If creating the 470 m2 Piazza Mosaic as part of Route 67 did one thing it was bringing vibrant colours to the Donkin Reserve. The mosaic has so many different pictures and figures that I literally see something new every time I visit the Donkin. One of the great things about it is the different angles you can look at it. Either close up or from a distance with the third option being from the top of the Donkin Lighthouse.
There are two way to walk up the Donkin Reserve from Chapal Street. The first is along the winding Voting Queue path and the second is straight up along the Mosaic Stairs. The Mosaic Stairs is a collaborative work by a group of mosaic artists and is an experiential journey that starts in the darkness and turbulence of the past (dark colours at the bottom) and progresses up to a new dawn and explosion (reds, oranges and yellows) of colours. The…
The untitled sculpture by Anton Momberg on the Donkin Reserve takes the form of a female figure without any distinct features and clothing. This leaves her neutral and open for conversation and interpretation rather than being a conceptionally specific piece. To me it also represents the women of Nelson Mandela Bay right from the early Khoi women who mined salt at Bethelsdorp, the Settler women who arrived on ships with their families in 1820 and Xhosa women who's men fought in…
Some people see gardening as a form of art while others just try their best to keep the weeds out. Few people know that one of the 67 art pieces on Route 67 is a garden. Not a pretty arty garden, but a garden of indigenous plants, mostly aloes, saved from sites being developed around Port Elizabeth.
Starting on Belmont Terrace right in front of the (unfortunately closed) King Edward Hotel and leading onto the Donkin Reserve is the Welcome Carpet art piece. This Route 67 art piece by Lisbet Demeyer is a Quartz Carpet with inlaid bead artwork and acts as a welcoming celebration of the Eastern Cape's cultures, leading the diverse visitors to the Donkin Reserve onto the park.
Route 67 has some very distinctive art pieces, some easily identified for what they are and others a little more abstract. At the bottom of the Donkin Reserve at the start of the winding Election Queue walkway stands the very abstract tower sculpture. The Tower Sculpture acts as a beacon at the start of the journey onto the Donkin Reserve. The design allows for the tower to respond to the surrounding elements to allow wind and light to bring it to life. …
Is it a surf board? Is it a sail boat? Is it a seat? Well, its kind of a combination of the lot. Windward is one (or rather three) of the art pieces forming part of Route 67 on the Donkin Reserve. The shape of the sculptured benches hint at Port Elizabeth's nautical history while the title refers to city's "Windy City" nickname. The seats are made to look like a combination of a surf board and a sail boat…
In the mid 1800's there was a boom happening in Port Elizabeth. It was during this time that Sir George Grey, Governor of the Cape from 1854-61, played a leading role in the establishment of educational institutes throughout the colony. At the instigation of John Paterson, one of Port Elizabeth's the first Town Councillors, the then municipality took over vacant land on top of the hill opposite the Donkin Reserve and the establishment of a grammar school. A Mr Archibald was commissioned to prepare…
Everybody who visits the Donkin Reserve is in awe of the huge 470 m2 mosaic next to the pyramid. Very few actually notice the frame of mosaic blocks surrounding the base of the lighthouse. The mosaic blocks is a celebration of symbols and icons within Port Elizabeth and its surrounds referencing various stories, personal ideas and journeys. One actually have to spend some time and look at each one individually to really see what they are about and to appreciate…
Visitors to the Donkin Reserve may think the aliens have landed when they walk past the Fish-Bird art piece on the Donkin Reserve. The Fish-Bird is one of the art pieces forming part of Route 67 and was done by artist Mxolisi Dolla Sapeta. The sculpture represent the fish found in Algoa Bay which is visible from Donkin and the birds found on the Reserve itself. The Fish-Bird has "landed" here to take ownership of this transforming site, making itself at home…