Woza Moya welcomes Toyota into the fold

CHATTER filled the air as every table, chair and spare space was filled with the craft women of Woza Moya, the economic empowerment arm of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust, as they readied themselves to fold 8 000 origami cats.

Paula Thomson, the executive manager of Woza Moya, and her crew moved from group to group to teach the eager crafters how to produce their next big project.

Most people familiar with Woza Moya think of bead work and the enormous beaded billboard commissioned by Toyota for Heritage Day 2018.

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This current project, also commissioned by Toyota, was just big, but in a very different way.

Toyota, a staunch supporter of Woza Moya, tasked the women with producing 8 000 origami cats for an installation at launch of the new luxury Lexus at the Investec Art Fair 2020 in Cape Town. Toyota is a supporting sponsor of the show.

The idea behind the project is to show how much skill and dexterity is required to be a Takumi craftsman or artisan, one of the supremely skilled craftsmen who work on the exclusive Lexus.

The Takumi master craftsmen are the guardians of this artisan philosophy and apply the subtlety of human touch to every aspect of Lexus’ design and development.

The brief, or instructions were quite simple with specific size and the recycled paper to be used. Even though the women weren’t required to make these cats with their non-dominant hand in 90 seconds – as required to become a Toyota Takumi Master – it was still a monumental task.

After a few practice runs that produced a mutant kittens, each one of the women put on their game faces and production began in earnest.

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Soon the litters grew into mounds of origami cats and, hours later, the beautifully folded and pristine kitties were ready to be shipped out and put on display at the Toyota installation.

Woza Moya welcomes commissioned work as it provides a boost to the crafters’ income over and above their usual production of beadwork and other crafts.

To book a commission, contact Paula via email at wozamoya@hillaids.org.za.

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