How many times have you driven down Albertina Sisula and noticed the bed lying in the park on the corner of Viljoen streets ? At first glance it appears it be one of the many tossed beds one sees casually lying abandoned on our pavements but on closer inspection its anything but that.
Its the strongest and most weathered bed one will find in nature. It can handle any type of Joburg climate and even the harshest of weather conditions won’t blow the silk sheets away.
This cleverly crafted piece of cement was the brainchild of late Lesley Perkes who passed away in 2015 from a long battle with cancer . It is said that she drove past this park each day when dropping her kids off at school. The corner was a sight for sorry eyes with rubbish lying around so she decided to be pro active and do something about it.
She approached photographer Johannes Dreyer and designer Damien Grivas and together they came up with the ingenious idea of transforming the unsightly pile of rubble into a never ending bedtime story. Installed in 2011 it became a location for many art actions which have been documented in an entertaining blog that also pays homage to Lesley Perkes.
The carefully moulded silk sheets , creased pillows and the plush studded headboard that was moulded from a cheap headboard that they picked up in Primrose for R450. add to the character of this fair sized double bed used for many photo sessions and story telling sessions over the years.
Placed below a beautiful tree one could almost snuggle up with a good book and drift off into dream land or just gaze at the stars while listening to the sounds of a bustling city.
