Carol Nathan-Levin

The population of popular holiday destination, Plettenberg Bay, nearly triples during the Christmas period. This puts huge stress on available water resources. The region suffered one of the worst water shortages in living memory during Site_Specific. Charles Levin and Carol Nathan- Levin lived in the area for the past eleven years. They built their home themselves and use rain water tanks to supply all their own water. Nathan-Levin conceived their Site_Specific sculpture in reaction to the building of a desalination plant in Plettenberg Bay. The pair used a 10 000 litre domestic JoJo rain water tank, with its bright green lightweight UV resistant polyethylene and food grade black lining, as their material. Levin then added his twist to the work, slicing and stretching it to give the impression it was spinning. The sculpture is stationed next to the demure desalination plant, which is tastefully built into the landscape, painted sand colour beige and surrounded by indigenous foliage. The undulating curves of the verdant green echo the form of post-minimalist sculpture, recalling a focus of Levin’s studies in the 1980’s. Its beguiling beauty draws the viewer to engage with the structure. Surrounded by some of the most expensive homes in South Africa, one immediately wonders why more of these simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly rain water collection tanks have not been installed, rather than constructing the potentially ecologically harmful brine spewing desalination plant.

'Aqua - and not a drop to drink' by Charles and Carol Levin