A butterfly flaps its wings in Brenton...
KNYSNA - The first piece in Knysna's interactive art project has fallen into place with the completion of the brand-new Wall of Wings at the top of the steps that meander down to Brenton-on-Sea beach. The wall is made up of a mosaic of tiles in varying shades of blue fronted by a steel cutout of the endemic Brenton Blue butterfly. The wall was unveiled by representatives of the organisations involved in the interactive art project during a small invitation-only ceremony on Friday 13 August. The stunning wall offers tourists a brand-new photo opportunity, as they can stand on the step below the wall and 'spread their wings' in front of and along with the butterfly. The wall is the culmination of months of hard work by representatives from Visit Knysna, Knysna Municipality, and the Knysna Arts Society (Kas), alongside residents of Brenton-on-Sea. Speaking at the unveiling, Visit Knysna manager Colleen Durant expressed her pride in the project. "Having interactive photo opportunities at Brenton-on-Sea has always been a goal of mine, and while selfie frames were the initial idea, I think this is so much better and prettier," Durant said.
Kas chairperson Helena Gerber was grateful for the hard work done. "This has really been a project where everyone has contributed and played a massive role, and I am so proud of what has been achieved," she said. Knysna Ward 5 councillor Hilton Stroebel was also present at the ceremony and stated his delight. "The residents of my ward have taken the beautification of the area into their own hands and I am extremely proud of that," he said. While a special project in its own right, Brenton-onSea's Wall of Wings is only a small piece of the puzzle. At Brenton alone, it stands alongside a beautiful array of mosaic installations scattered along the benches and tables at lookout points, along with the mosaic pieces that now cover the steps down to the beach. On a larger scale it is also part of the Knysna Art Project, which will see a total of six interactive art projects installed in the greater Knysna area.
These include an impressive sculpture at Judah Square; a giant nautilus made from stainless steel and indigenous wood in front of the SANParks offices at Thesen Harbour Town on Thesen Islands; Knysna's CBD will be cheered with the Knysna in Bloom flowerpots being turned into creative canvasses for contributing artists; a "boardwalk" at Buffalo Bay comprising a series of surfboards painted by local artists; and in Sedgefield a mosaic VW beetle by NPO Masithandane, which will be the latest addition to the Slow Town's Mosaic Route.
For the time being, if you want to get your hands on a special Brenton Blue butterfly key ring, you need to head over to Brenton and snap a photo in front of the Wall of Wings and upload it onto Instagram along with the hashtag #BrentonOnSea. Then tag Visit Knysna, and if you are one of the first 100 people to do so, you can take proof of your upload and collect your key ring at Brenton Haven.
This competition will run from midday Friday 20 August until end of day Monday 23 August.
You can also follow @VisitKnysna on Instagram to catch any updates on the art projects around the area.
All in all, every piece forms part of a greater project to re-establish Knysna as the prime destination for art lovers in South Africa.