Academic literature on the topic 'Artists – South Africa – Interviews'

Bibliography: pages 146-160.<br>This study examines haw teachers at two former white Model C schools construct educational changes rhetorically. The discourse analytic approach of Wetherell and Potter (1992) is employed to interpret interview texts in which teachers talk about desegregation, school governance and finance. Specific constructions of 'race ', culture and language and their function as signifiers of sameness, difference and otherness are critically discussed. Two interpretative repertoires are identified. Good Educational Practice contains the concepts of standards, values and naturalness. It is demonstrated how these are used as argumentative strategies to contain and restrict changes taking place at the schools. Managerialism draws on financial and business principles such as entrepreneurship and efficiency to propose a particular view of how educational change should be managed. Connections are made between the effects of these discursive constructions and social practices at the school.

This thesis will aim to investigate the extent to which Tracey Rose's Ciao Bella can be said to allegorically perform a dialectical enfolding of the dichotomous categories of meaning/nonmeaning; image/text; past/present and original/translation. The dual concepts of performance and performativity will be utilized as a means to explore the notion of interpretation as a meaning-making process and as an engagement between artist, artwork and viewer that is necessarily open-ended and in a state of constant change and flux. Rose's performance of Ciao Bella will be read as one that questions the illusion of unmediated representation by parodying and creatively misreading a multiplicity of visual, textual and musical representations so as to foreground the politics of representation. The representational figure of allegory, as one that defines itself in opposition to the Romantic conception of the unified symbol, will be put to work so as to reveal the ways in which Rose's performance works to critically undermine various positivistic attitudes toward self-identity, gender, race, politics, history, authorial intention and interpretation.

The present treatise is an attempt to come to terms with the, by all accounts, dismal conditions that exist in present-day South African prisons by addressing these conditions as they are reflected in two interviews with individuals intimately acquainted with them, as well as by pertinent media-reports. The study is predicated on the belief that the most suitable methodological approach to a situation characterized by extreme conflicts and tensions in terms of power relations, is provided by (mainly Foucaultian) discourse-theory and the discourse-analysis that it makes possible. Consequently, after an introduction in which the present study is justified, followed by a theoretical section outlining the terrain of discourse theory and discourse-analysis, two chapters are devoted to specific discourse-analyses of interviews with an awaiting-trial prisoner in a South African prison and a warden employed at the same institution, with a view to uncovering the power-relations at stake here. While acknowledging that the implications of the insights thus afforded are not, strictly speaking, generalizable in a positivist manner, and that the power-relations brought to light by means of these discourse-analyses are highly specific, it is argued that various other studies pertaining to the South African prison system indicate that these powerrelations – more specifically the disempowerment of prisoners by the functioning of violently hierarchical discursive practices in South African prisons - are not restricted to the prison in question. In fact, given the SA Correctional Services’ stated policy of rehabilitation, it is striking that there is scant evidence of any such rehabilitation in the prisons concerned – at least in the sense of prisoners attaining a level of moral responsibility that would enable them to live as accountable citizens in a democratic society. In conclusion it is argued that the present state of affairs, far from being conducive to the stated goal of rehabilitation, actually undermines its realization, and that the social and economic inequalities in South Africa, exacerbated by the union between ‘democracy’ and global capitalism, are perpetuated and reinforced by the existing discursive practices in South African prisons.

This ethnographic study describes the digital media ecologies of hip-hop artists in the marginalised township spaces of a town in South Africa. It shows how technology appropriation here is highly contextual and linked to social context, while simultaneously informed by limited digital infrastructure that characterises marginalised communities in the Global South. In describing their social context, the study situates these young people in a post-apartheid space of entrenched racialised inequality, where unemployed black youth have very few economic prospects. Here hip-hop offers protection against despair as it allows a young person to claim a dignified sense of self, which is partly constituted through digital media competency. Through the Black Consciousness philosophy, hip-hop artists in Grahamstown become highly critical of self-defeating narratives rooted in racism, colonialism and apartheid, which often manifest in violent forms of urban masculinity. Instead they find ways to "remix" their identities by incorporating alternative notions of a successful self. These new identities foreground agency and competency, and are informed both by knowledge of African tradition and language, and newly acquired competency in entrepreneurship, artistic genres and digital skills. The study argues that acquisition of digital skills in this space is best conceptualised through the community of practice approach, where skills development is social and linked to a sense of belonging and progress. Just as the hip-hop artists claim agency in remixing their notion of self, they also claim agency in remixing the limited digital technology available to them into various assemblages, so crafting innovative solutions to the constraints of limited and expensive digital infrastructure. Here, through a hip-hop culture that champions overcoming adversity, dysfunctional digital technology is constantly repaired and remixed. Hitherto, research on digital media use in the Global South has predominantly focused on the mobile phone in isolation. This study instead argues for the merits of a holistic digital ethnography, since observations of how these young people combine technologies such as mobile phones, computers and DVD players in everyday life, illustrate how innovation in marginalised spaces may be focused around the remixing of technology.

