Contemporary Xhosa..

Laduma Ngxokolo is a fourth year textile design graduate from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University who developed a Xhosa-inspired knitwear collection in 2010, which was showcased at the Design Indaba earlier this year. Ngxokolo's collection interprets the aesthetic of traditional Xhosa beadwork into a range of men's knitwear intended for those experiencing the initiation ritual who are known as "amakrwala".

I decided to use this inspiring knitwear collection as a case study for my design proposal as the interior created will aspire to the same design solution:- traditional Xhosa aesthetic reinterpreted into a contemporary medium...acknowledging the cultural past whilst recognising modern advancement:)

Let me let you in..

Firstly, apologies for my lack of blogging...
Secondly, although we are already quite far into the design process for our thesis scheme, iv been very quiet over the past month and feel i need to take you back to the beginning and order my thoughts...

So what am i working on this year?

My thesis scheme focuses on social uplifting for a disadantaged community through design. My project will take on two directions under this one common theme:

1) the spatial design of an aftercare facility         2) the product design for RDP housing. 

The chosen community for my project is the Gqebera township (better known as Walmer township) situated in Port Elizabeth.

(s p a t i a l   d e s i g n)

For this I have chosen an existing strucure within the township which I will transform into an aftercare facility for Grades 1-3 school going children. The idea is that of supervised interaction and educational stimulation within a protected environment. The facility will include:- a cafeteria, library, homework hall, arts and crafts classrooms, extra-lesson classrooms, a training room, occupational therapy unit, counselling rooms, and outdoor play areas. unemployed women within the community may be trained to run the facility and thus community development may be achieved.

(p r o d u c t   d e s i g n)

multifunctional product designs will be developed for the RDP home which offers limited space for families.

Through the organisation of these products, a series of possible interior solutions may be achieved, creating a uniqueness of place, despite the indistinguishable exterior of the building structure.

putting it all in context (the walmer township...