VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

THE NEST@SOSSUS

Winner – Wallpaper Design Award 2019 – Best New Private Residence of 2018.

https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/best-new-private-house-wallpaper-design-awards-2019

Inspired by the nests of the sociable weaver that dot the landscape.

Designed for Swen Bachran situated on the Namib Tsaris Conservancy near to Sesriem in Namibia.

A completely off the grid, hand made, hand crafted, organic home exploring local materials and local techniques. 

The locally sourced reed roofs and walls are clad onto a steel inner structure and walls made from handmade bricks clad with granite from the site. 

Kiaat  used for furniture, cabinetry and cladding and teak for the floors. Interiors by Yelda Bayraktar and Maybe Corpaci.

For enquiries mail info@namibtsaris.com

Photo credits: Katinka Bester

ANIMALS

MANTA

 

MANTA

Manta Ray Dining structure.

Designed for nolab Istanbul for Joali Hotel in the Maldives and built with Cüneyt Bükülmez of Istanbul-based firm Atölye4n.

Steel structure clad with wood and local palm. 5m in the air and a wingspan of almost 15m.

The 50m tail of the manta is a suspended walkway leading you up to body which seats up to 10 people.

ENDANGERED

In collaboration with SFA Advisory and Southern Guild  Design Miami/Basel from 12-17 June 2018.

The exhibition, commissioned by SFA Advisory to benefit the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF), showcased a series of seating environments depicting endangered species.

The sculptures, which depict an orangutan, a polar bear, a sloth, a blue whale, and a great white shark, are made of eco-friendly and recycled materials.

Titled Endangered, the pods were produced using environmentally sustainable materials that have been extensively hand-worked by artisans in Cape Town. Hefer worked closely with textile artist Ronel Jordaan and craft collectives Heart Works and Mielie to translate the creatures into giant, tactile sculptures whose surfaces have been crocheted, felted, stitched and embroidered with unique embellishments.

Pictures by Antoni Steyn

FIONA BLACKFISH

Fiona was born in Cape Town.
Fiona has furry tongue.
Fiona loves fish.
Fiona loves children.
Fiona hates Sea World.

EUGENIE CROCODYLUS
TOCO MIAMI PALMS
AUDREY ESCA

Part of the 2012 Southern Guild collection. A collaboration with Woodheads Leather Merchants. The nest is made up of scales cut from leather offcuts. There are 3 different sizes of scales to allow for different sizes of off cuts. Scales are attached to a nylon fishing net attached to a steel frame. Audrey is named after Audrey in the Little shop of Horrors, her surname Esca refers to the probiscus with the light source that protrudes in front of her. This is inspired by the Angler fish that sports the most well known esca of all. The inside is upholstered in leather and sheepskin offcuts. Audrey is an indoors fish.

Audrey Esca – 1.35m x 1.6m. leather, nylon netting and steel frame

BETTINA ESCA
DORA ESCA
CATHERINE ESCA
GRACE AMPHIBIOUS
PELICANUS IRIS

Images courtesy of Southern Guild

MONSTERA DELICIOSA
NESTS
BIRD CRIB
FALLEN NEST

First designed For Southern Guild 2009 collection.
Nests are copying the genius of the Weaver Birds. The result is a human nest to be used outside hung in a tree or inside. It is an attempt at bio mimicry but my skills are no match for the delicate touch of a master. I have explored different materials from Port Jackson alien vegetation to Kubu cane to waste materials, looking for the most sustainable and effective solution. I collaborate with experts in the various weaving techniques to achieve what I dream. Sizes vary and nests can be ordered to suit your needs. They can accommodate from 1 to 4 people.

Bridle road – 1. 8 x 1.6m. Kubu cane and wood.

WASP NEST
SPECIMEN
MUD & DAUBER NEST

Wall mounted sleeping pods

Kubu cane steel and leather

Based on the mud dauber wasp nests

APPROPRIATED STRUCTURES

Based on the concept of mimioking birds as they appropriate existing structures either man made or natural and weave or build their nests over them creating a functional “nest”

PACKAGING STRAPPING NEST

Nests woven with recycled plastic packaging straps. developed with Leonie Vlaar and Lois Stolwijk, 2 design students from School of Arts Uitrecht that have been interning with me.

BLACKHOLE

Made in collaboration with Nelson Banderson, a Zimbabwean with incredible skill of the needle and thread. The skin is made from truck tyres that have been hand sewn together. Will last for 40 000 years.

Blackholes – 1,4m x 1,5m. Truck tyres, steel, stainless steel.

KUBU NESTS

First designed For Southern Guild 2009 collection.
Nests are copying the genius of the Weaver Birds. The result is a human nest to be used outside hung in a tree or inside. It is an attempt at bio mimicry but my skills are no match for the delicate touch of a master. I have explored different materials from Port Jackson alien vegetation to Kubu cane to waste materials, looking for the most sustainable and effective solution. I collaborate with experts in the various weaving techniques to achieve what I dream. Sizes vary and nests can be ordered to suit your needs. They can accommodate from 1 to 4 people.

