Short description
Craft South Africa celebrates South Africa’s wealth of handmade objects and the people who craft them. From elegant traditional water storage pots made in rural areas to sophisticated silver jewellery created in urban studios, from hats that have adorned Zulu maidens for over a century to tapestries that explore new materials like safety pins and paper, the South African tradition of inspired craft is brought into the spotlight.
The authors of craft south africa, experts on South African craft, develop three themes in the book:
Traditional looks at the creation of objects in ways that have remained unchanged for decades, objects that were originally used for practical everyday activities
Transitional explores craft objects that have their roots in traditional methods or materials but have been adapted to new materials and
Contemporary celebrates the creation of contemporary designer wares and one-of-a-kind craft objects using new and old materials.
This is a fascinating tale of the intuitive creativity of craftspeople in a country of widely mixed and diverse peoples all contributing their own knowledge, skill and, frequently, their humour and whimsy to a pool of crafts that is unique to South Africa.
Long description
Craft South Africa is a celebration of South Africa's extraordinary wealth of handmade objects and the people who craft them. From elegant traditional water-storage pots made in rural areas to sophisticated silver jewellery fashioned in urban studios, from headdresses that have adorned Zulu maidens for over a century to contemporary tapestries that explore new materials such as safety pins, the tradition of inspired craft remains a visual expression of the communal nature of South African society.