The Design Indaba is a highlight on the South African Design calendar, and for CPUT’s Informatics and Design Faculty (FID) it is no different.

Set to take place this weekend at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the Design Indaba is the premier gathering of creatives in the country, as well as internationally.

CPUT is actively involved in this annual event and to date has won numerous awards for their innovative stands.

This year, the faculty has decided to feature all CPUT courses at the exhibition, as opposed to exclusively featuring information on FID courses.

“In light of the fact that CPUT’s World Design Capital 2014 office is housed within FID, we decided to showcase the entire institution as oppose to just one faculty. Design exists to some degree in all six faculties at CPUT,” says FID’s Munira Allie.

Dedicated to broadening the creative mind, Allie along with Graphic Design lecturer Leigh Desai will also conduct workshop entitled ‘Custom Crazy Clay Flash Drives’ at the Design Indaba’s Youth Workshops.

The Design Indaba will run from 1-3 March and promises to inspire.

By Nurahn Ryklief

Written by CPUT News

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CPUT BTech Surface Design student was recognised as one of South Africa’s promising up-and-coming designers when she was awarded the first runner up prize for her throw design at the second annual House and Leisure Green Designers at Woolworths Competition.

House and Leisure magazine and Woolworths joined forces to sponsor this competition, which highlights ecofriendly design techniques across a variety of products.

For a seven-month period, House and Leisure featured the creations of students from various tertiary design institutions and the final products were displayed at their stand at the Design Indaba Expo that was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 26 to 28 February 2010.

On 25 February 2010, the winners were announced from a group of 10 finalists and Nandi’s was the only design selected from the throw category.

Students from seven different design schools were given the task of taking green prototypes from conceptualisation to creation and also to source appropriate manufacturers to help them create their products.

Nandi, who hails from the Eastern Cape town of Cofimvaba heard about the competition last year from her lecturer, Elna Lubbe, who used the competition as a third year class assignment.

The CPUT students were mentored by Melissa Kerkhoff, owner of Lula Fabrics.

Seeing this rare opportunity, Nandi said she decided to apply her mind and focus on her love of textiles in this project, which took several months to complete.

When asked what inspired her original handmade design, she said: “I took my cultural roots into consideration and researched the design techniques of the Xhosa people”.

Using the smocking sewing technique, she interpreted geometric diamond shape, typically found in Xhosa clothing and jewellery to create her throw made from an undyed cotton blend fabric.

The colours of the threads used in the throw also have a symbolic meaning of growth (green), wealth (red) and maturity (yellow) in the Xhosa tradition.

Nandi shared that she is passionate about recycling and using natural products.

“I am very conscious of the effect that manufacturing has on the environment, so I want to focus on creating functional designs that are reusable,” said Nandi.

Along with the other top three winners, Nandi walked away with an Apple MacBook computer, a R1000 Woolworths gift voucher and will have her throw manufactured and sold at selected Woolworths stores throughout the country.

Currently, Nandi is participating in a three-month internship programme at Woolworths Homeware Department, where she is mentored on several design projects by Paul Duncan (head of homeware) and Lynne Harris.

She completes the programme in April and is also working on manufacturing her product through a community-based organisation, Learn to Earn in Khayelitsha, which teaches skills that unemployed people can use to create a small business.

Her BTech thesis research topic will focus on designing homeware products inspired by Cubism from recycled wood.

By Thando J. Moiloa

Photograph (left) An elated achiever, Nolwazi Nandi, BTech Surface Design student at CPUT (right) The prize-winning throw design, inspired by the indigenous Xhosa design style

Written by CPUT News
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An eye-catching multimedia display created by the CPUT Faculty of Informatics and Design, under the creative direction of Roxanne Spears, was named Most Creative Stand at the 2009 Design Indaba.

The award was announced at the Design Indaba’s official opening on 26 February 2009.

The announcement marked the first time Most Creative Stand has been won by an educational institution.

The Design Indaba, held annually at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, is an internationally acclaimed gathering of design talent. It features a three day conference in which delegates are exposed to some of the world’s leading creative achievers, as well as a public exhibition of work from a variety of design disciplines.

Although Faculty of Informatics and Design lecturers and students are regular visitors to the annual Indaba, 2009 is the first year that the Faculty held a stand at the exhibition.

All aspects of the stand were designed and built at the University itself. The structure was put together by Industrial Design Lecturer Daryn Molenaar and was illustrated by Simon Berndt, Justin Poulter and Lauren Fowler with dynamic life-sized portraits of ‘hero’ students.

The heads of the portraits featured windows onto screens, donated by Digicape, displaying stop-motion animation films of the hero students’ best work.

