In February 2018 I attended the Design Indaba Conference as a speaker. This was a phenomenal experience on all levels. My project was inspired by Cape Town, a major city in my home country South Africa, and so to go back and present my project there to roughly 4000 people has been a very fulfilling experience.

Cape Town is experiencing a major drought and was predicted to run out of water quite soon this year. I have, in many of my projects, been inspired by water as a material, and in this case I was touched by what was happening in Cape Town because it directly affected friends and family.

The conference is great to watch and I know that because I have attended it as a spectator numerous times. It was also the reason I was directed towards the Netherlands to further my studies around 5 years ago. It is a moment in the year when South Africans are exposed to international design. The line up of speakers is usually star studded. I was always inspired by Dutch designers speaking at the Conference each time.

As a speaker, one gets to experience the Indaba totally differently. Each night, dining together with all the delegates from across the globe, gives you the opportunity to get to know each other a bit better. I was part of the Global Graduate line up and so I also got to meet 8 other graduates setting trends and causing disruptions in other parts of the globe.

Truly fortunate, truly blessed and truly grateful!

Photos courtesy Design Indaba