We are only talking to ourselves. We are not talking to the rivers, we are not listening to the wind and the stars. We have broken the great conversation. By breaking that conversation, we have shattered the universe. – Thomas Berry, The Dream of the Earth

Most of you will know of  Simon Max Bannister from previous blogs, visiting our Creative hub or seeing his work around Londolozi.  Simon is a South African visual artist who focuses on sculpture and is currently based at Londolozi Game Reserve as our artist in residence. While keeping a diversity in materials, his language is unique, passionate and self-taught. He has realised multiple private commissions, works for wine estates, game reserves and educational facilities. His passion for the environment has also inspired an immersive collaborative workshop of land art walks. He has participated in events such as AfrikaBurn, The South African National Arts Festival and was recently awarded the 2013 Wildlife Artist of the year title by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

Over the months of October and November Simon is undertaking a new project, entitled ‘Splintered‘, and will no longer be found in the camps of Londolozi but across the seas in England.

I find my material of commercial timber, to be a paradoxical choice. So efficient are the rip saws of industrialisation, they have sliced through our heritage, felled our custodianship and our soul connection to the landscape. A fragile balance is broken. After spending much time in the Sabi Sand Reserve I have seen how monocultures fracture the great forests and endanger the lifeblood: the water, the soil, the plants and the animals. The offcuts, sawdust and fragments that remain become the suggestion of the call that has no voice. Can we reimagine the wild in our midst and realign its broken fragments? – Simon Max Bannister

Splintered Series, Fly Away with Me, Timber and Steel, 2014 L800mm x H800mm x W350mm

Motivation Theory, Timber and Steel, 2014, L2300mm x H2300mm x W80mm

Splintered Series, Unnatural Selection, Timber and Steel, 2014, L500mm x H700mm x W500mm

If you are in the UK at the time of the exhibition and would be interested in visiting the exhibition, the details are as follows: