Bloomen-fontein

Bloemfontein, city of roses, is the judicial capital of South Africa. It is generally not on the tourist track and the thought a visit can bring scorn to most South Africans faces. Nevertheless, this city has two major assets:

1. Edwin Cameron. Judge, AIDS activist, author, humorist and athlete. Edwin spends time here when the Court is in session.

2. The Oliewenhuis Museum. Oliewenhuis, completed in 1941, served as the residence for the Governor General of the Union of South Africa from 1942 until South Africa's independence from Britain in 1961. From '61 to 1985, this beautiful building served as the official residence of the State Presidents of South Africa. In 1985, following campaigning by local citizens, the building was released to the National Museum for the purpose of displaying art. The Museum opened in 1989.



Led by curator Sharon Crampton, the Museum has collected important contemporary artists and has undertaken various programs to make itself relevant to the general public. The garden, besides housing a wonderful restaurant, is filled with engaging sculpture as well as the African Carousel.



The Carousel was commissioned to engage a variety of artists working in materials not normally used for outdoor public commissions. The focus of the Carousel Project is to introduce children to the concept of art in a non-intimidating and fun way in order to build the audience of the future. The signage regarding rules for the Carousel (see below) strikes me as interesting guidance for the local political scene and perhaps a wider context too.




The standout work inside the Museum is Willem Boshoff's Blind Alphabet. In the artists own words:

"The Blind Alphabet ABC ... is a three-dimensional dictionary, of 338 finished sculptural units, with more work in progress. In an inversion of power relations, the work creates a dependency on the touching and reading skills of blind guides. Without blind people in attendance, the Blind Alphabet remains lost, - an exercise in aesthetic futility. To the sighted, the 338 sculptures look like a cemetry, repeated in endless rows. It is intended to disorientate us. The blind, of course, do not know that the work makes us feel lost because they only have to view one object at a time."



Don't overlook Bloemfontein!