Fire Walker

In 2009, William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx were commissioned to make a public sculpture for the city of Johannesburg, on the occasion of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Their sculpture was based on Kentridge’s drawing of a woman street vendor--known colloquially in Johannesburg as a fire walker--carrying a burning brazier on her head. “Fire Walker” thus stands for the ordinary citizen, whose survival depends on his or her ability to negotiate contested urban terrain. The 36-feet-high figure was installed at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, on a site formerly used by street traders and taxi washers. This volume documents the commission and also includes two photo essays on street vendors and old city monuments.