What is Voices of the V&A? Voices of the V&A is a creative platform that seeks to share the stories of the people of our neighbourhood through artistic expressions, building connectedness and celebrating locals. We partnered with Bonolo Chepape – a textile designer from LulasClan, who assisted us interpret the 10 wining stories into a canvas that we can bring to life and be applied on the chairs. She took the raw stories that were written, sent via voice notes and drawings and reimagined them into beautifully articulated art pieces of ten single stories that can come together to form one canvas. Our campaign is all about people, art & design. A campaign that hopes to showcase the vibrant, colorful and engaging space that the V&A waterfront has to offer. The design approach needed to capture authentic stories from 10 entrants and be able to resonate with the viewers and capture the pride of Cape Town, a city for everyone. Bonolo says: “The designs were inspired by the stories received from the ten winning entries. I wanted to depict these special moments, as authentically as possible. The idea was to bring together all the special moments and experiences of each person in a way that it creates a complete story when all the illustrations are brought together. Every story is illustrated – taking inspiration from key elements, words, historic buildings, colors and shapes that are associated with the writer when recalling their most fond memory of being at the V&A. I depicted these in a stylized and simplified illustration style to really capture the energy and the spirit of the story. Each frame is different and unique, because each story was special, how each block tie back together to look as one is a representation of the connection of the many people living and working in the V&A waterfront, tourist coming to experience and share the cultural immersion, and the many artists working and displaying their art to the world which is right at their footsteps at the Watershed. The connection between this place and people is what really creates these special moments for each and every person to experience. Furthermore, when all frames are brought together – they form a visual language which allows for the pattern to be dissected, cropped, reused and interpreted in a different way, allowing for the pattern to become as versatile as it can be, a living visual story to fit this ever-changing space.” Want to submit your own V&A Story? Please use our Whatsapp line (082 975 2940) or fill in the form below. Terms & Conditions ABOUT THE DESIGNER / ARTIST Bonolo Helen Chepape is a 28-year-old Textile and Surface Designer, founder of Creative and Textile Consulting studio Lulasclan, all the way from a small dusty mining town of Rustenburg in the Northwest. She says of the project: At my very core is a firm believe in the preservation of culture and heritage. My love for different cultures is my blueprint, that aids me in my creative process, I love to see culture evolve, reinterpreted, re-imagined and passed on to the next generation, without losing it’s essence or key meaning in the process, but rather finding ways to elevate it in our 21st century and this believe is carried out through my work which includes textile designs, wallpapers, rugs and home ware products. My philosophy is simple turning Art into functional objects of beauty using them as vehicles in which to tell my story through patterns that embrace heritage and cultural difference celebrating the coming together of Western design Aesthetics and interweaving them with African contemporary design, it’s a merging of different styles to form something truly unique. To inspire others, to teach others, to remind others that our identity is all we have, it’s what makes us unique, it’s what makes us who we are, so instead of fighting it, I try to embrace it by telling my story straight from the heart. I believe in trusting the process because it is within the smallest details that magical surprises are found. My work is bold, colourful, fun and inspired by people places and time. Website: www.lulasclan.com | Shop : @lulasclan | Artist: @bonolo_chepape
