Hope on the Black River
THE Statue of Hope has returned and will keep a watchful eye over the assault of plastic waste and pollution in Cape Town with her new eco-friendly floating base, situated in the waterway near the N2 interchange.
Art film director and creator of the statue, Fred du Preez, partnered with Plastics SA and Envirolite Concrete to communicate the importance of environmental sustainability and keeping plastic pollution out of the environment by making a new base for the statue of Hope that now floats along the Black River.
The statue had appeared, disappeared and reappeared so many times in the river over the years, said Du Preez, that he endeavoured to secure an eco-friendly floating base for it to continue symbolising cleanliness and positivity to the Cape.
“With all the political distress in our country, Hope stands to remind people of their own capabilities and light amidst it all. What I never expected was for people, particularly women, to view her as a symbol of strength,” said Du Preez.
Envirolite Concrete head of technical Hilton Cowie said that the organisation connected with the project because of shared values.
“We aim to produce lightweight concrete products using only recycled polystyrene aggregate, which is why we were excited to work on a project like this with Fred that promotes keeping plastic pollution out of the environment and the river,” said Cowie.
He said the new base was made using recycled polystyrene, mixed with a special cement aggregate to ensure the statue remained above the water.
One of the statue’s key elements is the orange orb she carries, which Du Preez said received positive energy.