eople talk about the power of
collaboration, and its ability
to bring forth newness and
innovation. But in their recent
jointventure, woodworking specialists
Houtlander, interior designer Thabisa
Mjo and master weaver Beauty Ngxongo
delved into African heritage to create
something that combines the traditional
and the contemporary in the form of the
remarkable Hlabisa bench.
After being asked by the curator of
Révélations fine craft and creation fair in
Paris to participate at this year’s event,
Mjo of Mash T Design Studio approached
Houtlander to team up on a curvilinear
bench, similar in style to the Houtlander
bench voted 2019’s Most Beautiful Object
in South Africa, but woven with a delicately
patterned basketry backrest by Ngxongo.
‘Everyone said it couldn’t be done, but
I wasn’t taking no for an answer,’ says
Houtlander co-founder Phillip Hollander.
‘We loaded the bench into a van, and drove
from Joburg to Kwa-Zulu Natal to meet
with Beauty.’ Happily, Ngxongo agreed,
and began a mammoth weaving project
that would take five months to complete.
THIS SPREAD
The Hlabisa bench
is a collaborative
design project by
Houtlander, Thabisa
Mjo of Mash T Design
Studio and the
Hlabisa weavers. It’s
also a personal piece
that speaks of Mjo’s
aesthetic journey and
childhood landscape
(the curves depict
the rolling hills of
Queenstown in
the Eastern Cape)
and offers insight
into master weaver
Beauty Ngxongo’s
artistic heritage (it
features her signature
pattern, which was
taught to her by her
mentor, Zulu weaver
Laurentia Dlamini).Based in Hlabisa, a rural centre in
Zululand renowned for its weaving
heritage, Ngxongo is revered for her skill,
and has designs in the Smithsonian and
Metropolitan museums in the US. While in
Ngxongo’s home village, Mjo and Hollander
saw first hand the intricate process and
economy that surrounds the craft. From
the people who dig up the plants to those
dyeing the materials, it’s a local industry
that wholly revolves around the ilala palm.
While the Hlabisa bench represents
a juncture between traditional craft and
modern manufacturing methods, at the
heart of it is a story about collaboration
across cultures and disciplines. ‘This
project is so important to us because we
want people to know that weaving is a
living craft, and that we need to support
the people who keep it alive,’ Mjo says.
Because Révélations is craft-oriented,
the piece had to speak to traditional local
culture, and this drove the design. ‘What’s
amazing about the Zulu aesthetic is how
contemporary it is, while also being rooted
in tradition,’ says Hollander. This ability
to straddle modernity and heritage is
something Houtlander and Mjo share,resulting in a successful collaboration that
also allowed both to grow as designers.
Working with the women in Hlabisa was
eye opening for Hollander and Mjo, and the
pair has resolved to find a way to support
these skills in a real way – in addition to
being a valuable art form, weaving is also a
source of income for the crafters. ‘We take
this skill for granted because we, as South
Africans, are so familiar with it. But when
I go overseas, I stand out because they don’t
have this sort of craft there, or anyone who
can do it like we can,’ Ngxongo says.
Hollander adds, ‘There’s a lack of
interest among the younger generation to
continue the tradition, and a real danger
of the skill dying out.’ To combat this, both
he and Mjo will be adding more woven
elements to their ranges, and introducing
local creatives to weaving as a resource,
encouraging future design collaborations.
‘I want people – especially women – to
know that with this skill, I have supported
my family,’ says Ngxongo. ‘I want people
toknowthatifyoudoitproperly,you
toocanbuildalifewiththiswork.’O
beautyngxongo; mashtdesignstudio;
houtlander.co.za