Women turn 580 audio cassette tapes into art

• Published date: 26 April 2024
• Author: Keanan Harmse Keanan.Harmse@acm.co.za
• Publication title: Sentinel News

Joanna Mnisi, Sakile Ndlovu, Dameris Makovere, Tapiwa Likona, Betty Masamba and Patience Liyema turned 580 tapes donated by the public into a kelp sculpture to promote the importance of recycling

The women work for Re.Bag.Re.Use, a Hout Bay community initiative that finds new and creative uses for discarded plastic bags.

“It started as an initiative that started off as a hobby during the Covid-19 lockdown, where empty bread bags were being repurposed and crocheted into beautiful shopping bags,” said the organisation’s founder, Regine le Roux.

“We also created an opportunity for women to make extra pocket money and be able to put bread on the table by making beautiful functional products.”

Re.Bag.Re.Use was asked to use recycled materials to create seven fronds for the sculpture, which was part of Ananta Design Studio’s vision for Upcycle, an exhibition where artists turned office furniture into functional art.

The four- to seven-metre fronds took four weeks to complete.

“Each frond was filled with clean plastic materials that the Re.Bag.Re.Use team couldn't crochet with, such as six-pack wrappers, and torn plastic bags. Each frond has been decorated with beautifully designed up-cycling, bead and...