Timber iQ February - March 2018 // Issue: 36 | Page 10

EVENTS
'Seed to Seat' initiative
a crowd puller
The American Hardwood Export Council's (AHEC) 'Seed to Seat'
furniture collaboration proved a huge drawcard for the duration of its
stay at Young Blood Gallery in Cape Town at the end of 2017.
Photos by Seed to Seat
Seed to Seat was on display for an entire month.
T
he Seed to Seat project was initially unveiled at
‘100% Design South Africa’, Africa’s premier
exhibition and sourcing platform for high-end
contemporary design in Johannesburg earlier in 2017.
Given that five of the designers involved with the initiative
are based in Cape Town, AHEC felt it necessary to showcase
all seven pieces, including the two by Johannesburg-based
designers, to a wider audience across the Western Cape.
“This ambitious project involving sustainable American
hardwoods and environmental profiling is the first of its
kind and the response to it from the design community has
been overwhelmingly positive. It has provided a valuable
opportunity for designers to test new designs in US
hardwood species that they were not familiar with and
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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018 //
some of the designs are earmarked for commercial
production. The project has also enabled AHEC to highlight
the low environmental impact of the finished pieces
through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the importance of
material selection,” says Roderick Wiles, AHEC director for
Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Oceania.
Seed to Seat was on display for an entire month and was
also a part of the final ‘First Thursdays’ event for the year.
This is a free cultural experience where art galleries and
other cultural attractions in the central and east city
districts stay open late on the first Thursday of every
month. What started in late 2012 with just six art galleries,
has now grown into one of the city’s foremost cultural
experiences, attracting thousands of people every month.