Earth Branded Architecture - logotecture - wildetect style

to design a building using the concept of Earth Branded Architecture - logotectuarilising buildings of the future - the purists im sure will have a field day with this concept.  to get away from the accountant like buildings of today a new point of design departure needs to be explored - giving rise to shapes and ideas not yet seen or experienced. this is the wildetect style.

Earth Branded Architecture - EBA - wildetecture style

Mankinds endeavours to communicate with his many gods using sketch is well evidenced around the world. He might not have always dialled the right number. However he did manage to speak through time to the future. As mans technology allows us now to view our world from above, it opens up an array of architectural design possibilities.

Henry Matisse advised his younger colleagues to fly, for there was no better key to the optical code of the world. Now through Google earth average man in the street can fly. Apart from the Nazca lines, crop circles are another source of incredible pattern inspiration. There other worldly allure is undeniable and keying into their 3D aesthetic appeal is really dynamic.

I have pulled my QJD design studio logo into an architectural building to illustrate the possibilities of a (logotecture) conceptual architectural design concept. E.B.A design architecture concept. Earth Branded Architecture. 

We can create 3D crop circle buildings or even entire cities that key into their coat of arms. Using hundreds of buildings to create a complex pattern on the earths surface. This type of design would take much discipline and collaboration, however the cities that key into this concept would be able to use this opportunity to unite its citizens with 1 bigger picture idea. We can also speak through time to future generations and let them know we had the foresight, vision and discipline to create beauty using perspectives for future generations to enjoy.

Unlock what previous long gone minds where trying to showcase. Add perspectives into your designs that will change the nature of your architectural elevations. The massing of your architectural design from a human scale perspective will change if the thread of your design process is unique. 

DESIGN TYPE STORY'S I TELL MY CHILDREN.
THE CHILDREN'S STORY WITH THE MOST IMPACT ON ME WAS – "YOU KNOW MY NAME IS SIMON – AND THE THINGS I DRAW COME TRUE." THIS LITTLE LINED DRAWING WITH SIMON CLIMBING OVER THE FENCE INTO THE LAND OF CHALK DRAWINGS HELD ME SPELL BOUND. '

IT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS I DECIDED TO START MY DESIGN JOURNEY.
I ALSO LIKE TO INSPIRE MY CHILDREN TO FOLLOW A DESIGN FUTURE AND THAT IS WHY I STARTED TELLING THEM STORY’S ABOUT YIP TRIP. I USE MY STORY’S TO INTRODUCE THEM TO NEW WAYS OF DESIGNING ITEMS AROUND THEM FROM FURNITURE, FUTURISTIC LIVING ENVIRONMENTS, DIFFERENT HOME DESIGNS. HOPEFULLY IN A SMALL WAY TO ALLOW THEM TO SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO BETTER DESIGN OUR PLACE IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THEY EVOLVE MY SIMPLE IDEAS INTO THEIR OWN AND I AM ALWAYS FASCINATED BY WHAT THEIR UNRESTRICTED THOUGHT YIELDS.

HOPEFULLY WHEN THEY HEAD OFF INTO THE WORK ENVIRONMENT, THEY WILL BE INSPIRED TO CREATE BETTER IDEAS AND HABITATS OF THERE OWN.

BOOK SERIES 1 –THE YIP TRIP SERIES.

YIP TRIP IS A SOUTH AFRICAN BOY LIVING IN A SEASIDE VILLAGE CALLED GREBNEZIUM (MUIZENBERG BACKWARDS) HE LOVES BEACH COMBING ESPECIALLY AFTER A HUGE CAPE STORM. YIP TRIP LOVES BIG STORMS, WHICH WASH UP THE NEXT GREAT ADVENTURE. EACH STORY I HAVE WRITTEN HAS YOUNG YIP TRIP FINDING FLOTSAM AND JETSAM FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. MOST TIMES IT’S A NEW CHARACTER THAT HAS NEW INSIGHTS. A WAY TO SHOW MY KIDS THEY CAN GAIN DIFFERENT IDEAS BY INTERACTING WITH NEW PEOPLE. WITH ALL THIS XENOPHOBIC VIOLENCE IN SA – ITS NOT A BAD LESSON. EACH NEW ADVENTURE HAS YIP TRIP LEARNING WAYS OF IMPROVING HIS ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY.

