LEARNERS at Golden Hours School up-cycled plastic waste to create a sensory wall for their school with the help of Umcebo Designs, which recently unveiled a range of waste-to-art pieces at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The art formed part of the School of Engineering’s Neptune Project which aims to express scientific data through the universal language of art.
“The whole idea is for us to look at creative waste management. The Neptune project brought artists and engineers together in an unlikely alliance, which worked well and now we are sharing our skills with the school,” said Robbin Opperman, creative director of Umcebo Designs.
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Funding for the project came from Global Green Grants.
“We’ve always had a good relationship with Golden Hours School and the moment we got some funding, we thought it would be the perfect place to work. When he approached the school to ask what they needed, Opperman discovered that many of the learners would benefit from a sensory wall and set to work designing a three- panelled piece,” said Opperman.
Golden Hours school principal, Rowan Hornby said the sensory wall would benefit learners.
“Autistic learners are tactile defensive. This wall has a lot of different materials and it will help them to touch it because they need sensory stimulation,” she said.
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The project gave Opperman and his team a new challenge.
“We decided to try and make a sensory wall, using recycled materials, that the children would then be encouraged to touch. For us, it’s a huge learning curve because most of our work is made to be looked at, not touched. It’s been a whole new avenue for us,” he said.
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