Kowie’s next big thing
Whale tail part of plans to beautify town’s in-between spaces
Supporters standing on Port Alfred’s famous arched Nico Malan bridge at last weekend’s RMB University Boat Race had plenty to look at while they waited for their teams to make their way down the river to the finish.
But one thing would have caught their eye immediately: the life-sized tail of a whale painted on the roof of the Port Alfred River and Ski Boat Club.
At one end of the roof they would also have noticed a relatively discreet logo for BUCO – and that’s the clue.
Store Operator of the Port Alfred hardware store, Gerhard van der Walt, said: “An opportunity came up after discussions between myself and the Ski Boat Club regarding branding options on the roof of the club.”
They struck a deal and BUCO got carte blanche to brand the roof as they saw fit.
But instead of going full BUCO logo on the roof, they decided to try make it more town friendly.
“We were aiming from the start for something that would tell a story of the town, make it an art piece for all to enjoy,” Van der Walt said.
Port Alfred Ratepayers and Residents Association chairperson Lindsay LuppnowBurrow hooked him up with street artist Mook Lion and creative project management team from advertising and marketing agency BranderKemp – “and the rest is on the roof”.
Van der Walt said he hoped Port Alfred’s residents appreciated the gesture and the beautiful art piece.
“Thank you to all involved for the hard work,” Van der Walt said. “This could not have been easy with all the challenges presented to the artist.”
Lion said: “I get excited when I am offered a large space in the public realm.
“The corrugated roof of the Kowie Ski Boat Club is massive but seen from the road at an oblique angle. I knew it was a challenging surface.
“I decided to reflect a whale’s tail, the second before it disappears below the surface of the sea. Simple enough to be recognised easily while still telling the story of the place where the vast ocean meets the Kowie River and town of Port Alfred.”
But indeed there were challenges.
First, he and assistant Macdonald Nkonyana spent two days scrubbing lichen off the roof to achieve a good surface for painting.
“It was exhausting!” said Lion [TOTT tried unsuccessfully to reach Nkonyana for his comment].
Then, proving that even the most meticulous planning does not necessarily translate to perfection, after the first attempt, they realised they would have to redo it.
“My initial rendering of the tail looked amazing from the drone view, but was illegible from the road, the vantage point from which it is primarily seen,” said Lion.
“Artwork in the public space is often scrutinised and the pressure to satisfy the public mounted. Eventually, we managed to manipulate the perspective to reflect a brief moment of beauty.
“The mural has an element of ambiguity and requires the viewer to focus in order to decipher its meaning which quickly vanishes, like the tail of a whale, as the viewer travels over the bridge.
“It’s part of celebrating the beauty of the ocean and Port Alfred as a coastal town.
“A massive thank you to BUCO, Brander-Kemp and the PA Ski Boat Club for the opportunity and Macdonald for the assistance.”