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| White Stinkwood in the morning - like elephant tracks |
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| Elephant track in Imfolozi |
First describe then explain ... first the 'what' then the 'why'. Does this mean that each blog post must have 2 paragraphs?
The White Stinkwood tree in front of the house provides perches and food for the birds and our early morning entertainment. We always have coffee and watch the sun rise and how the world wakes up. Staring at the stinkwood I noticed the twigs and the patterns that they make, and like when one stares at clouds and imagines all sorts of creatures, I see all sorts of things in these branches. I once saw a scorpion and it has now disappeared.
I think I knew that elephant tracks are like fingerprints, in that no two are the same and can be used to identify individuals, and Nunu confirmed it. I realised that these track patterns could be used as a reference when designing indigenous jewellery. A way of using elephants without being too explicit, which is one of the aims when trying to develop creative design; go beyond the obvious, beyond the cliche. Nunu then pointed out, to my delight, that the students have their own unique pattern references in the palm of their hands.
