SEEMINGLY PEACEFUL 1

CONCEPT DETAILS

• Title: Seemingly Peaceful 1 - Oupa Carlos
• Description: An old man sits - seemingly peacefully - and reads on a park bench.
  
  I weigh up and question the adjective "peacefully". When he, Oupa Carlos, as an old man, reflects upon the world, can he feel serene? Does he wonder and reflect on how he and his peers have managed to cause the degeneration of the planet? Does he care about the legacy he has left behind?
  
  Oupa Carlos, with layers of knowledge and experience like the growth rings of a tree: was your life egocentric or soul-centric? Did you care for mother earth? If you did, why are we all where we are now?
  
  I insert the following poem into the book the old man is reading:
  
  It's 3:23 in the morning
  and I'm awake
  because my grandchildren
  won't let me sleep
  my great great grandchildren
  ask me in dreams
  what did you do when the planet was plundered?
  what did you do when the earth was unravelling?
  surely you did something
  when the seasons started failing?
  (Drew Dellinger, Heiroglyphic Stairway).
  A single solidly cast dove perches on the bench; gazing at Oupa Carlos. The dove in bronze/gold colour is symbolic of the spirit, illumination, the sun.
  The similar colour rendering of the dove, and the poem allude to the fact that these are constant, solid truths, while the transparency of the rest of the work symbolizes the fleeting nature of humanity.
  Uncle Carlos’s head and hands are however a similar colour, as some thoughts and works of man can approach the permanence of truth…