SACRED STONES

Inside Sarah Heinamann's world of totemic art

- text VICKI SLEET photographs SOPHIE SMITH & ELSA YOUNG

In the industrial heart of Woodstock, Cape Town, sculptor Sarah Heinamann shapes stone and bronze into totemic forms that speak to ancient wisdom, while addressing a contemporary feminine experience.

The studio, shared with veteran sculptor Otto du Plessis, hums with creative energy — a far cry from the quiet home workspace in Constantia where her pieces are conceptualised.

‘No two days are exactly alike,’ Sarah reflects, describing mornings spent shaping new pieces or wrestling with administrative demands. Two assistants help manage the business side, allowing her to focus on what she calls ‘the constant dance of nurturing these totems into being.’

Her sculptures emerge from contrasting environments. The contemplative studio work contrasts sharply with the foundry where bronze elements are born. ‘The foundry is this wonderfully raw, masculine, and noisy place,’ Sarah explains. ‘It’s like stepping into a different element — so much more intense and primal — and then returning to the studio to weave that raw energy and imagination into the finished piece.’

This physicality surprises many who encounter her work’s sacred, almost feminine grace. Although her finished pieces often have a delicate quality, the making is intensely physical. Moving weighty stones requires strength, while drilling, grinding and fitting demand endurance and physical assistance.