Spears defined a hero student as someone who comes out of the Faculty and makes a mark. In other words, a student whose work has already won acclaim in the design industry and whose work shows that he or she is already at the cutting edge of design trends.

She selected the hero students by viewing portfolios from the Faculty’s various departments and by selecting the students who, while not necessarily the top mark scorers, represented a standard of work to which the learners visiting the expo would aspire.

The illustrations were created in a similar style to the promotional visuals for last year’s Headspace student exhibition. Spears explained that the Headspace concept had been very well received and that she wanted to produce a Design Indaba display that would build on that success.

The stop-motion films integrated into the stand not only provided a showcase of the variety of design disciplines offered at CPUT, but also added a YouTube-like element that made the stand popular with its secondary school learner market.

Spears noted that in addition to presenting the Faculty as an exciting place to for a new student to work and study, the display also demonstrated its commitment to postgraduate education and reinforced its industry alignment.

“It establishes us in line with the best of the best in the design industry,” she said.

The Indaba’s panel of judges consisted of Stefania Johnson of New Media Publishing, Gerard Back of Mila, Lauren Shantall of Elle Décor magazine and Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, Deputy Chief Executive of the Cape Town Partnership. Their aim was to select the stand that demonstrated the most eye-catching originality and clever use of design.

Other finalists for the Most Creative Stand Award included the Cape Craft and Design Institute, fashion house Stoned Cherry, design consultancy Animal Farm and furniture studio Casamento.

As the winners, the CPUT team received a trophy designed by Carrol Boyes.

The award-winning stand is to be placed on display at the Roeland Street Campus.

By Ilana Abratt

Photo: (clockwise) The CPUT team is presented with their award at the Design Indaba opening; Roxanne Spears, Creative Director for the stand; detail from an illustration on one of the stand’s panels; self-portraits by Simon Berndt and Justin Poulter.

Published online: 11/03/2009

Written by CPUT News
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A group of about fifty first and third year Hospitality students recently got the opportunity to demonstrate their culinary skills alongside industry leaders and world-renowned chefs at the 2009 Good Food and Wine Show.

The Show, which allows restaurants and hotels from around the country to showcase their best work and launch new food products for the market, took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 27 to 31 May 2009.

This is the second year that CPUT has participated in the event, and the first time the institution has worked with the sponsors Spekko Rice and Eastern Mosaic.

The students were accompanied by Hospitality Head of Department Rianne Voigt and other Cape Town Hotel School staff members. Dean of the Business Faculty Prof Mohamed Bayat also attended in order to support the institution’s efforts. At Restaurant Bites, the public were invited to sample the offerings of the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant, with the option of ordering a full meal. Students prepared a delicious South African-themed menu for the occasion, that included local favourites such as babotie and, breyani with ‘decadent cupcakes’ for dessert.

At the Hands-On Workshop sections, CPUT students helped set up and prepare the demonstration area for renowned chefs such as Marcos Georgiou, the Head Chef at Jamie Oliver’s chain of Italian restaurants, BBC regular Brian Turner, household name Ina Paarman and culinary personality Jenny Morris.

The students also circulated among the audience in order to provide a helping hand where needed.

The workshops were filmed by Eastern Mosaic, who also interviewed some of the CPUT participants.

“The Good Food and Wine Show provided the students with exposure to industry by their being able to view what is out there,” said Marketing and Functions Co-ordinator for the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant, Luke van Rensburg,

“Quite a few students got job offers,” he said.

Van Rensburg noted that the Good Food and Wine Show had not only helped market the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant as a culinary destination, but also drew the public’s attention to the Hotel School’s academic credentials, as a source of high quality hospitality training.

By Ilana Abratt

Photo: First year and third year Hospitality students prepare South African delicacies at the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant stand at the 2009 Good Food and Wine show.

Written by CPUT News
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Recently, during the annual Cape Town Book Fair held from 30 July to 02 August 2010 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), several schools and institution’s of higher learning were invited to receive copies of former government minister Jay Naidoo’s new book, “Fighting for Justice”.

In the 1980s, Naidoo was the first general secretary of Cosatu, the country’s largest union federation.

During Nelson Mandela’s presidency, he served as the minister in charge of Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Broadcasting.

CPUT Libraries was in line to receive six brand new copies of the autobiography, to give the campus community access to the informative read.

The trade unionist turned political activist partnered with local paper supplier Sappi Kraft to launch their new book paper grade, Bookpride 70 on which Naidoo’s autobiography was printed.

Naidoo’s publisher Picador Africa (Pan Macmillan Publishers) agreed to the promotion of the new paper grade.

