A piece of Knysna in Eden

Video

EDEN DISTRICT NEWS and VIDEO - A photographic artwork by Warren Fleming, a renowned photographer from Knysna, has found itself a home at the Eden District Municipality.

Knysna businessman Geoff Brown, executive chairman of Black Oyster Capital, bought the piece called Life after Death for the office of the Eden mayor, Memory Booysen. It is a photo of a Cape White Eye sitting among debris left by the June fires.

The photo was taken at the Fleming family home in Campbell Drive in Knysna Heights, two days after the fires hit the town. Their home completely burned to the ground.

Ian Fleming and his wife Glenda have since bought a property in Sedgefield, where they will be starting afresh.

At the unveiling of the piece on Monday, Booysen was quite overcome with emotion. He gave the assurance that the artwork will be displayed in a position at the mayoral office where visitors to Eden District Municipality will be able to view it.

"The artwork is a symbol of the pain we went through and at the very same time it heals too. You can't change the past, but you can remember the past and build from there," said Booysen.

Brown said he believes the Eden District will become the heart of new growth after the disaster.

"Eden District is going to become the centre of regional economic development. This district municipality is in fact going to transform into the most important commercial, political and administrative hub for this entire region. With de-urbanisation and people moving away from the cities, the Eden District in fact has already been declared as the next economic growth point after Stellenbosch."

Fleming explained that the artwork was part of a series of photographic images he made and exhibited after the fires, called Ghosts of the Scared Earth. (Yes, it is 'scared' and not 'scarred'.)

"Brown saw the image on social media even before it went to print and immediately secured the option to buy the art piece," he said.

Watch a video below.

The exhibition was up for more than a month. The pieces that haven't sold are still available at the Fleming Photographic Studio in 11 Grey Street, Knysna. A portion of the funds will go to an initiative by the Flemings to help families affected by the fires.