Less than a week after a series of photographs were erected in Cape Town, they have been vandalised.

The series - Un/Settled by Sydelle Willow Smith - was erected at the Company’s Garden, the historic park in central Cape Town, on Thursday. The photos were vandalised on Monday, just four days later.

The work aimed to encourage debate about whiteness and its power dynamics. Instead it was defaced with permanent markers and smeared with human feces. At least one of the pieces had the word "Fools" written on it.

“Un/Settled is a living, breathing project and I’ve always wanted it to spark conversation," explained Smith.

“Obviously in a social media setting, when you post this kind of work, it gets a lot of engagement - but it’s a filtered engagement. So there’s a rawness to put out work in a physical, public space."