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Thomas Heatherwick to redesign silo at CT Waterfront -
Thomas Heatherwick to redesign silo at CT Waterfront -
Thomas Heatherwick to redesign silo at CT Waterfront
February 2014: It’s official! Leading UK architect Thomas Heatherwick will be redesigning the Grain Silo for the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa.
November 2013: The first major museum of contemporary art in Cape Town, South Africa and Africa, it has been announced that the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) will take up occupation in the historic Grain Silo at the V&A Waterfront.
The museum is the result of a partnership with the V&A and Jochen Zeitz, and the renowned Zeitz Collection will form the museum’s founding collection, from which the museum also draws its name. Jochen will commit his collection in perpetuity as well as underwriting the running and acquisition costs of the museum. Positioning itself as a significant international cultural institution, the museum will focus on collecting, preserving, researching and exhibiting cutting-edge contemporary art from Africa and its Diaspora.
As the most visited site in Africa, with over 24 million visitors annually, the V&A Waterfront is the perfect venue to share the cultural artefacts and ideas of Africa with the world. To be housed in the historic Grain Silo, the V&A have committed over R500-million to the development. The master Silo plan also includes residential, commercial, leisure and hotel components.
Built in 1921 and 57m-tall, the Grain Silo is a cultural heritage site and an icon of the Cape Town skyline. Comprising some 9 500sqm over nine floors, with 6 000sqm dedicated to exhibition space, the scale of Zeitz MOCAA is in line with leading contemporary art museums worldwide. An entire floor will also be dedicated to education and the development of an art-loving, museum-going audience. It is set to welcome its first visitors at the end of 2016.
Until then, over the next three years, selections from the Zeitz Collection will be presented at Zeitz MOCAA Pavilion, a museum-quality temporary exhibition space situated next to the Bascule Bridge near the Cape Grace. An exhibition of Swazi artist Nandipha Mntambo’s work will open the Zeitz MOCAA Pavilion on 23 November.
