Deana Alter

Deana was born in Paarl but moved to Cape Town when she was very young.  She went to school at Herzlia, which is nestled beneath the magnificence of Table Mountain.  She has always been keen to make things with her hands and use her natural creativity.  At school she took graphic design art as one of her Matric subjects.

After she matriculated, Deana took a gap year in which she went to Israel; where she both worked and travelled.  She also did her military training for three months in Israel.  Looking at Deana you can’t imagine her slinging a gun over her shoulder, but evidently, she has done this!  In fact she even had to take her gun with her to the showers every night as they are not to be left alone (guns that is)!

Deana had always wanted to learn to make jewellery, and in fact had applied to study jewellery design at CPUT before she left for Israel.  While Deana was in Israel, she worked in a jewellery shop for a few weeks and this work experience helped her to be sure that jewellery was definitely what she wanted to do.

Deana loves to design jewellery and for her there is nothing better than coming up with a good design and then bringing it to life in the manufacturing process.  She does not like to be restricted too much and you can definitely see that the quality of her work improves when there are limited technical restrictions.  She battled to find inspiration to manufacture the industry pieces that were required in the second year at CPUT, but now that she is making her own designs, she is much happier. One could say that she is flourishing in the third year, she is passionate about her own designs!

As I have been Deana’s classmate and friend for the last three years I feel know firsthand what kind of jewellery she likes to make.  Deana draws both information and inspiration from the things that are all around us.  She is using a theme for her third year range which I think is fantastic, not only is it something that most people would have overlooked as a potential theme for jewellery inspiration, but she is making it work.  Her theme is ‘cars’ – fast cars, slow cars, sports cars, all types of cars really.   Deana likes to be clever with her designs and she likes to use different materials.  She is also influenced by geometric shapes and architecture, but at the same time, she likes to cast organic material such as leaves in silver. 

Note the use of coral in this simple but beautiful necklace.

These rings are Deana’s cast range from the 2^nd year.  The designs are quite geometric and lean toward her love of architecture. 

Deana’s themes in design may make you think that her jewellery would be complicated, but she is really good at simplifying form to make visually appealing, comfortable jewellery.   

This ring is one of her pieces for her final 10-piece range for which her inspiration is ‘cars’.  Her inspiration for this ring came from the mag wheels of a car.  It is also clever in that the top of the ring spins, just like a wheel!  She has cleverly blackened the inside, which give the ring depth.

These two conceptually clever rings are in fact taken from the tyres of toy cars.  She has taken out the inside of the wheel and put in a silver inner sleeve, I think they are great and they are most definitely original.  I like the fact that she has brought elements of the ‘car’ into her jewellery by incorporating this material. 

Deana has also made a bangle using a tyre, this time the tyre is from a genuine car and it is an old, used tyre.  The smooth worn finish of the rubber compliments the silver inner sleeve beautifully.  Unfortunately as this bangle was only completed recently I do not have a picture of it.

Deana’s work has also been influenced by family and her faith, many of her pieces show this inspiration.  She often uses Hebrew wording on her pieces for her Jewish clients, in the form of engraving and piercing.  There is quite a market for these pieces in Cape Town and she is often busy making them.   Fortunately Deana is a fast worker, she is affectionately known as “Speedy Deany” as she is always finishing her projects days before everyone else!

This pendant is made using Hebrew symbols, note the use of blackening, which highlights the design in this piece.

This pendant was made for a friend of hers and it is the friends name in Hebrew.  Deana has made many such necklaces for friends and family.

She has also made many of these bracelets; there is a huge market for them in Cape Town!  She can make them fairly quickly and she has found an engraver who is able to engrave the Hebrew wording beautifully.   The Hebrew wording is the Shemah, which is the holiest prayer in Judaism, the exact translation is: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one".

Deana made this bracelet (back and front view) for one of her older clients.  The boy and girl charms symbolise her nine grandchildren, Deana has had each of their names engraved on the backs of the charms.  These bracelets are popular and I am sure she is going to have many more orders for them.

When it comes down to marketing Deana relies mostly on word of mouth.  Much of her work is commissioned by friends and family, as evidenced by the work I have shown above.   She has sold many of her pieces through this network of clients in the Jewish community.  She is also selling some of her work at the Jewish Museum in Cape Town as well as at a shop in Cavendish called Chrysalis.

Deana has mostly been manufacturing silver jewellery and she likes to use different textures in her work.  She particularly likes to use a rough texture next to a smooth polished surface as she likes this contrast.  The ‘tyre’ rings are a good example of this.

