Mollo Oa Leifo – Mme (“fire in the hearth – Mother”)
Designer Atang Tshikare South African
Tshikare's design process is one of self-exploration, motivated by the desire to allow Indigenous knowledge to surface what has been obscured by centuries of colonization. Using materials native to South Africa, such as wood and grasses, and techniques passed down from his grandmother, such as charring and weaving, Tshikare reimagines a pair of eighteenth-century fauteuils - a type of upholstered French chair introduced during colonization - as a means of reclaiming Tswana culture from European colonial power. Leifo, meaning "fireplace" in the Sotha language, suggests that these chairs are meant to be placed in front of a hearth. The brass beading combines astrological constellations with Zulu pictograms to resemble fire sparks.
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