(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Marschall, Sabine M.
Two years ago, a competition was held for a Heroes' Monument to be erected in Durban, as part of the City's wider initiative to celebrate the heritage of those previously marginalized and redress imbalances of the past. However, as a new canon of heroes is thus being created, important questions must be raised around selection criteria and the very concept of hero worship. Such questions also fundamentally affect the aesthetic aspect of any monument design.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Lomax, Lawrence
This paper proposes a pragmatic means to evaluate the degree of permeability of different ceramic shell moulds using a low cost practical method as compared to a more sophisticated hot permeability method. The proposed method makes use of a blind riser as a "barometer" strategically attached to a mould to measure the different heights attained by molten bronze when poured into the mould in question. By arithmetic calculation the height of the bronze column in the blind riser gives an indication of the permeability of the ceramic shell mould under investigation. The permeability values thus obtained could be useful as an indicator to determine the number of risers that will provide sufficient air-vents for the moulds during a bronze pour.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Konik, Adrian
This article investigates how Aronofsky's Pi (1998) subverts the visual language of mainstream cinema and the mass media at both an overt level, through the use of alienating techniques that encourage the audience to reconsider the representations as constructed artefacts, and at a more subtle level, through making the narrative structures of mainstream cinema conspicuous insofar as the narrative of Pi disappoints the audience's expectations. That is, Aronofsky's Pi (1998), as a neo noir, carries the full critical weight of film noir behind it and problematizes the socio-cultural myths, romantic facades, and "stable world view" of mainstream cinema. Aronofsky's film text denies that any final moment of unequivocal Apollonian truth is possible, and thereby declares the arbitrariness of the two "key" American cultural myths propagated by mainstream film texts, namely that "the truth will always prevail (wrongs will be made right) and that the powerful in this society can be brought down by the little people who are represented [as] ... truth seek[ers]" (Denzin 1995:23). Furthermore, Aronofsky's representation of the psychoanalytic dimensions of intimacy demythologizes the usual discourse of romance found in the narratives of many mainstream films because it reveals the extent to which romance is underpinned by the desire to re-experience the lost moment of plenitude with the mother. Finally, Aronofsky's Pi (1998) reflects, at both a cinematographic and conceptual level, elements of German expressionism. That is, through the use of heavily accentuated shadows in the film, which results in more being hidden than
revealed, and through the implications of the narrative, which ends on a very ambiguous note, the audience is presented with a perspective of the world as a terrifying "abyss" of possibility, which leads to the further subversion of the "stable world view", perpetuated and propagated by the visual language of mainstream cinema.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Shaw, R.W.
This article is the product of continued research in Vergil's pictorial imagery, a topic addressed earlier in a paper on the Laocoon episode of the Aeneid, which appeared in the 2001 edition of SAJAH. The poet's visual rhetoric seems to remove the barriers traditionally imposed on poetry and the literary arts, and his verbal palette contains all the descriptive elements indigenous to painting, cinema, and sculpture. The convoluted verse results in the strategic placement of words to convey visually the images in his narrative format. These observations remain the premise on which I have based my commentary on the first major event of the epic, the storm sequence of Bk i. A "catalogue raisonne" provides a survey of the art inspired by the passage dating from early Italian Renaissance
through the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. There ensues a transposition of the exegesis to the author's visual interpretation in an attempt to mirror Vergil's painter-like and sculptural qualities in the genre of abstract expressionism and to evoke once again Horace's humanistic doctrine on poetry and the visual arts, "ut pictura poesis".
