Sarah Britten was approached by the Robben Island Art Company and Trust to assist them with marketing their framed collector's pieces of Robben Island fence, she realised that this was a very different kind of challenge. Individually numbered pieces of the fence that kept so many great historical figures imprisoned are framed together with a sensitive portrait of Nelson Mandela and a certificate of authenticity.
10% of the proceeds of sales will go to Lawyers Against Abuse, an NGO that ensures that the justice system works for victims of gender-based violence.
Together with Saul Kropman and Jessica Meyer of iClinic, Britten developed an integrated campaign incorporating a website to showcase the art - as well as social media to promote the launch event which takes place at Annica's, Michelangelo Towers Mall on Tuesday, 12 November 2013.
"I was drawn to this project because of the symbolism of the fence," explains Britten. "I've had a tough few years, and when I saw the fence for the first time, it reminded me that others had overcome far greater obstacles. When the prisoners were on the island, they could have focused on the fence holding them captive - or they could look to the vision of Table Mountain beyond."
That moment of insight led to the title of the project, Beyond the Fence.
Britten, one of very few artists anywhere in the world who paints with lipstick, then created six paintings: two inspired by Nelson Mandela's life before imprisonment, titled Before the Fence, two titled Behind the Fence and finally Beyond the Fence, two works celebrating joy and self-belief.
All six works will be on exhibit in the Michelangelo Towers Mall alongside the fence art itself as well as magnificent portraits by Marc Alexander and works by Chris Swift, the art student who quite literally rescued the fence from the scrapyard.
Britten regularly raises funds for Lawyers Against Abuse through art. "I like to think that Madiba, as a lawyer who crusaded against injustice, would like the association, especially as 16 Days of Activism on No Violence Against Women and Children is around the corner," she says.
The campaign will be launched officially on 12 November at Annica's. Guests and those on Twitter will be encouraged to tweet about the obstacles they've overcome in their own lives with #beyondthefence.
For more, go to www.robbenislandfence.com, www.beyondthefence.co.za or follow @beyond_thefence on Twitter.
