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Representations of cells, viruses and plant fractals adorn the upper levels of the building and the outside wall of the parking garage. -
Jane du Rand’s Mosaics -
Jane du Rand.
INTERVIEW Tracy Greenwood
We caught up with South African ceramic mosaic artist Jane du Rand, now based in Brisbane, Australia, to talk about her work and the mosaics she created for the facade of the K-RITH tower building in Durban, home to the Africa Health Research Institute.
What prompted your move to Australia?
I never meant to leave South Africa but all of my family had moved, including my parents, and I didn’t want them to grow old in a place where I would not be able to see them.
What is it about ceramic tiles that is special to you?
I love the feeling of the clay in my hands. It offers so much opportunity to experiment with texture, pattern and shape. The surface does not have to be flat; it provides a base on which to build and a surface to carve. The scale of some of the projects you’ve undertaken is mind-boggling.
What is the biggest piece you have produced?
My biggest project in terms of square metres was a building at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, which I did together with Bronwen Findlay and Andrew Verster. The building part was 400 m2, and I did a further 300 m2 of mosaic on the paving in front.
On both sides of a curved wall enclosing a courtyard are depictions of indigenous plants with healing properties, such as bitter aloe, buchu and wild ginger.
What was your brief from the client for the mosaics you created for the K-RITH Tower Building in Durban?
I did not have a very detailed brief from the clients for this project. I knew it was part of the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine and that research into HIV and TB was done in the building. The client gave me the drawings showing the various sites on the building where artwork was required. They did specify using the double helix on the stairwell wall and asked me to involve disadvantaged youth in making the ceramics. I proposed using different themes in each area, with repetitive shapes and interconnected patterns serving as the common thread. So on one wall we had indigenous plants used in traditional African medicine, on another some cells and viruses enlarged and juxtaposed with plant forms, and on the reception floor healing mandalas. [Jane worked with HIV-positive patients in the creation of the mosaics.]
On both sides of a curved wall enclosing a courtyard are depictions of indigenous plants with healing properties, such as bitter aloe, buchu and wild ginger.
Much of your work has a three dimensional quality to it. What do you want people to take away from seeing your pieces?
I suppose I would like people to be able to recognise the natural world that I most often use as a reference in my work, and to perhaps start to have an appreciation for the native plants and creatures around them.
The K-RITH Tower Building in Durban, designed by FGG Architects, was a finalist in the Corobrik SAIA (South African Institute of Architects) Awards 2017/2018 of Merit and for Excellence.
For more information, visit ahri.org and durandmosaic.com.