THERE ARE 2 ROTTERS IN GREBNEZIUM AND THEY TRY AND UNSETTLE YOUNG MR TRIP AND HIS OVERSEAS GUESTS. HOWEVER YIP TRIP IS ALWAYS HELPING THEM AS WELL, EVEN THOUGH THEY TRY MESS UP HIS PLANS.
I WANT TO USE MY YIP TRIP SERIES TO SHOWCASE NEW DESIGNS. FROM FURNITURE TO NEW HOUSING CONCEPTS TO FUTURE STADIUMS AND OFFICE BLOCK BUILDINGS. NEW CONCEPTS FOR FUTURISTIC CARS AND MODES OF TRANSPORT. ITS SOMETIMES POINTLESS PUTTING NEW IDEAS IN FRONT OF HARDWIRED ADULTS BUT CHILDREN CAN ALWAYS SEE THE IMAGINED POT ENTAIL OF ANY CONCEPT. THE SERIES INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STORY’S

YIP TRIP AND THE MAGNIFICENT LIGHT MACHINE. –
YIP TRIP AND THE NING NONG NOODLE MAN.
YIP TRIP AND THE MING MONG CRYSTAL BALL.
YIP TRIP AND THE KNOCKED HEAD LION.
YIP TRIP AND THE MUNG CHIN BEAR.
YIP TRIP AND THE DING DANG DINGO
YIP TRIP AND THE MINKUS MONKUS.
YIP TRIP AND SNOEKS.
YIP TRIP AND OGALVY ONE EYE THE BABOON.
YIP TRIP AND THE YINGAL YANGAL YAK.
YIP TRIP AND THE ZINGLE ZANGLE ZEBRA
YIP TRIP AND THE MAN FROM WOOLLOOMOOLOO.
YIP TRIP AND THE KANG DANG ROO
YIP TRIP AND THE RAZ MA TAZ.

OTHER STORY'S –
THE RICKLE ROCKLE ROLLER AND THE WHIMSICAL WHITE WIDGET.
THE WRINKLE STINKLE BEETLES GREAT FISH HOEK ADVENTURES.
VILLY AMBUS VAALY AND THE GIM GOP GUMDROPS.
A HORSE CALLED LIGHTNING
SOUTH AFRICA IS FILLED WITH PEOPLE WHO FEEL THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE. THIS STORY INTRODUCES A HORSE WHO DECIDES THAT HE WANTS TO EXPLORE A GREEN FIELD AWAY FROM HIS NOT SO PERFECT HOME AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT DECISION. IF AS ADULTS WE LEARN THAT WHEREVER WE ARE WE CAN MAKE THE MOST OF THINGS. MY CHILDREN HOPEFULLY WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS SMALL LESSON EARLY IN LIFE. ITS NOT ALWAYS YOUR SURROUNDINGS – IT CAN SOMETIMES BE YOU.

Inspiration for the wildetecture design ideas and style.

Other than spending my time with the family, I passionately enjoy collecting old books. The books i collect are mostly found in second hand bookshops. I can spend hours driving from Muizenberg to Kalkbay to Observatory to Cape Town, Somersetwest, Stellenbosch, Hermanus  to look for old books. Mainly on architecture however strange subjects suddenly interest me and will jump out the shelf all dusty and well scrutinized to export me to a world beyond my own.

In my collection i have an autographed copy of R. Buckminster Fuller's - 9 chains to the moon. which i really enjoy. (not any more - i gave it to a not so grateful client in a moment of kind madness - I'm not sorry i gave it - I'm sad that the person had no idea of its value.) I have also been very fortunate to inherit my grandfathers architectural books, Mello G Damstra, dating back to 1896. Mello was the son of an architect, who in turn also became an architect. He started as a journeyman draughtsman in 1890 and travelled the world gaining valuable experience, eventually to settle in Cape Town. A few of his unusually designed homes are found in Stellenbosch, Muizenberg and Upper Orange street in Cape Town.

