The Voting Line monument Donkin Reserve, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Image details
Contributor:
Roy Mathers / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
D9CFBKFile size:
51.2 MB (3.1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
5184 x 3455 px | 43.9 x 29.3 cm | 17.3 x 11.5 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
January 2013Location:
Donkin Reserve, Port Elizabeth, South AfricaMore information:
This 38-metre-long metal sculpture of South Africans – of all shapes and sizes – connected together to make what is simply entitled Voting Line. To give it that distinct coastal flavour, there are even a couple of black metal seagulls hovering about the voters' heads. At the end of the queue is a metal cut-out of Nelson Mandela standing tall and victorious, his fist in the air. This unusual tribute to South Africans and their charismatic talisman is but one of a number of artworks recently set up at the Donkin Reserve as part of the Mandela Bay Development Agency's (MBDA) urban revitalisation project. The Mandela figure is actually the new logo for the Nelson Mandela Foundation's Madiba Trust, who gave permission to the MBDA for the Voting Line artists, Anthony Harris and Konrad Geel, to incorporate it into their work. Situated near the beach in the midst of a historical and commercial hub interspersed by inner city suburbia, the Donkin Reserve is essentially a small open public space which was proclaimed by the founder of the city, Sir Rufane Donkin. The area measures roughly the size of two small city blocks and it features park benches, walking paths, the Opera House, a lighthouse and a memorial. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the Donkin Reserve is the touching memorial to Sir Donkin’s wife. This pyramid shaped structure bears a plaque with the inscription: “To the memory of one of the most perfect of human beings who has given her name to the Town below.” The structure is a testament to the loving relationship that Donkin had with this wife and a bit more of their story can be learned when visiting the adjacent lighthouse.