From memory to marble. The frieze of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria

A study of how to create historical narratives on a large scale

FRIDAY SEMINAR AT ARCHAEOLOGY

Professor Rolf Schneider, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München

The frieze of the 64 metre-high Voortrekker Monument (1931-49), inaugurated as the contested icon of Afrikanerdom, is the focus of a joint book project.

My project partner is Elizabeth Rankin, a pioneering South African art historian who has worked in Johannesburg and Auckland. Before the frieze could be copied in Carrara marble, it took a long period of time to develop its design (1937-45). The visual narrative is colossal and complex: it measures 92 m in length and 2.3 meters in height; it shows 27 scenes, conceived as genetic blueprints of early Afrikaner history (1835-1852); and it dominates, mounted at eye-level, the Monument’s self-supporting Hall of Heroes (30 x 30 x 30 m).

Our book is about the context, concept, making and reading of the frieze. Or in other words: how were 17 years of history transformed into 92 meters of marble – and why?