Helmets

This work challenges the general conventional gaze on manual labourers who in South Africa are always perceived as subjects of labour. These helmets are elevated from plastic quality to ceramic quality just to give them the unfamiliar presence that situates them in a superiority level. They express individualism. The fact that they are rendered differently with each appearing and standing out with its own illustration/depiction. The work is a commentary on the generalization of workers and it celebrates various goals, aspirations, taste, and worldviews etc. that exist individually within the working class. Generally a helmet is a protective gear for the head; here it is used metaphorically to protect the labourer's dignity from conventional gazes or stereotypical labelling.