What is it with shows at the Cape Town Convention Centre that the organizers feel they have to get the public to vote on their favourite wine (WineX) or in the case of the recent Design Indaba, the pompously and incorrectly named Most Beautiful Object in South Africa which the Lily Pad Ring below, nominated by the editor of Visi magazine, purports to be.  This competition makes the same mistake as prickly wine entrepreneur Robin von Holdt, that the best performing among the 400-odd wines submitted to his show constitute the Top 100 wines in SA.  But at least the designers did not import a bunch of UK free-loaders (sorry “judges”) to judge the nominations like Robin does.

Surely the Most Beautiful Object at the Design Indaba – MBOATDI – is all that can be said of this ring?  And who nominated the finalists?  Was a “none of the above” option available for the public who sent SMSs and voted online?  Imagine where fine art would be if it depended on public popularity.  But then Porchie is way better than Picasso, as any parent of a child who can paint, will tell you.