How do you swallow an Elephant?
Testament to the wonderful skill of the KwaZulu-Natal seamstresses who work miracles with beads was unveiled recently at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg and no, it wans’t an elephant of any colour, pink or white!
Infact it was the South African flag, measuring 6 metres by 2.5 metres. Hanging in a wave shape the bright colours sparkle in the hushed atmosphere above the judges’ seats in the courtroom.
Commissioned by the artworks committee of the Constitutional Court, the collection itself consists of 200 works, collected since 1994 when the court came into being.
The pattern itself filled the main gallery of The African Art Centre in Durban and imparted a sense of panic at having to tackle the huge undertaking.
How Do You Swallow An Elephant? Bit by bit, of course and so the flag was split up into a series of panels, all stitched with the same threads and beads, one colour at a time.
An awning and tent making company assisted by stitching the panels and backing. Stitching the flag to the backing alone took nine days to do, eight hours a day, all by hand as to use a machine was impossible.
A true labour of love which when finished had all the seamstresses names embroidered into the green section - there for posterity.
Probably something similar would be too large to bring home, but you’ll find many different and clever uses of the famous beading work which will slip into the suitcase with no problems! Often the seamstresses keep their families on the income they get from their work, when everything else has failed to bring in the money they need to live off, so buy with impunity, the special skill of these beautiful works of art.
Photos: Lucille Davie, (City of Johannesburg)
