On Stage Design Indaba 2016: Francois Knoetze

Cape Town-based performance artist Francois Knoetze created a spectacular performance piece for the Design Indaba Conference 2016, with more of his Cape Mongo trash monsters collected together into one act than ever before. He scripted a narrative that introduced each of their characters, much like a dystopian David Attenborough documentary, with details of each of their anatomy and behaviours.

Cape Mongo, a series of videos Knoetze created, follows the stories of five characters as they journey through the city of Cape Town. Each Mongo character is made from the city’s discarded waste – mythical “trash creatures” that have emerged from the growing dumps of consumer culture.

Francois Knoetze is a performance artist, sculptor and filmmaker. His work traces the life cycles of discarded objects.