Yesterday, being the first varsity day after the long weekend, combined with The-First-Cold-Day-of-the-Year saw UCT with fewerthanusual students.
Those of us determined to max out on our First Day of Winter Wear could be found queueing for a R7 large coffee from Campus Coffee or at its rival, Souper Sandwich, for R10 large chai.
People having a free clumsilyclustered on the signature Jammie stairs while those changing class briskly walked all with a miserably happy expression poking out from under beanies and hoods and umbrellas.
Boots were polished, dust had been beaten from coats and mittens quickly knitted. Had pockets been picked, packets of tissues would've been found. What else illustrates autumn but suddensickness?
In a vain attempt at keeping warm and fitting into those still-folded-in-the-top-of-my-cupboard-until-lent's-over jeggings, I decided to brace the sweatsoaked varsity gym.
Coming as a transfer from the University of Pretoria, this gym shocked me. Not a modified classroom, UCT's gym boasts an air conditioning system, not a handful of AIM fans, has seven working treadmills over four and has machines that are definitelynot from the 80's,(not to mention a studio in place of two 2by5m corridors!) You would surely think UCT would then charge more than Pretoria? Surprisingly not, with Pretoria at R90 poer month and UCT's for just R450 for the year.
But that's not my point. Art is. UCT is known for its wide collection of art works, and this extends as far as the gym. Five artworks are displayed in the gym. Now I have no idea what the efffect of heat and sweat have on art, further than an art piece of Humpty Dumpty which my, then age 2, sister at the age had drawn. It hung in our bathroom for a number of years until so much fungi had formed from the mildew that it had to be chucked away...
Now I know that gym doesn't create heat like that from a shower or a bath, but surely in 20 years or so these works of art will be ruined? My question is whether it's worth it: temporary beauty which later leads to destruction?
I guess that question relates not only to artworks but also anorexia, botox, tattoos, plastic surgery... Or are they artworks in themselves?
Have a warm day!
