There is a chandelier that once hung in the private quarters of the Obama family at the White House. It was made of plastic bottle tops, recycled trinkets, shimmering glass beads and delicate crystal drops gathered from the dusty streets of a small Klein Karoo village and during one of the most watched presidencies in modern history, it hung in one of the most famous buildings in the world.
It came from Barrydale. And it came from Magpie.The Magpie Art Collective at 27 Van Riebeeck Street is one of the most remarkable creative institutions on the entire Route 62 a socially conscious art and design studio that has been quietly, brilliantly and unapologetically changing the way the world thinks about waste, beauty and the power of human creativity since 1998. A visit to their gallery in Barrydale is not simply a stop on a road trip. It is an experience that stays with you one of those rare encounters with art that makes you see the ordinary world differently on the drive home.
The story from Observatory to the White HouseMagpie began as an idea in the bohemian suburb of Observatory in Cape Town in 1998, born from the home of two friends, Cape Craft icon Scott B. Hart and social entrepreneur and Ashoka Fellow Shane A. Petzer. A House and Leisure feature on their home, with its extraordinary chandeliers and light fittings sparked the realisation that what they were creating could be commercially viable. The Magpie showroom was born, and the name came from that very article, which referred to them affectionately as the Magpies of Observatory.
In 2003 the studio relocated to Barrydale drawn, like so many creative people before and since, by the quiet, the light and the particular quality of inspiration that the Klein Karoo offers those willing to slow down enough to receive it. In 2006 fine artist Sean Daniel and administrator Richard Panaino joined the collective, expanding it into the full Magpie Art Collective it became, a partnership of artists, designers and social entrepreneurs who believed deeply that art, craft, commerce and community responsibility were not competing ideas but deeply interconnected ones.
In October 2021 Barrydale and South Africa lost Shane Petzer a man of extraordinary warmth, social conscience and creative vision whose impact on Magpie, on Barrydale and on the lives of countless people across South Africa was immeasurable. His passing was mourned deeply by the creative and activist communities he had served throughout his remarkable life. Shane was, as those who knew him best described him, a legend of colour and light and his legacy continues to live in every piece Magpie creates and in every life this studio has touched.
Today Scott Hart leads the collective, assisted by curious creator Tielman F de Villiers continuing the work that Shane and Scott built together with the same commitment to creativity, community and the transformation of the ordinary into the extraordinary.The work — bespoke, breathtaking and built from what the world throws awayMagpie's signature creations are their bespoke chandeliers, extraordinary, whimsical and deeply beautiful objects crafted from recycled, upcycled and repurposed materials that most people would look at and see nothing but rubbish. Bottle tops, tin, glass, plastic, found objects, memorabilia — in the hands of the Magpie collective these materials become objects of genuine wonder that have found their way into private homes, public buildings and some of the most significant spaces in the world.
Two Magpie chandeliers once hung in the Obama family's private quarters during their time at the White House, perhaps the most remarkable and enduring testament to what this small Barrydale studio has achieved. Long after the Obama presidency, that story continues to define Magpie's place in the world, proof that the most extraordinary art does not always come from the most expected places.
A collection bin sits on the studio veranda and residents of Barrydale bring their recyclable materials throughout the week, meaning that every piece Magpie creates is rooted in the community and the landscape that surrounds it. The collective has also run an income-generation project for semi-skilled and unemployed Barrydale residents, teaching skills and creating sustainable livelihoods, a reflection of the social conscience that has been at the heart of Magpie from its very first day.
Their work has decorated the African Room at Sorgvry House of Guests and contributed to the interior design of the Karoo Art Hotel — meaning that Magpie's creative fingerprints are all over the most characterful and celebrated spaces in Barrydale.The gallery — open doors and open mindsVisiting Magpie is one of those Karoo escape experiences that simply cannot be replicated anywhere else on the R62. Their gallery operates on a beautifully simple principle, if the doors are open, they are open. No fuss, no ceremony. Just extraordinary art in a space that rewards the curious and the unhurried in equal measure.
Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10h00 to 17h00 and Sundays from 09h00 to 13h00. Closed Saturdays and Mondays.27 Van Riebeeck Street, Barrydale, 6750
Phone: 079 318 4289
Email:
[email protected]Facebook: Magpie Art Collective
And if your time in Barrydale, in this town of artists, creators, distillers, winemakers and people who chose a life of genuine intention, leaves you wondering what it might feel like to live here permanently, Ruth Goodman at Dormehl Phalane Property Group Barrydale and Overberg would love to show you what property in Barrydale looks like right now.
Ruth: 074 142 2861
[email protected]www.dpgbarrydaleoverberg.com