The Book Cottage hits a high note
The Book Cottage has been a landmark in Hermanus since the late Sue McNaught opened its doors in Harbour Road in 1996. Now approaching its 20th birthday, this iconic bookstore has added a musical note to its repertoire in the form of a cosy music room where lovers of classical works can browse, look and listen to their heart s content. I m very aware of the fact that The Book Cottage is an institution in Hermanus, says new owner John Morris, who took over the shop from Meghan Warren last year. Although the shop had to move from its original premises in Harbour Road, I am pleased that the new building in Long Street is also a character fisherman s cottage and I enjoy the cosy ambience of the store. John immediately set about restocking and redesigning the store, and the music room was added in January. As an ardent music lover, he decided to stock up on selected classical works from Bach to Bartok and the store now houses an extensive selection of CDs and DVDs in addition to their comprehensive range of books and the usual accompaniments such as cards, maps, diaries and journals, as well as a delightful children s section.
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I realised that finding good classical music was an impossible task, not only in Hermanus but even in Cape Town where most music stores have relegated classical music to an impossibly small corner with an extremely limited choice. If I was having this problem I was sure others must too, which is why I have decided to stock a broad range of music, from popular classics to rare recordings of lesser known works. Music lovers are welcome to linger and browse unhindered while enjoying a cup of Lavazza coffee, and I am more than happy to assist them if they are looking for something specific. If we don t have what you re looking for, I could probably get it within a few days from my very supportive suppliers, says John. It is a long and winding road that brought John to Hermanus. Originally from the UK where he pursued a career in IT management, John worked for Ernst & Young in London before transferring to their office in Cape Town in 1991. He returned to London in 1995, but before long he was back in Cape Town, working as IT manager and consultant for, amongst others, BOE Investment Bank and Old Mutual.
Unfulfilled by corporate life, however, John decided at the age of 40 to become a student again by enrolling at the UCT Film & Media School where he obtained a Master s Degree, followed by a PhD from Exeter University in 2012. The whole process was such a joy – a journey of discovery, says John. Considering his future, John decided to leave the corporate world and return to his first love – books. Back in the eighties I was a bookseller in London and also worked for the House of Lords Library. It s always been a dream of mine to own a bookshop and when I saw a one-line advert for a bookshop in Hermanus, I immediately investigated. With the purchase of The Book Cottage concluded, it only took me 3 weeks to move to Hermanus lock, stock and barrel! In spite of his IT background, John is a firm supporter of the small independent bookshop and The Book Cottage provides the ideal outlet for his passion for literature, film and music. Not everyone wants to order books and music online and nothing can replace the experience of browsing at leisure and discovering new gems the old-fashioned way, he says.
nKentshane Observing • reflecting • transferring Jozua Rossouw of Rossouw Modern will be presenting a solo exhibition of artworks by Frans Mulder titled nKentshane (Zulu for wild dog ) at the SPACE Gallery from 27 February until 14 March 2016. In this exhibition Frans shows the lives of wild dogs at their den by means of observing them and reflecting on their power and constant movement before transferring that information to large sheets of paper. Using a method of making marks, partly erasing them, making more marks, and reconstructing the structure and movement of the images, these drawings become works of art rather than just photographic image representations. Big in scale, the images of the dogs, sometimes larger than life, move and bounce over the paper just as they do in real life. Born in 1995, Frans Mulder was educated in Cradock, Eastern Cape and went on to receive a Diploma in Fine Arts at the Port Elizabeth Technikon in 1975. Frans worked in interior design for many years, first in Johannesburg, where he moved in 1980, and later in New York City, where he was
director of design in an interior space planning studio. On his return to South Africa in 1989, he lived and worked for a while in Nelspruit, close to the world-renowned Kruger National Park. It is here that he started painting wild life, while owning and running several eateries and guesthouses in the northern and eastern parts of South Africa. In 2015 he relocated to Napier. Frans s passion for animals is
expressed in his wild life paintings and he has recently focused his attention on the survival of the endangered wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), the rarest carnivore in South Africa with an estimated population of less than 450 individuals. These are now the subjects of most of his works and are taken from live interaction with the animals. Frans and Rossouw Modern will be donating 10% of the show s revenue to the Wild Dog Advisory Group of South
8 Warrington Place, Harbour Road, Hermanus Tel: 028 313 2222 info@rossouwmodern.com www.rossouwmodern.com
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