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Olivier, Bert
This article addresses important insights concerning architecture on the part of the philosopher Karsten Harries, as well as issues raised by various contributors in a recent book on the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Focusing at length on some of the most important of these contributions, it sets out to analyse and elaborate on them in a broader framework, namely what one may learn from these attacks about architecture, particularly concerning its representational function, and more generally regarding its ethical, social and political implications.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Mare, Estelle Alma
The first group of El Greco's paintings discussed in this article are all naturalistic representations of the Annunciation theme and are chosen from his Italian period. The examples of his later paintings are chosen from the Spanish period and include various themes. These paintings are discussed with reference to encounters between human and angelic figures in transcendental space. The aim of this research is to emphasize [the] radical shift in El Greco's representation of space and the transposition of the viewer from a static mode of seeing to a more subjective, visionary awareness.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Economou, Inge
Graphic design in the contemporary era (postmodernity) seems to be in a state of diversity and pluralism as designers produce work without any unifying stylistic or theoretical principles. Although designers frequently draw inspiration from stylistic and attitudinal trends at a street culture level in order to produce designs that
have market appeal (to economic ends), seldom do they take the time to analyse contemporary culture at a theoretical level. As a result contemporary graphic designs often emerge as empty consumerist styling that celebrates the "postmodern moment" in contemporary culture, or alternatively as a rational, simplified, objectively planned approach that resists the status quo in favour of earlier modernist approaches. This essay, as a theoretical investigation of contemporary culture, attempts to contextualize graphic design within this culture, by analysing its main features and characteristics as highlighted by leading cultural theorists. This is done in order to encourage graphic designers to become more self-aware and to reflect critically on the work that they produce.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) De Villiers Human, Suzanne
A visual argument is put forward by means of the association of motifs related to the image of the Fool and its metaphorical meanings, like many mirrors reflecting into one another. This method of shaping [an] argument by intuitively associating visual images, rather than commencing with theoretical debate, aids in confronting the power of images over scholars of visual culture. The analytical strategy to hunt down, tease out and uncover underlying meanings in visual material is modelled upon the example of the wilful and mischievous strategies favoured in the humorously subversive visual examples selected. This is a deliberately picaresque hermeneutic act, because it transgressively aims at exposing various ideological prejudices. This process acknowledges that art historians do not only bring modes of interpretation to works of art, but that objects of art suggest rhetorical possibilities for their interpretation; that images have power over scholars selecting and analysing them. These strategies of Ideology sensitive art and analysis alert to the fact that the act of looking at cultural images is an act of witnessing. It is not a passive reception but an act of bearing witness through sight.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Oppermann, Johann
Both Johannesburg and Paris are great cities that played important roles in the private life of William Kentridge. Kentridge was born in Johannesburg and is still living there. It is mainly a mining city with visible reminders of its past still evident in the huge mine dumps, highways and headgear structures over mine shafts. By contrast, Paris is the city where Kentridge studied mime (1981 - 1982) at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq and gained international exposure. Geographic and historical location are very important elements in all William Kentridge's animation films. In this film the scene is Johannesburg - a city built on speculation. When Kentridge as cinematographer joins different frames or filmstrips the viewer is transported within seconds from Soho's capitalist interior to the barren landscape of the workers.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Van Tonder, Gert J.; Lyons, M. J.
We interpret Japanese rock garden design, from a visual psychological stance, to understand how and why design effects are achieved, and how this may relate to the sense of calm typically evoked in these gardens. We found that classical design guidelines attempt to balance the visual prominence of design elements on multiple spatial scales; neither the "whole" nor the "parts" create an unequal bias for visual attention. We analyse the structure of visual figure and visual ground, since visual structure is the foundation of visual perception. The figures (rock clusters) in Japanese "karesansui" gardens approximate vertically inverted, tree-like branching structures that converge away from the viewer, while visual "ground" is essentially an upright, dichotomously branching structure, converging towards the viewer. We conclude that some "karesansui" gardens employ a structural scaffold of the "whole" design to facilitate effortless visual perception, with a calming effect, and specific aesthetic consequences.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Steyn, Gerald
Africa's building traditions are under threat. There is a real need to subject them to rigorous scientific investigation to support conservation and explore indigenous knowledge systems. But the taxonomy is still immature and the analytical criteria Eurocentric. In addition, the education of architects generally limits their involvement to measured drawings and does not equip them with suitable interpretive skills in this field. This report attempts to contribute to the issue of appropriate methodologies by reviewing three constituent elements: theory, literature and fieldwork. These are discussed in terms of sources and
methodologies exposed to while studying the Swahili and Arab architecture of the East African Coast and during appurtenant excursions to Kenya and Tanzania. The report does not suggest a strict methodologist approach and it is emphasized that research must be interdisciplinary. It does recommend, however, that further work on typology would allow architects to trace the evolution of traditional architecture and anticipate future development. This would be a unique contribution.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Van Vuuren, Chris J.
