public benches
In Association with
A 5-year collaboration project where students submitted concrete bench designs that were then built and installed throughout the City of Tshwane and donated to NGO’s in Mamelodi. The project exposed students to manufacturing and wokring with concrete, and their names are fixed to their benches with a white ceramic coin. The public who use the benches can see who designed it. 15 benches in total were designed, manufactured and installed between 2013 and 2017.
Art in Schools
In partnership with
Steel sculptures and stop-motion animations; mosaics and mixed media; ceramics and concrete: Every imaginable medium was employed by the 28 schools who participated in the Cool Capital Atterbury High School Art Project. This project indeed captured a burst of creativity for posterity. The structure of the competition, which pairs up a school with a professional working artist, embodies the Cool Capital principle of citizens working together, bringing their various skills to the table for a greater creative purpose. This project provided a wonderful creative inspiration for all participants to see their personal contribution, however small, become part of the bigger picture that each school created. This in turn added to the even bigger tapestry of public art with which Cool Capital enriched the Jacaranda City.
San(d) + Stars
In partnership with
A pavillion made of meshed wire and recycled plastic, in cooperation with the first people. The pavilion will be called Eland Katedraal. The plastic recycling project will place the oldest people on earth in a prominent position in their environment as guardians of the earth. At the same time it will create an awareness of the cultural activities at Witdraai, through which the Kruiper San are trying to survive, while simultaneously reconnecting with their lost artistic tradition. The pavilion will be made of meshed wire and filled with plastic. The form of an eland god will be built in a contrasting color into the plastic, to form a shadow of the eland god when the sun shines through it in the afternoon.
House Masemola
This house was designed and completely sponsored by Mathews & Associates Architects to thank our office assistant Mrs. Emma Masemola for her service of 20 years. The house is located in KwaMhlanga, Mpumulanga and also serves as a great house for when Mrs. Masemola will one day retire. The design was kept open-ended and done in collaboration with Mrs Masemola and her family.
Land Art Project
Artists and nature lovers were invited to activate environmental art projects around the city and its metropolitan areas as individuals or in collaboration with other artists, nature lovers, or interested parties. Environmental art is an umbrella term that encompasses land art, eco art, nature art, earth art, and related genres. Artists were encouraged to connect with individuals who were involved in maintaining, protecting, or researching their chosen site. It was recommended they contact nature conservationists and researchers to engage the sites’ natural and anthropological history. Each project had to abide by basic environmental guidelines, and could be expressed through performance, ritual, temporary structures, drawings, or installation.
