This artwork takes the form of a series of glowing, tent-like structures, partly inspired by light traps that scientists use to study moths and other insects. The tents, similar to those used for emergency shelter in refugee and disaster relief camps, house European oak saplings, a species brought to South Africa by colonial settlers for the purpose of making wine barrels. The work is a meditation on the idea that a beacon can be both a symbol of hope as well as a signifier of danger or futility. This is true for many migrants and displaced people who flee violence and persecution in their homelands, travelling to distant locations in search of safety and a better life. Their progress is often halted when they find themselves in refugee camps where many have no choice but to work under compromised conditions just to survive. Located on the grounds of Spier, one of South Africa’s oldest wine farms, near what was once called Eikestad ("The City of Oaks”) — now Stellenbosch — Beacon also addresses issues of colonialism and the historical exploitation of migrant workers in the South African wine trade.

Marco Chiandetti is an internationally exhibited artist who completed an MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, in 2007. Working across sculpture, drawing, performance and installation, he addresses a fascination with the way humans affect and are affected by the world around them. Sensitively working with natural and traditional processes, often with the use of wildlife, he fuses together refined artistic skill, poetic irony with philosophical and political undertones. He has studied with artists Ai Wei Wei and the Fluxus artist Geoff Hendricks and has participated at various residencies worldwide.