Togetherness

Zimbabwean birds at Kirstenbosch. Far away from their warm, African home but enjoying a little watery sunshine. The scultpures are on sale from the Visitors Centre at Kirstenbosch.

From the horse's mouth

Five white horses at giddy angles, with a vuvuzela in their mouths. Decidedly wacky! But this is a serious piece of art by sculptor Kevin Brand, commissioned by the City of Cape Town for the Sea Point Promenade.
As the website alluded to above states, “The artwork alludes to an interesting story from Brand’s childhood experiences on the Promenade. He drew his inspiration from his memory of the SS South African Seafarer running aground during a storm about 50 metres from the Mouille Point Lighthouse on 1 July 1966. The 63 crew and 12 passengers on-board all survived the shipwreck thanks to the South African Air Force’s heroic action.
“At the sculpture’s unveiling, Brand explained that the ship’s cargo contained, among other things, some miniature white plastic horses. Brand says that the crashing white horses of the Atlantic Ocean washed these little white horses to shore and scattered them on the beach where he and many others delighted in finding the tiny treasures.
“The result of his experience is a depiction of five white horses, each with a polished aluminium vuvuzela protruding from both the mouth and tail. Underground tubing connects the horses, and passers-by can speak or blow into one end of a vuvuzela and have a friend hear the message on the other end.
“The horses are placed on concrete bases and positioned at angles which suggest a ‘washed-up’ feeling. The names of significant women in Brand’s life are etched below each horse.”

Hitching a ride

A major attraction at Cape Point is the baboons. This statue at Cape Point, close to the restaurant, aims to inform visitors about these animals and reminds them not to feed them - which is something that humans find incredibly difficult. What it this urge to feed animals? An interesting website to visit is Baboon Matters.

Nurturing mother - with chameleons

I came across this column outside the Kramer Law building on Middle Campus at the University of Cape Town recently - a bronze done in 1996 by Bruce Arnott, entitled Alma Mater. I was very taken with the chameleon crawling up the side. The heritage trail brochure says of it "This sculpture of a female figure used as a supporting column is referred to as a caryatid and is often associated with classical Greek figurines. However, it is not exclusively a western figure, since it is known from China, ancient Persia, West Africa and the Congo, particularly in the art of the Luba people. This caryatid symbolically combines the twin roles of authority and responsibility. The phrase, Alma Mater (Latin: ‘nurturing mother’), is often used to denote a school or university, and here we see the emblems of learning being generously offered by the stylistically evolved caryatid figure. The chameleons represent historical process and transformation."

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'."

A fierce hunger

Even fierce Cameroonian lions have a weakness for Kentucky Chicken! This handsome chap and the rest of his pride live on Cape Town's trendy Long Street.
PS. This photo was taken quite early in the morning, hence the empty street. Usually Long Street is packed.

Dancers in wood

Under the trees at the Montebello Design Centre in Newlands is the magical mysterious world of Right Mukore, a sculptor from Zimbabwe. Right sells his work, or takes commissions and will even teach you how to sculpt. There are other wonderful shops and studios to browse around, and coffee shops and restaurants to relax in too.