Andile Dyalvane, South African ceramic artist, is currently engaged in one of his most ambitious undertakings: a series of sculptural stools inspired by his lexicon of symbols entitled iThongo (Ancestral Dreamscapes). Dyalvane describes this resonant project, which draws on his work as a community healer of the amaXhosa tribe, as “a gathering of dreams – seated in the soul, held by the spirits of our ancestors.” Our interview with him explored the artistic background and influences leading up to this major project, which will be on view at Southern Guild in Cape Town from December 10 and will travel to Friedman Benda in June 2021.
Watch the conversation here:
Inaugurated in April 2020 in response to the pandemic lockdown, Design in Dialogue began as a way simply to keep the conversation going, and offer a meeting place for the design community.
Over time, the series has become an opportunity to expand the dialogue in unprecedented ways, exploring the breadth and diversity of design. Guests are able to speak safely and freely, in a conversational format offering audiences access to the full dimension of their practices.
We have recorded dialogues with over a hundred designers, makers, artists, architects, critics, historians, writers and curators, and heard them discuss their work and ideas in-depth, direct and unfiltered. To date, the series has been viewed over 700,000 times through our two channels (YouTube and Vimeo) and our distribution partners Dezeen and Designboom.
The world is shifting gears again now, as online connection gives way once more to in-person events. With this in mind, we have decided to transition from our regular weekly broadcast. Design in Dialogue will still continue in the fall of 2021 and beyond, with occasional new interviews. The archive will remain freely viewable in perpetuity, serving as a vital primary source of this moment.
