FIRE WALKER, William Kentridge, Gerhard Marx

128 pp., 4to., colour illus., paperback, slipcase, Johannesburg, 2011

This book documents the construction of the William Kentridge/ Gerhard Marx public sculpture installed in downtown Johannesburg before the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The sculpture is based on a drawing by Kentridge of a woman street vendor carrying a burning brazier on her head. It includes three photo essays, four essays that reflect on the meaning of public art and conversations by Oliver Barstow with the various professionals who participated in the making of "Firewalker", including the artists William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx and Marcus Neustetter of The Trinity Session.

The essays are:
"Now You See Her, Now You Don't" by Alexandra Dodd
"Urban Mythologies" by Mpho Matsipa
"Walking With/ Walking Alongside/ Walking Against?" by Zen Marie and Jonathan Cane
"Ma Firewalker and Mr Typewriter-Head: maps, Marx and Kentridge" by Mark Gevisser

The photo-essays are:
"Constructing 'Fire Walker'" by John Hodgkiss
"Three Fire Walkers" by Ben Law-Viljoen
"Six Monuments" by Alastair McLahlan