My grandmother Sally Niland was an English teacher and also had an extensive collection of poetry and English literature books. incidentally unbeknown to me she also loved looking for and buying old books. My mom tells me they would drop her off at the old bookshops on a Saturday morning in the thirties and her treat was to peruse the old bookshops for the afternoon. Like me in my field she collected books on all the great poets and English writers. There is something about finding an old well read book - the main points underlined by someone else and the pages a little worse for wear. The empire bookshop in Muizenberg is a great stop and i have been introduced to many new architects and designers in this little bookshop by the proprietor.

I am very excited about a book i stumbled on called, design for the real world by Victor Papanek. His creative design ideals match my own in many respects and as I'm delving further into the book I'm amazed at his insights. The book was first published in the early seventies and from a design perspective, even for our day, has very advanced ideas.

I have also started collecting old music scripts which you find at these shops from time to time. I enjoy looking at the many hieroglyphics and hoping one day to understand the language which looks fascinating. Over the last few years i have also started collecting a huge array of drawing equipment. rulers and T-squares mainly, again each ruler has the battle scars of many a draughted design. And as my office space gets smaller and i get pushed further out the door I'm really enjoying cluttering my space with these interesting, inexpensive things. Value is submerging oneself in a passion. I find myself migrating back to my study space liar more and more. An afternoon sitting in this space reading my collected books, sketching my scribbles. Is time for me enjoyable to the soul. I just need good coffee and I'm going to get a more comfortable office chair to work on creature comforts. To sit and read and enjoy the process of the eyes aligning the mind through text pattern configuration. 

Disintegration of Perspective - wildetecture

Disintegration of perspective in architecture or deception of vista. As considered by QJD design studio is an african fauvistic architectural design idea. This concept is an exploration into the ideals of a wildetecture creative.

This next study is the concept of buildings that are viewed from one main vantage point and appear to be a complete ocean shell. However if you approach this building from any other direction the building disintegrates visually.

Incidentally the colors on my sketches bear no resemblance to the colors shown when i uploaded the image to blogger - (the green is yellow.)

When looking at the green broken tile clad elevation front on - You will see the building as a shell. There are sculptures playing with this concept in shadow and in 3 dimension right now. I feel many buildings designed by ancient cultures incorporate this very concept. Whether its faces that subliminally jump out of the fenestration or shapes that appear from afar. Exploring wildetecture ideals is an exciting africanised concept and coupled with a few other wildetect design points of departure like, earth branded architecture, the erxell concept , perceived kinetic architecture, architectural shadow projection and human driven architectural mechanisms makes this an exciting creative design style to explore. 

Perceived Kinetic Architecture - wildetecture concept

I became familiar with this concept when i had the huge privilege of working as a sculpture's mould maker. When working with a sculpture that can actually accomplish a frozen moment in time, you are completely humbled by this artistry this sublime ability.

It was at this point i came across this next concept - Not a new concept - But new for me. The concept when applied to Architectural design creates an array of dynamic possibilities.

When standing next to a sculpture that appears to be a moment frozen in time, a perceived energy awaiting the magicians wand is evident. An energy to release the frozen sculpture and allow it to go on its way. An accomplished sculpture is able to achieve this perceived kinetic energy.

In the unfolding office block the perceived potentail energy is the fact that the building appears to be pulled open by the life size sculpture of a man in front. The idea hinges on the idea that one mans efforts can achieve the impossible. The life size sculpture is that of a man the calibre of President Nelson Mandela. The idea is that one man can make a difference - teamwork (the office workers) enforce the change.

The wave house is another sketch in the perceived kinetic architecture series. Creating a sense of movement in the static, fluidity, a moment frozen in time. I will continue to explore this concept and hopefully through time and suggestions improve the concept into a dynamic possibility.

My Madusa virus chair is another example of perceived kinetic energy -(see blog - Erxells furniture launch)

The concept of creating the illusion of movement in the static is a very strong wildetecture and Africa fauvistic ideal. One of the wildetecture ideals is to as much as possible tap into the unstoppable drum beats of an Africa wild continent bursting with absolute dynamic energy. Lets create the future through wild design. 

An Erxell? An earth sell pixilated concept.

