Design Indaba competition 2019: photo from Colour field exhibition @ Southern Guild - © Southernguild.
Design Indaba competition 2019: photo from Colour field exhibition @ Southern Guild – © Southernguild.

Cape Town 2019 – Design Indaba competition 2019 engages people from all walks of life to vote for the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa as well as honouring personal freedom of choice and individual sensibilities. 10 local creatives selected 10 projects by emerging designers challenging our perception of what defines beauty. The designs will be on show in an exhibition at the Cape Town design festival from February 27 to March 2.

Design Indaba competition 2019: Mzukis Mbane's bridal dress - Courtesy of Design Indaba.
Mzukis Mbane’s bridal dress – Courtesy of Design Indaba.

“We want the public to decide what they think constitutes a ‘beautiful object’ – and it’s not just about what something looks like, it’s also about smart functionality, or a design’s ability to enhance the quality of life for its user or effect change.” Explains Design Indaba organiser Beverley Cupido. “In the selection process itself we want to foster a sense of appreciation, accessibility and engagement”.

Design Indaba competition 2019: 'River love sofa' by Heino Schmitt Design - Photo: courtesy of CUBE Gallery.
‘River love sofa’ by Heino Schmitt Design – Photo: courtesy of CUBE Gallery.

Eber Otto has designed a copper and glass kettle with a spiral increasing the contact surface area of the water and promoting the desired air flow. Houtlander’s topsy curvy Interdependence II blue bench is a Shaker-style love seat with a twist, litterally. Nenzima Desk by Mpho Vakier of The Urbanative collective combines mid-century European furniture with African cultural artworks.

Design Indaba competition 2019: Chris Soal's Stellar Scintillation - Courtesy of Design Indaba.
Chris Soal’s ‘Stellar Scintillation’ – Courtesy of Design Indaba.

River Love Sofa by Heino Schmitt Design draws inspiration from architects and nature. Grounded on solid brass and wild pear wood legs, the seat features also a double USB charger, reading lamp, a storage drawer and a hand tooled leather magazine pouch.

Cape Town-based fashion designer Mzukis Mbane narrates the story of African Ancestors through unique Afrofuturistic designs and prints. Yemasa was selected for his Okapi x Capsule collection for OKAPI luxury leather handbags and accessories handmade by local artisans.

Design Indaba competition 2019: Eber Otto's 'copper and glass kettle' - courtesy of Design Indaba.
Eber Otto’s ‘copper and glass kettle’ – courtesy of Design Indaba.

Artist Chris Soal‘s Stellar Scintillation piece is made of beer bottle tops strung together to create a rope-like sculpture while artist Usha Seejarim created a silhouetted form of a female dancer stretching that hangs against a wall.

Design Indaba competition 2019: Nenzima Desk by Mpho Vakier - Courtesy of Design Indaba.
‘Nenzima Desk’ by Mpho Vakier – Courtesy of Design Indaba.

The Cancer Dojo app by Conn Bertish empowers cancer sufferers to play an active role in their cancer treatments, with the intention of making them more resilient to the negative effects of the disease. Poet Koleka Putuma’s Collective Amnesia publication is a piece of work that demand justice, insist on visibility and offer healing through grief and memory, pain and joy, sex and self-care.

Design Indaba competition 2019: Competition II by Houtlander - Courtesy of Design Indaba.
‘Competition II’ by Houtlander – Courtesy of Design Indaba.