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Exploring ancient wonders

EXHIBITION - Ancient Playground

VENUE - Old Arts Building, University of Pretoria

Pretoria News, Wednesday, November 6, 2002

Written by Fransi Phillips

Some volcanic rocks at Driekops Eiland, about 56km away from Kimberley are engraved with symbols and signs that scientists estimate to be much older than the well-known primitive rock art.

While the better-known rock artist worked in paint, some scientists speculate on the possibility that the graphic works in these very hard and solid volcanic rocks could have been done in no other way than with diamonds, which must, at those times, already have been available in the area.

The differences between these works and the rock engravings by the San is that compared to the figurative depictions of antelopes, hunts, people and plants in the San drawings, these graphic works are almost completely abstract, reminding of a sign language which could be interpreted as an early form of writing.

The sites form the main focus point of this exhibition.

According to the artist, she has always been attracted by the mystery behind ancient sites where rituals and magic had taken place, long forgotten by the modern mind.

In a work called Earth Energy, a landscape is depicted with what she calls symbols of energy: circles with crosses - reminiscent of the Jungian mandala, but on a more practical level they could also have been compasses shining the way to the people - as well as what seems to be the sun or stars, and mushrooms bursting open, maybe something to do with early trance-rituals.

The same symbols are present in a work called Night Stories in which a strip of symbols - sun, moon, stars, mushrooms and compasses - are visible in the light of the moon in an ancient African landscape. In Mountain Stories these ancient symbols are combined with motifs from pre-historic rock art like antelopes, whereas in a work called Cosmic Travel Stories, the symbols are connected with the heavenly bodies.

Other works depicting these symbols are: Stone alphabet, Ancient Playground, Stories in Stone, The Story Tools. In the remaining landscapes, rain , which is of such importance on our continent, plays an important role.

In A Cleansing Winter Storm, the spirits of magical animals can be depicted in the clouds, and in Eland under leaden skies, the eland is depicted as an animal connected with rain. We are once again reminded by this very remarkable exhibition, of all the ancient, undiscovered wonders on our continent.