Folding craft into art, a parallel purpose

The Balvenie’s awareness drive is in full swing. After the first tasting and sneak peek late August, the spotlight is now fully on sculptural paper artist Maia Lehr-Sacks, whose bespoke installations are on display at Norman Goodfellows Fourways, Kyalami, and Melrose Arch.

Drawing inspiration from The Balvenie’s Five Rare Crafts, Maia has created her own interpretation, her Five Pillars of Craft: process, material, memory and intention, repetition, and transformation.

To mark this milestone, an intimate evening was hosted at Norman Goodfellows Fourways, where Maia’s installation was revealed to the public for the first time. You could sense the pride and relief on Maia’s face as the work finally met the public eye. This installation also marks a first: Maia becomes the inaugural artist to showcase a Balvenie Makers Project piece in-store in the country, something competitors had been doing for years, and a milestone moment for the brand.

Five Pillars of Craft: process, material, memory & intention. Photo: Supplied

Maia Lehr-Sacks Five pillars of craft. Photo: Supplied

The Makers Project. Photo: Supplied

The collaboration feels natural. Whisky-making and paper artistry both share values of patience, precision, and human touch, qualities at the heart of true craft.

Craft meets artistry

Maia’s warmth, energy, and genuine passion made it clear why The Balvenie selected her from many other creatives. Just as the distillery’s Five Rare Crafts, homegrown barley, owned cooperage, working floor malting, copper stills, and the malt master define its whisky, Maia’s pillars reflect her approach to making.

“Each fold holds memory. Each crease is deliberate,” she reflects. “The hours of folding, the physical strain, and the quiet repetition all live inside the work. That’s the craft. That’s the soul of it.”

The installation

Made from patchwork paper, the sculptures are pleated, suspended, and full of rhythm, catching light and shadow in constant movement. Fragile yet disciplined, the pieces capture a duality present in both art and whisky.

As Maia explained, “This project consumed my life for the past couple of months.” Every fold, material, and repetition is part of that process, intention, and transformation.

The installation will be on display for six weeks, an invitation to step inside, reflect, and experience craft in a new form.