A new public art sculpture is set to be mounted on the Sea Point Promenade by the end of June. It is the result of a two-year collaboration with the Atlantic Seaboard ward (represented by Alderman JP Smith), the Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA), the City’s Arts and Culture Department and local sculptor Kevin Brand. Atlantic Seaboard community representatives and members of the media were invited to a preview of the almost complete artwork recently at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
Brand’s proposal was selected out of numerous applicants. He is a sculptor of international renown and employed at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Industrial Design Department. His sculpture is intriguing on many levels as it is interactive and it alludes to an interesting story of his childhood experience on the promenade.
At the preview Brand proudly drew back the blankets covering the artwork to reveal five white horses connected by a pipe network, then humbly announced, “I wanted to make the city more beautiful for my children.” He described the challenge of wanting to create a sculpture that was particular to the geography of the area, interactive, and not too expensive.
He drew his inspiration from his memory of the SS South African Seafarer that ran aground in a storm about 50 metres off the Mouille Point Lighthouse on 1 July 1966. On board were 63 crew and 12 passengers who all survived the shipwreck thanks to the heroic actions of the South African Air Force. Brand went on to describe that also on board the Seafarer was a large consignment of White Horse Whisky and miniature white plastic horses about the size of a thumbnail. 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 creative and inspirational result is five white horses each with a polished aluminium vuvuzela protruding from the mouth and tail region. Pipes hidden underground will connect the horses and people of all ages will be able to whisper messages into one end of a vuvuzela and have a friend discover which end the message is received at.
The horses will be placed on concrete bases and positioned at angles to imply their washed-up nature. At the base of each are the names of significant girls in Brand's life. Residents, visitors and all who appreciate the arts are sure to enjoy the craftsmanship, the tactile texture of the sculptures, the artist’s initials KB and the year 2010 on the saddles and the engaging circles recalling the original plastic injection mould marking of the originals.
In his address Alderman Smith, whose term of office ended on 18 May 2010, stated, “I’m passionate about public art and believe that a much greater commitment to public art is needed.” He went on to say that more artworks are in the pipeline for Cape Town and public art is one of the areas he would like to concentrate on in his future.