THE parents of the nation sit contentedly in the CBD, with an air of quiet happiness, smiling gently at each another.

Walter Sisulu – sharp mind, selfless leader, friend of Nelson Mandela

The two lovebirds are Walter and Albertina Sisulu, depicted in a new public artwork by Marina Walsh. It was erected by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) on the intersection of Diagonal, Ntemi Piliso and Market streets.

The figures, 2,2m in height, are in grey concrete, her dress and his jacket painted a gentle blue. Around the concrete base are the words: "Walter and Albertina Sisulu married in 1944. Through their enduring love and dedication they became parents to the nation."

Four storyboards in the small triangle explain their life together, as well as a bit of Johannesburg's history.

The sculpture, weighing 2,7 tons, captures the love the couple had for one another - in the affectionate way they are sitting facing one another, in the way they are focused on one another, in the linking of their hands. Although they look at one another, they are also aware of the world around them.

Political love story

"The artwork will commemorate an enduring political love story, expressing the political values of solidarity and comradeship, while at the same time supporting the family values of caring," said Antoinette Murdoch, the curator of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, in January when the call for an artwork went out.

Walsh says her original concept for the sculpture was to have them seated on a Victorian love seat, looking at one another, the perfect ying and yang. But she left it out as their bodies created the seat. "From above they make the ying and yang circle," she explains.

MaSisulu, serene and compassionate

Walsh says she feels she won the brief to do the artwork because she illustrated the pair as equals, sitting opposite one another at the same height. "He treated her with utmost respect and equality."

She chose to work in concrete because she wanted to create the sculpture to a certain scale, so that children could sit on their laps. Children were very important in the Sisulus' lives, she adds, so she wanted children to interact with the sculpture.

Honesty

Bronze was too expensive, Walsh felt, and while concrete is grey and neutral, it is "quite a warm material" as well. She painted their clothing but nothing else, leaving the faces grey, an effect that reflects "the honesty of their faces". She feels that the colours complement the surrounding buildings, something that she only realised when the sculpture was erected in August.

The sculpture sits at an angle, with Walter facing his old real estate office in Master Mansions, on the corner of Ntemi Piliso and Commissioner streets.

The work took the artist two months to complete. She started with a polyurethane frame, making the heads in clay. It was covered in plaster and a fibreglass mould was then made. This was sent to Pretoria to be cast in cement, and Walsh then did the final touches.

She says the sculpture is likely to improve with weathering. She is happy with the response of passers-by to the work.

"It has a nice vibe ... People have responded in a positive way, saying they were two lovebirds. I feel very honoured to have made it. They were a very sweet, happy couple."

Walter died in May 2003, at the age of 90, in the arms of his wife. Albertina, who turned 91 in October this year, is now very frail.

The small section of pavement on which the sculpture sits has been repaved, together with the entire five blocks of Diagonal Street, says Celestine Moutin, the development manager at the JDA. Stalls at the traders' market at the northern end of Diagonal Street have been upgraded, and all interleading streets around Diagonal Street have been repaved. In all, the JDA has spent R18-million on the upgrade, including the artwork.