitor will be given a
sustainability audit when they sign up and the
website will feature guidelines on making more
sustainable decisions.
‘We all need to step out of our comfort zones, and embrace innovative approaches that recognise the power of our collective impact,’ says Bielle Bellingham, Executive Creative Director of Decorex Africa.
‘It is important that we take the initiative to change our relationship with our home - the planet. We need to create sustainable solutions that are accessible and affordable to all, shaping a future where sustainability is not a privilege, but a universal reality. The overall theme for this year confirms the belief that design is an attitude of resourcefulness and resilience, and should reflect a green approach to problem-solving for our country and continent. Are you with us?’
With designing for
impact top of mind, it is encouraging to see how
many South African creatives and collectives
are, like Decorex Africa, stepping in and making
changes. Many of the goals of accelerating the
circular economy in Africa through design are
discernible in Circular Squared – a Cape
Town-based non-profit that champions circular
economic thinking and urges aspiring
entrepreneurs in manufacturing and retail to
adopt regenerative practices.
The Head
of Sustainable Design at Circular Squared,
veteran artist and designer Heath Nash, is
dedicated to turning one man's trash into
another’s treasure. Nash is working with local
furniture brand Wunders to find solutions to the
heaps of scraps produced on a day-to-day basis
as a result of manufacturing. Family-owned
Wunders previously partnered with Decorex
Africa’s Future Talks series in 2023, where it
supplied brightly coloured seating made using
its own factory’s waste materials.
Local
furniture brand Pedersen + Lennard – which
unveiled its Umpire range at 100% Design Joburg
2023 – is working towards reducing the
environmental impact of plastic waste. In 2023,
the studio pioneered furniture that incorporates
a recycled board made from plastics that are
considered ‘unrecyclable’(such as toothpaste
tubes and cling film). It has released a new
range of public seating for the V&A Waterfront
made from this recycled material. Co-founder
Luke Pedersen participated in the 2023 edition
of Future Talks where he touched upon the
importance of building community in design and
business to facilitate broader conversations of
impact.
Placing emphasis on spatial development
for society is Urban-Think Tank Empower (UTTE),
a non-profit organisation which emerged from
Urban-Think Tank Design Group, an
international collective that uses the power of
architecture and design to uplift the lives of
marginalised communities worldwide. UTTE employs
a unique collaborative, research-led design
approach to provide decent, affordable housing
for all – the fruit of which is a modular
housing unit which allows the owner to adapt the
layout to suit their specific needs.
Another company paving the way in social impact
architecture is The MAAK, an award-winning
architectural practice based in Cape Town that
focuses on public buildings and spaces that
yield a positive outcome for communities. ‘The
less we engage in the social issues of our time,
the more we breed a public apathy towards
architecture and in turn dilute the urgency of
our craft,’ it says. The MAAK’s New Rest Valley
Crèche is an early childhood development (ECD)
centre for The Vuya Foundation, and the first
completed formal public infrastructure in the
New Rest Valley near Riebeek-Kasteel.
Based in Cape Town, The Ramp is a
multidisciplinary project space that challenges
conventional means of institutional access to
the arts by bringing creative practitioners
together. The Ramp connects creatives with the
goal of sharing collective knowledge and
resources - and invites the public to get
involved - to produce more impactful work.
Experience this active shift towards impact design for yourself and join the designers and creatives paving the way to the future at Decorex Cape Town and Joburg. For more information about the shows follow @decorexafrica or visit https://www.decorex.co.za/