GEORGIA BURGER

The Mug

Whilst attending a family friend’s braai, I wandered down their newly built garden, looking for inspiration in the less noticeable things around me. I’d made it two steps down when I looked to my right—and there it was. A mug.

I took a picture and asked the homeowner if he knew its story. He burst out laughing. Of course he did. This mug had a story.

During the building of the house, the homeowner would often bring the workers tea and coffee. One day, an elderly worker accidentally broke a mug in the garage. The homeowner, being quite the jokester, told him it had belonged to his grandfather during World War Two. In reality, it was a Tesco mug he’d bought days before.

The rest of the crew caught onto the joke, but the elderly man didn’t. Heartbroken by what he believed was his mistake, he decided to honour the mug in his own way. He carefully placed it inside the wall, hiding the cracked side from view.

The homeowner never had the heart to tell him the truth. And so, the mug stayed.

Now, it remains as a slightly ridiculous, but strangely touching, reminder of a harmless joke that had consequences. It speaks to remorse, guilt, and the lasting traces our actions can leave behind. Sometimes, the things we do to others leave a mark on us too.

As an artist, it spoke to me visually, the way it had been so carefully and intricately designed. The mugs fragile, delicate presence amongst such heavy and rough rocks. Trapped behind a cage, hiding its broken side. I thought it really was quite pretty :)

#art #photography #artist #contemporaryart #fyp