Artists collaborated on a giant trolley display for the “Our Better Nature” platform to inspire shoppers to be more conscious consumers.
Cape Town, South Africa (05 July 2024) – A giant trolley is being used as art to inspire conscious consumption. The trolley has been placed in the shopping centre at the V&A Waterfront, making it a huge reminder to those who are visiting the mall.
Brendan Wessels and his talented team from Santa World crafted the custom-made trolley. It was lifted into place with the help of rope access pulleys and secured to a purpose-built motor box that revolves. It features five massive shopping bags, each 1 meter in width and between 1.2 and 1.4 meters high, crocheted by the Re.Bag.Re.Use team from Hout Bay.
Each of the bags was made up of different materials. Two of these vibrant shopping bags, one pink and one blue, are crocheted using approximately 660 empty bread bags each. The bright orange bag is made from repurposed Discovery Vitality T-shirts, the metallic black one from VHS tapes, which have been a popular material for the ladies, and the mottled brown one, from recycled rope.
The collaborative effort has continued with the artworks that have filled the shopping bags, too. These have been crafted by Richard Mandongwe from Makombe Artworks. The artworks included in the bags are:
- Eight oversized toothbrushes made out of powder-coated galvanized wire
- Eight hangers made out of steel bound in solid panel wire
- Seven large bleach bottles made out of white recycled plastic bottles
- Three large shoeboxes made from wood
- Five AA batteries made from PVC drain pipes with galvanized wire structures inside
“The project was a challenge as I had to create items I had never made before. It was a learning curve, but an exciting experience to collaborate with other artists. I’m incredibly proud to have my handiwork displayed at the Waterfront; it’s an honour for me.” – Richard Mandongwe
The larger-than-life artwork will be on display until September 2024
Some of the women who contributed to the artwork shared their thoughts.
“It is incredible to see our handiwork hanging in the Waterfront! I had no idea that this is how it would come out; it looks fantastic!” – Darmeris Makovere, who helped with the bag made from t-shirts
“I am so proud of what we have achieved and being part of a project that shares such an important message.” – Portia Chirawu, Crocheter
There are currently 15 ladies on the Re.Bag.Re.Use team who have gained meaningful employment through the project. From each Re.Bag.Re.Use sale, a percentage is also donated to the Neighbourhood Old Age Home (NOAH) and the SPCA.
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