ORGANISERS of the annual PPC Imaginarium Awards closed their online registration yesterday four months after they officially opened in July this year for the 2019 edition.
BY LIFE &STYLE REPORTER
Launched by renowned cement company PPC Ltd, the PPC Imaginarium Awards gives emerging creatives the chance to showcase their talent in six categories —film, fashion, jewellery, sculpture, architecture and industrial design.
The organisers said the prestigious competition invited creatives to test their skills in producing innovative works using Portland cement-based concrete and entrants stand to win their share of publicity, mentorship opportunities and substantial cash prizes.
“The competition focuses on the use of the concrete medium as an art form and was launched locally in 2017 to an overwhelming response from local artists and creative practitioners. The medium of concrete presents an exciting new challenge for artists within Zimbabwe, a country well-known for its soapstone sculptures,” reads the organisers’ statement in part.
They said Zimbabwean entrants will have the opportunity to attend a series of free workshops after completing the entry registration process.
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The workshops are scheduled to run from January 15 to 25 next year in Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare.
“At the end of the workshop, participants will be given PPC cement and Chryso products to assist them with completing their physical submissions. Once the physical submissions have been judged, the winning entries for each category will be announced at a gala event at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare, on May 30 2019.”
In the inaugural round of the competition in Zimbabwe, the bulk of the works entered was sculpture and fashion-related, with Victor Nyakauru winning the prize with his sculpture work, Bread and Butter Issues, while Sandra Matamisa clinched the fashion award with her piece called New Dispensation.
Neville Starling and Ska Sebata got honourable mention awards with Whose Memory, Whose Place and Untitled respectively and these works were then exhibited at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
The competition is run in Zimbabwe and South Africa and has seen many of its past entrants and finalists go on to become recognised in the arts and business community.
The awards are open to artists, designers and architecture students living in South Africa and Zimbabwe.