Centrality and Diversity

In an exciting initiative that includes direction from Clout/SA and support and sponsorship by Nando’s, three rising local designers creatively reimagine the Old Fort meeting rooms and coffee shop at the historic Constitution Hill in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. This interior design project introduces a vibrant local-led aesthetic to the heritage precinct, enriching its many-layered pasts and priming it for an inspiring future

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS MALIBONGWE TYILO

The screens and cabinet are by Sifiso Shange/Afri Modern. Chairs by Dark Horse. Art by Lungiswa Mkwasi, Aviwe Plaatjie, Judy Woodborne; Qhama Maswana and Christo Basson

ith a narrative that goes back

Wmore than a century since its commission in the last decade of the 19th century, the Constitution Hill precinct in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, has gone through numerous iterations. During the Anti-Apartheid struggle, former president Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Joe Slovo, Albertina Sisulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Fatima Meer all served time there. As did tens of thousands of ordinary South Africans. Today, the former prison and military fort serve as a living museum and a venue for exhibitions and other events, as well as being home to the country’s Constitutional Court.

While many of the interiors of the various buildings in the precinct have been redesigned to suit different purposes, from exhibition spaces to offices, the Con Hill team identified an opportunity to reimagine the interior of the Old Fort building, which was being used as meeting rooms and a coffee shop.

With the support of Nando’s, which funded the initiative as a gift to Constitution Hill, Clout/SA invited three young designers to submit creative concepts for the redesign of the coffee shop and meeting rooms. They were Afri Modern founder Sifiso Shange, Pinda Design founder Siyanda Mbele, as well as Renaissance Design founder Glorinah Khutso Mabaso, who invited invited Omni Design’s Nelson Kubheka to collaborate with her on the pitch.

‘The meeting rooms presented an opportunity to incorporate the particular aesthetic of South African design, artistic culture and visual language into the rich tapestry of history at Constitution Hill. This was also a unique opportunity to develop and grow emerging interior designers that have a strong connection to heritage and the ability to create sensory experiences’ — Tracy Lee Lynch, creative director of Clout/SA and the Nando’s Design Programme

ABOVE LEFT Screens are by Sifiso Shange, Afri Modern. Yellow cabinet by Dokter and Misses. Painting by Khayalethu Sineyile ABOVE RIGHT abinet by Sifiso Shange, Afri Modern. Paintings by Candice Kramer OPPOSITE Chair and side tables by Dark Horse. Laser-etched panels by Sifiso Shange. Painting by Henk Serfontein

Beyond being an interior design project, the challenge turned into a journey of learning for the designers, each of whom had to take a deep dive into the history of Constitution Hill and, therefore, the history of South Africa. “It wasn’t just about designing and putting mood boards together. It was about how to create a conversation and tell a South African story,” Siyanda says. “When I started on the research with my team, we were talking about how little we knew about our history until we visited the site… And, every time, with each bit of research, we stumbled on something new.”

For Glorinah, the process took on personal significance: “My dad was an activist. He was the first vice-president of COSAS… I grew up hearing these stories from him and it was the first time that I interacted with a space that speaks the same language. It became very real.”

After the pitch process concluded, Sifiso’s design, dubbed Centrality and Diversity, was chosen as the winner. His concept features furniture and lighting pieces in vibrant colours and patterns from some of the most innovative young South African designers. For visitors, it offers a window onto the present as well as the future of local design. ‘Within the design itself there are a lot of screens, but if these were to block us of from each other, then we are still dividing. So what I did was create screens that have patterns that represent all of us — the males, the females, the young and the old. These patterns then create gaps and spaces in the screens to represent transparency, creating a space where we see and acknowledge each other’ — Afri Modern’s Sifiso Shange

Geometric patterns and shapes inspired by Zulu culture have become synonymous with Sifiso’s design pieces. “The project allowed me to realise so much about the history of our country and where we are today … and, at the centre of everything, were the people themselves,” he says. In the spirit of the project, all three designers then collaborated to bring Sifiso’s vision to life.

“These selected designers speak a language of rebirth and transformation. They have found new ways of expressing our South African heritage, of making creative connections and building community. Storytelling, art and design are their chosen tools,” Clout/SA creative director Tracy Lee Lynch explains.

Visitors to Constitution Hill can now visit these interior spaces to uncover South Africa’s past and to experience its present and future first-hand. o