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Walter and Albertina Sisulu are an enduring
political love story, now represented in another of Joburg's new public art.
THE parents of the nation sit contentedly in
the CBD, with an air of quiet happiness, smiling gently at each another.
Walter Sisulu – sharp mind, selfless leader, friend of Nelson Mandela
The two lovebirds are Walter and Albertina
Sisulu, depicted in a new public artwork by Marina Walsh. It was erected by the
Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) on the intersection of Diagonal, Ntemi
Piliso and Market streets.
The figures, 2,2m in height, are in grey concrete,
her dress and his jacket painted a gentle blue. Around the concrete base are
the words: "Walter and Albertina Sisulu married in 1944. Through their enduring
love and dedication they became parents to the nation."
Four storyboards in the small triangle
explain their life together, as well as a bit of Johannesburg's history.
The sculpture, weighing 2,7 tons, captures
the love the couple had for one another - in the affectionate way they are
sitting facing one another, in the way they are focused on one another, in the
linking of their hands. Although they look at one another, they are also aware
of the world around them.
Political love story
"The artwork will commemorate an enduring political love story, expressing the
political values of solidarity and comradeship, while at the same time
supporting the family values of caring," said Antoinette Murdoch, the curator
of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, in January when the call for an artwork went
out.
Walsh says her original concept for the
sculpture was to have them seated on a Victorian love seat, looking at one
another, the perfect ying and yang. But she left it out as their bodies created
the seat. "From above they make the ying and yang circle," she explains.
MaSisulu, serene and compassionate
Walsh says she feels she won the brief to
do the artwork because she illustrated the pair as equals, sitting opposite one
another at the same height. "He treated her with utmost respect and equality."
She chose to work in concrete because she
wanted to create the sculpture to a certain scale, so that children could sit
on their laps. Children were very important in the Sisulus' lives, she adds, so
she wanted children to interact with the sculpture.
Honesty
Bronze was too expensive, Walsh felt, and while concrete is grey and neutral, it
is "quite a warm material" as well. She painted their clothing but nothing
else, leaving the faces grey, an effect that reflects "the honesty of their
faces". She feels that the colours complement the surrounding buildings,
something that she only realised when the sculpture was erected in August.
The sculpture sits at an angle, with Walter
facing his old real estate office in Master Mansions, on the corner of Ntemi Piliso
and Commissioner streets.
The work took the artist two months to
complete. She started with a polyurethane frame, making the heads in clay. It
was covered in plaster and a fibreglass mould was then made. This was sent to Pretoria to be cast in
cement, and Walsh then did the final touches.
She says the sculpture is likely to improve
with weathering. She is happy with the response of passers-by to the work.
"It has a nice vibe ... People have responded
in a positive way, saying they were two lovebirds. I feel very honoured to have
made it. They were a very sweet, happy couple."
Walter died in May 2003, at the age of 90,
in the arms of his wife. Albertina, who turned 91 in October this year, is now
very frail.
The small section of pavement on which the
sculpture sits has been repaved, together with the entire five blocks of Diagonal Street,
says Celestine Moutin, the development manager at the JDA. Stalls at the
traders' market at the northern end of Diagonal Street have been upgraded, and
all interleading streets around Diagonal
Street have been repaved. In all, the JDA has
spent R18-million on the upgrade, including the artwork.
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