The MiG-21 Project is a 5-year, multidisciplinary project that transforms a 51-foot by 24-foot decommissioned Cold War era, Soviet-designed MiG-21 fighter jet into a stunning work of art, entirely covered in tens of millions of colorful glass beads. The re-imagined jet turns an icon of violence into a symbol of resilience and collaboration.

The central element of the project is one of reclamation. An 11-ton, 9-foot-tall, 22-foot-long Casspir military vehicle, entitled SPOEK 1, its surfaces fully covered in elaborate, brightly-colored panels of glass beadwork. The work stems from the oppression of apartheid, but instead of focusing on the past, it reclaims the violent imagery and tools from that time, repurposing them as a vibrant celebration of South Africa’s creativity and community.