Went to see the captain
Strangest I could find
Laid my proposition down
laid it on the line.
I won't slave for beggar's pay
likewise gold and jewels
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools
Words by Robert Hunter
This portfolio of lithographs imagines the challenge of transitioning from an old world to a new one. It calls upon contenders to launch their small vessels of humanity into the vast sea of life. Captains stand ready, the mists of time cascading from their pinnacled hats. The wail of bullhorns calls for challengers, while others wade and wallow in the sea. New horizons are visible in the distance, yet the journey is still to be undertaken.
The inspiration for the tin boat or tin canoe—a historical icon of the Western Cape seaboard—stems from my childhood in Sea Point. I was given one of these canoes, made of corrugated iron, wood, and tar. Youngsters of the time used them for recreation, surfing and sailing before the arrival of modern fibreglass surfboards. They fueled my imagination with stories told by those who used them—tales of humanity’s draw to the challenge of the sea and the necessity to invent vessels to navigate it. As urban legend has it, there were even attempts to reach Robben Island using these makeshift crafts. Sleek yet difficult to manoeuvre, they provided countless daring challenges.
The relationship between these lithographs and my immigrant heritage is deeply significant, marking the closure of a particular historical chapter in my life. Launching a tin boat symbolizes the beginning of a new journey—one that suggests not all who set sail are fools, but rather courageous adventurers ready to face the unknown.
Cape Town, 2005
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