Deana will be going on to complete her fourth year at CPUT in 2012, after which she will most likely work for herself and establish her own brand, which I am sure will do very well!

Frank Tjepkema – Conceptual All-Round Designer

Internationally acclaimed and prolific designer Frank Tjepkema was born in 1970.  He grew up in Geneva, Brussels and New York.  In 1989 he moved to the Netherlands and went on to study at the internationally acclaimed Design Academy in Eindhoven, from which he graduated with a Cum laude degree in 1996.  His graduation project was based on artificial nature and it was noticed by Droog, a Dutch conceptual design company.  His concept was selected for the Droog Design Collection, giving him accreditation as a designer and leading to many more notable projects. 

Frank started his career off by working for Philips Design, but in 2001 he started his own company together with Janneke Hooymans, called Tjep. 

He has won many important commissions and his work has led him to design in many different areas, most notably interior design, product design and architecture.  He has taught and lectured at various different design academies throughout the world from the Netherlands to Japan.  Frank was also head of department for the Rietveld Academy (2001/2004).

One could argue that Frank Tjepkema’s international upbringing set him on a path in which his experience of the world and exposure to different cultures lead him towards seeing the world in many different ways with open minded perspective.  His designs appeal to many different cultures and his work can be found in the world’s most influential galleries.

After researching the work of Frank Tjepkema on the internet, more specifically his own website tjep.com, I think that his design philosophy is for the most part to design cleverly whilst always trying to create very appealing designs and to amaze people.  Frank says, “Ultimately we are designing to add a little quality, energy and amazement to the world.” 1.   Ingenious, functional and quirky would be three ways in which I would begin to describe his style.  His designs are functional in many different ways, his objective is to always meet the design brief, but to do so in a very clever way which makes the viewer think.  When viewing his work you sometimes have to dig a little deeper before you see the true genius of his idea.  He also has a real sense of humour.  His ‘do break’ vase is a perfect example of this.  This vase is constructed of porcelain and indestructible rubber.  Rubber on the inside and porcelain on the outside.  The vase only becomes a vase when it is broken.  The idea is that you can throw it in frustration and it won’t break, it will only become a new object!  In this way you can remember the day you threw it! 

I like that Frank takes design seriously enough to come up with clever solutions, but I also like the fact that he has a playful take on things.  Although his designs are modern, he often incorporates elements of the past, or of tradition, into his designs.  An example of this is the interior that Tjep. did for Fabbrica, the renowned Rotterdam restaurant.  He used the warehouse space to his advantage, leaving all the original structure but using modern materials and textures as well as clever elements of design to enhance what was already there.  I like the fact that he mixes old and new in a visually appealing way.

In this picture the original wall is behind this pane of textured glass.  One can still see the wall but it is made more beautiful by the textured glass.

Another design initiative which needs to be mentioned is one in which Tjepkema gets to be involved with agriculture and indeed, the future.  Many of the ideas that Tjep. has had lead one to the conclusion that they are very concerned with the future of the planet, particularly with energy saving, a very topical concern in the world today.

 In 2008 Tjep. initiated its own investigation into developments within the agricultural sector.  “What we came across were radical ideas with regards to self-sufficiency, capable of getting us quite a bit closer to the concept of a sustainable society.”²The question that they asked themselves was, “how can we, as designers, contribute to the fundamental developments that are taking place in Dutch agricultural research?”² .  The move was to allow them to collaborate with engineers from the University of Agriculture in Wageningen and the Innovation Network in Utrecht on two projects, the Agro Park and the Greenhouse Village.  Both of these conceptual plans are about creating synergy between production processes in agriculture and energy consumption/waste disposal.  The results of their extensive work are three concepts for agricultural farms.  All three of these break the conventional mould of what we perceive farming to be and how we perceive it to look.  However, in keeping with Tjepkema’s design style, elements of the traditional, such as the famous Dutch windmill, are not lost.

The first is the concept of the farm for 1 person: Oogst 1 Solo

 The second is the farm for 100 people: Oogst 100 Community

The third is the farm for 1000 people:  Oogst 1000 Wonderland

Frank has been influenced by the world around him, by the many different cultures he has been exposed to.  He has been influenced by human nature and emotion.  His designs are numerous and plentiful.  The ‘do break vase’, the ‘heartbreak pendant’, the ‘lucky building’, the ‘shock proof vases’, the ‘signature vases’, the ‘writers garden office’ – all these designs appeal to our emotions as well as to our individuality.  Frank likes to design for the individual as well as for the collective.  He is influenced by what is already available to work with, by this I mean that he uses existing structure and transforms it.  He is also largely influenced by the growing problems the world faces, this is evident in his Oogst initiatives. 

