Glenwood mural celebrates NPO status

WITH the registration of Umcebo Design’s The Intellectual Property Exhibition as a non-profit organisation (NPO), a new mural for the wall in Brents Avenue, Glenwood, near Umcebo’s studio was called for.

The original mural in the road was created and painted by Mike McFadyean when Umcebo moved to its new premises last year. With having always had a hand in the branding and graphic design work for Umcebo, he was quick to jump at creating a new mural to replace the old, as a celebration of Intellectual Property’s NPO status.

“In 2018, I started drawing and painting fantasy illustrations of octopuses. I was very attracted to their endless shape-shifting and almost alien qualities, and of course, the fact that they are highly intelligent and mysterious creatures that we don’t fully understand. Creative director of Umcebo, Robin Opperman, saw my octopus illustrations and liked them. He asked me to design a logo for the newly registered NPO drawing on these illustrations,” he said.

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He said the octopus as a logo had great synergy with the principles and mission of the new NPO – shape-shifting, being able to adapt to the surroundings, having tentacles spreading out in all directions, and so on.

“Once I finished designing the logo Robin asked me to draw on my octopus illustrations to re-do my mural in Brents Avenue as a fresh look for 2019 and a reference to the newly born NPO. I have had a tremendously positive response to the mural from the residents in Brents Avenue and the public in general,” he said, adding that the mural took him nine hours over three very hot January mornings from start to finish.

“We are excited by the finished mural which celebrates our NPO status and kicks off our 2019 activities,” said Opperman.

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He said activities included an artists’ networking breakfast on 7 March where artists can get together and network, three plastic recycling workshops and an expo event opening on 3 October which will run for a week.

“We have yet to finalise a venue for the expo, but we will have a cross section of artists, musicians, fashion designers as well as music and food. This will be a place where South African creatives can showcase what they do,” he said.

Robin said his team would be working on projects in March at Eden College, May at Tree Tops and is planning another workshop at Clifton School in October. They are also working on a project with the municipality to install chandeliers made of recycled material at each entrance to Bulwer Park.

“Keep watching the media for updates on our projects and events,” he said.

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