View of Zeitz MOCAA in the Silo District, architecture by Heatherwick Studio PHOTO Iwan Baan
The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town attracts roughly 24 million
The V&A Waterfront
visitors each year and is most frequently thought of as a shopping destination, with Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, the Watershed, Alfred Mall, the Clock Tower, Dry Dock District, Breakwater and, its most recent addition, the Silo District.
T
he V&A Waterfront isn’t all about rampant
which dates back to 1725 and is the harbour’s oldest
materialism and hedonistic pleasures. It is still a
heritage site. The grand old Castle of Good Hope and its
fully functioning harbour; there are attractions for
coastal cannon batteries like the Chavonnes Battery and the
the history buffs; and, of course, with the opening
Amsterdam Battery were the watchdogs that guarded Table
of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), the
Bay and its road-stead from invaders in the 17th, 18th and
Silo District has become one of the most important exhibition
19th centuries.
spaces of contemporary art in South Africa. The V&A (Victoria & Alfred) Waterfront was named
Foreign ships making landfall at the Cape were expected to fire a salute of blank shots on entering the bay, not only
after Prince Alfred, who tipped the first load of stone to start
to signal their friendly intentions but also as a greeting. The
the construction on the harbour in 1860, and his mother,
salute would be answered by the coastal fortifications – on
Queen Victoria. The V&A Waterfront encompasses many
the understanding that a volley of cannonballs might meet a
landmarks, including the Chavonnes Battery fortification,
ship that did not fire a greeting.
38 / Creative Feel / December 2018 / January 2019