Erxell is a possible solution to improve the quality of life in a South
African informal settlement. By creating a communicative link between the
advertising sector and a person living in an informal settlement.

Poverty is the inability to see and act on opportunities. If one can create a product that
teaches the impoverished about how things work in the commercial and advertising
spheres, whilst they benefit financially from a product they own and can sell or rent.
You help teach thousands to start looking for and inventing there own opportunities. in a way teaching sustainability on a cultural level rather than a construction level.

what could this product be ?
One of the only ways the financially challenged are going to empower themselves is if
business / advertising buys into a symbiotic relationship. In other words a mutually beneficial product needs to be created.
You see both parties, informal settlement dweller and advertising, must benefit from a mutual product - my idea is not charity but creating this Mutual exchange, a product benefiting both business and the Shack dwelling family. The ADVERTISING MACHINE needs to see a value in the informal settlements.

HOW in the blue blazes is this possible? you might ask ?

What if I told you that the thousands of informal settlements have a valuable product that can be used immediately - a canvas awaiting the artists brush, keying into the
concept of eventual real time sat elite and branding the earth as the Nazca Indians did a thousand years ago. 

Not like when Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas he bartered in glass beads. Sadly for the native americans, ol christophers beads where not as valuable as the food or minerals he was getting. For the locals the glass beads where very valuable. - both parties walked away thinking they received the better deal. The example is to show cresting a ptoduct across the divide. The fact the product in that case was not all that it seemed is beside the point. One can create a valuable relationship around a glass bead product that has value.

Advertising budgets are huge , I have been on advertising film sets where the budget is a few million dollars.
By pulling together people from different financial back grounds you create a
connectivity and slowly bridge the gap between the haves and the have nots. Altruistic thinking you might say - you absolutely right it is. - I feel my concept provides a vehicle whereby the have nots bring a product to the table that the haves can benefit from. (creating the of value glass bead)
The concept key's into ancient cultures like the Nazca Americans who where branding the earth more than a thousand years ago and can inspire todays forward moving advertising and technology machine.
In order to create sustainability - its not only the building materials and techniques used. its the ability to reach across a financial spectrum socio economic divide and create sustainability through communication and example - your wealthy add executive seeing a value in the financially destitute. The financially destitute bringing a product to the table that they can sell. Both parties benefit.

At the moment our shack dwellers have a product which the advertising machine can use. – This product can be worth its weight in gold for both parties.
Simply its the shack roof. - As yet a collective blank canvas.
I have come up with a concept that will work in a South African dynamic. We have huge informal settlements that get bombarded by storms every year. It is tragic to ride past these communities and see everyday people doing everyday things under extremely difficult circumstances. This inspired my idea where by business can put much-needed infrastructure into these communities and gain advertising through using todays satellite technology. I believe satellite technology will be real-time soon and when that happens the Nazca lines concept of branding the earth and the concept of earth branded architecture will be a reality.

The informal shanty towns roof acts as a collective blank canvas awaiting much needed waterproofing and in the process an opportunity to brand a logo on top. - Huge
logos Virgin ,Coke - Fifa - can all show the Google world how they are further helping the less fortunate in a practical immediate way.
A concept such as this that i am proposing will need a new unit of measure.

This unit of measure I have termed the ERXELL. so the advertising machine will be buying or renting erxell's which is a square 1335mm X 1335mm which is 3 cubits by 3
cubits. - the advertising giants will be buying / renting erxell's - like the million dollar
webpage - where advertisers bought pixels on a computer screen website - to the
advertising world - my idea sells erxell's on earth - The word Erxell is a play on earth
sell and pixel. It is a branded new word and concept.

The Erxell measurement has been certified by the institute of draughting South Africa.The measurement of I erxell = 3 cubits X 3 cubits. business rents a number of erxells
for a time period - they can then brand there logo on top of say a 1000 informal homes to create a huge branded sign. taken in from space or incoming aeroplanes.

The folk in the homes benefit from a new sponsored waterproofed roof and a possible passive income for allowing this signage on there roof - the sign will be so massive that you would only read it from way up high - a satellite.This much needed finance can also then be used to plough back into the community and everyone gets what they wanted. The advertising machine putting back into a community project. And getting all the lovely advertising it so dearly needs to survive.
this erxell concept of mine is to create an advertising canvas out of the collective roof
space of an informal settlement.

