Founded by Trevyn and Julian McGowan – leading global proponents of African design through their Southern Guild platform and Design Network Africa programme – GUILD will bring together hand made, limited edition design from celebrated global galleries and institutions, for the first time in Africa. The GUILD Design Fair takes place at The Lookout, V&A Waterfront from 27 February to 9 March.
How did it feel to be included in Art + Auction magazine’s ‘POWER 100’ list this year?
It’s obviously flattering to be listed among the most influential players in the art world. But what’s more important for Julian and me is the acknowledgment of our efforts to raise the global profile of Africa’s burgeoning design industry.
How did GUILD come about?
Since 2011 we’ve been showcasing collectible South African and African design alongside the best global galleries, on platforms like Design Miami, Collective and Design Days Dubai. We felt that Cape Town’s World Design Capital 2014 designation presented a unique opportunity to bring the world to Cape Town.
What makes GUILD different from other high-end international design-art fairs?
The inaugural GUILD will see pioneering, hand crafted design pieces return to the birthplace of the ‘man made object’, Africa, exhibited alongside the earliest artifacts produced a hundred thousand years ago. From man’s involvement with ‘making’ at its most basic, instinctive and original form, to objects created using leading edge technological processes, GUILD will explore inspired work, at the intersection between design, craft and art. Rather than just a commercial platform, this is also an academic and institution led examination of what is important to us as a society and the understanding the most essential forms of human expression on a functional level.
Why the name GUILD?
GUILD will explore the theme of ‘making’ at a very elevated, collectible level. I think of a ‘guild’ as an association of people sharing the same interests and goals, formed for mutual aid and to maintain standards of excellence. Similarly, more than just a fair for beautiful objects, GUILD represents the coming together of dedicated, focused curators, designers and institutions who are striving to preserve and provoke unique, groundbreaking design.
What can visitors expect to discover at GUILD?
The designers being showcased at GUILD are all deeply involved in the process of what they make. When designers are hands on, immersed, a different kind of work emerges; the distance between what is rapidly made, mass produced or machine led and what is a result of process, intimacy and narrative, becomes greater. Handmade pieces are what really contain meaning for society and for the people who own them.
Globally, there is a rapidly expanding arena for hand-made limited edition design, fetching record-breaking prices at fairs and auctions. The category is highly sought out by museums and collectors, and in the past decade this field has grown considerably – measured by the increasing number of museum exhibitions, international design art fairs and attention from major international auction houses.
How does African design fit into the mix?
South Africa and Africa are very focused on craft and the hand made and the narrative, and at a collectible level our designers all produce in this way – so GUILD’s theme is very fitting.
As the sole gallery representing South African limited edition design, we find that many international curators and critics hear the unique voice South Africa brings to world. We offer something grounded in social and political realities, narrative, a true bond with nature and a sense of human connectedness. We have far less interest in trends or in the highly polished, technologically driven visions of design prevalent elsewhere. South African design elicits an emotional response as much as it invites you to think.
Craft is very old in Africa, but design is very young. Part of the global appeal of contemporary South African design is that it’s unfettered, imaginative and energetic. In the established world of collectible design, South Africa has something very new to say.
In fact, dancing to our own design tune, really valuing and exercising our uniqueness, has become our prime directive. It’s where our future lies. Through collaboration, cooperation, alliance, and refining our unique perspective, we can build and mature this arena in relevant and fascinating ways.
We established Southern Guild as a forum for South African designers to challenge and support each other, unified by national origin, but with diverse views and voices and the collection now has a reputation for innovation, excellence and a truly fresh perspective.
Who will be exhibiting at the inaugural GUILD fair?
Our featured designer is Spanish-born, Dutch-based Nacho Carbonell. Global galleries showing are R 20th Century NY, Milan’s Rossana Orlandi and Brazilian-Colombian collective Coletivo Amor de Madre. African design will be represented by Design Network Africa and Southern Guild, as well as through the Origins Centre’s exhibit, ‘Design Origins Africa South’. The V&A Museum and British Council will launch their Makers Library project at GUILD, and the exciting Agents of the 3D Revolution collective will show how the best international 3D print designers and artists are shaping new technology to serve their creative needs.
GUILD’s list of participating galleries and individuals includes some of the most respected names in the international design world. How did you attract such a high profile group of exhibitors to a new design fair?
Some of the GUILD participants are commercial galleries, some are organizations, some are institutions – what they share is a desire to articulate and shape our understanding of the importance of this category of design driven by heart, skill, vision – the most human forms of expression. GUILD offers them the opportunity to introduce their unique viewpoints to a fresh audience in a new context.
The Makers Library, for instance, which the British Council and V&A Museum are going to be launching at GUILD, is all about skill, and sharing and collaboration around making, so the theme is deepened. The exhibition from the Origins Centre – again – is about man’s involvement with a material at the most basic, instinctive and original form, and this gives real weight and meaning to the context.
What all of the participants were attracted to was the opportunity to present work at a platform that was less commercially motivated and more about communicating a truly educated viewpoint and establishing an understanding around the dedicated mission these galleries are undertaking with the designers from their countries.
How does GUILD fit into World Design Capital 2014?
GUILD is an official World Design Capital event and will present at the very beginning of Cape Town’s World Design Capital year, from 27 February to 9 March 2014. We’ll also be hosting one of the ICSID WDC 2014 Signature Events, a high profile Gala Awards Ceremony, at GUILD.
Cape Town is the first African city to hold the Word Design Capital title and we believe that the designation will draw increased global attention to the growing relevance and emerging creativity of the continent.
What are you aiming to achieve with GUILD?
Our wish is that, through GUILD, both international visitors and the African audience will have a far deeper and more meaningful understanding of the value of limited edition, collectible design.
We hope that there will be real insight into what we as a nation and a continent are capable of, and how this dovetails with the greater global movement – how our design pieces can hold their own amongst the best.
We’re also very keen to see an integration and involvement between the visiting and local designers – I am devising a specific designers’ programme of studio tours and workshops to focus on this – and that this may live on beyond the event itself.
For our galleries and designers, of course, I would love for there to be sales, so that the work that has traveled back to where making began is bought by local art collectors and design appreciators, and that the caliber and understanding of design is elevated.
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