From Monday 6 to Saturday 11 November, 15 artists painted murals that celebrate the beauty and importance of the ocean in areas like Sea Point, Gardens, Foreshore, Salt River, Newlands, Muizenberg, and Kalk Bay.
Visitors to the Sea Point Promenade might have noticed that the public toilets at Three Anchor Bay got a colourful facelift.
This is thanks to artists who participated in Pangeaseed Foundation’s mural art project, Sea Walls.
Sea Walls is a global programme that offers artists a platform to create large-scale murals around the world with an ocean conservation message and call to action (“Sea Wall murals raise awareness about ocean conservation”, People’s Post, 31 October 2023).
From Monday 6 to Saturday 11 November, 15 artists painted murals that celebrate the beauty and importance of the ocean in areas like Sea Point, Gardens, Foreshore, Salt River, Newlands, Muizenberg, and Kalk Bay.
Shani Jude, South African Director of Sea Walls SA, says she is elated that the festival took place. “We will look at doing it again in a few years. I would need to raise the funds again. That is the biggest challenge and getting partnerships on board. People are loving the murals and say it’s brightened up the city. I feel really proud.”
Jude thanked all those involved for making the event possible.
Artist Amy-Lee Tak said it was her first mural. “My mural aims to create awareness about plastic pollution in the ocean and how micro plastics end up in the food that we eat. I’ve added a message to keep it clean.”
Marie-Lois Koen says her mural draws attention to mining and overfishing.
“My painting is an aerial shot of the beaches. What I have tried to do is show a little happiness on the shore and when you look into the ocean and see a few ships but the destruction that’s happening underneath the sea is crazy.”
Clare Homewood, known as Carecreative, created a mural at Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg. “I love the theme of the great African kelp forest. The cool thing that I’ve learned through this project is that our forest, which is the only sea forest in Africa, is actually growing and expanding even through all the environmental challenges.
“The forest is growing and if we take care of it, it can just get healthier. The painting gives the feeling of what it feels like being in the kelp forest.”
Latoya Humphrys known as Motelseven said her painting is about the nostalgia of being at the beach.
“If we want to carry on enjoying the beaches then we need to look after them, we need to pick up our litter we that we can enjoy it for centuries to come.”
