10 Jun 2019 | By Sun International
The Dolphins and Mermaid of the Boardwalk
Port Elizabeth's great swimming, surfing and family-friendly beaches, and laid-back coastal vibe have made this Eastern Cape city one of South Africa's top holiday destinations. As the country's unofficial "Friendly City", the keyword here is fun.
It's no surprise then, that when the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World was looking for a fitting artwork to capture the spirit of playful Port Elizabeth, a dolphin was part of the brief sent out to artists. And being one of South Africa's biggest port cities, with a colourful seafaring history that dates back to Bartolomeu Dias, a mermaid was thrown in for good old-fashioned sailor's luck.
The site
Enjoying a prime location overlooking the swimming-friendly Indian Ocean, where many a passerby can enjoy the sight of dolphins frolicking in the sea, the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World is something of a fairytale wonderland, and reflects the grace and style of a bygone era. With its fairground-esque red and white building, and classic boardwalk architecture, there's something here that harkens to the king of all fun destinations: Disney World.
Local artist Keith Calder whose sculptures can be viewed at other must-visit Sun International properties, including the Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom in Durban, and the GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World in Cape Town, happened to be in the Friendly City at the time of the hotel's development, and visited the spectacular beachfront site for an aesthetic look-see.
While the architect's brief specifically called for a dolphin and a mermaid, Keith added the second dolphin for compositional reasons. After viewing the proposed site of the sculpture – where it stands today at the heart of the hotel's cascading fountains – the artist ascertained that what the piece required was more width than height. The final sculpture needed to be squarish, rather than tall.
The process
After he'd submitted the maquette – a scale model of his proposed vision – and won the commission, it took Calder 4 months to complete the sculpture.
Calder formed the dolphins and mermaid out of polyurethane, and carved them to 80% completion. The final 20% of his process involved sculpting the finer details using clay wax, before sending the piece to the foundry to be bronzed.
Fun fact: Keith Calder always carves his bigger sculptures from either polystyrene or polyurethane before finishing them with clay wax.
The artwork
As an artist, Keith Calder says he favours an organic approach to his work. He enjoys creative freedom, and allows an idea to evolve naturally (with buy-in from the architect, of course), that means it's often different – but improved – from the original concept. This particular piece evolved to work spatially. It also took on a life of its own, to imbue the personality of fun that goes hand-in-glove, or surfer-on-board, with friendly Port Elizabeth.
If the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World is something of a fairytale wonderland, this piece – in its whimsical playfulness – captures that spirit of fun perfectly. The dolphins and mermaid frolic in a game of catch with a seashell. The exquisite energy and sense of movement in the piece, added with the cascading fountains and lights, tricks the eye, and it's only fitting that the imagination follows suit.
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