Description
Once upon a time in the tiny Karoo dorp of Nieu Bethesda... Helen Martins lay ill in bed, with the moon shining in through the window, and considered how dull and grey her life had become.
She resolved, there and then, that she would strive to bring light and colour into her life. That simple decision, to embellish her environment, was to grow into an obsessive urge to express her deepest feelings, her dreams and her desires. And so the the Owl House began.
Starting with the interior of her house, she used the emblems of sun-faces, owls and other images. This is all set against a luminous backdrop of walls and ceilings coated with elaborate patterns of crushed glass imbedded in bands of brightly coloured paint.
Over twelve years, she and her assistant, Koos Malgas, created fthe hundreds of sculptures and relief figures that crowd the 'Camel Yard' and cover the walls of the house. Her favourite animals, owls and camels, predominate, but all manner of real and fantastical beings are to be found.
A procession of shepherds and wise men lead a vast, almost life-size camel train toward an 'East' as designated by Helen Martins, and integrates Christianity with her fascination for the Orient.
A stoic double-faced owl watches over the arched entranceway from the street, significantly barricaded by a tall mesh fence and a stand of tall Queen-of-the-Night cacti.
Like the elaborately bottle-skirted hostesses within the yard, this arch must have been intended to welcome the visitor into her 'world', but the fence speaks plainly of an increasingly troubled relationship between Helen Martins and the outside world.
Owl House Map
* We rely on Google's mapping service, and the location information supplied to
us to show street view images. Please use street view as a guide only as we cannot
guarantee its accuracy.
In and Around
Accommodation near
Owl House
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
- R300 p/p sharing
R400 Single
- 11 Guests
- R250 p/p sharing
R350 Single
- 15 Guests
No Reviews
- R350 p/p sharing
R450 Single
- 14 Guests
No Reviews
- R1 200 Rooms/Units
- 12 Guests
- R350 p/p sharing
R400 Single
- 18 Guests
- R295 p/p sharing
R550 Rooms/Units
R590 Single
- 120 Guests
- R230 p/p sharing
R275 Single
- 10 Guests
No Reviews
- R425 p/p sharing
R565 Single
- 26 Guests
No Reviews
- R350 p/p sharing
R450 Single
- 14 Guests
- R1 010 Rooms/Units
- 4 Guests