Have you noticed the beautiful new Silo building taking up the skyline in the Silo District of the V&A Waterfront? It is home to the much anticipation the Zeitz Museum Of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), which will be opening their doors to the public on 22 September 2017. In celebration, it will offer free admission to everyone until the 25th.
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) collects, preserves, researches, and exhibits twenty-first-century art from Africa and its Diaspora; hosts international exhibitions; develops supporting educational and enrichment programmes; encourages intercultural understanding; and guarantees access for all.
Over one-hundred galleries are dedicated to a permanent collection; temporary exhibitions; and Centres for Art Education, Curatorial Excellence, Performative Practice, Photography, the Moving Image, and the Costume Institute.
A little bit of history
Cape Town’s grain silo was built in 1921 as an industrial harbour facility where grain from throughout South Africa was graded and stored, ready for shipping. The building has remained a prominent feature of the city’s landscape, and for many years it was the city’s tallest structure.
However, the advent of modern containerized shipping meant that by 2001 the silo had become redundant, and it fell into disuse. Recently the area it dominates has been regenerated and developed as a district of the vibrant V&A Waterfront. The V&A Waterfront, approached Heatherwich Studio, looking for help in defining a future vision for the silo. At that time there was no program and no design. The studio led a three-day workshop in Cape Town to examine potential future uses. It found that although the Waterfront already featured retail, hotels and residential areas there was an opportunity for a new cultural space.
This special site offered an opportunity to establish a new institution that was utterly contemporary. Through Heatherwick Studio, the V&A Waterfront had a scheme for the repurposing of its building in a culturally significant manner, and they committed the R500 million required for the redevelopment of the heritage-listed building. At the same time, the Jochen Zeitz was looking for a home for his collection of contemporary art from Africa. It was the meeting of these parties that resulted in for the establishment of the not-for-profit Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), and the creation of Africa’s first museum of its kind.
Buy your tickets through Webtickets
Address: Silo District, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa, 8002
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 18:00
Ticket Prices: From R180 and Children under 18 enter free
Images by Iwan Baan and supplied by Heatherwick Studio
One Destination, 6 Unbelievable Experiences
There is no one way to explore all of the Cape Town Big 6, and much of what makes each of them so special is the variety of things to see and do at each. So if possible, take your time to explore each of the city’s most visited tourist attractions in as much depth as possible – as any local will tell you, you can spend a lifetime at each of the Big 6 and still not tire of them. Find the 3 and 4 day itineraries and tips here.