This concept has not been tried yet and as it holds out a promise to destitute families it needs to be done properly and responsibly. I have an informal settlement in mind - but will only advise approaching them once all the red tape and logistics are taken care of.

Design conceptual ideas are simply that, concepts. The bridge between reality, actualization and implementation is at times a chasm to far to comprehend. This perhaps is one of them. 

STADIUM OF THE FUTURE - WILDETECTURE

To design the stadium of the future the best point of inspirational reference is from our ancient cultures. The magnitude of their endeavours still leaves us completely reeling today. We are the thin edge of a very large wedge that stretches back as far as mans first artistic endeavors.

We always marvel at the great individuals throughout mans creative history. Individuals who created a clear benchmark when their was not one, men like Vincent who never had a Vincent to inspire him. Leonardo never had a man such as himself to model himself around. We have the privilege of having these artistic beacons to now guide our endeavors. 

Whilst we are being guided and inspired by these awesome past talents we should by default be creating better examples.

The point of inspirational reference for this stadium conceptual sketch study was the Coliseum with its labyrinth underneath and absolute drama above, the sphinx for its silent predatory strength , Notre Dame and of course Gaudi.

I imagined huge stalking leopards acting like custodians of the stadium. In these custodians are restaurants, offices, penthouse suites. Providing year round revenue and a out of this world living, working, dining, shopping experiences. I imagined the field rising from below with both teams lined up as they appear from the depths like gladiators of old. With ticker tape, cheering and the hysteria. The outside of the stadium could be clad in a white vitreous enamel. So that the immense spectacle inside can be screened on the outside of the stadium. For the crowds outside to soak up the festivities inside. The euphoria is not limited to the thousands inside, the entire event can be enjoyed throughout the city. There could be a labyrinth of sports cafes , bars, sports museums beneath the stadium for those folk who want the energy of a big game but don't necessarily want to sit in the stands.

With some of the wild wildetect concepts - i used to send to every South African government official, football personality, celebrity, potentail client i can think of. For this one I received numerous emails , faxes , letters telling me great idea, please go through the correct channels of tender. the aim was not to get the 2010 football stadium commission - the aim was simply to get the brand out there. How better than to design, design, design. Showcase  far side ideas in a fun way and net spin off work at the same time. 

Not everyone enjoys this kind of wild architectural work  and at least this way I get to meet like minded clients off the bat without having to go through a grueling interview.

I watched one of those Tommy Hilfiger shows many years back, where a group of clothing designers are given tasks to showcase their skills and abilities. All clawing their way over each other to work for the ol Tommy H. What amazed me is that the person most confidently going off as to how brilliant they where and how they fully deserved the Tom spot was an in all words designer. When the dust settled for the end of the show and the last stitch, dab of paint , eye gauge was done. That person mouthing off sat next to something that was way below the eventual top person for that days show. What left me even more completely gobsmacked was the person was still going off about their brilliant design talents after they had been hoofed off the Tom podium of the next best thing. Confidence is great but a portfolio of design evidence and ability on the particular design job you've been commissioned to do, is completely different.

The stadium of the future is a classic example of Wildetecture concepts has been exploring. wildetecture is pure raw African fauvistic architecture that is expressionistic of this wonderfully dynamic untame-able continent - which is Africa.

Erxell's virus furniture

Are we earth’s virulent virus?

Our design process surely needs a different perspective for us to survive.

Is Man a virus destroying his host? 

We operate under the guise that we are a super advanced creature. However we do not act very advanced to be honest. We appear so insecure that if there were a more advanced creature on earth, we would have set about destroying it along time ago. The threat would have been far greater than trying to understand our advanced neighbor. We have much more greedy, self absorbed satellites within our mix. Human elements that dont operate with a collective mindset. Selfish, greedy butcher and take all they can.  The percentsge of these types is 80% of all mankind currently to my mind. 

