Talented Zimbabwean artist Godfrey Dambuleni, known for crafting works of art out of recycled materials, has created a seal sculpture made out of 3 000 used coffee capsules sourced from The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town. 

The eye-catching and 1.5-metre-high statue is an ode to The Table Bay’s hotel’s mascot Oscar, a large brass seal statue. The artwork aims to reaffirm the hotels’ commitment to sustainable and green-conscious practices. 

The creative behind it all 

Dambuleni has made a name for himself in the country by crafting one-of-a-kind artworks made from recycled materials. The successful artist operates out of his studio space in Salt River. Some of the raw materials used to create the art pieces include recycled tines, sheet metal, bicycle chains and used aluminium coffee capsules.

Inspired by the wilds of the African landscape, Dambuleni often creates trophy heads and sculptures depicting African animals. 

Dambuleni is no stranger to using aluminium coffee capsules to create art pieces, having crafted elephants, rhinos and more from the material. 

“Oscar was the first seal I had ever made and took me about three weeks to make. The aluminium coffee capsules are a useful material – being soft and malleable, they can be used in many ways. Before I can use them, my team cleans the coffee grinds out and flattens them to make small sheets of metal,” explains Dammbuleni.

The coffee grounds from the used capsules are also used as fertiliser to grow vegetables by Dambuleni and his team.

Sustainable practises 

According to the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), aluminium coffee capsules can take up to 500 years to fully biodegrade and as a result end up in oceans or landfills, further contributing to pollution and harming oceanic and natural wildlife. 

With this in mind, the incredible sculpture is not only a reminder of the hotel’s mascot but of the impact that aluminium coffee capsules have on the environment. 

Joanne Selby, General Manager of The Table Bay Hotel, points out that the hotel is committed to ensuring that plastic, cardboard, aluminium and glass items from the hotel are recycled. 

 “We seek to make every day recycling day and aim to set an example of good practice for travellers and businesses that are looking to take steps to reduce their impact on the environment. We partnered with Nespresso on this project as their aluminium capsules used at The Table Bay are infinitely recyclable, and we are excited to give Oscar the Nespresso seal pride of place.”