PERSONAL STORY: Notes placed in the 'Hope' sculpture in Durban. PERSONAL STORY: Notes placed in the 'Hope' sculpture in Durban.
Simone Samuels
A six-metre-long sculpture, which spells hope for those plagued by alcoholism is on display at the Workshop shopping mall in Durban’s CBD.
The sculpture, built from 1 640 glass bottles, is part of Al-Anon South Africa’s nationwide campaign celebrating 60 years of providing support to the family and friends of alcoholics.
Launched in Pretoria in April, the campaign aims to convey a positive message from those who have “lived through it (alcoholism) and survived” to people who are still suffering, a member said.
“We graduated from being a victim to being a survivor, and want to pass the message on,” she said.
The sculpture spells “hope” in more ways than one because each bottle contains written testimonies and inspirational words from members of Al-Anon, which the public can read.
Some of the messages read: “I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for” and “Together we can accomplish what is nearly impossible alone; we can overcome the devastating effects of this terrible disease and learn to live again”.
The concept was a collaboration between Al-Anon and a Cape Town advertising company, and intended to “put a positive spin on the bottle”.
Members said their hope was that the sculpture would serve as a source of awareness and an invitation to those affected by alcoholism to seek help.
The “Hope” sculpture, which was on display at the Workshop last week, now moves to Durban’s Chatsworth Centre shopping mall from July 27 to 29, before it heads to Johannesburg.