No Shit! Eco Design Showcase

Based on the belief that sustainable design is the precursor to social, environmental and economic wellbeing, the Eco Design Showcase presents designs that make a positive contribution to global sustainability. Calling for a revolution in design, “no kak”  / “no shit” is a beautifully South African way of expressing one’s intolerance to nonsense. It’s the slogan for “no waste, no pollution and absolutely no harm”.

The exhibition features South African designs produced as prototypes in the Eco Design Competition 2010, which is hosted annually in the country. These concepts highlight the innovation and integration of indigenous knowledge that is a celebrated characteristic of South African design. To compliment the prototypes, the Eco Design Initiative invites sustainable design ambassadors (designers practising every day sustainability) from Sweden and South Africa to present their sustainable designs. The collection makes for an exciting, tangible insight into global youth’s vision of our sustainable future.

The exhibition’s centrepiece is a geodesic dome, as designed by Buckminster Fuller. The dome is a scalable architectural model based on an organic, geometric shape.  It represents the merging of cultures from north and south into a shelter that appears very futuristic, although it has its blueprint in ancient geometry.

Story telling is a central theme to the exhibition and this is also presented by a photographic exhibition of the Eco Design Initiative’s social design intervention, hosted in Khayelitsha, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. During this experience, the Swedish and South African designers met to investigate, design and implement a sustainable solution for children at the local Sakumlandela Primary School.

The exhibiition debuted at the Slave Lodge in Cape Town in February 2011 and is currently hosted at Malmöhus Castle (15 May - 30 Oct 2011).

The Eco Design Initiative’s partners and supporters include SVID – the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation, South African Department of Arts & Culture, Kultur Rådet, Svenska Institutet, Malmö Stad Kulturförvaltningen and more partners are committed to supporting the 2012 cycle of events.