The Ecological Shrine

South Africa: Hogsback. The enchantment of this forested hilltop community takes only a short while to unveil itself. This morning, as we drove from East London to King Williamstown and on towards the mountains of Hogsback, the landscape changed and changed again – from lush coastal and riverine catchments to thorn-tree studded plains, and from denuded and eroded hillsides to the green shadowed pass which led to our destination. Once settled into the log cabin of Rainbow’s End (set among the trees), we trod a hot and dusty road into the heart of the village, to acquaint ourselves with the surrounds.

Later, after a rejuvenating nap, we set off for the Ecological Shrine. This inspirational exhibition of environmental art by Diana Graham creates a sacred space indeed. Using cement-sculpture and oil painting, complex themes of humanity’s relationship with the universe are woven against the breathtaking panoramic backdrop of the three Hogsback peaks. The artist has drawn richly on images of the galaxies, as seen through the eye of the Hubble space telescope, of the luminous blue-green earth-orb, of Bushmen rock art and of nature in its mystical guises. The Ecological Shrine echoes the kind of vision I have of symbolic and spirit-filled creativity for our Swellendam place (the Mantis Mountain Sanctuary?). I look forward to participating in this birthing process and hope that somehow we can forge links with the Ecological Shrine in the future.