Like cancer our suburbs erupt, blighting a once perfect landscape. Black tar and concrete oozes over pristine fields. Monoxide blankets the once clear skies. If this is evidence of human advancement, then we are really just fooling ourselves. Advanced systems or species create environments of self-preservation first; This is not what mankind practices. We act more like a virus, as we parasitically stifle the fragile life systems of this earth. We are hell bent on self-destruction and we are actually getting it right to completely exterminate ourselves. Like any virus we kill our host first and we are hoping to god that another planet swings by before it’s all to late. We will sadly actively go about destroying that one as well. We are sick and thats a fact. 

When analyzing mankind’s cities one cannot help but wonder how far removed they are from the beautiful landscape that used to be before the onslaught of the mankind species. Our cities ooze tar and concrete all over a once abundant life filled landscape. Where once thousands of creatures and plant life lived and died, now a fraction of different, introduced forms of life inhabit. For us to inhabit a space we change completely the natural order of the Eco system. We do not find a way around our environment; we obliterate all that was once the environment.

Mankind’s very small time on our earth and his ability to wipe out functioning Eco systems instantaneously, make man an extremely dangerous virus. The earth is millions of years old, with Eco systems equally as old. We have managed in a split second of time to bring these environments to there knees. Even viruses that prey on us don’t kill their host as fast. Given the age of the earth and the time man has been on earth. When comparing our life span and viruses that effect us. The virus that is man would kill us in 0.000000000001 of a second. Make us an incredibly dangerous form of parasite yet. As understanding increases of our fragile earth a small part of mankind is stemming the tide of wholesale abuse. Imagine if cancer had small parts of its collective that thought altruistically. We would need only to encourage the growth of that small segment of the collective in order to overcome the threat on the human body.

To bring about change in human perspective is very difficult, impossible really. To try and educate people to stop abusing our fragile earth is actually impossible. Man will always have the element of selfish self abuse within his ranks and to try and control these individuals is not really the answer. Man will only effect change when his life or resources are coming to an end. We are simply a very selfish self absorbed creature and will only leave our ingrained habits when the water rises above our heads or the heat of our own fires starts to burn our very own flesh. That moment is fast approaching. –

Where to from here?

Our city architects have expounded their wisdom and our builders have touted their talents. We have many examples of mankind’s talents. Man does not try and live simply within his means. We have tar and concrete up to our eyeballs. We use every form of soap and insecticide to sanitise our already sanitised living spaces. Few cultures and human forms of life leave little or no scar on the landscape.

What is our answer?

First and foremost we need to humble ourselves and stop thinking the sun circles around us as humans. Well it does literally however by this I mean we need to stop thinking we are the smartest life form on the planet. If we where so smart we wouldn’t have a fraction of the problems we do. We are one of the only life forms on this planet that practices wholesale abuse on an unprecedented scale. (Compared to Earth’s other passengers) If antelope or squirrels showed as huge degrees of differences between individuals, as humans do, we would have desert squirrels living on the ocean. We have a vast amount to still learn and we need to acknowledge this complete lack of knowledge, unpack our existing building processes and start rebuilding our environments with the sensitivity of a few select cultures who have understood clearly our place and space in the universe.

Our structures and cladding could be a living entity. We could develop architecture that protects us but it itself is alive. This is not new thinking however its new to me. So when our living structure starts dying we can immediately address the fundamental issues of our system. The structure itself acts as a thermometer to our destructive tendencies. We need to grow our structures as a shell grows around its organism. The individual organism is responsible for its own sometimes-living shelter. When we work with organisms like the organisms creating coral in our oceans to create our shelters, we might have advanced to the next level of our survival on this planet. We might start to understand the synergy we where designed to live by. To have as many smaller forms of life hang off the system we manage. With applying this concept maybe earth will give up more of her millions of secrets.

We think to permanently about our homes. Homes must provide shelter for us today not necessarily be around in 10 000 years time. Each successive generation should have the privilege to build their own structures. Learning from past endeavors and improving on future concepts. Our structures at the moment are permanent fixtures. Along with the scar of the quarry that the stones for our homes where hewn out of. Our building materials could themselves be alive; they could provide an unseen energy, which flows through our human experience allowing us to become curators of our own systems. The only type of construction on earth I can think of at present that fits into this thought process is the polyps of coral and the small creatures that create them. They provide a massive labyrinth for billions of life forms to benefit from.
This form of construction using living building material will form an early warning system to potential environmental issues. Like the rose trees at the edge of a vineyard detect problems before the vines fail.

