In the spirit of bold originality that has marked its decade-long journey of pioneering collectible design in South Africa, the gallery invited the makers to produce exploratory new work that crosses over into other disciplines, materials or technologies.

Extra Ordinary features both emerging and established designers outside of Southern Guild’s core stable. They include fashion designer Rich Mnisi, ceramic artists Zizipho Poswa and Madoda Fani, sculptors Daniella Mooney and Stanislaw Trzebinski, and newcomers such as 3D illustrator Ferdi B. Dick.

Julian McGowan, co-founder of The Guild Group, encouraged the designers to work outside their comfort zone, providing mentorship and guidance along the way. “They’re accomplished designers already – we wanted them to think differently about themselves and their work,” says McGowan. “The result for each designer is a piece that springboards a new body of work.”

Extra Ordinary includes furniture, lighting, sculpture and jewellery. Through varying degrees of experimentation, the work is at turns surprising, playful, otherworldly and mysterious. “You will not have seen anything like these pieces before,” says McGowan.

Since 2008, Southern Guild has commissioned South Africa’s leading designers to create their most ground-breaking work, setting new benchmarks of quality and originality for the industry at large. Extra Ordinary signals its commitment to nurture new talent and incubate new design vernaculars as leaders in the evolution of African design.