‘The Anatomy of a Building’

During her years at 430 Longmarket Street, Leda’s work continued to develop. Her house, with its large rooms and garden, gave her both a place to live and a place to work.

It was during this period that she produced the body of work for her second exhibition, ‘The Anatomy of a Building’.

The ‘ Anatomy of a Building’ exhibition was opened in 1992. In her own words:

‘I was motivated to do this series of pastel drawings by my concern with the relation between conservation and development. The traumatic experience of helplessly witnessing the demolition of a whole streetscape forced me to make this silent protest. The impetus to express my feelings came when the distant hills were revealed after the dust had settled. I became fascinated by the building operations in the foreground and went on recording each new facet of this process for almost a year. Despite the dull architectural result, I found the process of the building operation an exciting experience. Simultaneously, I felt the need to explore the interiors of my approximately 100-year-old Pietermaritzburg red brick house/studio as a refuge from what was happening in the street outside.’