Mandela in Cape Town
Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and delivered his first public speech from a balcony at the Cape Town City Hall overlooking the crowds gathered on the Grand Parade. To commemorate this event, a bronze statue of this moment was erected on the same balcony in 2019.
To support the statue and to celebrate Mandela’s connection to the City of Cape Town, an exhibition inside the City Hall was commissioned. I was responsible for the design, concept and execution of the exhibition.
The logo for the exhibition depicts the silhouette of Mandela framed by the iconic arch behind him. The typography is based on his own handwriting and signature, and a custom font was designed for the secondary descriptor. The custom font is used throughout the exhibition as cut-out lettering to display some of his well-known quotes. Further to this, a Xhosa-inspired pattern was developed with words from his speech woven through it.
A custom typeface was developed.
A Xhosa-inspired pattern with words taken from Mandela's speech on his day of release.
The introduction video to the exhibition.
The colour palette for the interior of the exhibition space was inspired by the colourful houses of District 6 where Mandela often had meetings with acquaintances in his younger years. The reception desk represents Table Mountain sandstone, with the Xhosa-inspired pattern on the back wall forming an outline of Table Mountain. Lighting and furniture from proudly Capetonian designers was commissioned to fill the space.Upon entering the exhibition, the viewer is greeted by a full sized mural of the crowds greeting Mandela as he stepped onto the balcony to deliver his speech.
A custom designed font is used throughout the exhibition as cut-out lettering to display some of Mandela’s well-known quotes. The welcome area displays an introduction video to the exhibition.
A short history of Mandela’s involvement with the struggle against Apartheid in Cape Town leads to a replica set of the Westminster Restaurant in District 6 where he had several important meetings with fellow struggle veterans. A video with footage of District 6 before it was demolished in the 1960’s is on display.
Left: A timeline of his early life
Right: A dark tunnel with jarring LED light strips tell the story of Mandela as a fugitive when he was forced to go underground and hide from the security police. It then leads to his arrest and trial, followed by his imprisonment. A modernised, 1:1 scale replica of his prison cell displays letters written to and by him while he was in prison.
The prison cell leads into an open area where we commemorate the Apartheid struggle veterans who lived in Cape Town at the time of Mandela’s imprisonment.
Left: At a large window overlooking the grand parade, we installed anti-apartheid protest posters. Many of these protests took place on the parade.
Right: An interactive installation tell the stories of well-known struggle veterans.
Left: Interactive audio and visual screens display interviews with photographers, journalists and politicians who were present at the day of Mandela’s release.
Right: This leads us to the entrance of a theatre room where viewers can immerse themselves in a video of Mandela delivering his speech. The entrance is framed by a replica of the arch on the Grand parade.
Left: Visitor cards provide an opportunity for engagement.
Right: The content of the exhibition was approved by the Western Cape Education Department as part of the school syllabus. Lesson plans were developed as a learning supplement.
I designed this project during my tenure at Switch Brand.
