1

THE BATHROOM
The bathroom is another room where Helen sacrificed utility to art. The ceiling is extremely low at around 1,64 metres high. A mirror placed on
the wall illustrates Helen’s small stature of approximately 1,45 metres. The cement bath is very rough in feel and has a strange sectioned-off
basin on one end. The plumbing is badly planned with the tap not even running into the bath, requiring the use of a jug or bucket to fill it.
A cement mermaid perches on the edge of the bath while a huge bas relief of a woman in flippers swims across the wall above. Mermaids are
an unexpected but distinct feature of Karoo mythology. This barren and sparsely populated landscape is rich in tales of ghosts and other supernatural
creatures. There is a rich oral tradition among Karoo people telling of mermaids who sit combing their long, dark hair at the edge of water
sources in desolate areas and try to entice hapless passersby to a watery death.
San rock art found in the Oudtshoorn area of the Little Karoo appears to depict creatures with fins instead of legs and outstretched arms. Some
argue that these actually depict swallows, associated with rain, and were related to shamanistic rituals while others claim they were adapted
from European folktales and used to scare children and keep them safe from drowning.
The floor is a mosaic-like creation of white bottles. Friends reported that Helen wanted to recreate freshly-fallen snow, an effect she also tried
to replicate on the front stoep by painting spots with white paint all over the floor. Although Helen loved the sight of snow, it was also a cause of
considerable stress and she spent many winter nights staying up fearing it would damage the statues in the Camel Yard.
166 FOR THE LOVE OF LIGHT
FOR THE LOVE OF LIGHT 167