Afrigami Peace Project and Social installation

We are proud to be a part of the Afrigami project

Art for Change: Opening of the Afrigami Social Art Installation

Award-winning actress, Susan Danford will be the speaker at the launch of the Afrigami Social Art Installation on Saturday 19 September in Stellenbosch. The launch, starting at 10:00 in the auditorium of the Oude Libertas centre is open to the public.

The Afrigami Project is a coming together of social artists, innovators, creative thinkers, designers, passionate individuals, communities and organisations.

The objective of the collaborative Afrigami Project is to promote social cohesion, mindfulness and responsibility in seeking to heal communities and the environment. Designed to be versatile and experiential, the Afrigami Project is a social artwork that can be viewed, experienced and explored. The Afrigami Project also aims to create awareness around mindful and responsible living, to raise funds towards the prevention of FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and create income opportunities for craft producers in the Stellenbosch area

Guests visiting the Afrigami experience will be greeted by the sight of the permanent art installation called ‘Reflections’ - made with 1000 origami paper cranes in a room of mirrors. Visitors can walk into this tranquil space and close the door to enjoy some alone time to reflect.

The Afrigami Bird Sanctuary was inspired by the Japanese tradition of seeking to make a wish come true by folding 1000 paper cranes. Each crane has been folded, and strung by volunteers from many diverse communities in and around Stellenbosch.

The next step of the journey would be to visit the labyrinth in the Oude Libertas garden, next to the bell tower. A labyrinth is one of the oldest contemplative tools known to humankind and has been used over millennia by cultures across the world. The oldest known graphic representation of a labyrinth was found in a Palaeolithic tomb in Siberia dated 5000 BC. The public is invited to take a meditative walk and to experience an authentic labyrinth design.

Another element of the project is the manufacturing of Afrigami styled key rings which link to the cranes in the bird sanctuary. These key rings with the message of Peace are assembled and packaged by groups of unemployed individuals in Jamestown. The aim is to create income opportunities and entrepreneurial growth through skills development, craft manufacturing and retail. With the sale of every Peace Key Ring a donation will be made to FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) awareness and education as many communities in South Africa are affected by FASD in some way or the other.

The key rings are produced by Stellenbosch Crafts Alive (SCA), a Social Enterprise that is expressing Stellenbosch culture through a craft production employment enterprise called the Stellenbosch 10 Village Craft Project. SCA is managed by Anna Kruger and Nicolette Booyens.

The Afrigami Project forms part of the non-profit organisation, LivingIt, founded by Ronèl Geldenhuys. LivingIt additionally hosts the annual Ubuntu Film Festival in Stellenbosch where viewpoints are explored to promote social and environmental cohesion.

Cashandra Willemse, head of Graphic Design, at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography coordinated, designed and creatively directed the Afrigami Project. Wessie van der Westhuizen, head of Multimedia Design Studies also from the Academy worked with the learners of Lynedoch Primary School to create a short animation movie plus he was responsible for setting up the Afrigami website, which will be launched on the 19th September.

Terry De Vries of Earth Spirit Labyrinths built the labyrinth at Oude Libertas Centre. Irma Albers of Distell Foundation and Lucelle van Wyk from the Oude Libertas Art Gallery manages the project.

Visitors are advised to allow time to linger and enjoy the Afrigami experience, while visiting the stalls at the Slowmarket which will be open between 9:00-14:00. They are also invited to make a wish for the world and drop it into the wish box which will be standing at the labyrinth on the day of the launch. Those wishes will be placed on the Afrigami Facebook page to create awareness around the project and entice people to visit the project in future.

Visit our Facebook page to keep up to date with news and please share your photos of your experience with us. Find us on Facebook

For more info contact:

Nicolette Booyens: 082 856 8789 or Irma Albers at ialbers@distell.co.za

-End-