The 1986 plane crash of former Mozambican president Samora Machel and the erection of a monument at Mbuzini have raised questions about the transformation of memory as a repository of oral tradition, its conversion into icon, and its role and symbolic meaning in post-apartheid South Africa. The memories of a number of Mbuzini residents are weighed against the agenda of the national government and questions are raised whether local expectations were met concurrently. Certain guidelines and suggestions are offered to save the Machel monument from potential memorial amnesia.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Steyn, Carol
The purpose of this article is twofold: to make known the publication of a comprehensive catalogue of the medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the Grey Collection of the National Library, Cape Town, and to give an overview of the most valuable and/or unique art works in the Collection. The manuscripts described in the article are not intended to be an exhaustive list. Such a list can be found in the catalogue itself. The descriptions in the catalogue and in the article leave room for further research, but inform the reader of what can be found in the collection. The catalogue has already been proved to be of use for researchers overseas who were unaware of sources in Cape Town. It is my hope and intention that this article may also be of use to researchers who are unaware of the valuable sources in the Grey Collection.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Steyn, Gerald; Roodt, André
Vernacular African settlements and buildings are widely appreciated for their human scale, aesthetic clarity and harmony with nature. But this appreciation appears to be limited to their iconic and picturesque qualities, and there seems to be little understanding of the value of these architectural traditions as products of historical, ecological, cultural and economic circumstances. This study compares a traditional Tonga compound at Siamundela, southern Zambia with a Banoka village near Khwai in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Whereas Siamundela is totally remote, the Banoka are occasionally exposed to passing safari traffic. These case studies demonstrate how the built environments of different cultures reflect changes in social structures in response to the varying degrees of exposure to external influences. The two case studies are described in terms of context (historical perspectives, socio-economic and cultural conditions, geography) and dwelling and settlement patterns. The emphasis is on a comparison of spatial organisation and fabric.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Steele, John
Extensive archaeological excavations in southern Africa during the past century have revealed a richly described heritage of widely distributed First-Millennium (C.E.) Agriculturist ceramics. In viewing both artefacts and assessments thereof it can be observed that ways of thinking shape ways of seeing, and explanations of what is seen. Thus, because conceptual frameworks are inseparable from what is observed and [the] explanations that result, consideration is given to some particular mindsets that have led to recent theories concerning local prehistoric material culture. In conclusion, a brief look at dialogues initiated by some contemporary potters who interrogate cherished lifeways and belief systems serve to elucidate current trends towards finding meaning in prehistoric southern African ceramics.
(Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, 2003) Olivier, Bert
This paper addresses the question of kitsch by interpreting it as "bad" art of a particular kind. It draws mainly, but not exclusively, on Karsten Harries's phenomenological exploration of kitsch to provide a framework from which to approach kitsch in contemporary (postmodern) culture. It is shown that, by uncovering attributes of kitsch such as the self-enjoyment of the spectator and lack of reflective distance, Harries provides valuable pointers for assessing what is ultimately the anaesthetizing political function of kitsch in contemporary culture.
(Art Historical Group of South Africa, 2003) Fisher, Roger C.; Allen, N.P.L. (Nicholas P.L.); Mare, Estelle Alma; Steyn, Gerald; Van den Berg, Dirk Johannes
In this article Moerdijk's early architectual career is paralleled with the chronological sequence of texts that express his concerns with developing an authentic South African style. In these we discover those significant aspects which are pragmatically functional - namely planning arrangements, acoustics, economy and societal well-being, geographical - namely topography, climate, available labour and materials; and cultural - namely historical events, cultural inheritance, as sense of self worth and dignity, all as reflected in the practice of religion and the conduct of civil society.
