Machine_ is a South African creative solutions agency that says that it is a keen supporter of Mandela Day.

"In the past, Machine_ used to donate 67 minutes of our collective time to good causes. But when the pandemic hit, we had to think of new ways to make sure everyone could participate, no matter where they were working or living, to support those in need,” says Robyn Campbell, Machine_ managing director in Cape Town.

The brand says that key creative staff members at Machine_ volunteered their time to create unique artworks, inspired by Mandela. These artworks were put into an online raffle, whereafter the proceeds were donated to a good cause.

According to the brand, this will be the third staging of the Machine_67 campaign and the second time that Machine_ is partnering with the Blackboard Community.

"In 2021, we raised over R10 000 for Blackboard, which is a non-profit that is committed to transforming the creative industry from the ground up," says Lindsey Rayner, Machine_ managing director in Johannesburg. "After the raffle closed and we had tallied the donations, we also invited Blackboard schoolgoers to spend the day in the office with us, learning about the world of advertising and interacting with key players in the industry. It was a great success."

Individuals can watch the video here.

The team at Machine_ says that it hopes to raise even more in 2022, setting its goal at R15 000.

"At Machine_ we understand how important it is to develop young talent. We have an internal programme called The Forge, which aims to find and shape undiscovered talent, with a view to making our industry more accessible. Blackboard's slogan is 'democratising creativity — so it's a great alignment for us to be working with them on this campaign," says Campbell.

"It's vital to support a cause, which unearths diverse talent in the South African advertising landscape because we know we need it," says Jabulani Sigege, executive creative director at Machine_ in Cape Town. 

Sigege concludes, "Our talented staff members not only get to showcase their creativity, but also create a pipeline to untapped talent. Talent that can be mentored and exposed to advertising as a career opportunity from high school."

In 2022, nine of Machine_'s staff members donated their time to each create a unique piece of art inspired by Nelson Mandela — which adds an additional link to Mandela Day itself. 

The art pieces are titled as follows:

1. Reconciling Truth is a charcoal and pastel drawing by Marnus Nieuwoudt
2. Synchronicity is an illustration by Vuyani Masango
3. I Never Lose is an illustration by Katya Wagner
4. Rising is an acrylic painting by Marissa Steyn
5. I pretended to be a drone is a photograph by Celeste Jacobs
6. One Street At A Time is a photograph by Roderick Laka
7. Elephant - Wisdom is a photograph by Louw Strydom
8. Ubuntu is an illustration by Riyaaz Freeman, and
9. End of silence is a drawing by Francois Coetzee.

According to the awards. individuals who wish to support the initiative and stand the chance of winning one of the artworks can simply donate R50, or more, via Quicket.

The competition closes on Monday, 18 July at midnight. Winners are then randomly chosen and the artwork will be sent to them.

All the funds raised will then get donated to Blackboard along with another day of creativity, learning and exploration hosted at the agency for the Blackboard students.

For more information, visit www.thisismachine.co.za. You can also follow Machine_ on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.