Bridle road – 1. 8 x 1.6m. Kubu cane and wood.

PORT JACKSON NESTS
First designed For Southern Guild 2009 collection.
Nests are copying the genius of the Weaver Birds. The result is a human nest to be used outside hung in a tree or inside. It is an attempt at bio mimicry but my skills are no match for the delicate touch of a master. I have explored different materials from Port Jackson alien vegetation to Kubu cane to waste materials, looking for the most sustainable and effective solution. I collaborate with experts in the various weaving techniques to achieve what I dream. Sizes vary and nests can be ordered to suit your needs. They can accommodate from 1 to 4 people.

First nest – 2m x 1.4m. Port Jackson, dak riet, fynbos, steel.
Tokara – 1.6 x 1.8m. Port Jackson and steel.

TULBAGH
EXHIBITIONS
VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM “MAKING AFRICA”

Humanest Swing – selected as part of the Vitra Design Museum “Making Africa” Exhibition and now part of the Vitra Design Museum permanent collection. Very proud. Good bird.

NEW YORK CITY R & CO EXHIBITION

Selected to show 3 nests at the Grains of Paradise Exhibition at R&Co in Tribeca, New York City. in collaboration with Southern Guild and alongside Doktor and Missus, Ardmore and the Everlasting Great Babacar Niang. Deeply saddend by the news of Babacar passing away but honoured to show alongside such a legend. R.I.P Babacar Niang.irst designed For Southern Guild 2009 collection.

OTIUM & ACEDIA LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE2016

In September 2016 in Collaboration with Southern Guild represented South Africa at first London Design Biennale at Somerset House.

LITES
PLUG
LITE BULB

Inspired by the rapid transformation of the light bulb and the emergence of CFL and LED lamps.

Conventional lights were using between 110 – 220 volts and one of the results was a lot of heat.
Now for example, some LEDs are using 5 watts / 7 –8 volts and burning at much lower temperatures.
The wooden shade that is made so that it can only use LED lamps.
The intention is to change perceptions about LEDs and demonstrate the much lower electricity usage and therefore greater savings on your electricity consumption (and the environment) and ultimately greater savings in money at the end of the day.
The shades are turned in the shape of the old fashioned incandescent bulb, from solid wood and no dyes or stains are used to produce the various colour ways. Instead I use different woods to create the desired colour. All the woods are FSC certified.

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FOUND OBJECTS

A further development of the lite bulbs, these shapes are inspired by shapes and forms I find in everyday life. Some are based on children’s spinning tops from all around the world including the one Leonardo De Capprio spun in the movie Inception.

Lite Ray (Ray and Charles 3 lites)
A homage to Ray Eames and her husband Charles.
A thank you for turning the light on in my head

LITE HOUSE & BEEG LITE
TABLES
PIE CHART TABLES

Part of the Southern Guild 2011 collection. Collaborated with Simon Beebe, to explore info graphics and in particular pie charts in the tangible third dimension, which resulted in 61/21/18 and 85/15, nesting tables that can be used together or separately.
1m x 350

PROJECTS
BIRD WATCHER

Co-designed by Warren Lewis, the birdhouse acts as a deterrent for uninvited visitors as it can be mounted outside, either on a tree or against the wall.

CRATE FAN

The inspiration for Cratefan came from Lego. The reusable component system which could be used to make various shapes and structures and then broken down and reused to create other shapes and structures without any waste or special manufacture. This fitted perfectly with Coca-Colas new recycling initiative, Live For a Difference. About 85% of Coca-Cola’s packaging and its their goal to recover and reuse 50% of their packaging worldwide by 2015. All materials will be recycled afterwards, the scaffolding reused and the crates will be put back in to the bottlers system. Those crates that were harmed during the making of Cratefan, will be recycled back into new ones.
Two were constructed for the 2010 soccer World Cup, one in Johannesburg in Newtown and the other in the V&A waterfront in Cape town.

Oupa – Height 16.5 meters – Crates 2400
Elliot – Height 20 meters – Crates 4200
Easter Intervention – teeth
Christmas – beard + Ho Ho Ho
Olympics – flame + medal
Birthday – blower plus sewing recycled billboard

Collaborators:
Warren Lewis, Art at Work, Mark Sinoff, SGB scaffolding.

TABLE MOUNTAIN SEVEN WONDERS YELLOW FRAMES

 

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

Designed in collaboration with Warren Lewis for the Table Mountain National Park to promote fire wise behavior. 70 extinguishers installed in the Table Mountain National Park from Signal Hill to Cape Point.
Carved from Alien Trees cleared from TMNP by The Carpenters Shop, a Cape Town NGO working on the rehabilitation of street people and destitutes.

ROGZ DOG BALL

Fun dog ball I designed. It is manufactured and distributed by Rogz for Dogz.
Has a hole in the back that you can put treats in and ensures the ball is placed in the right orientation.

TUFFY

Constructed monsters from plastic waste for Tuffy print Campaign with Saatchis Cape Town. He stands 7 ft tall and is pretty and ugly.