The Making of A Living Stellenbosch Constellation
How Lyndi Sales Created a Unique Artwork that Pays Tribute to 50 Years of Client Collaboration
At Stonehage Fleming’s annual Family Conference in South Africa, a unique experiment in collective creativity took place. Attendees were invited to leave more than just their thoughts; they were asked to leave their mark - a signature, a first name, or a simple hand-drawn symbol - on small slips of paper.
Today, those individual fragments have been transformed into a vibrant, permanent fixture within the architecture of our Stellenbosch office. The resulting artwork, created by renowned South African artist Lyndi Sales, is a living record of a moment in time and a powerful symbol of the multi-generational journey we have shared with our clients over the 50 years since Stonehage Fleming was founded.
Why Lyndi Sales?
Selecting an artist for such an important commission required a careful balance of technical skill and philosophical alignment. Stonehage Fleming was drawn to Lyndi Sales because her work exists at the fascinating intersection of science, spirituality, and nature.
"We were presented with many options, but the piece needed to be collaborative," explains Stonehage Fleming Director Monean Winterbach, who commissioned the artwork on behalf of the family office. "Lyndi’s use of individual units of paper and her themes, which often mirror the rings of a tree or natural elements, resonated with our corporate positioning. To us, those rings represent the generations of families we serve".
The creative process: From fragments to harmony
Lyndi’s work is deeply inspired by her Cape Town origins, drawing on the rich biodiversity of the ‘fynbos’ shrubland and the intelligence of natural ecosystems. For this project, she used recycled mapping paper from a local map depot, turning a material traditionally used for charting landscapes into a surface to explore human connections.
Her process is known for its meditative quality. She starts by hand-painting large sheets with ink and acrylic washes, carefully creating a transition from light to dark to produce a subtle, luminous ombre effect. These sheets are then cut into smaller pieces and layered into intricate, rhythmic geometric patterns. When it was time to include the names from the conference, Lyndi saw each piece of paper as an individual "frequency" or "fragment." "I loved the idea that the work would literally grow out of the people who were present in that room," Lyndi says. "Each name carries the gesture and rhythm of a person. On its own, it is personal; together, they create a collective presence."
A dialogue with the infinite
The artwork is designed to operate on two levels. From afar, the viewer perceives a structured visual language of order and rhythm. As you get closer, the layers expose the "traces of human presence", the hints of human signatures and subtle irregularities that make the piece personally meaningful. Lyndi often describes her role as a "vessel," tapping into rhythms found in music, nature, and even ancient history. She draws inspiration from the 12th-century mystic Hildegard von Bingen and the vibrant colour palettes of indigenous cultures in Nepal and Peru. This "otherworldly" energy is palpable in the Stellenbosch piece, which pulses with watery blues and vibrant, sun-like oranges.
A resonating presence
For Stonehage Fleming, the artwork is a "store of value" in both financial and emotional sense. It reminds us that our business is built on a foundation of real people and shared intentions. As Lyndi eloquently summarises: "The fact that the work will live permanently in the Stonehage Fleming space in Stellenbosch is meaningful to me because it allows that moment to continue resonating. The people who were present at the conference become part of the architecture of the place, almost like a constellation embedded in the building".
Next time you visit our Stellenbosch office, we invite you to pause for a moment. Stand before the "constellation" and see if you can find a trace of a signature, perhaps even your own, within the greater whole.