His design contributions are plentiful and there are many I can mention.  Aside from those mentioned above as well as the Oogst concept farms, there are a number of designs I feel deserve special mention. 

•   The Amstel train station in Amsterdam:  Tjep. was commissioned to create an area for this station by the Dutch Railways.  Once again, they used what was already there, two very large murals by painter Peter Alma, done in the cubist style.  “This installation is a landscape of furniture, in which the furniture pieces are arranged rather like buildings in the sense that they vary in height and shape to form a neighbourhood. The playful composition of forms, based on a rigid (rather cubist) framework, was developed with a balance between privacy and openness in mind, inviting people to experience different levels of intimacy or interaction.”^[3]

•  The Airco Tree for the British Airways executive lounge.  The brief was to give meaning to the air-conditioning unit in the lounge.  Tjepkema found inspiration from the trunk of a tree.  Using the tree as the central meeting place, such as on a village square.  The other significance to using a tree is that just as trees provide us with oxygen, so too does this air-conditioning unit.  Very clever indeed!

• Marriage for Maxima.  When Dutch royals Maxima and Alexander married in 2002, Tjep. decorated Amsterdam.  They used elements from traditional marriages as well as flags in different configurations.  Below is a picture of the street lights, the traditional wedding dress is clearly the inspiration here.

• Praq Amersfoort, a unique restaurant concept that welcomes both parents and children.  The idea behind this idea was that parents do not want to spend the evening with Donald Duck when they go out, but that their children also need some entertainment.  Tjep. cleverly designed the interior to be a playful world for children as well as comfortable and enjoyable for their parents. 

Note how this table doubles as a bus for children to play in.

The legs of this table are cleverly made up of crockery. 

• The Bling Bling pendant.  Conceptual brilliance!  The pendant is designed to resemble a cross but if you have a closer look at it, it is made up using many different modern logos.  Symbolism of modern religion = branding!  Nominated for the Rotterdam Design prize in 2003 and winner of the Dutch Design Awards in 2004 in the category of fashion design.  The piece is now part of the permanent collection in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.  

• The Tulip Vase:  I know that this is a very small contribution, but if you’ve ever bought tulips you will know that they flop over very easily, this vase keeps them upright, ingenious! 

One could go on and on with an endless list of design contributions for Frank Tjepkema and it is really worth having a look on his website, www.tjep.com, for a complete list of his designs.

As far as materials go, I think Frank prefers to use modern materials such as plastic and glass.  That said, as I have mentioned before, often new materials enhance older existing materials.  Frank is not limited by materials and uses anything and everything in his designs, whatever suits the concept.

Frank Tjepkema is a conceptual, clever, innovative designer.  His use of old and new, as well as the way his designs make you think, are important elements that I would like to use in my jewellery designs.  I am also particularly impressed by his ability to design anything and everything, from buildings to smaller pieces of jewellery, I feel he has his finger on the pulse of what is current and what people like.  I would love to be able to have such a wide view of the world and to be able to design cleverly.  I am also very happy to see that he has involved himself in the current energy crisis, something which I too, am passionate about.  I would like to be able to bring awareness to this problem through my designs.

References

http://www.tjep.com/studio.html

http://www.tjep.com/downloads/Frank-Tjepkema-Bio-ENG.pdf

http://whatdesigncando.nl/speakers/Frank_Tjepkema.php

http://www.oogst.org/oogst/Oogst.org/About_Oogst.html

Specific reference ^1,2,3

1.       http://whatdesigncando.nl/speakers/Frank_Tjepkema.php

2.       http://www.oogst.org/oogst/Oogst.org/About_Oogst.html

3.       http://www.tjep.com/things/amstelstation/index.html

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[1] http://whatdesigncando.nl/speakers/Frank_Tjepkema.php

[2] http://www.oogst.org/oogst/Oogst.org/About_Oogst.html

[3] http://www.tjep.com/things/amstelstation/index.html

Maike Valcarcel - A Unique South African Jewellery Designer

Maike Valcarcel was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, but moved to South Africa in 1993, which I figure is enough time to make her my favourite South African jewellery designer!  She was born into a family of artists, so has been surrounded by creativity all her life.  She studied Jewellery Design and Manufacture at The School of Design at Pforzheim University as well as in Heidelberg.  The Pforzheim School of Design has been voted among one of the sixty best academic institutions in the field of design worldwide, alongside Harvard, Stanford and MIT.  In 1993 she moved to Johannesburg and then later relocated to Cape Town where she has a studio and workshop in Woodstock.  She supplies galleries in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Germany.  In 2001 Maike won the Riches of Africa completion in the professional category - no small feat.  2004 saw her become a finalist in the same competition once again.  She is 41 years old.

