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attract people to it and be rentable as a space
suitable for public and education programmes such
as corporate training, book launches and art exhibi-
tions. “It was important,” says Campbell, “that we
conceived of a solution that was multi-functional
with a very specific use for separate artwork exhibi-
tions. We needed someone who knew what they
were doing when it came to lighting artwork and
maximising the ambient space above the artwork
and throughout the interior”.
Campbell approached João Viegas of Pam-
boukian lightdesign to consult on the lighting for
the heritage site.
Visitors to the museum enter, what was the
reception area for incoming prisoners, from
Kotze Street through the ‘tunnel’ linking the main
entrance of the Old Fort to the prison atrium. The
imposing gates and the gun crenels in the thick
walls give a striking sense of what incoming pris-
oners must have felt when being brought there.
A heavy door opens to a space divided by two
arches with the second area leading down a dark
corridor to two sizeable exhibition halls at the end
of the building.
En route
to these rooms, visitors
pass what were two holding cells on their left and
a barred window, with no glass, opening into an air
shaft, on their right.
Throughout this progress from one side to the
other, the conservation approach highlights the old
and the new so that it is possible to see the original
structure alongside the revamped one. “This,” ex-
plains Campbell, “is one of the strong concepts of
the design.You can see what is old and what is new
and the contrast highlights appreciation for both”.
Heritage is a subjective concept with many
layers and there is lively debate as to what stays
and what goes when working on an historical site.
In this instance, the graffiti that is now at least
25 years old provided the topic for discussion. In
the end, it was preserved as it was deemed to be
important in the history of the site.
Campbell explains that there was water damage
to the walls and windows throughout the building.
Some selected plaster had to be removed and re-
done and timbers that had rotted were replaced.
In addition, a wooden deck was installed on top of,
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