Mankind will reach the next level of his advancement when his energy to put back into the universe is greater than his energy to take out. We are incredibly destructive creatures at present, who need to stop feeling where the top of the food chain and start realizing we are in actual fact a very, very small part of a massive age old system. Of which we have not yet found our correct place in. It appears through instinct, wisdom most of the planets other passengers are able to get along without interrupting the natural flow of things. We can learn so much from these systems around us – and we have the wisdom to find the best system that will best suite our needs. Unfortunately we are still quite far from this point in our history.

It is with great pleasure that Wildetecture and QJD Design studio and Erxell design and marketing have calibrated to create the recycled virus furniture range. The aim of this furniture is to remind us daily where we fit in the food chain. Subliminally we will hopefully slowly lose the perception that we are the top of the food chain and start slowly trying to hinge as many smaller ecosystems off of our lifestyle. By creating furniture that promotes a message and is scilptural, vibrant and colorful we hope to be part of the collective virus that is looking towards stemming the tide of mankind's wholesale abuse. Looking to try appeal to those few amongst us who see merit in sustainable earth living and educate the rest on designing spaces that don't destroy existing ecosystems.

raw, unfettered artistic talent.

Shako is of similar age to me and also has 2 children. Although we come from very different back grounds, we share many interests. My life has been far easier than my friends life however. Shako is a bent metal sculpture , he creates mystic animals out of everyday scraps of metal. When i first set eyes on a horse Sculpted by Shako - I was completely spell bound. it was like something i had never seen before. a cross between a hyena, part wildebeast and bits of horse. I liked it and bought the sculpture immediately, this was the first time i had ever purchased sculpture. It was also the first of many commissions my studio gave to this very talented artist - Surprise Shako Mkhize.

Shako has the rare artistic ability to follow his own artistic instinct. He sits in my library of art books and has no knowledge of the fellow artists centimeters from his grasp. He is completely unaffected and unaware of any view of art other than from his own personal experience. - this very fact makes him a very rare artist growing in a unique vacuum. Unfettered by this worlds concept of what an artist should be . He geniunely does not know who Picasso is and is completely unaware of the concept that is western art. I am scared to familiarise him with concepts in fear of making him a carbon copy of every other bloody artist that aspires to be like all the masters of old. I feel i should not mould him into everyone else, his geniune, raw unfetered talent needs to shine through individualy. Shako strikes me as someone who could be good at whatever he applies his mind to. He is a humble man with the quite assured mannerisms of a master craftsman.

I enjoy commissioning him with animals he is not familiar with. I have always been completely surprised at the end result. Shako creates mystical frogs, chameleons, cats, leopards ,Nautilus shells , a wildebeest , eagle heads and many horses. it is intriguing to note not 1 of Shakos 10 horses i have commissioned looks the same - they are all completely different - the sign of an artist not a technician.

His most ambitious work to date has been to create an eagle from disused washing machine parts. In true Shako style he has managed to transform his creation into a part griffin, part bat and bits of an eagle. Almost gothic - (from a man who has never seen gothic sculpture.)

the eagle is a large sculpture with each feather represented. This is very rare in an artist with Shako's background, which is normally not to get involved with intricate detailing. (for myself , viking art is incredibly detailed and its to this detail i elude.)

Like myself Shako also suffers from asthma. I have just received a completely devastating call from a relative of Shako's, to say my friend Shako has passed away. At first i thought it impossible, however he explained Shako had been suffering badly of late and his asthma eventually got the better of him. As i know what its like to breathe through a tiny straw, i can only express my complete and utter sorrow of the passing of such a great man. What overwhelmed me even more is the fact that Shako wanted me to know he was going. I feel privileged to be in his thoughts at the time of his struggling to hang onto life. I feel an overwhelming sence of sadness that i could not say goodbye to my friend in the conventional sense, Shako was not a conventional man. So i feel humbled by the natural passing of life - however unfair it may seem.