This research study focusses on how and why Carol Hofmeyr began the Keiskamma Art Project in Hamburg, Eastern Cape, as well as the development of the project’s infrastructure, history and detailed business practices and how it has evolved. A chronological detailed pictorial record has been drawn up of the major/monumental works it has produced, its achievements, awards and the accolades it has won. The recurrent narrative themes of HIV/AIDS, Nguni cattle, the Nongquawuse story, local birds, plants and fish which are also discussed. A comparable study, comparing the business practices of the Keiskamma Art Project with the research of Professor Ingrid Stevens on Morris & Co and five other successful, sustained South African Art Projects. Data has been tabulated in an effort to recognise the variances, similarities and differences in an effort to identify a “best practise” business model. Such a model may assist in the development of further art projects, so as to uplift other poverty stricken communities in South Africa. This research study focusses on how and why Carol Hofmeyr began the Keiskamma Art Project in Hamburg, Eastern Cape, as well as the development of the project’s infrastructure, history and detailed business practices and how it has evolved. A chronological detailed pictorial record has been drawn up of the major/monumental works it has produced, its achievements, awards and the accolades it has won. The recurrent narrative themes of HIV/AIDS, Nguni cattle, the Nongquawuse story, local birds, plants and fish which are also discussed. A comparable study, comparing the business practices of the Keiskamma Art Project with the research of Professor Ingrid Stevens on Morris & Co and five other successful, sustained South African Art Projects. Data has been tabulated in an effort to recognise the variances, similarities and differences in an effort to identify a “best practise” business model. Such a model may assist in the development of further art projects, so as to uplift other poverty-stricken communities in South Africa.This research study focusses on how and why Carol Hofmeyr began the Keiskamma Art Project in Hamburg, Eastern Cape, as well as the development of the project’s infrastructure, history and detailed business practices and how it has evolved. A chronological detailed pictorial record has been drawn up of the major/monumental works it has produced, its achievements, awards and the accolades it has won. The recurrent narrative themes of HIV/AIDS, Nguni cattle, the Nongquawuse story, local birds, plants and fish which are also discussed. A comparable study, comparing the business practices of the Keiskamma Art Project with the research of Professor Ingrid Stevens on Morris & Co and five other successful, sustained South African Art Projects. Data has been tabulated in an effort to recognise the variances, similarities and differences in an effort to identify a “best practise” business model. Such a model may assist in the development of further art projects, so as to uplift other poverty stricken communities in South Africa.This research study focusses on how and why Carol Hofmeyr began the Keiskamma Art Project in Hamburg, Eastern Cape, as well as the development of the project’s infrastructure, history and detailed business practices and how it has evolved. A chronological detailed pictorial record has been drawn up of the major/monumental works it has produced, its achievements, awards and the accolades it has won. The recurrent narrative themes of HIV/AIDS, Nguni cattle, the Nongquawuse story, local birds, plants and fish which are also discussed. A comparable study, comparing the business practices of the Keiskamma Art Project with the research of Professor Ingrid Stevens on Morris & Co and five other successful, sustained South African Art Projects. Data has been tabulated in an effort to recognise the variances, similarities and differences in an effort to identify a “best practise” business model. Such a model may assist in the development of further art projects, so as to uplift other poverty stricken communities in South Africa.

