THE PROCESS FOLLOWED IN APPOINTING THE NOBEL SQUARE ARTISTS 26 July 2005 After the public launch of the Nobel Square Project in December 2003, a search was initiated for an appropriate artist or artists to execute the project in a way that would do justice to the legacies each of South Africa’s four Nobel Peace Prize Laureates have contributed to the country’s national conscience and international stature. Identifying the artists This search was launched in January 2004 by the Nobel Square Technical Committee*, comprising Western Cape art and technical experts, and acting as advisory body to the Nobel Square Project Committee**, comprising representatives of the four Laureates, Western Cape Government, V & A Waterfront and the province’s tourism and arts sectors. After weeks of thorough research and wide-ranging consultations the names of ten of South Africa’s top artists who were able to produce portrait-like or representational images of the Laureates, were identified by the Technical Committee and recommended to the Project Committee. They were Bonita Alice, Andries Botha, Peter Hall, Noria Mabasa, Isaac Makaleni, Johannes Maswanganyi, Anton Momberg, Claudette Schreuders, Johannes Segogela and Willem Strydom. The artists, from as far as the Limpopo Province, Eastern Cape and the Karoo, were invited to Cape Town for a two-day briefing and orientation session and Nobel Square site visit. They also had the option of visiting a Cape Town foundry. After the public announcement of their names in March 2004, the artists were invited to submit maquettes (small models) and/or drawings of their proposals for the project to the Technical Committee. Eight of the artists indicated their willingness to participate in the project and submitted maquettes of one or more of the Laureates, as well as some proposals for Nobel Square, taking into account the idea of peace as a central theme in commemorating South Africa’s four Peace Prize Laureates. Evaluating the maquettes and proposals Within a month’s time the first round of maquettes and proposals were received and evaluated. Following lengthy discussions and certain recommendations by the Laureates’ representatives, three of the artists, Botha, Mabasa and Schreuders, were approached to form a working group and submit a combined proposal for Nobel Square. Together with a landscaping architect, they held a two-day workshop under the guidance of the Technical Committee in Cape Town in May 2004 and came up with an interesting proposal: Botha and Schreuders would sculpt the four Laureates, while Mabasa would produce a fifth element dealing with the peace theme. After this proposal was given the go-ahead by the Project Committee, Botha and Schreuders proceeded to make additional maquettes, while Mabasa returned to her home in the Limpopo Province where she began work on her proposal, a large clay sculpture based on images from her dreams. (This is how Mabasa’s works are normally conceived). Mabasa finished her proposal approximately six weeks later. It was viewed at her home by members of the Technical Committee, and a mould made from it on site in the course of October 2004. When the additional maquettes, submitted by Botha and Schreuders in June 2004, and later drawings were presented to the Technical and Project Committees, the general feeling was that the styles of the two artists were too different. In order to ensure that aesthetic coherence exists, that the sculptures retain likeness, and that the final product makes a lasting and stimulating contribution to public art and sculpture in South Africa, it was recommended that only one artist by asked to sculpt the four Laureates, namely Schreuders. The final proposal This recommendation by the Technical Committee was approved by the Project Committee, and Schreuders was asked to make four new maquettes of the Laureates before final approval could be given. She was also asked to liaise closely with the landscaping architect, Darryl Price-Lewis, on a final design for Nobel Square itself. Schreuders spent two months producing new maquettes in clay, before casting them in plastic for presentation to the Technical and Project Committees in January 2005. During this time she also attended research meetings with the three surviving Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and Luthuli family, to obtain accurate proportions, dimensions and measurements, as well as to discuss appropriate stances and gestures for the sculpted figures. At the beginning of 2005, the new maquettes, the proposed Peace and Democracy sculpture and a suggested layout for Nobel Square were presented to the four Laureates and/or their families, Western Cape Government and V & A Waterfront, for their approval. A step-by-step approval process followed, after which the proposal was approved in its entirety and 16 December 2005 set as the unveiling date. The layout of Nobel Square All five sculptures will be cast in bronze. The four Laureate sculptures will stand in the form of a crescent on a 50cm high granite plinth on Nobel Square, approximately 1,5m apart from each other. They will be slightly larger than life size. Preferred quotations by the Laureates in their chosen language will be engraved in front of each sculpture. Mabasa’s sculpture, a narrative work acknowledging the contribution of women and children to the attainment of peace in South Africa, will also be on a 50cm high granite plinth. The outer area of Nobel Square will be 605 square metres, while the inner granite area will be 386 square metres. Pinkish Namibian granite will be used and the sculptures and trees illuminated at night. The appointment of Claudette Schreuders and Noria Mabasa to produce the sculptures for Nobel Square is the result of a very thorough and serious process, and ongoing and extensive consultation with the Laureates and their representatives. Representatives of and some of the Laureates themselves recently visited Schreuders’ studio to view progress made with the sculptures. This process of close consultation will continue until the unveiling event. Prof Sandra Klopper Chairperson: Nobel Square Technical Committee * The members of the Nobel Square Technical Committee are Ralph Freese (Chairperson: Spier), Stanley Hermans (Art scholar and Critic), Prof Sandra Klopper (Head: Department of Fine Art, University of Stellenbosch) (Chairperson), Zwelethu Mthethwa (Full-time Artist), Hayden Proud (Curator: Iziko Museums), Prof Leon Strydom (Academic and Art Expert), Piet van Zyl (Executive Manager: Planning and Development, V & A Waterfront) and Prof Gavin Younge (Prof of Fine Art, UCT, and Sculptor). ** The members of the Nobel Square Project Committee are Dr Albertina Luthuli (Representative: Luthuli family), Rev Chris Ahrends (Executive Director: The Desmond Tutu Peace Centre), Dave Steward (Executive Director: The FW de Klerk Foundation), Shaun Johnson (CEO: The Mandela Rhodes Foundation), Dr Lionel Louw (Chief of Staff: Office of the Western Cape Premier) (Chairperson), Derick van der Merwe (MD: V & A Waterfront Company and Board Member: Cape Town Routes Unlimited), Prof Sandra Klopper (Head: Department of Fine Art, University of Stellenbosch, and Chairperson: Nobel Square Technical Committee), Hannetjie du Preez (Chief Director: Cultural Affairs, Western Cape Government) and Edgar Pieterse (Special Advisor: Office of the Western Cape Premier). .