We’re familiar with the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” and those words can tell quite the story!
Ndebele house paintings have been around since the early 18th century, their beautiful homes used a unique visual language to communicate the story of their culture. Extracted from the patterns of the Ndebele beadwork, Ndebele house paintings are known to tell a story of the family’s prayers, announcements, and values. So, the question was posed, “How do we re-create this in a modern art form?".
Close to a year ago, the Hall’s team proudly helped sponsor the #BridgesProject for the Re-routing Arts Festival where various artists used powerful images to convey important issues that we as South African’s are facing. Seeing this restoration and the vibrancy that the murals brought to those bridges ultimately led to our brainchild idea of exterior feature wall paintings. We were reminded that even graffiti is art and can be used to beautify a space and create a dialogue between different socio-economic and cultural groups.
Esther Mahlangu, one woman responsible for the continuation of the Ndebele’s traditional paintings, has been the inspiration in this homes exterior make-over! Using the same intention to create beauty and to tell a story, our team gathered to create a masterpiece, we planned out different designs using digital mock-ups until we had a solid plan to execute. The artists then got to work painting this design over the days that followed. The result was better than even we had expected!
What do you think of the final result? We encourage you to think out the box, a culture that we thrive on, and try something new! What better way could there be to feed your visual senses than with a new, fun, and different way of expressing your family’s heritage than on the walls of your home? Imagine showcasing your family crest through the brilliance of colour, pattern, and shape!
“You have to colour outside the lines once in a while if you want to make your life a masterpiece.” – Albert Einstein
Hall’s Retail now offers this unique painting technique as one of our value-added services! If you’d like to take the next step in creating an exterior feature wall of your very own, send us an email with your name and cell phone number and we’ll contact you to arrange a site visit.