Maike’s design philosophy is one which I share.  She understands, as do I, that jewellery is for the individual, it is a personal choice and each person is unique.  In this way she creates bespoke and personalised jewellery.  She says, “My aim is to make jewellery that underlines your personality and enhances your individuality”.  She has travelled extensively and has drawn her inspiration from around the world.  However she is really in love with the African continent as it is this continent that intrigues her the most.  Her jewellery is not typically African, but it has an undercurrent of Africa which I like.  Maike likes to experiment with old techniques to create new and unexpected pieces.  Looking at the pieces that she has created one can see that she is an excellent craftsman - or craftswoman rather!  She has incorporated African shapes into her jewellery and maintained perfection in her technique. 

She has an open minded and clever attitude and is able to design jewellery both for the catwalk and for everyday wearing.  It is evident from her portfolio that she is constantly seeking new ideas and incorporating new techniques in her jewellery.  She mixes things up very successfully, particularly with her use of different metals.  She has a great understanding of how to combine shapes, metals and stones.  The stones that she uses are often unusual and unique, which lends itself perfectly to making unusual and unique one-off pieces.  Maike has some serious pieces but she also brings playful and clever ideas to her design table, such as these rings, where she has set pebbles and then added the playful figurines.  She says that she has fun making her jewellery and this definitely comes across in her work.

I also particularly like this ring which she calls, “Homage to Cape Town”, made using green calcite and silver.

Her style ranges from pure and simple to elegant and clever, with the underlying theme of African shapes and patterns.  Below are some examples of jewellery that she has created where she has combined the metals so well.

As I have stated previously she has been influenced by her travels, particularly her travels in Africa, where she has been inspired by ancient and ethnic jewellery.  She is inspired by ancient techniques and with finding her own way to implement them.  She has tried a number of techniques such as Kum Boo (a traditional Korean technique), granulation, chasing and repoussage.  She says, “I like to combine the old and the new, the precious and the ordinary, diamonds with pebbles, gold with glass and silver with felt.  The fusion of silver and fine gold and the way of mixing colours in an unexpected fashion make my jewellery lively and unique.”  I think that she is also influenced by the individuality of people.  This is why she chooses to make only one-off unique pieces that have their own personalities.

I feel Maike has contributed to the Cape Town and Johannesburg design space in a big way.   She is well known for her work in both cities and often has exhibitions.  There is currently an exhibition at Objekt in Johannesburg which is running until 28th May 2011.  She is also well known in the German market place, where she recently exhibited alongside Margot Maemecke, her former master jeweller and teacher in Heidelberg.  As I mentioned previously she also won the overall prize for the Riches of Africa (Anglogold) competition in 2001.  She created two necklaces and one square ring.  Maike’s inspiration for these designs came from the batik fabrics of the Yoruba people of West Africa.  Below is her necklace which won the competition.

In 2004 she was a finalist in the same competition with this neckpiece:

Maike has a great website which she uses to market herself.  It is easy to use, well laid out and well designed.  It also has current information on it such as where her current exhibition is being held, as well as a list of her current stockists.  Her work is showcased by Veronica Anderson Jewellery in Rosebank, one of the leading stockists for contemporary jewellery in South Africa, as well as a host of other places In Johannesburg and Cape Town.  Her jewellery can be bought at these outlets in Johannesburg: Reads Gallery in Rosebank, Object in Parktown,  Lali Silverjewellery in Parkview and Tinsel in Melville. In Cape Town, apart from at her own studio in Woodstock, her jewellery is also available at Bali Bali in Hout Bay.  She also stocks the Schmuckwelten Galerie fuhr Kunst und Design in Pforzheim, Germany.  Maike also recently exhibited at the Design Indaba in Cape Town.  It is evident that she is very good at marketing herself and at getting her work out into the marketplace.  Her long list of outlets are all reputable and well known stores that sell contemporary jewellery and they show that she has aligned herself well within the market.  A search for her on the internet takes you straight to her website, unlike so many other jewellery designers in South Africa that have no web space whatsoever!  She is also listed on various South African design websites such as capetowncreatives.co.za, finddesign.co.za and designindaba.com.

