new work by animal farm, south africa
designboom DESIGN-AEROBICS competitions interviews art architecture design technology shop

new work by animal farm, south africa



the creative consultancy 'animal farm' of south africa recently launched several new pieces of furniture at
'rooms on view' in johannesburg. designed by porky hefer and warren lewis, the new work is said to be
'influenced by african life and have some cultural or social commentary to them'.



'tokoloshe' bed and bench
'traditional magic and superstition have always formed an integral part of south africa's indigenous folktales,
in which the tokoloshe is a significant manifestation. even today many rural and urban nguni peoples,
particularly the zulu and xhosa, still believe in the power of these mischievous and sometimes evil, hairy spirits.
interestingly though, the belief in these water sprites has spread to all cultures in south africa. all over the country,
black south africans would often raise their beds by placing the legs of their beds on paint tins or bricks,
raising their bed up to 3 feet from the ground. it is an almost universal belief, that this was to keep the occupant
of the bed out of reach of the tokoloshe while you sleep. tokoloshe is avaliable in two widths:
bench - 1800mm x 430mm, bed - 1800mm x 800mm steel frame is epoxy coated and avaliable in a variety colours'.



'silent partner' chair sculpture
'...sits at animal farm's boardroom table representing their silent/financial backers. it just reminds us they are there
and we’ll have to answer to them at some stage. it’s made from an old chair, polystyrene and silver tape'.



'ndebele' stool
'made in collaboration with elizabeth and vincent gwebu, bead workers originally from mpumalanga, now living in
philippi, cape town. these stools are based on the materials, techniques and forms of traditional ndeble dolls.
ndebele art speaks no longer just to the indigenous community, but now serves also as an aesthetic commodity,
an economic "bridge to the 21(st) century" for south african ndebele women artists and their families.
we are witnessing an artistic society of women proceeding through their own cultural aesthetic evolution.
instead of producing more and more traditional dolls that are common in south africa, and whose only function
is a curio or keepsake, we are using tenets of ndebele culture to produce furniture that is relevant/attractive to an
international market with sustainable economic benefits'.



'high hopes - big dreams' crate stools
'based on makeshift seating found in most shabeens, barber shops and spaza stalls around south africa,
the wooden crate stool serves as an ode to every African tale voiced from these seats of hope.
'high hopes - big dreams' and 'short courage - tall stories' are available in a raw, superwood finish as well as
a wide range of colours'.



animal farm website: http://www.animal-farm.co.za
animal farm blog: http://www.animalfarmacy.blogspot.com
andy db
06.03.08  
0
animal farm (1 articles)

porky hefer: weaver's nests
design | 03.08.12

the south african designer references the construction process weaver birds use to build their humble dwellings to create a series of large-scale nests fit for humans.

8
south african architecture and design (9 articles)

porky hefer: weaver's nests
design | 03.08.12

the south african designer references the construction process weaver birds use to build their humble dwellings to create a series of large-scale nests fit for humans.

8

heath nash studio visit
design | 08.14.10

designboom recently got a personal look at south african designer heath nash’s cape town studio.

14

making the makarapa
design | 08.12.10

fans sporting their teams’ makarapa was a ubiquitous scene during the 2010 world cup in south africa. these colourful hats are actually made from plastic mining helmets, cut, bent and hand painted with different foo...

8

the camerette collection by florens
READER'S SUBMISSION a collection of wardrobes that represent the opportunities the future brings, and objects of desire that are key aspects of mainta...

ccdstudio: new center for childhood
READER'S SUBMISSION

this project is the result of two municipal programs coming together to create a new structure and urban identity for the commu...

tom sachs: space program - mar

art

designboom has visited the american artist's most recent space odyssey installation exploring NASA's mars missions at the armor...

nendo: still & sparkling f

design

the collection of delicate pieces rejects traditional glassblowing techniques, embracing instead the irregularities typically c...

design time breil award ceremony
DESIGNBOOM COMPETITIONS the designs explore a variety of topics from comic memorabilia to pop culture. s

curved visions digital art competit
DESIGNBOOM COMPETITIONS designboom in collaboration with INFINITI is excited to announce the CURVED VISI

GRAPHIC DESIGN - may 17 - july 17
DESIGN - AEROBICS make graphic design work for you. with this course you’ll enhance your understanding of the basics and learn more about emerging developments within the field.

SHOPPING - may 17 - july 17
DESIGN - AEROBICS we'll look at the seamless way in which design and consumer culture cross paths, with a focus on; shop design, packaging, carts, carriers, online shopping and markets.
designboom news
348,811 subscribers

keep up to date with recent articles and upcoming events.
to receive both newsletters please check 2 boxes.

DAILY - see sample BIWEEKLY -see sample
© copyrights 2000 - 2012 designboom, all rights reserved. all material published remains the exclusive copyright of designboom.
no contents, including text, photographs, videos, etc. may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of designboom. in addition,
no material or contents may be reproduced on the world wide web by techniques of mirroring, framing, posting, etc. without the written consent of designboom.