Nelson Mandela Day - The finished design

Saturday July 17th 

Preparation for Mandela Day

Marking out the outline of the design

Sunday July 18th

Nelson Mandela Day

11.30am

12.30pm

Gathering pledges that read

'I (name) pledge 67 minutes of my time (description of personal pledge)'

2pm

2.30

4.15pm

A dash to the finish 4.20pm

4.25pm

4.30pm

The Team Celebrate the finished pledge tree design

Pledges woven into the net

We roll up the design at the end of the day

In collaboration with the Community Partnerships Team at the British Museum

With thanks to a dedicated and resilient team that pushed through every hurdle until the last minute.

18.07.2010

Design Development

African Hand Loom used to make Kente Cloth.

The team took inspiration from African textile techniques choosing Kente as the stimulus for the Pledge Tree design aesthetic. Kente uses small strips of cloth woven on handlooms which are combined and sew together to create a larger textile. 

Each pledge is a stitch in a large tapestry which celebrates the small action of the individual and by combining them together demonstrates a collective power. that has a larger impact.

The Southern African Quiver Tree dissected into smaller elements.

Designs that involved screens of woven ribbons. 

The design was impaired by constraints imposed on the project later on. We adapted this design to create a Kente cloth on the lawn of the museum.

Helium Ballon Quiver Tree proposal

This proposal was unfortunately incompatible with issues that arose close to the Day.