METAL 2007: Designer exhibition

Aspiring product designers from around the country entered METAL this year by submitting a three dimensional prototype of a set of salad servers, inspired by this year's theme SPROUT. Every year, first, second and third place winners are awarded substantial cash grants, totaling R90 000, that are intended to kick start their careers in product design. In addition to this, the overall winner is customarily given the coveted opportunity to forge a career in product design with the assistance and guidance of Carrol Boyes herself, arguably one of South Africa's most commercially successful functional artists, their winning prototype destined to be developed, manufactured, distributed and marketed under Boyes' internationally successful brand: Carrol Boyes Functional Art (CBFA).

This year, however, there were a few surprises in store from Carrol Boyes, convener and judge of the initiative. "Due to the extraordinarily high standard of the designs submitted this year and the great depth of choice, I have not only chosen to put into production all of the top three designs, but would like to enter into royalty agreements with a number of the finalists as well. Although overall winners had to be chosen, there are a number of truly fine designs amongst the finalists that I feel will do very well if put into production," said Boyes at the award ceremony.

And the winners are...
Joint third place was awarded to Vincent Lourens and Matthew Rice for their collaborative design entitled "Designers". This prototype, carved from Emboya wood but intended for manufacture in metal, is described by the artists as a functional pun. "In order to grasp the salad, a fork-and-spoon set have become the proven ideal. One is useless without the other. Our design incorporates both as one, lying together, 'spooning'," explain the designers. The servers fit comfortably together, incorporating the basic principles of convex and concave, the two forms hewn from a single block of wood. Aesthetically, the partners were inspired by the process whereby juvenile organisms begin in simplicity and become more complex with age. Lourens and Rice, both from Cape Town, will share the R15 000 third place cash grant.

Second place was awarded to Zenelle Swiegers from Pretoria for her design "Straivings", the title being a verbal mash-up of the words 'straight' and 'curving'. Intended for reproduction in stainless steel, this design juxtaposes precise and blunt edges with organic curves, creating an intriguing combination of triangles, squares and rectangles that, on closer inspection, become a part of a more sweeping, rounded set of implements. Sweigers took home a cash prize of R25 000.

Capetonian Johan du Toit, who came third in METAL 2006, clinched the coveted first place this year with his design entitled "Leaf", making him the official METAL 2007 New Designer. Du Toit's design was inspired by the chunkiness of salad; a meal which, in his opinion, should be dished up and eaten liberally. By taking the natural scooping action of serving a salad, du Toit created a set of ergonomically designed salad scoops that would serve as an organic extension of the hand. The result is a pair of elegantly curved servers, cut from clean stainless steel sheeting, fusing the organic shape of a leaf with the satisfying precision of metal.

Du Toit, who accepted a cheque for R50 000, Swiegers, Lourens and Rice will immediately begin work with Carrol Boyes on readying their prototypes for production. Design fundies can expect to see these, and a number of other METAL 2007 finalist prototypes on the shelves within the next nine months.

Exhibition details
The 24 finalists, including the 3 winning designs and an additional 36 of the finest prototypes, will be part of the traveling exhibition which will visit seven cities between July and November.

Finalists and winning designs can be viewed on www.carrolboyes.co.za and click on the METAL link, or phone 021 462 3129.