Playing tricks

Another scorcher of a day. And sizzling in the hot sun is the new sculpture on the Alma Mater plaza between the Kramer Law Building and the new Student Administration Building on the University of Cape Town's middle campus, where the annual Summer School is in full swing. The artist, Charles Diamond, says that "the dogwatch" is a nautical term for the hours between late afternoon and night, when fading light can play tricks on the eyes. "It's difficult for me to explain the piece, so when people ask me what it is, I usually just say, 'it's about seven and a half tonnes'."