Braamfontein Improvement District’s Chairperson Xoliswa Nduneni-Ngema said the launch of the Ameshoff Street Identity & Placemaking Project as a celebration of art and architecture.
“This project celebrates what’s best about Braamfontein, where art and architecture meet to create spaces people love to spend time in, to gather, to rest and to feel part of the city again,” said Nduneni-Ngema.
Nduneni-Ngema, who is also the Joburg Theatre CEO, spoke at the official unveiling of the Ameshoff Street Identity & Placemaking Project on Friday.
The revitalisation of the street forms part of the urban renewal taking place in Braamfontein.
The restored Theatre Fountain Plaza, which provides the backdrop to the Joburg Ballet studio window, now anchors the precinct.
The centrepiece is the “Watershed” mosaic fountain, designed and installed by Spaza Art Gallery’s Dionne MacDonald, whose intricate artwork celebrates Johannesburg’s role as a continental watershed, where rivers flow eastward to the Indian Ocean and westward to the Atlantic.
The mosaic’s vivid imagery of the Joburg skyline and watershed transforms the plaza into a cultural landmark as a place that educates, inspires and delights.
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Launched through art
Surrounding it are curved concrete benches by Wilson Stone, custom light poles by Regent Lighting and string lights draped between masts and trees, creating a festive, welcoming atmosphere that glows into the evening.
“It also shows what’s possible when creative partnerships and shared investment come together to make the city not just functional, but inspiring,” said Nduneni-Ngema.
The public-private partnership [PPP] between the Braamfontein Improvement District, Liberty Group, Joburg Theatre and the CUMC has reimagined Ameshoff Street as a vibrant, creative and welcoming public realm.
There were speeches by politicians and other dignitaries, however, the launch was made entertaining by performances by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) band, the Wits choir, the Joburg Ballet and the Soweto Theatre Youth.
The Spanish Society’s dancers also warmed the audience as it got windy and nippy around Joburg on Friday evening.
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