German artist resurrects abandoned house :: Mmegi Online

FRANCISTOWN: Visiting German conceptual artist, Ricarda Mieth has utilised her skills to make an old abandoned house come to life. With the support of a local artist, she has installed a sound system in the house located along the railway line opposite the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) offices. She has installed wind chimes, which make tinkling sounds in the breeze.

For over five decades, the hexagonal house has been a haven for vermin and mice and perhaps snakes. Now it looks like Mieth has upset the natural order when she introduced a different kind of sound into the house. The building could have been described as 'lanky' had it been a person. It is one of the historical structures in Francistown.

Reports say it was built as a guesthouse for one Morgan, reputed to be the first doctor at the nearby Jubilee Clinic, which was a fully-fledged hospital at the time. The house has been abandoned for decades but still looks strong. It was built with clay bricks, which must have undergone intense baking to make them durable and roofed with strong corrugated iron sheets.

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