My office is surrounded with Shako's sculptures and one day i will hold an exhibition in honour of this great man - none of the pieces will be for sale as they are all an integral part of my life. But i will honour a truelly talented artist - who was able to express himself unfeterred by this artistic worlds rhetoric.

I have never met Shako's family - as they are based in the northern province and i am in Cape Town. My sympathy goes out to your family Shako and one day i will get to meet your kin. i will tell them what a talented artist Surprise Shako Mkhize was. I will tell them of your talent and your energy which this world will sorely miss.

Surprise Shako Mkhize

born - 20/02/1972 - died - first half of 2008

recycled drawing board

A Wildetecture South African design idea to finding as yet unleashed talent.

Ideas are normally rendered hard-boiled if sat on to long - Hence i would rather try share them and expand the energy.
As old school drawing board draughting is a fundamental skill which is being lost now to computer aided draughting packages. As you now dont need to understsnd geometry to draw shapes using CAD. It would be great to promote the age old skill of draughting using a drawing board manufactured from recycled materials.
These boards can be manufactured at low cost and donated to satellite draughting schools in various socio economic challenged areas to promote the art of engineering drawing.

One could harvest draughting talent from informal settlement townships through competitions. The talent is then fed into an accredited draughting school as part of there commitment to empowering previously and currently disadvantaged talent.

This is a worthwhile venture. And each talented youngster harvested can be sponsored by government or overseas investors looking to make a difference in Africa.

There is definitely a huge amount of unutilized artistic, engineering minded talent going to waste right now. Lets create vehicles to give vent to all this untapped potential, start a bon fire of creative thought light to try showcase this currently hidden design talent fertile field.

cube to hexagon - case study 1- wildetect concept

I am really fascinated with shapes that switch visually between the 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional perspective whilst drawn in 2 dimension. Like a flat drawn cube changes to a hexagon when looked at in an orthographic view in 2 dimension. I try to apply this visual nuanced concept to the disintegration of perspective buildings i am roughly design sketching. Maybe the pyramids are a giant x which uses this concept of 3d form to 2d graphic on a scale earth canvas? A 3d shape creating a 2d image. This wildetect Africa fauvistic creative design concept is now worth exploring.

Busy with some rough case studies. The idea that artist dabbled in scientific conceptualization inspired the cubists. Why shouldn't it fire a Muizenberg design creative 100 years hence?

A few scribbled notes from garbled conversation

I find that when the last brick has been laid on a home i have designed or the last lick of paint on a piece of furniture conceptualised. The overwhelming feeling that i have said far to much, is ever present. 

The vulnerability that only manifesting a design idea out of the ether, into the stark light, can bring. Now that i am writing my thoughts in a brand new blog post, the potentail for saying to much is now ever present.

My first intention for this blog is to write all the harvested thoughts over the last 4 years. Why 4 yrs? Well thats when i started harvesting thoughts into my journal. The thoughts i have gained through a plethora of conversations. Its not so much the ideas one has going into the conversation that counts, what im interested in, is the concepts and design ideas formulated through the precious combustion of interaction. I find the most delightful insights from the strangest of folk. like John the car guard, who has taken himself completely off the grid. I buy 2 coffees and sit with John on a bench on the Muizenberg beachfront, simply shooting the breeze. John reads a book a day - his English is brilliant and his mind is very sharp. A true poet living a very difficult self imposed life, with unique perceptions of just about everything. I find that an hour or two whiled away talking about whatever springs to mind with ol John, a productive and relaxing time spent. 

Now that i sit with my private notes of 4 yrs next to me and the world in front, the idea of divulging these private conversation design concepts is a little exposing. My garbled pub conversations, wild thoughts on crop circles, the Nazca lines, pyramids, earth branded architecture, perceived kinetic architecture, disintegration of perspective, erxell, evokatism, wildetecture, lost information dot com.

As i wrote in the front of my very first journal 4 years ago.

"'The very fabric of experience starts being woven with the very first step over the threshold, into the vast unknown'' - QJD 2005

So we weave and we talk and we sow and we reap. The answers to ones own design ideas are blowing in the wind. Its up to our living sensitive ears to try interpret the whisperings of a million simultaneous voices.