Stop Conforming

At Design Indaba, Nick Carson finds an infectious spirit for challenging convention.

- Nick Carson

Every year, Design Indaba takes over Cape Town with an explosion of energy that transcends disciplines, borders and cultures, delivering thought-provoking insights that spur the audience to action.

MC’d as ever by Pentagram’s Michael Bierut and friends, the three-day conference delivered a fascinating blend of speakers from graphic design, architecture, fashion, art, furniture and more.

Based in an arts hub, rather than a convention centre, Design Indaba has a theatricality that turns the ‘conference’ norm on its head: for instance, South African duo Dokter and Misses kicked things off with a trio of dancers dressed as Bauhaus shapes.

Later, London-based furniture designer Yinka Ilori payed homage to his African heritage by throwing a Nigerian house party on stage, while French-born innovator Nelly Ben Hayoun began her whimsical tale of discovery with a Viking warrior facing a scientist in a boxing ring, and ended with the audience pushing her off stage in a giant cardboard longboat.