Branches

In 2006 a giant 200 years old wild mahogany tree fell at Mitchell Park, Durban. For years the City had tried to prop it up but to no avail. Bolts and screws were used. When it finally collapsed its body was riddled with metal pieces - a reminder of the Industrial Revolution that it had witnessed. What other memories did it have? Where it was chained, it echoed the heartbreaking memories of the Slave Trade. I approached the City to give me the tree to carve. I embarked on a project to produce a series of 20 sculptures highlighting some of the key moments in the 200 years of its existence. The pieces range from Phallic Imperialism, through heroic slaves such as Toussaint L’Ouverture to the Rivonia Conspiracy.