The Most Amazing Teaset Ever
During a second artist residency in Jingdezhen, China, I made a tea set where the form was based on my favourite design object: The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa. This Monument was erected in 1949 to commemorate the Voortrekkers, a group of Dutch settlers who formed part of the Groot Trek (1835 - 1854) into the unknown depths of Africa in hopes to free themselves from English colonization.
I have always been intrigued by the symbolic tension this building represents. The Voortrekkers are my ancestors and I have always related to their strength and determination to be free, but their warped ideals regarding race relations were the cause of many of South Africa's problems. Due to Apartheid, the Monument also tells a very one-sided history, and fails to commemorate the tens of thousands of indigenous South Africans who were murdered while protecting their land.
With this tea set I want to give The Voortrekker Monument a Post-Apartheid make over, where all South Africans are celebrated equally. I based various elements on sculptures from the original Monument. The spout of the milk-jug is from the Ox sculpture above the Monument's front door. The Voortrekker woman and the Zulu warrior now enjoy equality in the context of my tea set.
With this tea set I want to give The Voortrekker Monument a Post-Apartheid make over, where all South Africans are celebrated equally. I based various elements on sculptures from the original Monument. The spout of the milk-jug is from the Ox sculpture above the Monument's front door. The Voortrekker woman and the Zulu warrior now enjoy equality in the context of my tea set.
