October 22, 2007
By Millicent Kgowedi
ARTIST Clive van den Berg was praised at the official unveiling of his Eland statue at the Gateway site in Braamfontein.
Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, members of the mayoral committee, and other City officials gathered at the huge concrete statue on the corner of Bertha and Ameshoff streets on Thursday, 18 October for the event.
The statue unveiled: Joburg's executive mayor Amos Masondo is aided by the artist Clive van den Berg, mayoral committee member for development planning and urban management Ruby Mathang, and the City's director of art, culture and heritage services Steven Sack
Multicoloured balloons were tied to the sculpture, which is 5,5 metres tall and weighs 20 tons. The public art project was the idea of the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and the Braamfontein Improvement District.
Metro police cars, a marquee and the shining lights caused passers by to stop and stare and students from the surrounding residential buildings to come over for a look.
Honour
"It is such an honour to be here today to unveil this piece of art, which contributes to making public spaces attractive," Masondo said. "[Eland] brings an enormous amount of energy to the area."
It contributed to the City's aim to make Joburg the cultural hub of Africa. "Over the years the City has joined initiatives that promote public art and the transforming of our public spaces into beautiful places using the medium of art. This is also part of the City's regeneration initiative that started a number of years."
Masondo named Ghandi and Mary Fitzgerald squares, and the Brickfields housing development as some of the examples that indicated the success of the City's regeneration initiatives. "These developments are promoting the city in many ways."
The eland in Braamfontein: 'This particular piece of art takes public art to a whole new level'
Its director of arts, culture and heritage services, Steven Sack, said that a significant contribution was made by the council to promoting this form of art. "This particular piece of art takes public art to a whole new level."
Explaining his thoughts behind the work, the artist, Van den Berg, said: "My ambition was a simple one - that of beauty … Our lives are enriched with beauty and that was my motivation."
A rather reserved man, he added that the beauty of Eland would be fully visible when the plants on the sides and on the cement structure grew. "It should take a few years for the plants to fully grow."
Joburg Development Agency
The acting chief executive officer of the JDA, Rooksana Moola, explained that the eland was the largest antelope in the world, with a lifespan of 15 to 20 years.
Contributions from many people - from the JDA to property owners in the area - had added to the project's success. "Braamfontein has experienced positive developments and we thank all the people who make such initiatives possible. The JDA is committed to turning Braamfontein into a flourishing area."
Some of the contributors are Trinity Session - a contemporary art production team that runs The Premises, the Johannesburg Civic Theatre's art gallery, and that manages the Gateway project - and a committee of advisers that includes representatives from the City's department of arts, culture and heritage services; the Johannesburg Art Gallery; the University of the Witwatersrand's school of arts; and paper company Sappi.
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