N3 sculpture turns heads
If you’ve been on the N3 driving near the Nottingham Road off-ramp and thought you saw a giant head (pictured) on the hillside near the Brahman Hills Estate, don’t be worried — you’re not seeing things.
The giant sculpture has been turning heads literally since the beginning of March when construction started. At first few knew what was taking shape with some assuming some sort of building was being constructed.
However, as construction continued observers started noticed the head of an angry giant emerging.
The eight-metre-tall sculpture (from ear-to-ear) is the work of a South African artist, Louis Van Den Heever. He said the giant head is made of sand bags that were stacked together and cemented.
He said that steel rods and other materials were used to bind the structure in place and keep the head from rolling down the hill.
Speaking to Maritzburg Sun, Tyron Selmon from Art Eye Gallery and curator of the sculpture garden at Braham Hills said the giant head sculpture had a significant meaning cautioning that disrespect of the earth would result in calamity.
“The giant is coming out of the ground angry at how we are not respecting the earth the way we should. He’s built on the side of the mountain looking at Giants Castle and is about to awaken the other giants and say to them it’s time they take control of the earth again and humans must be careful.
“As Africans we are all traditional storytellers and this is about going back to telling stories of who we are. It’s about warning people driving past on the highway to reconnect again and to be respectful of the earth. Look after the earth because it looks after us. The giant was set out to get tongue-wagging people talking and is doing exactly that,” said Selmon.
Selmon said the owners of the Brahman Hills Estate were inspired to build the hotel and health spa to showcase what the Midlands and KwaZulu-Natal offers and for people to reconnect with the earth again.
The estate features a sprawling five-anda-half hectares of garden, comprising 26 distinct garden rooms designed by landscape artist Tim Steyn and featuring sculptures created by various artists.
Selmon said the Brahman Hills Experience which is set for May 10 to 12 is about putting the Midlands back on the map.
While many are not happy about the sculpture stating that it was posing a danger to motorists because drivers tend to focus more on it than on the road. Others, however, found it fascinating and wanted to know the story behind it.
Selmon said the sculpture of the angry giant will transform over time, blending into the mountain but changing colour.
“He’s an angry giant and needs some respect,” said Selmon, cautioning people not to try and reach him directly. Brahman Hills Estate does have a footpath that leads to a viewing spot across the hill from the sculpture.