Cementing creativity in the arts
AUCKLAND PARK – The official winners of the PPC Imaginarium have been announced at its opening night.
It was a night of creative splendour as the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Art gallery hosted the opening night of the PPC Imaginarium Awards at the Kingsway Campus on 22 January.
The awards celebrated the creative talents from various art mediums.
The challenge for the contending artists was to merge elements of concrete and cement into their respective mediums .
The categories presented at the awards were architecture, fashion, film, industrial design, jewellery, and sculpting.
A host of high-profile designers, architects, and creatives met up at the opening night to admire the efforts contributed by the contestants.
Head of innovation at PPC Alta Walker was impressed with the extraordinary results and high turnout. “I’d like to thank everyone and, of course, the contestants for the fantastic way in which you guys inspire us with your work,” said Walker.
The PPC Imaginarium also saw the attendance of the newly-appointed CEO of PPC Darryl Castle, who commented, “The PPC Imaginarium Awards always continue to impress me. It is great to be present at this wonderful occasion. PPC is proud to be involved in promoting innovation and creativity of the arts in South Africa.”
He believes that the event broadens the possibilities of cement as a creative medium.
Contestant in the fashion category Tessa Michelle Sprawson was very proud of the work she produced in her four months of preparation for the awards.
“I would like to bring to life as many different cement textures and forms as possible through my garments. All my pieces are inspired by the process, be it chemical or texture.”
The winners of each of the respective categories were:
Chris van Rensburg – jewellery for his fascinating sleeve design marrying concrete and diamonds.
Mhlonishwa Chiliza – sculpture
Arni and André Coetzee’s short film Pa De Deux in Dust won in the film category.
Martin Bolton and Craig Tyndall – industrial design for their innovative concrete speaker.
Ayanda Ntsingana – architecture
Bokang Lehobe – fashion
The exhibition is currently open to the public until 13 February.
