Pillar Mosaics

The slanted columns in the Court foyer are conceived as a “forest of columns”, referencing the idea of holding court under a tree. They are adorned with ceramic motifs derived from indigenous trees, using the forms of seedpods, thorns, and leaves to shape the decorative patterns.

Artist Jane du Rand developed the design in response to the competition brief for surface decoration applied to the inclined structural columns. Working within the partially constructed space, she observed the movement of sunlight and shifting shadows across the columns, which informed a careful ratio between mosaic and exposed concrete.

The composition distinguishes between “earth” and “sky” columns. Some columns read from a square base at floor level, while others begin from a square section nearer the ceiling, allowing the vertical structures to be understood as grounded or elevated elements within the space. Earth columns are rendered in terracotta, reds, and ochres, referencing seedpods and thorns, while sky columns are expressed in grey-greens, turquoise, and blue-greens, evoking leaves and pods. Together, these chromatic and botanical distinctions articulate a spatial dialogue between ground and canopy.

The ceramic patterns are designed to dissolve into the surrounding architectural environment, extending the play of natural light and shadow cast by the windows and perforated ceiling. Produced over a three-month process involving extensive collaboration, the ceramic elements were cut, moulded, fired, and glazed by a large team using kilns in Durban. The finished strips were assembled in the artist’s studio before being transported to Johannesburg, where a team of six installed the mosaics over a two-week period.

The work translates the idea of “justice under a tree” into architectural form, embedding references to landscape, ecology, and collective making within the civic space of the Court.