HEAVY METAL
VISI|125
Metal is used to craft the most DELICATE jewellery, yet it's so robust it can hold up a towering skyscraper. PRACTICAL and BEAUTIFUL, it inspires CREATIVITY, INVENTION and pushing design limits.
JO BUITENDACH
HEAVY METAL

Built to house the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, the Crystal Palace is a striking iron-and-glass structure.

AN EXCAVATION INTO THE WORLD OF METAL is so complex, it could have you digging for years. Iron, steel, copper and bronze - the list goes on. Take gold: it alone is a material that has built nations, ruined empires and been the cause of colonisation and hardship. Being able to extract metals from the earth and fashion them into new shapes for countless uses has changed the way we live. Metals have forged the development of society, with the Bronze then the Iron Age - and even the digital age, with its reliance on substances such as cobalt and gallium. And just try surviving Stage 6 loadshedding without a lithium battery! 

Designed by Frank Gehry, the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis illustrates the architect's mastery of metal as a building material.

The award-winning Lone Oaks Farm Hunter Education Station in Tennessee uses both cypress wood and ribbed metal cladding.

THE GOLDEN RULE In the 1930s, an ancient golden hoard was found in the Limpopo province. This royal burial site included a carefully crafted gold rhino, sceptre and bowl. Known as Mapungubwe and dating back to the early 13th century, this civilisation not only mined gold, but also had the metallurgical skills to smelt and fashion it. Today Mapungubwe is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

INGENUITY While humans have been utilising metal for thousands of hears, initially it was only used as a small element of construction. As methods and quality improved, so did the ability to use iron and steel in large-scale construction processes, influencing the way we build and live. In the late 1800s, steel skeleton frames began to be used widely, making buildings taller and, eventually, skyscrapers possible.

Denne historien er fra 125-utgaven av VISI.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra 125-utgaven av VISI.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA VISISe alt
THE STORY OF AN AFRICAN ICON
VISI

THE STORY OF AN AFRICAN ICON

With a long line of very successful ancestors, the new-generation TOYOTA LAND CRUISER PRADO had some big tyres to fill. We look at the approach its design team took to CONTINUE THE LEGACY.

time-read
4 mins  |
134
THROUGH THE LENS
VISI

THROUGH THE LENS

We asked one of VISI's favourite photographers, PARIS BRUMMER, to choose her four FAVOURITE CAMERAS. The brief? \"From the fun to the profesh!\"

time-read
2 mins  |
134
YOUR GARDEN DAY CROWN
VISI

YOUR GARDEN DAY CROWN

Gardens have the power to unite us - which is why the GARDEN DAY movement encourages plant enthusiasts to don a flower crown and CELEBRATE THEIR GREEN SPACES in unique ways.

time-read
2 mins  |
134
RETRO-LICIOUS
VISI

RETRO-LICIOUS

Mid-century is not just making an interior design comeback: food is following right behind. So put on your vintage 1950s LUCIENNE DAY-PRINT APRON - or '70s HALSTON JUMPSUIT if you're feeling a little funkier - and get inspired by ABIGAIL DONNELLY's reimagining of classic dishes. Think moulded jellies, finger foods and soft-serve ice cream.

time-read
2 mins  |
134
FERMENTATION
VISI

FERMENTATION

When you hear about FERMENTED FOODS, your mind probably goes to pickles and beer. But thanks to a growing interest in Asian staples such as kimchi and miso, we're becoming more used to these flavour profiles, and even seeing them in fine-dining restaurants. We asked ABIGAIL DONNELLY to share her favourite recipes for fermented flavour bombs that you can replicate in your OWN KITCHEN.

time-read
4 mins  |
134
THE CERAMICIST
VISI

THE CERAMICIST

IN AN ART DECO BLOCK IN THE HEART OF CAPE TOWN'S CITY CENTRE, RENOWNED CERAMICIST MERVYN GERS HAS RENOVATED AN APARTMENT TO REFLECT HIS OWN TASTES AND HIS LOVE FOR FIRED AND GLAZED CLAY.

time-read
3 mins  |
134
SEAMLESS
VISI

SEAMLESS

SITUATED ON A PRIVATE GAME FARM NEAR RUSTENBURG, THIS BUSHVELD GETAWAY HAS ARISEN FROM THE ASHES OF ITS PREDECESSOR TO PROVIDE ITS JOBURG-BASED OWNERS WITH A TRANQUIL WEEKEND ESCAPE.

time-read
2 mins  |
134
BUILDING AN ICON
VISI

BUILDING AN ICON

Kevin Fellingham, principal architect at Kevin Fellingham Architects, and a former lecturer at Cambridge University, UCT and the School of Explorative Architecture, talks about HOUSE HANSON and DENSTONE COURT, built in 1937/38.

time-read
4 mins  |
134
THE VANGUARD KELLY WEARSTLER
VISI

THE VANGUARD KELLY WEARSTLER

In this instalment of our series on the new wave of INTERNATIONAL DESIGNERS, we look at the super-talented Kelly Wearstler's DISTINCT STYLE and seemingly INFINITE CREATIVITY.

time-read
2 mins  |
134
COOL COLLAB OF THE YEAR
VISI

COOL COLLAB OF THE YEAR

In a partnership that highlights the strength and diversity of local talent, this collaboration by LULASCLAN and POPSTRUKT had an unplanned helping hand from VISI.

time-read
1 min  |
134