Cape Town - Harnessing the power of art, street artist Nadia Fisher is highlighting the importance of water conservation through her mural at the Makers Landing, around the newly refurbished cruise terminal at Cape Town harbour.
The striking artwork was intended to raise awareness about climate change and water shortages, and was inspired by the UN's World Water Day concept of making “invisible” groundwater “visible”.
For her painting, titled Camissa, Fisher said she wanted to portray water as being full of life in order to emphasise the value of groundwater.
“I was invited to create a mural around these three by the Danish Embassy and WWF. They wanted to raise awareness around the importance of water and specifically to draw attention to the use of groundwater in Cape Town as a valid water source. I enjoy projects like these because I get to learn a lot about the topic through the research as prep for the mural, and I am a nature-loving human so conservation of our natural resources is important to me.
“I start with researching the topic so that I understand it fully, I then take all that info and come up with the sketch. Then from there myself and my painting assistant jump into a cherry picker and paint like crazy people until the wall is done.
“I wanted to portray water as being full of life and vibrant with the water droplets flowing upwards to emphasise the value of groundwater. The mural is titled Camissa, which is the Khoi name for Cape Town meaning ‘Place of Sweet Waters’. The woman in the mural is the personification of water – her hair is flowing water and the upside-down rising water droplets are there to represent groundwater,” said Fisher.
Project manager of Table Mountain Water Source Partnership with WWF South Africa, Marlese Nel, mentioned that choosing the location of the mural was very important as the cruise terminal is not only a place where local residents can stroll to view them, but all departing and arriving tourists will also be exposed to these inspiring works of art.
“The mural was the epitome of the 2022 UN World Water Day theme: ‘Groundwater – making the invisible visible’. The artist’s interpretation was unique and this is exactly where the wonder of groundwater becomes clear: on the one hand you have the science and understanding of our groundwater resources and how we use it, and on the other hand we acknowledge that groundwater is part of our culture, soul and a sacred place from where our lives/existence flow. Both, however, represent the fundamental relationship between humans and water.
“Water is – and should be! – on the forefront of Capetonians’ minds after the recent Day Zero period scare. Even though our water resources have mostly recovered since then, we know that climate change paints a grim picture for water in the future. We need to stay alert and aware of not only our water usage and our water usage, but about any detrimental impact our activities could have on our water resources.
“I believe the image will evoke some kind of feeling for the observer. Understanding the Camissa mural will hopefully make the observer think about our connectivity with nature – and especially water – and how we depend on it for our lives and livelihoods. I also hope that these murals will spark some engagement and discussions about groundwater amongst Capetonians,” said Nel.
With the piece of art aiming to be a socially engaging form of art, V&A Waterfront spokesperson Donald Kau said that as artwork offers space for a way of producing new knowledge on matters of sustainable development and the role of newest additions V&A Waterfront, it is designed and programmed to celebrate Cape Town’s diversity and resilience.
“Makers Landing is one of the newest additions of V&A Waterfront’s development footprint and has been designed and programmed to celebrate Cape Town’s diversity and resilience. As a company that works in the development and city-making space, we feel it critical to engage in these conversations and acknowledge the importance of the artist and arts in cultivating a culture of reflection and innovation.
“Public art at the Waterfront plays a significant role in fostering different ways of experiencing a space and understanding urban life. Each of the artworks featured as part of our Art in Public Spaces Programme has been carefully considered and used as a catalyst to engage issues in a way that is thought-provoking. Fisher, whose works can be seen throughout the Waterfront neighbourhood, speaks to the intersection of culture, heritage and the environment. The intention of the core group that helped realise the project knew that from the start that we wanted a space of high visibility as well as a space that would enable these pieces to start conversation,” said Kau.