There are many things I like about Maike Valcarcel’s jewellery.  I like that she has used her inspiration to create unique pieces of jewellery and that her designs are not too literal.  I like the fact that her jewellery technique is excellent, the workmanship is exemplary.  Her designs are light hearted and appeal to many people.  Her pieces can be funky and fun as well as beautiful and elegant.  She uses strong lines in her designs and by doing so creates pieces of jewellery which are simple but well thought out.  By using different metals together she creates beautiful jewellery.  She is experimental, using many different techniques and finishes.  I am impressed by the fact that her jewellery is all made up of one-off pieces and that she designs for the individual.  All of these things go hand in hand with where I see myself in the future.  Not as a mass producer of commercial jewellery but as an artist, constantly creating new and unique pieces.  I have also travelled extensively and am influenced by what is going on in the world, as is she.  I find that I am drawn to simple but beautiful strong lines, such as the lines that are evident in her work.  I like the fact that Maike has fun when she works, something which I definitely aim to do!  She is a good business woman, and I know that I have the same strength and will also aim to market my work well and align myself within the South African and International market.  I am not normally easily inspired by jewellery designers and it took me some time to find one designer where I actually like every piece that they have created.  Maike Valcarcel inspires me to use my creativity to make original, one-off, beautiful, funky and technically excellent jewellery.

References

• http://www.hs-pforzheim.de/en-us/School-of-Design/Seiten/Bereich.aspx
•  http://maike.valcarcel.ne http://www.anglogold.co.za/Additional/Press/AngloGold/2001/8+May+2001+235.htm
• capetowncreatives.co.za/blog/tag/maike-valcarcel/
• http://www.find-design.co.za/directory/fashion/maike-valcarcel/write-review.html



Great designs by Klooftique

I generally love everything in this amazing little furniture shop on Kloof Street in Cape Town.  Their designs are elegant and simplistic and at the same time comfortable and functional.  This coffee table is great, it is so simple and yet the zigzag element makes it original and adds visual appeal.  This chair looks like the chair you'd like to sit in at the end of every long day!  It could appear bulky but the fact that it is lifted off the ground gives it the added appeal of elegance.

Situ Diamonds Set in Resin

I love these diamonds set in resin designed and manufactured by Ida Elsje and Philippa Green in collaboration with architect Greogory Katz from Situ.  They are original and highlight the stones beautifully!

Infecting the City

Spier recently sponsored this art initiative in the City of Cape Town.  We went down to the new Cape Town station to see what was going on there (great new station!).  Artworks were being displayed and there was also a live bank from the Democratic Republic of Congo playing while we were there.  It was great to watch people stopping to listen to the music on their way, taking time out of their normal routine to appreciate the music. 

The feeling I was left with after viewing most of the art was one of confusion!  One of the artists had displayed grass, chocolate, Kruger rands, live crickets and a picture of Africa, as well as a little blood for good measure!  I found it a little odd and on the whole very confusing.  In hindsight however, I think that was exactly the point of the artwork, that the history of Africa is confusing and that it does illicit mixed feelings and feelings of confusion.  Well, that’s my take on it anyway! 

Overall I thought the Spier Infecting the City initiative was really a great tool to bring art and culture to people who don’t get the opportunity to see it in their normal walk of life.  The people using the station were definitely “infected” by the music.  A great initiative in the Mother City!

What is good design

Design can be viewed in many different ways, depending on what the object being designed is.  Looking around I often think it would be useful for people in all types of industry to understand design as good design is pleasing to look at and unfortunatley many people get it wrong. 
For me, design has many aspects.  Firstly you need to understand the item that you are designing, its use and functionality is important.  Secondly, who are you designing it for as it will need to appeal to them aesthetically.  Thirdly, if the item is being worn, as in the case of jewellery and clothes, it will need to be practical and comfortable. 
Good design needs to take into consideration all of these aspects and then create an item that fits into this profile.  However, this is sounding a little boring and good design is certainly not boring!  It has the ‘edge’, it is unique or original and it is clever.  Clever design = good design.  Understand the object, a ring per say,  know it needs to be comfortable, balanced and not too heavy, do something different and original with it, all the while staying within the boundary lines of the design aspects and finally, appeal to your target market – that is good design!  Beautiful, original, practical and functional.