CLIENT: The Trinity Session
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS: Sharson Shopfitting (Manufacturing)
In 2016, The Trinity Session approached Jess for help translating over 130 community artworks into digital vector designs that could be carved by CNC into decorative wooden totem poles to be installed at the newly built Johannesburg City Council Chambers. These totems act as a daily reminder of the communities that city council members serve.
The artworks had been sourced via public submissions from each of Johannesburg's regions, with community participants ranging from small children to professional working artists. Participants whose artworks were selected each received a cash prize and a certificate recognising their contribution to the project, and each of their names was inscribed on their final totem.
One particular concern of this project was that artworks were submitted at roughly A4 size, but for final CNC application, the proportions of the final design files had to be much taller and skinnier. This necessitated a lot of pattern creation and repetition of individual artistic elements, which had to be executed while still remaining true to the original style and composition of the submitted artwork.
Overall, it was a really fun endeavor - many artworks featured similar imagery of Johannesburg visual landmarks, but it was a real exercise in creativity to see how many contributing artists represented the same thing in completely different ways. Trying to match the texture of different media like wax crayons and charcoal in a pure black and white design that a CNC machine could understand was also a great challenge.
The totems were carved in kiaat and installed in a beautiful sunlit walkway that runs around the circumference of the Council Chambers.
To read further about the process and challenges of this project, check out our blog!
