Monkeybiz supplies richly coloured glass beads to women in the townships of Cape Town. The 450 women involved in the project are currently producing exquisite hand beaded artworks - each a unique one-off creation. The women are paid for each piece they produce; and since they work from home, can look after their families and avoid transport costs. The beaded works are creating a sensation wherever they appear - locally and abroad.
Historically, bead work, in a South African context, has been the domain of women largely within the Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele and Sotho communities. The women are introduced to the craft directly through their mothers, grandmothers and other women in the community.
South African designer Heath Nash is a man on a mission. The graduate of the University of Cape Town is out to figure out what South Africa could look like or what design language could express as contemporary aesthetic of his country; his collection of lampshades and other handcrafted lifestyle products showcases his experiments with ‘craft techniques’ as a high end design tool. However he does it, you’d never guess that the lampshades above are made from used milk bottles and “other people’s rubbish,” which is also the title for the collection of lighting
Charles is well loved for his quirky retro furniture and other beautiful nick-nacks. He has a stall at the Neighbourgoods Market as well as a shop in Salt River, Cape Town. We definitely believe that people should be buying recycled goods, and how better than to fill your home with great retro finishes.
Charles’s new store in Salt River is filled with beautifully displayed vintage ceramics and 50’s furniture.
The Neighbourgoods Market in Woodstock Cape Town is a great example of a community focused initiative with both commercial value whilst being conscious of the environment. We spent a morning there getting the low down from it’s creators.
This is an excerpt from our feature story about cyclists traveling a cross the rugged dessert terrain of Namibia in order to raise funds for SRT [ Save The Rhino Trust] which is helping the endangered black rhino numbers to grow in the area.
This is a preview of what our show plans to do with the title sequence of our TV show. This was done in-house but we plan to make it much more sophisticated.
