Art Installation

‘A Love Letter to Fish Hoek’- The Deep South Valley Comes Alive with an Art Installation in the Front Windows of Iconic 97-Year-Old Family-Run Department Store, AP Jones

For the very first time, Fish Hoek’s iconic department store AP Jones, the valley’s beloved 97-year-old family-run business, will explode with creativity as its front windows are transformed into a stunning, large-scale art installation. This bold display will be visible at street level and is designed to engage shoppers, pedestrians and passing traffic on Fish Hoek’s Main Road. The installation will be unveiled in phases, starting from 19 September 2025, and forms part of the build-up to the inaugural Open Studios Fish Hoek & Clovelly (OSFHC), which takes place from 3 to 5 October 2025.

The installation is a collaborative effort organised by participating OSFHC artists Lauren Shantall, Sue Kaplan and Yda Walt and jointly conceptualised by Walt (who is a celebrated textile artist and screen-printer) and Kaplan (who is a curator, painter and teacher). The installation includes the direct involvement of Susan Didcott, Marlise Keith, Leila and Emma Rowett, Sasha Scholtz and others, with the enthusiastic support of the AP Jones team. Additionally, all 19 artists that are part of OSFHC will contribute self-portraits in the medium of their choice that will form part of the installation.

Screen-printed images on calico fabric, created in Walt’s studio, form the heart of the installation. Layered in varying depths, they reflect both the urban bustle and natural beauty of Fish Hoek – from proteas to passing trucks and signage glimpsed in Main Road shop windows. Mannequins will be dressed in clothing made from printed paper, adding another playful and surprising element.

‘Screen printing felt like the perfect medium. Quick to make, visually bold and ideally suited to a shop window. We wanted something impactful, strong and simple that would stop people in their tracks,’ says Walt.

The installation is also a love letter to Fish Hoek itself: ‘The Main Road has its rough edges, but it’s also deeply charming. We all live and work here, and this is our way of showing our love for the place. Putting Fish Hoek right there in the window. We hope it draws people into our studios and reveals just how rich and vibrant life here really is,’ she says.

Kaplan echoes this spirit of connection: ‘What excites me is how this platform enlivens and invigorates the Deep South. It’s establishing a fabulous collective of amazing people who bring colour and vibrancy to our community. Community creates humanity and together we’re weaving a living, breathing organism of creativity.’ She hopes visitors will leave with fresh inspiration: ‘I’d like people to sense that there are other ways to be: that creativity is about being an alchemist, seeing the world differently. I want people to be excited by the spaces they step into and the possibilities they reveal.’

According to Lauren Bing, who is the great-granddaughter of the original AP Jones: ‘My family and I are extremely excited to host the project and support Open Studios Fish Hoek & Clovelly. Just as you can only experience AP Jones here in Fish Hoek, so too is this new event a unique part of our valley. We hope that many people come and visit.’

Founded in 1928, AP Jones remains a family-run, one-of-a-kind department store, offering everything from formalwear to leisure clothing across two floors, complete with a cosy café upstairs. The store’s iconic Main Road frontage makes it the perfect partner for OSFHC, helping bring art into the heart of the community.