A CENTURY IGNITED
AECI is a proud legacy organisation whose history closely
mirrors the industrial progress of South Africa as a whole.
As they prepared to mark their centenary year, TPA was invited by AECI CEO Holger Riemensperger
to help honour 100 years of excellence – and, equally importantly, to celebrate a bold,
unflinching vision for its next
100 YEARS OF IMPACT.
Centre stage was a beautiful and thoughtfully curated anthology, A Century Ignited, which celebrated
the diverse voices, stories, and legacies that make up the AECI tapestry.
But this was always going to be more than just a book launch.
WHAT WE BUILT
TPA designed a cinematic, future-facing celebration rooted in storytelling. A Century Ignited became the centrepiece of a multisensory experience that combined:
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A tactile, walkable exhibition
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Three original short films brought to life through animated line drawing
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Live orchestration and custom musical scoring
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Storytelling by South African living legend Gcina Mhlophe
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Ancestral tributes, gumboot dancers, archival materials, and staged monologues that paid tribute to the deeply human spirit of this industrial giant
Each moment was choreographed not just to look beautiful, but to be meaningful – evoking awe, pride, and deep emotional connection across every tier of AECI’s past and present.
WHAT CHANGED?
AECI’s legacy became a living conversation, and a shared identity – not rooted in where we’ve come from, but in where we’re headed.
Stakeholders, in reflecting on the past, recommitted to the future.
The idea of excellence was no longer framed as a reputation to protect, but as a responsibility to carry forward.
And everywhere you looked – from dignitaries and board members to employees and partners – the message had landed: This work matters. This work continues.​
As AECI incoming chair Philisiwe Sibiya aptly reflected:
“The legacy I am inheriting – one that I commit to honouring and building on with the same energy and conviction as those who came before – lies in the firm conviction: Our best days are ahead of us.”
AECI’s story is the story of South Africa.
But it is no longer just the story of a single industrial nation. It is the story of a global, future-facing
organisation building across borders, innovating across sectors, and carrying forward a legacy not of what
was, but of what is waiting.
