OD11 digital HR - Flipbook - Page 66
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image evoking the distinctive
blend of Dutch, Indonesian and
Islamic cultural influences that
shaped them. The other, 99 Steps,
displays the exterior of the kramat
of Sheikh Noorul Mubeen in
Oudekraal, the burial site of one
of the most significant Islamic
leaders in South African history.
The panoramic pictures have been
pieced together in such a way that
the edges fold outwards in the
manner of a book of the storied
history of the Cape Malay people.
Contemplating these two pieces
back to back, it really dawned on
me how many places – some of
which I’d known nothing about
despite them being practically
in my back yard – can serve as the
roots, bringing to mind the lifelong
experiences of not just individuals,
but entire groups of people.
Even the less conventional
displays carried with them
the importance of place. The
works of Rupert Dolby (1991B),
created in collaboration with
his contemporary Travis Noakes
(1991B) and set in the universe of
Ridley Scott’s Alien movies, evoke
the films’ grim, dark, otherworldly
backdrops, initially designed by
famed Swiss surrealist HR Giger.
Between my own personal love
for cinema and the horror genre
and the appreciation for aesthetics
imparted to me by my father, I like
to think that Rupert and I would
agree that even fictional places
have a role to play in shaping an
individual’s identity. The warped,
twisted, chaotic, almost organic
architecture of the Alien universe
that he seemed to conjure up
so well certainly spoke to how
Remember the Future by Rupert Dolby (1991B).
64 | THE OLD DIOCESAN
significantly such grimdark fiction
informed my own artistic and
aesthetic tastes – and, I think
it’s safe to say, of many others
who enjoyed the films.
It was dark by the time I headed
home from the exhibition and,
walking back to my car, seeing
the campus under the moonlight
brought back a fresh wave of
memories – of late-night Chapel
services, House dinners, and even
the odd detention. The significance
places can hold, it was pretty clear,
is richly layered. After perusing
those remarkable artworks, I like
to think I understood that more
fully than I did before.
Simon Hyslop (2008B) is a freelance
writer and copywriter, and a past
winner of the Writing Prize at Bishops.
