For Design as a great school subject

Another 2014 Cape Town World Design Capital project I was lucky enough to be involved in. Design was introduced as a subject in South African High Schools a few years ago, but is experiencing a few teething problems: not all school principals and parents understand the value of Design, and quite a few of the passionate teachers we met were trained to actually teach other subjects. This is where we as Platform 6 help out. We are a bunch of tertiary design lecturers from various institutions around Cape Town, and we want to support high school Design teachers and learners to make Design the ultimate subject and train young talent as best we can from the moment they make that subject choice.

Murals for the Chapel Street Clinic

2014 was an exciting year for design in Cape Town. It was the year of World Design Capital, and a year filled with design initiatives that all make the city a better place for its inhabitants. The revamping of the City of Cape Town's Chapel Street Clinic was one such a project. This community clinic mostly has TB patients and children as visitors. Dr Carolyn Whale approached me and my students at the Red&Yellow School of Logic and Magic to conceptualize and paint murals for the clinic. We did a simple line drawing of a cityscape, based on buildings in Cape Town, with children floating above it, to stimulate dreams and imagination. The mural was enlivened by small pops of bright colour. My thanks go to Kaylin Arthur, Melissa Raath, Sarah Gregg-Macdonald, Lauren Maris, Chantelle Arpesella (who stands with me through thick and thin) and my colleague Zara who all helped make the clinic into a magical space.