At a newly-developed public promenade situated along the Nile near Cairo’s upscale neighbourhood of Zamalek, a new piece of art stands out.
Passers-by are seen dazzled by a gigantic iron statue of a woman who sits and raises her hand as if she were receiving water from the sky to irrigate the earth – a sign of the greatness of the River Nile.
The statue, which received much public admiration, was designed by Egyptian sculptor Ahmed Moussa, a sculpture professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University.
“The statue’s sitting position and clothes were inspired by statues from ancient Egypt, but with a contemporary vision,” Moussa told the Egyptian Mail in an interview.
Moussa used shiny stainless steel pipes to draw the shape of the water falling from the woman’s hands and gathering in waves on the pedestal’s steps.
“I believe that using stainless steel pipes is better than real water falling from the woman’s hands as this engages the audience more to figure out the symbols behind the artwork,” he said.
The young sculptor also used layered metal technology to go in line with the modern design of “Mamsha Ahl Masr (The Walk of the People of Egypt)”, a new promenade along the Nile allowing citizens better access to recreational open spaces and a getaway from high levels of air pollution in the capital.
“Another advantage of layered statues is that they are transparent to a great extent. Viewers can see the Nile and the passing boats through the statue, which makes the work in harmony with the surrounding environment.”
“The idea of layers also refers to the thousands of silt layers that accumulate and make up the Nile valley,” Moussa said.
The statue was carried out in two phases: The first included a manual sculpting of a statue made of Aswani clay at a height of 70 cm. Then, it was enlarged by technological methods to be four and a half meters tall.
Moussa started working on the statue after being contacted last year by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority.
“I put three different blueprints, and the advisory office as well as the authority’s officers selected one,” Moussa said.
Moussa had worked with the Armed Forces Engineering Authority in designing and carrying out the Monument of the ‘Unknown Soldier’ in Luxor back in 2019.
With government support and robust interest, Moussa is upbeat on the future of sculpture in Egypt.
“There is a growing interest from the Egyptian state in improving this field and building statues in Cairo and new cities,” Moussa said.
The talented sculptor added that the construction of statutes enriches public places and gives viewers a sense of appreciation.
“It tells them that this work is for them and for everyone passing this place. It also spreads visual culture and aesthetic value in the country instead of manifestations of chaos and materialism,” Moussa added.
Discussion about this post