2006-12-08Staff Report 2 "By Rolf Hansen THE Atlantic seashore along Swakopmund will not only bare the cold Benguela sea-current this coming December, but also the fruits of one of Namibia's greatest contributors to the fine arts. As the sun descends along the west coast of Namibia, as if by magic or hallucination, one notices the ""beings"" crawling out of the cold waters and up along the beach. This is Helena Brandt's ""Coming Ashore"" installation - an artwork masterpiece unlike we have seen in Namibia for a while. Sitting in her Klein Windhoek home, preparing for opening day and describing the exhibition floor plan, Helena explains: ""When one looks back into the history of a country, many different visions over a long period of time arise. At the same time, when you sit next to the ocean you can also experience visions as the waves roll onto the sand."" This is what inspired Helena to create a masterpiece exhibition with a rather awkward twist for the not-so-informed art lover. Those who really appreciate and have had the pleasure to experience one of her exhibitions will, without a doubt, be awestruck at this masterpiece. ""I had the vision of cattle and people from different cultures drifting out of the waves and onto the beach,"" she explains as to how the idea came about. A mixture of sculptures, rocks and dolls will be used during the installation. These will be set up along the seashore, from where the waves meet the land, up to higher ground, creating the effect of life evolving from ""ship-wreck"" or ""drift"", to modern creation and life form. The installation is a continuity of the ""doll"" series Helena created in 2003 and this time around fuses art and human interaction to create the art magic, by inviting the viewer to make his or her contribution to the exhibition. This is done by placing pebbles, drawing formations, or adding any other natural element to create a circle, representing the eternal circulating life force that, through interaction by each other, makes life so interesting. The installation runs from 10 to 18 December at the beach behind Tiger Reef Bar in Swakopmund. An official opening will be held on 10 December at 18:00 by Me Jacky Asheeke CEO of FENATA . So, this December, do yourself a favour and get that art blood pumping - if only for a few minutes - and come along to the beach, where aquatic life, meets land life. Make your lasting impression in this unique art installation and remember your 2006 summer as a contributing artist to one of the greatest art productions of the year!" 2006-12-08Staff Report 2
