Walking the road to more public art
In 1994 South Africa took her first baby steps on the democratic path. We've grown up a bit, but are still walking the road to achieving our collective dreams as a nation.
'Walking the Road' is a new public art installation recently unveiled on the Sea Point promenade.
The works by Marieke Prinsloo-Rowe comprise an 18 sculpture narrative, 11 of a life size young girl in swimming costume, cap and goggles, and 7 of a dragonfly.
"The Little Girl in my fable-like interpretation represents a young South African democracy and the Dragonfly visualises a dream of freedom, equality and hope that we as a nation persue. On a personal level, it is also a reminder to each of us of the hope that we individually live for and of the dreams that mark our lives, our own story", says Prinsloo-Rowe
A story unfolds sculpture by sculpture, each piece set 78 m apart, as you walk the 1.1km along the promenade, with the sea on your one side the mountain and the Green Point Stadium on the other. Each viewer 'walks the road' alongside the sculpted narrative as they tell their story of learning how to fly piece by piece.
Marieke Prinsloo Rowe is a Western Cape based sculptor who has won numerous awards for her emotive and technically superb work. The collection of work she has done in the last 10 years has always focused on the human body, rendered close to realism. She is fascinated by the way in which viewers respond to human sculpture - the mimicking dialogue that is put in place. As she has always longed to make work that communicates clearly, the human body and its myriad of gestures offers her a wonderful vehicle for this communication
‘Walking the Road’ is the culmination of many years of contextual and physical work, as a proud South African, Marieke is excited to see the work go up as part of the World Cup celebrations.
"It would be a great honour to tell this story to my fellow South Africans as a homage to all who in their daily civilian life make the choice to 'Walk the Road' and in so doing, learn to fly", says Prinsloo-Rowe.
'Walking the Road' forms a live experiment as part of the artist's thesis which considers using narrative as a way of inspiring dialogue between us as the public and a public art piece. It is also acts as a pilot project towards a more detailed Public Art Policy for the City of Cape Town, with the hope that there will be more public art to follow in the City.
For more details view the Walking the Road website.
