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Punt added that vandalism defeats all efforts of locals to boost the town. “We also don’t need negative publicity around such an individual incident that discredits the hard work already done behind the scenes,” he said, adding that the incident made it evident that Strand residents appreciate the artwork on the walkway and don’t want vandalism to take place in the “beautiful” town.
“With this said, we still need to be proactive like those who saw the act of vandalism on Saturday and immediately report it to police so that the necessary action can be taken,” said Punt. “With quick action, the Strand Neighbourhood Watch spotted the culprit on Sunday and police arrested him – an example of cooperation and a community that cares.”
Assemble was installed on the promenade almost a year ago, on 1 April, together with another sculpture, Sanctified, by Janko de Beer (“First step for promenade art walk”, DistrictMail, 8 Aoril 2021). It forms part of a project by the City, Future Strand and other role-players to beautify the beach strip and establish an art walk.
Asked about the project’s success, Bredell said they’ve received great feedback from the community, who enjoy the crafty views.
“Our aim has always been to put up a number of sculptures, but the red tape has been quite daunting. The artists have been identified and their artworks are ready. Future Strand is still waiting for the final go ahead from the City,” she related.
“Future Strand is aiming for the installation to be done by the end of April, but this is dependent on the sign-off by the relevant City department. Once the final installations take place, the art walk will be more impressive and really impactful.”
Sculptures by another six artists are earmarked for installation in the next phase of the project, which will take the total to eight sculptures on the promenade.
For now though, the Assemble sculpture has been entirely removed and a new edition thereof will soon be installed at the same location.
