Black patent leather shoes and wide-leg pants stand on a deep red carpet, conveying a sense of elegance and sophistication.

Future Heirlooms

Resume

Year

2022

Client

American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)

Project

Exhibition & Collection

Categories

Curatorial Direction Designer Selection Creative Direction Collection Development Exhibition Curation Project Partnerships Communications & Editorial Launch & Activation

Credits

Collaborators American Hardwood Export Council Always Welcome Houtlander BOS Timbers Designers Dokter and Misses Mash.T Design Studio TheUrbanative Kumsuka Kalki Ceramics Joe Paine × Nathan Gates Nøde Studio

Seven South African studios. One cubic metre of American red oak. Seven new works designed to outlive their makers. Curated by Beheld’s founders Garreth van Niekerk and Alan Hayward, Future Heirlooms brought the American Hardwood Export Council together with a cross-generational group of South African designers to explore what an heirloom might mean now. The resulting collection moved between heritage and technology, personal memory and collective identity. Each designer was invited to create a work with the emotional and material durability to be passed from one generation to the next, while working with American red oak, a sustainable hardwood species that was largely unfamiliar within the South African design industry.

Input

To curate a collection that would introduce South African designers to the creative and sustainable possibilities of American red oak, while opening a broader conversation around longevity, material responsibility and the cultural value of furniture designed to endure. Our role extended across the project, from shaping the curatorial premise and selecting the designers to guiding the development of the collection, building the partnerships behind its production, and presenting the finished works as a cohesive exhibition.

Output

A seven-piece collectible design collection featuring established and emerging South African studios, produced locally by Houtlander and presented at Always Welcome in Johannesburg before travelling to Cape Town. The works included a digital grandfather clock holding family information and memorabilia; a cabinet shaped by the experience of new parenthood; a screen combining technology and craft; and pieces drawing on Xhosa dress, Fulani braiding, the South African boomslang and the communal rituals surrounding the Zulu ukhamba. Together, the collection demonstrated how contemporary South African design can carry heritage forward without simply reproducing it. Future Heirlooms received international coverage from Wallpaper* and created a new platform for collaboration between South African designers, local manufacturers and the global hardwood industry. Only slightly more than one cubic metre of American red oak was required to make the seven works. Across their lifetimes, the pieces will continue to store approximately 1,069 kilograms of carbon.

Two men in dress shirts stand against a striped background. One adjusts his tie, both look thoughtful and focused, conveying a professional tone.
Two men in dress shirts stand against a striped background. One adjusts his tie, both look thoughtful and focused, conveying a professional tone.
A young man in a white shirt and tie sits on the floor, surrounded by scattered papers. He looks down at a document, appearing focused and pensive.
Young man in a formal outfit with a striped shirt, grey tie, and black coat. The tone is serious and professional, emphasizing subdued elegance.

“We hope that this project inspires important discussions around sustainability in South African furniture design.”

“We hope that this project inspires important discussions around sustainability in South African furniture design.”

Garreth van Niekerk & Alan Hayward

Curators, Future Heirlooms

Man in a white shirt reclines in a chair on a red carpet, talking on the phone. Scattered papers surround him, conveying stress or disarray.
Man in a white shirt reclines in a chair on a red carpet, talking on the phone. Scattered papers surround him, conveying stress or disarray.
A person in business attire lies amidst scattered papers and folders on a red carpet, holding a phone receiver. The scene conveys chaos and stress.
A person in business attire lies amidst scattered papers and folders on a red carpet, holding a phone receiver. The scene conveys chaos and stress.
A man in a grey shirt sits in a dim office, gazing seriously at a computer screen. Blinds and office supplies create a focused and professional atmosphere.
Person in a dark shirton a phone call, seated at a desk with papers, exudes a thoughtful, focused demeanor. Background shows dark horizontal blinds.

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