Fire Walker by Oliver Barstow and Bronwyn Law-Viljoen describes a commission by William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx who were commissioned to make a public sculpture in 2009 for the City of Johannesburg to be installed in time for the 2012 Soccer World Cup. The sculpture is based on a drawing by Kentridge of a woman street vendor - known colloquially as a fire walker - carrying a burning brazier on her head.
Far more than being about a single artwork, this book participates in the myriad conversations and debates on the meaning of public art. The essays prise open critical questions about public space in Johannesburg; Oliver Barstow’s interviews with the various collaborators on the sculpture reveal the complexities and challenges of creating such a massive work in so short a time; and the images by John Hodgkiss of the making of the sculpture, alongside two photo essays suggest the metaphorical power of Fire Walker as well as the fragile hold of street vendors over their small share of city space.
Fine, Second Hand
