The Owl House, National heritage site in Nieu-Bethesda, South Africa
The Owl House is a national heritage site in Nieu-Bethesda that includes a residence with interior walls covered in crushed glass and a sculpture garden with more than 300 concrete figures. The sculptures represent people, camels, and owls arranged in groups between paths and garden beds in the yard.
Helen Martins began reshaping the house and garden around 1945 after her parents died and continued the work until her death in 1976. She collaborated with a local craftsman who molded the concrete sculptures according to her instructions.
The sculptures in the Camel Yard show religious themes, with figures facing an imagined east as part of a personal vision of faith. The crushed glass on the interior walls reflects light and transforms a plain village house into a private universe of color and pattern.
The house and sculpture garden are open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, and guided tours take about an hour to complete. Tickets also cover entry to the nearby Kitching Fossil Centre located in the same village.
Each room contains carefully positioned mirrors and colored glass that capture sunlight and create different lighting effects as the day progresses. The owls in the garden often carry facial features of villagers whom Martins either admired or mocked.
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