At last, a seahorse for Sedgefield

SEDGEFIELD NEWS - It may be called the Knysna seahorse, but Sedgefield is where you will now find the most impressive tribute to the tiny creature that makes the town's estuaries its home.

Last week, local NPO Masithandane unveiled its latest mosaic masterpiece at the foot of the dune beach-lovers climb to reach the magnificent Myoli Beach.

"Sedgefield, here at last is the seahorse you've been asking for!" Jacky Weaver, chairperson of Masithandane, introduced their latest addition to the Sedgefield Mosaic Route as mosaic team leader Hyla Hartlief and Ward 1 Councillor Levael Davis removed the "wrapping".

The towering 3m-high installation comprises a giant sparkling mosaic statue of the Knysna seahorse mounted on one of the original fishing boats used at Gericke's Point, donated by Christopher Fredericks.

The historically significant Gericke's Point provides the iconic distant western backdrop to Myoli Beach.

#KnysnaArtProject

The shimmering sculpture is Masithan-dane's second contribution to the #Knysna-ArtProject, a collaboration between Visit Knysna, Knysna Municipality and the Knysna Art Society.

In August 2021, Masithandane unveiled the Sedgefield1 Love Bug – an original Volkswagen Beetle parked on the side of the Swartvlei River covered in brightly coloured mosaic renditions of the local fynbos and other flora unique to the area.

The seahorse is also the last installation in the project, the aim of which was to encourage visitors to branch out and explore some of the lesser known gems that the area offers by creating interactive outdoor artworks.

These installations also provided the basis for the Knysna Art Route which maps out all the galleries, artist studios, maker spaces and more that can be explored by art enthusiasts visiting the greater Knysna area.

The Masithandane mosaic team with Ward 1 Councillor Levael Davis. From left are Hyla Hartlief (hidden), Christopher Fredericks (boat donor), Ricardo Baaitjies (mosaicer), Sophia Nguma (mosaicer), Christo Pieterse (sculptor) and Davis.

Community wish

According to Weaver, the community has been asking for a seahorse ever since the Love Bug was unveiled. It was also at the launch of the Love Bug that she first met Christopher Fredericks and heard the story of the fishing boat, which he then offered to donate to Masithandane for their next project. The Fredericks' boat, hidden in his backyard for over a decade and beginning to decay, has now been given new life as the base for the giant concrete seahorse.

The resin "starfish" steps up to the boat are also significant. They incorporate a number of metal sinkers, collected along the coastline as part of the Strandloper Project.

Mark Dixon, founder of the Strandloper Project, approached Jacky with the idea of including sinkers in one of their installations to draw some attention to these environmental hazards.

Mosaic Art Route

Masithandane's mosaics are not new to Sedgefield. The Mosaic Project began as a skills training and income generation initiative for unemployed men in 2008 and has been uplifting the town with public mosaic works ever since, many of them private commissions funded by the townspeople.

The Mosaic Art Route now includes more than 65 wonderous mosaic works that are worthy of the 90 minutes it takes to complete a self-drive tour. Aside from the Sedgefield Love Bug, the route takes you past a number of other iconic sculptures worthy of a selfie or two - among them the Slow Papa Tortoise and Heartbeat of Sedgefield heart on the Main Road,

Marinara with its view of Gericke's Point, and the interactive Octopus Garden at the Scarab Market on the outskirts of town.

The seahorse is spectacularly decorated.