Due to the significant role that Naidoo played in the country’s political and social history, it was fitting that local paper supplier Sappi Kraft decided to donate copies of the book to learners and students for their educational benefit.

Instrumental in the initiative was Simon Sonn, Divisional Sales Manager: Newsprint for Sappi Kraft, who was also present at the handover where Naidoo presented the six books to the Head of Department: Technical Services & E-Resources Management Audrey Patrick.

Sonn thanked the Library for its participation, saying: “The launch held at the Cape Town Book Fair was a resounding success”.

Patrick expressed her delight at the generous donation and added that the copies of the book would be distributed across the libraries branches.

“We as CPUT Libraries encourage staff and students to read a copy of this great book as it reminds us of our past that led us to our freedom”.

After leaving the world of politics in 1999, Naidoo set up an investment and management company, J & J Group, of which he is currently the co-owner.

By Thando Moiloa

Photo: CPUT staff member Audrey Patrick with Jay Naidoo at the Cape Town Book Fair; A copy of Naidoo’s autobiography “Fighting for Justice”.

Written by CPUT News
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In recognition of the training excellence offered in the Cape Town Hotel School, the sector has awarded approximately R1.5m in bursaries, equipment, and accommodation vouchers to about 38 of its students.

These and other academic excellence awards were announced on the Granger Bay Campus recently during the school’s Annual Awards Ceremony.

Every year Protea Hotels by Marriot awards bursaries to students who show potential in the industry, and 17 students from the school received bursaries.

The Cape Liquor and Catering Trade Educational Trust, which was formed in 1999 and is closely aligned to the Tourism Hospitality and Catering Pension Fund, awarded R50 000 to the school’s students.

Tsogo Sun awarded bursaries to ten BTech students, with five awarded on academic merit and others on financial need, while the Cape Town International Convention Centre awarded three bursaries worth R30 000 each. The latter award includes a one-year graduation training programme at the centre.

Six more bursaries were awarded to individual hotel school students including an overseas scholarship by Feedem, Hotel School Restaurant, FEDHASA, the Hospitality Property Fund and University College Birmingham.

For many years the University College Birmingham has been sponsoring a Hotel School student to complete their 4th year of study there. Valued at approximately R350 000, this very prestigious scholarship is awarded to a student with the best academic record and who can succeed in the overseas industrial environment.

Hotel School director Thembisile Molose believes the sector’s continued support is adding value to CPUT.

“Our students can only grow from strength to strength and we are, therefore, very excited for them to be so fortunate as many have the opportunity to work for a year in some of the hotels that awarded them bursaries,” says Molose.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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Associate Professor Kamilla Swart will facilitate a panel discussion on education and tourism challenges in Africa during the World Travel Market (WTM) Africa in Cape Town.

This weekend WTM, the leading global event for the travel industry, will be held in the Cape Town International Convention Centre over two days.

“WTM Africa provides a meeting place for the Africa travel industry and is targeted at investing in the future of tourism in Africa,” says Swart.

“The session that I will be chairing will focus on discussing and debating some of the challenges facing tourism education on the continent and look at ways to overcome these challenges, drawing on experiences from the public and private sectors as well as academics.”

Swart says her participation at the event serves as a platform to profile the Tourism and Event Management Department, and CPUT in general.

“It will also be an opportunity for some of our students to gain first-hand experience of networking with the travel and tourism industry,” adds Swart.

Some students will get a chance to attend on the last day and can participate in the discussions during the sessions which will include issues related to travel technology and responsible tourism.

The programme of WTM Africa will include leading and influential travel industry experts as well as academics.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Due to circumstances completely beyond our control, we regret to inform you that the examinations which were scheduled to be written at the Cape Town International Convention Centre next week will now be moved to the Bellville campus and Wingfield Military base in Goodwood.

Faculty of Business and Management Sciences will be writing at Wingfield.

All examinations will still commence at 09:00 and 14:00 respectively and students MUST be at the venues an hour before the time.

Buses will be provided for students staying in residences at Cape Town and Mowbray and students will be picked up from these campuses at 07:00 and 12:00 respectively.

All Wellington-based examinations will still be written at the Wellington campus as previously advised.

Students are again reminded to produce their student cards, identification documents or passports to gain access to the buses and examination venues.

A decision was also taken to postpone the examinations for the National Higher Certificate Accountancy students until January next year.

We realise that this was a very difficult time for students and therefore a decision was taken to allow students who for whatever reason feel that they are not ready to write the examination now to sit for the re-assessments in January next year . Students wishing to exercise this option must please make arrangements with their respective faculty managers.

Finally students are reminded to check the university website for final examination time tables.

We thank you for your cooperation and wish you well for the examinations.

Written by CPUT News

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