Kyunyu Pauline Makala on Art, the Ocean and Movement
With the first sail of the SIRENA Dhow, a project begins that brings together art, traditional boatbuilding and marine conservation. In the coming seasons, further sails are planned to be created by artists represented by Forster Gallery. After around four months at sea, each sail will be transformed into a limited collection of artefacts; the proceeds will support Under The Wave Zanzibar. Kyunyu Pauline Makala created the first sail. In this interview, she talks about how she experienced this special project.
Pauline, what fascinated you about this project?
What fascinated me most was the scale. I usually work on canvases or mosaics. A sail of this size is something completely different. You do not simply stand in front of it and paint a picture – you move within it, work section by section and constantly have to imagine the whole piece.At the same time, I was touched by the fact that this work does not remain in one place. A sail carries people across the ocean. It is exposed to wind, light, salt and movement. My art becomes part of a journey. This connection between art, nature and movement immediately excited me.
What was the greatest challenge during the process?
The greatest challenge was keeping the overall image in mind. On a small canvas, you see the composition as a whole right away. On a twelve-metre sail, you work section by section. You have to stay very focused and keep asking yourself how everything will come together. Another aspect was that the sail would later be visible from a distance. The colours therefore had to be strong enough to work at sea. At the same time, I wanted to include details that can only be discovered up close. The movement of the sail in the wind also played a role. The image does not remain flat and still – it changes with the boat, the weather and the light.
How did the dolphin and snorkelling safari inspire you?
The safari was very important to me. The colours of the ocean made a deep impression on me – the intense turquoise, the darker shades of blue, the reflections of light underwater. While snorkelling, I was able to experience the underwater world up close. It felt very alive and immediate. What stayed with me most were the movements of the dolphins. They were light, fast and at the same time very calm. I wanted to bring that energy into the sail. Many impressions from the sea influenced my choice of colours and the small details in the work. From a distance, you mainly see the large movement of the image. For guests on board – and later on the artefacts – the finer elements will also become visible.
What does it mean to you that the sail will later be transformed into new objects?
I find this idea very beautiful. The work does not simply disappear after its time at sea. It changes and continues to live in another form. Each section carries part of the painting, but also the traces of the journey: sun, wind, salt and movement. For me, this makes the work even more alive. It is not only an image to be looked at, but a work that is on the move – first at sea, and later with the people who carry a fragment of it forward.
