ON THE WALL As part of an initiative by House Union Block, Cape Town’s artists and artisans are putting their mark on the city TEXT MALIBONGWE TYILO PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED
If you take moment and look up as you walk past the unmissable cobalt blue Union House building on Cape Town’s Commercial Street, somewhat nestled between the Parliament buildings on one end of the street and the Cape Town police station on the other, you might spot the relatively small yet striking mosaic artwork that depicts a flower, which simultaneously seems to resemble a human figure, bent over carrying a sphere that represents our planet on their back. Made up of tiles in shades of blue, red, green and other colours, it is no taller that 50 centimetres and no wider than a 30-centimetre ruler. Should you walk another kilometre further into the city and find yourself on Bree Street in front of the entrance to the Cape Heritage Hotel, you’ll be in for another similarly sized artful surprise when you look up above its door. This time around, the mosaic tiles depict a bird in flight. Unveiled in May this year, the two pieces are interpretations of artworks from Cape Town artists Kilmany-Jo Liversage and Robyn Pretorius, respectively. Both were made in collaboration with graduate artisans from the Spier Arts Academy as part of Guerilla Mosaic Bombing, a long-term public art project initiated by House Union Block (HUB), the commercial arm of the Spier Arts Trust. The trust provides artists with commercial opportunities through non-traditional gallery spaces, such as interdisciplinary collaborations with interior designers, furniture and lighting designers, as well as architects. The two artworks are just the beginning of the project which, in its first phase, will see eight Cape Town artists collaborate with 15 graduate artisans from the Spier Arts Academy to create various pieces of public art in mosaic tiles. “Public art can be a sort of equaliser, an experience that all of us can access while walking on the street. There is a body of research that shows that in places where there's public art, there is a greater sense of community. Businesses and constituents tend to pull together to make sure that the environment is safe,” says Mirna Wessels, CEO of the Spier Arts Trust and HUB. “The idea actually came from our partner on the project, Victoria Engelhorn, who is a director at Habitus [the Cape Town-based sustainable city development specialists]. She's very passionate
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CLOUT 2022
