Africa’s largest kinetic structure launched

The magnificent Creovator was launched to the thumping of drums at WesBank head office in Fairland on 19 August.

Creovator– in essence, an enormous sculpture with moving balls – got its name from the words create and innovate. WesBank CEO Chris de Kock said that these two words encompass everything his company strives for.

This kinetic art work – designed by super-sculptor Etienne de Kock – weighs over two tonnes and stands a whopping 12m tall.

“This spectacular structure is a metaphor for WesBank,” De Kock said.

“All these parts are moving in harmony and it’s larger than life. It will stand tall as our barometer of success. The invention standing behind me continues to remind us what we are striving to achieve together.”

‘Creavator’ has 18 custom-cast balls running along more than one kilometre of metal track and is activated by two motors driving two chains, each of which are 23 metres long. It took a team of more than 70 people to conceptualise, design and shape it over six months.

De Kock described WesBank as a machine – a well-oiled one. He also surprised the scores of company employees hanging over balconies to enjoy the show with an initiative. WesBank, he said, would be implementing an innovation competition in 2015 and R1.5 million would be up for grabs.

Artist Etienne de Kock admitted that the mammoth sculpture was a tough deadline to meet.

“We built it in 10 weeks,” he said.

“Movement is compelling. People are drawn to unpredictable movement. My sculptures move, often manipulated by the viewer, and in this way both movement and random human intervention become employed as ‘material’ in the work. Now that I see it in action I’m proud, but I’m tired.”