12
my
town
CityViews
November 2011
“In my world, on my maps, there are no country boundaries, only cities. It’s about turning the world on its head and putting Cape Town where she belongs – on top of the world.” Andre Vorster
My Cape Town: Photos : Caroline Jordan and Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town
Andre Vorster
If you drew a line all the way from the cableway – through the city and the stadium – all the way to Robben Island, your line would be running due south-north and Cape Town would be one big compass. You’d also be seeing the city as artist, architect and ceramicist Andre Vorster sees it. That’s why he started Cape Town on Top of the World – a concept, a marketing campaign, an arts exhibition and a T-shirt range. CV Could you tell us a little more about Cape Town on Top of the World? The idea came to me about 30 years ago when I saw a neighbour’s shirt on the washing line. It had a picture of the world on it, and the world was upside down. Ever since then I’ve been turning my maps around, drawing that image of Cape Town the right way up. It’s how I see the world, how I orientate myself. Now, when I watch the weather report, I think, ‘Hey, that’s the wrong way round!’ In my world, on my maps, there are no country boundaries, only cities. It’s about turning the world on its head and putting Cape Town where she belongs – on top of the world.
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CV Tell us about Cape Town as one big compass. My city connects all the way from my home in Devil’s Peak to Evita in Darling and Sandy Bay where I sometimes walk my dogs. I love exploring the city on foot, walking through the Company’s Garden, to the National Gallery, to those landmarks on maps that are not always commercialised. You see, I’m petrified of suburbia – those places you can wear tracksuit pants to the shop – and I hate malls. The city is where it’s happening and it’s better than any mall. CV Where do you find your inspiration? The mountain – it’s such a fantastic asset. I walk it twice a day with my two pugs, Moffie and Dyke. It’s
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our mountain. I also take them in the cable car, and I know the mountain routes like the back of my hand. I once met this Taiwanese visitor at a local bar, whose father had given him a map of the 12 wonders of the world when he was little, and one of them was Table Mountain. Ever since then it’d been his life’s dream to come visit. So he saved and saved, and eventually a two-day holiday was all he could afford. It was entirely cloudy those two days, and the cableway wasn’t running. I met him on the night he was leaving. He was so sad! I understand that. You know, sometimes I wake up in the morning not knowing I got up at night and drew images of the mountain. It’s my muse.
CV You’ve lived in the city a long time. Could you tell us how it’s changed? The city’s transformation has not been as slow as one thinks: Joburg Bar recently had an exhibition of what Long Street was like 10 years ago. It was like watching a history programme! My Long Street days are over, but it’s been fascinating watching it go through transformation over the years. Now there’s all these cool rooftop bars going up, like that one in Longmarket Street, above Dear Me – Tjing Tjing Bar – where you can get a perspective on the city you normally wouldn’t get, see all the old Victorian rooftops. Ten years ago that didn’t happen. Ten or so years ago, there were like five bars and clubs in town. Now I have to go exploring to find what’s in my own city. It’s great!
CV You’ve lived in New York and London. How does Cape Town compare? The difference is we’ve got this huge natural wonder. London has the Thames and Hyde Park, Manhattan is an island and has Central Park, but we’ve got this incredible 3D landmass. Cape Town’s unlike anywhere else in the world. It’s also a new city, still – and growing into a new identity. There’s very interesting stuff happening. Now we have to stop and relook: where to next? CV What’s your wish for Cape Town in 2014 and beyond? As an architect what’d I’d really like to address properly is the water issue. The mountain’s like one big sponge and we should have big reservoirs along the base collect-
ing all the water, which we can then use in summer. I’d love to see that environmental thinking used in our urban design. We’d save a lot of money that way, collecting the water. That’s why Caron von Zeil’s Reclaim Camissa project is so incredible. Did you know that if the all the ice in the world melted and Cape Town went under water, we could float the stadium like an ark and it would fit perfectly between the unfinished highways? If that happened we could put all the people of Cape Town in, two by two (including two pugs). But I’d prefer if we didn’t have to. You can buy your Cape Town on Top of the World T-shirt from www.ontopoftheworld.co.za or at the Cape Town Framer in Mandela Rhodes Place.
Many children and young adults living on the streets have severe drug addiction problems. More often than not, the money they receive from begging is used to buy their next “fix”. The CCID therefore requests that members of the public do not give money or handouts directly. If you would like to help, please contact one of the listed organisations mentioned. Contact the Central City Improvement District’s (CCID’s) Social Development Department for further information or assistance.
Pat 021 419 1881 | Dean 082 928 3862 Headman Sirala-Rala 082 262 0113 Mark Williams 082 262 0112
www.capetownpartnership.co.za