The Judge’s Chambers
Interiors of the Court. Andrew Meintjes
The security doors
The private side of the Court where the judges have their chambers has an equal sense of delight and creativity as the public side of the Court.
Every security gate to the individual judges’ chambers are unique and have become a ‘collection’ of their own. They are integrated into the building that portrays not only how different each judge is, but also the individual artistic and technical talent, inventiveness and a diversity of skills of the skilled creators of the gates. The necessary physical requirements of the security gates, entrance doors, signage, and sunscreens were designed with the input of artists and craftspeople to create customised, meaningful architecture. This gives further relevance to the building as it expresses our collective social, political and cultural achievement in the context set out in the Constitution.
The carpets
Interior of the foyer and the judges’ lounge. Guto Bussab
The carpeting in the private side of the Court is equally as creative as in the court chamber. The carpets in the judges’ tearoom, conference room and chambers are designed by Sifiso ka-Mkame and Romeo Zamane Makhanya and are based on little pieces that were taken out of paintings given to the Court by an artist from Durban. The artwork did not work as such but had details that were so strong and evocative that the architect saw the potential of integrating them into the Court.
Certain details of the painting were enlarged and sent to cooperative weavers in the rural areas. The weavers, who were mostly women, were sitting on high stools with their machines in front of them. Below, on the ground, there were chickens and dogs running around. The exquisite carpets in the Court building emerged from this environment.
