Local designer wins international award
JOBURG – A local interior design graduate of the Independent Institute of Education (IIE) from the Design School Southern Africa (DSSA) has won the prestigious Parkett Dietrich International Benchmark competition and is heading to Germany to receive his prize.
Tuami Zulu from Central Johannesburg scooped the award thanks to his incredible design and development of his centrepiece outdoor bench which effortlessly links the culture of South Africa.
He said the inspiration behind the piece came from the idea to break away from identifying the bench as a bench.
“As I developed the centrepiece it, itself, broke away from the mundane experience and also aesthetically challenged culture and tradition and in its own gesture, it proposes movement or rather progression.”
The Parkett Dietrich International Benchmark competition is open to young professionals and students in the fields of architecture, design and art who strive to make their mark on international levels, along with other well-known architects and designers by exhibiting their designs at the annual IMMCologne international furniture fair in Germany.
“Words cannot explain my excitement and how proud I am to be internationally recognised by such a big company,” Zulu stated when asked about how he felt after learning he had won the award.
Although Zulu conceptualised and designed the bench, he needed to hire a skilled carpenter to build the art piece according to his technical drawings.
Zulu stated that the biggest challenge on the project was finding a carpenter who had enough experience and confidence to build this dynamic and intricate prototype. Luckily, he found one.
“I met Mark at a Timbercity while he was busy sourcing materials for his own project and company. He was more curious about what I was stressing about… He approached me and we spoke about the design and he was keen to help out. We built the prototype in three days without rest.”
Zulu was invited to Germany to receive his award, together with a generous cash prize, and while this will be his first trip out of South Africa, he has many plans to travel further.
“I am keen on travelling the world to experience other countries and further my design knowledge,” he said.
Zulu also stated that during his studies, Design School SA played an important role in structuring his workflow by providing specific and detailed information that he needed as a designer to develop his skills towards mastery. He advised current design students to keep practising, become more involved with the industry they are planning to enter and always, always read the brief thoroughly.
