Prof Gavin Younge, the artist who created a series of artworks marking the centenary of Rhodes University, is “devastated to see the damage that has been done to the artwork”.
The artwork he refers to is located on the lawns between the administration building, the Botanical Gardens and Eden Grove and was created by Younge in 2004.
Prof Gavin Younge, the artist who created a series of artworks marking the centenary of Rhodes University, is “devastated to see the damage that has been done to the artwork”.
The artwork he refers to is located on the lawns between the administration building, the Botanical Gardens and Eden Grove and was created by Younge in 2004.
The artist says the university executive has not communicated with him formally about the damage, although the head of Fine Art has contacted him to express his concern.
Life Cycle is a sparkling, almost complete circle of stainless steel bicycles which now leans to one side despite a notice pleading with people not to climb onto it and the metal is tarnished in places, with what looks like an abrasion after it wasn’t cleaned properly.
The damage is suspected to have happened on Wednesday evening or in the early hours of Thursday morning last week. Younge suspects negligence on the part of someone who was cleaning it as he saw metal polish on the bicycles upon closer inspection.
He was in Grahamstown last week as an external examiner and saw that the artwork had been damaged. Paul Mills, a local photographer and video-maker who took photographs of the damaged artwork, says that he suspects that a ladder was leaning against the sculpture.
“Someone who is not suitably competent perhaps leaned the ladder on the artwork while cleaning it, and they were also probably cleaning without any supervision.”
Mills says a ladder could have exerted the necessary pressure that caused the artwork to lean over. The incident was reported by a Campus Protection Unit (CPU) guard who noticed it while on duty.
It was also reported on Saturday morning to CPU by Prof Dominic Thorburn, head of the Fine Art Department.
Thorburn does not think that it was gradual damage as he says that the bicycles are structurally sound, being made from very tough stainless steel.
“It is highly likely that it was someone, or some people who climbed on the higher levels of the bicycles, either intentionally or as an innocent prank.”
He suggested that the university should offer a reward for anyone who has any useful information, or offer an opportunity for the guilty party to come forward of their own accord.
The Fine Art Department is also urging the university to come up with a policy for maintenance, cleaning and restoration of the various artworks around the campus.
So far there have been no leads, according to CPU manager Dave Charteris. “It’s a disgrace that people would treat valuable public artworks in this manner,” he said.
