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THE EAST, PYRAMIDS AND CAMELS
The Camel Yard, as it was named by Helen herself, is orientated towards 'the East'. However, the large metal sign reading 'East' in
Afrikaans and English actually indicates the south. When interviewed by Ross, Koos Malgas said Helen had told him she made a big
mistake because the camels in the yard, many of which are accompanying Biblical wise men, were not walking towards the East.
Jill Wenman said: "She felt she didn't want the wise men not to arrive at their destination, so she created a destination for them; but
where they were already marching to wasn't East, so she had to make her own!"
A large portion of the figures appear to be travelling towards Helen’s East with outstretched, worshipping arms. In the European
mind of the time, the East often served as a contrast to Western values and culture, which some felt set constricting boundaries. In
Helen’s mind, the East possibly symbolised an escape from her limiting surroundings to the exotic, exciting and unknown. Wenman
said that the figure of a woman hurrying towards the East holding the hand of a girl was a birthday present to her from Helen and
represented the two of them. "She was showing me the East," she told Ross.
The yard is almost dominated by the dozens of camels that populate it. According to Wenman, Helen’s sister Alida Seymour was
probably the most important person in her life and many of the places she travelled to, such as Egypt which is often associated
with camels, inspired her. According to Malgas, Helen had plans to cover all of the camels in brown glass but this never happened
due to her tragic suicide.
In popular depictions of the Nativity, the Magi, who followed a star in the East to welcome the newborn Jesus, are often shown
travelling on camels on their journey of great spiritual significance. As animals that make long desert journeys carrying heavy loads,
camels are often associated with strength, endurance, wisdom and humility.
Another indication of her obsession with the East is the dozens of pyramids around the yard. It has been argued that these burial
places of the ancient pharaohs might have been stairways to heaven and might also have symbolised the rays of the life-giving sun,
which was at the centre of their religion, spreading to the earth.
224 FOR THE LOVE OF LIGHT
FOR THE LOVE OF LIGHT 225