Tuesday, October 31, 2006


Visiting Artist:

Sculptor
DAVID JASON ETHERINGTON'S
first wood craft sculpture was created in 1986 in Mtambalala Village near Port St Johns. He was inspired to create sculptures by a family friend who is a top British sculptor and teacher, and by an African sculptor who acted as a mentor. In 1991 he completed 10 driftwood and stone sculptures for an exhibition at the SA Embassy in Umthatha.

After arriving in Pondoland in 1986 David spent 3 years living in a rural village and was obliged to tend to daily chores (dipping cattle, herding goats, ploughing mealie fields, etc). From 1996 he created and ran a village-based tourist-hiking trail in Eastern Pondoland for 5 years. From 2001 to 2004 he worked on the E.U Wildcoast Tourist Development Project and wrote up all activities for the Coast Care Programme on the Wildcoast. From 2004 to 2006 he wrote up and managed a community indigenous nursery funded by D.E.A.T. Throughout this period he studied traditional plants remedies with a traditional herbalist from Magwa. As a trained herbalist he has a constant linkup and an ongoing relationship with local sangomas and herbalists. At present he has a rural homestead and a home in the township of Port St Johns.

Journey: David's life has been a constant ongoing journey. Through language he felt displaced, having to learn isiXhosa in order to communicate with the people of the village. With the information and education he was privileged to have he was able to help improve living conditions in some of these rural areas. Artists are often displaced just because they are artists in rural areas. Supporting new talented local artists is important to him.