My residency at Witklipfontein with the South African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA) was a deeply enriching and fruitful time. The quiet expansiveness of the landscape and the rhythm of working in this setting gave me the space to engage fully with my practice and to experiment with new ideas.
The three pieces I created during my residency were directly inspired by the environment. I was struck by the use of mud in the building of walls and by the presence of San rock art in the area, and I wanted to explore these elements in a playful yet contemplative way.
One of the works, "Dust to Dust," began with the question of how to work with mud as material. While hiking, I came across a vertebra whose form resembled a spaceship. This found object became central to the work, sparking the idea of creating a piece that recalls an archaeological dig site. The string fence surrounding the sculpture suggests the careful excavation of something ancient slowly emerging from the earth. Philosophically, it evoked for me the phrase “from dust you came,” a reminder of mortality, decay, and the finitude of life, but also of renewal and rebirth.
The two other pieces—a landscape and a multimedia work—draw more directly from Witklipfontein’s environment, reflecting both the visible surface of the land and the hidden layers beneath it.
I must make note of the truly positive experience I had in sharing the space with Sybren and getting to share ideas around art that I have found to be truly invigorating. Of course, I must also say thank you to Xavier for welcoming so warmly and for the wonderful opportunity at Witklipfontein.
This residency has been invaluable, allowing me to enter into dialogue with the landscape, with history, and with material in a way that will continue to shape my practice. I am grateful to SAFFCA and Pierre, and to everyone on the team at Witklipfontein that I met - Mike, Nadia, Tatenda, Dumisani, and Martin - for their generosity, support, and care in making this experience possible.
