This project explores Coloured/Cape Malay identity through furniture design. It began as a BA Hons ID project in 2019 by Wazier Karim Kara in his blad en bokkie project and extended into a MA Industrial Design in 2020 to become Kanala Stories. Both projects were supervised by me. Overview: "Coloured culture does not exist. This statement can be viewed in two ways. Firstly, as a narrative imposed by some South African people, outside the Coloured community. Secondly, as a sincere belief shared by some within the Coloured community who are confused about their own identity. This confusion, due to disruption by colonisation and Apartheid, has created a generational cycle of internal misunderstanding of Coloured racial identity and culture. This confusion and ambiguity with regards to identity, is an experience that I have personally felt while trying to find my place in South African society. Through questioning my placement, I discovered ... Read More

This project explored Cape Malay cultural identity through furniture design. It was BA Hons ID project in 2019 by Wazier Karim Kara, and extended into a MA Industrial Design in 2020 into the Kanala Stories project. Both projects were supervised by myself. Overview: This design research project focused on the design of a Blad en bokkie (trestle table) inspired by Cape Malay cultural identity. The project focused on furniture because it plays a central role in Cape Malay gatherings, it was also found that Cape Malay identity was unexplored within the South African furniture design industry. Through an auto/ethnographic research approach, the study allowed Wazier to explore his own, as well as his family’s, cultural identity. Further research through literature about the history, the craftspeople, and the vibrant culture and religion of the Cape Malay community, together with insights from local furniture makers and community leaders, enabled a wide range ... Read More

This BA Hons Industrial Design (UJ) project began by Emma Zwart in 2018, and then continued into her MA Industrial Design (UJ) in 2019 under the supervision of myself and Dr Annemi Conradie, Senior Lecturer in Art History, North West Univerisity. Unfortunately, due to the impact of COVID-19, the project has been put on hold indefinitely but is still is a wonderful initiative that I am proud to showcase as an exploration of contemporary South African design identity through a design activist approach to collaborative furniture making. Overview: The Conversation Seat explores ways of expressing South African design identities through collaboration. More specifically, the project aimed to break down the perceived hierarchy of terms such as art, design and craft in order to showcase the diversity of creativity in South Africa. Despite its name, the Conversation Seat does not come complete with a seat. Instead, a bare frame was provided ... Read More

"My face isn't designed for glasses!" - Project Participant This project explored a socio-technical systems approach to designing eyewear for South Africans. Marcha Naudé began the project as a student in a BA Industrial Design in 2017 and then expanded it into a MA Design (offered in Industrial Design) from 2018-2020. I was her superviser for this project for both qualifications. Overview: In South Africa, there is a scarcity of prescription glasses manufacturers and the majority of locally available eyewear frames are imported. The bulk of this imported eyewear comes from a singular umbrella organisation, which designs eyewear from a predominantly Eurocentric perspective. For example, there are currently only two types of eyewear fit, the “regular” fit, based on European facial data, and the “Asian” or “global” fit, which was developed in reaction to the inappropriateness of the “regular” fit. In South Africa, a country with a significantly diverse population, ... Read More