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Watch: Madoda Fani moves from clay to timber with ‘Isangqa’ (‘Circle’)
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Watch: Madoda Fani moves from clay to timber with ‘Isangqa’ (‘Circle’)

1 Sept 2020 (1 min) read

Madoda Fani's work is instantly recognisable by the hand-carved relief patterns that animate its forms, lending the surface a scaled, insect-like appearance.

There is no mistaking a ceramic piece by Madoda Fani.

His work is instantly recognisable by the hand-carved relief patterns that animate its forms, lending the surface a scaled, insect-like appearance. Achieving this level of intricacy in clay is one thing; translating it into wood is another.

So when Fani scaled up one of his ceramic sculptures to make Isangqa (‘Circle) – a low circular platform that can function as a table or ottoman – he adapted his process to work in timber. The result is a marriage between technology and craftsmanship. incorporating 3D scanning, CNC cutting, and many hours of hand-carving using a fine-pointed rotary tool.