“Positive escape” is a series that was initiated in 2020 as a response to the covid-19 pandemic. The series consists of a range of monotype studies of the skeleton structure of a tortoise. I was particularly fascinated with the tortoise shell and how the shell is not simply on top of the tortoise but is the tortoise. The tortoise shell is a highly complicated shield for the ventral and dorsal parts the tortoise as it completely encloses and protects all the vital organs of the tortoise. The shell acts like an armor to protect the tortoise from predators. This provided me with the perfect positive symbol in responding to Lock down in South Africa. The shell also became a metaphor for me to confront the concept of home. It is said that the tortoise stores its wisdom in its shell. Therefore, lock down has been a space of storing growth through struggle, perspective, contemplation and appreciation.
