A dancing sculpture, powered by the sun.
In March 2015, Baywest Mall launched an urban art campaign with a competition calling on artists to design an innovative 7 m / 23 ft-tall sculpture. The winners were Louwrens Westraad and Mxolisi “Dolla” Sapeta, with a concept titled Ujiva (“dancing”) — abstract female figures dancing around a large sphere, standing at the gateway roundabout on Walker Drive. By day, sunlight refracts off the steel; when the city’s westerly wind hits the frames, the structure emits a musical range of four octaves.
At night, the artwork comes alive under MaxiPUNCH Static fittings. SSLI, in consultation with MaxiLED Lighting, specified the mono white 3000K unit — custom-built to run at 24V while retaining the compact profile and IP68 integrity of the standard fitting.
The whole system runs off-grid: a single 285 W PV panel and four 12V 100 Ah batteries with a solar charge controller, all designed into the artwork’s frame and base so nothing distracts from the sculpture itself.
The optical brief was equally precise: enough punch to bathe the full 7 m / 23 ft of the artwork, but no light spill onto the road — more than 800 vehicles approach the roundabout daily. Asked how the public should interact with his work, Westraad said: “Ultimately people must relate with it momentarily as they drive by.”