It is estimated that the failure rate of small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa’s (SMME’s) are between 70 percent and 80 percent. As a result, millions of rand are lost on business ventures because of essentially avoidable mistakes and problems. Difficulties encountered by small business owner-managers can be described as environmental, marketing, financial or managerial in nature. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the nature and importance of problems experience by small business owner-managers in the private health sector. The design that was used in this study was qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual in nature. This study fell within the broad framework of qualitative research, as interviews were employed to do the research project (Baker, 1999:247). A purposive sample was used to identify the participants for inclusion. The target population was small business owner-managers operating within the private health sector in the Nelson Mandela Metropole. The sample comprised eight business owner-managers in the health sector within the boundaries of the Nelson Mandela Metropole, purposely identified. Before doing the empirical research, a pilot study was conducted with one small business owner-manager that fulfilled the required criteria of the research population. Data was collected by means of naïve sketches and semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed according to the framework provided by Tesch (in Creswell, 1994). Guba’s model (in Krefting, 1991) was employed for data verification. Interviews were conducted in both Afrikaans and English. iii Direct transcriptions from the tape-recorded interviews ensured that all data was gathered and saved for reference when needed during the data analysis as described by Field and Morse (1996:64). The researcher took observational, theoretical, methodological and personal notes as described in Wilson (1989: 433-435). Transcriptions from sketches and interviews served as the database for the study. Only literature pertaining to the research process was consulted prior to the data collection of the primary data, in order to establish an effective research format. The problems experienced by small business owner-managers in the health sector were discussed under four major themes and several sub-themes identified by the researcher and the independent coder. The main themes that emerged from the study were: small business ownermanagers in the health sector lacked business skills and experience; had financial problems regarding their businesses; had difficulty building a customer base; and were uncertain in terms of their businesses’ future. Conclusions were drawn from the findings of the study and limiting factors were identified and acknowledged in the report. Recommendations that could assist practitioners, educators and trainers were suggested.

Craftsmanship in contemporary art production is the main area of focus for this visual arts based research. An exploration into the artistic production processes of selected contemporary artists’ work, reveals a tendency of physical non-involvement on the part of the artist, who takes up the role of art director. The research enquiry attempts to provide an answer as to whether credit should be given to the craftsman as well as to the artist in this artist/craftsman relationship. The use of a practice-led research strategy allows the researcher’s art-making practice to become an integral part of the cycles of research, as the development of the researcher’s practical understanding, techniques and execution are crucial in the practical component, but also conceptually as a stance in opposition to the selected artists’ lack of practical involvement. The researcher has identified and analysed the following five factors that have contributed to this current state of art production in contemporary art: Kitsch as an influence on the subject matter and content of art, Marcel Duchamp and his idea of the ‘readymade’ and issues of authorship, Andy Warhol and his ideas on art and business, the Conceptual Art movement and, the act and product of craft being perceived as being inferior to the fine arts In addition, an exploration of the production processes involved in the creation of the artworks of Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Maurizio Cattelan and Takashi Murakami highlights the craftspeople, fabricators and foundries that are responsible for these artists’ highly crafted aesthetics. As practice is crucial in developing a new understanding and meaning in visual-arts based research, the practical component describes the researcher’s core practical themes as being the following:the creation of naturalistic figurative small-scale sculptures in resin and bronze, placing the characters explored in the theoretical component as the subject matter.The advantages and disadvantages of the collaborative experience with Sculpture Casting Services (fine art foundry) and eNtsa (a Technology Innovation agency), especially the implementation of 3D technologies in both experiences; and the technical development and understanding in order to improve the researcher’s artistic practice Collaboration is an important underlying theme throughout this research undertaking. It is crucial in the production of most contemporary art, and assists in identifying the artist’s role within the production of his/her work. Finally, it relates to the researcher’s collaborative experience expanded upon in the practical component and its benefits as a production method. In concluding, the researcher finds that craftspeople do receive credit for the work they do in the form of money, business and marketing. They provide a service that a great number of artists generously support. Foundries and fabricators also place a mark on the work they do, much like the artist’s signature, as a symbol of pride and recognition. It is ultimately the artist’s technical abilities, workload and artist identity or brand that will determine the extent to which he or she will contribute to the collaboration, whether that be a simple idea, a sketch, a maquette or a large-scale sculpture ready for installation. However, in a rapidly advancing technological society, it is the idea of the artist as craftsman, both thinker and maker, that demands more respect.

The Owl House is situated in the Karoo village of Nieu Bethesda, and the person responsible for its creation, Helen Elizabeth Martins (1897-1976), is South Africa's best known Outsider artist. A number of newspaper and magazine articles, television programmes, radio interviews, play, films, short stories, theses and art works have resulted directly from her work. Interest in The Owl House continues to grow, with visitors coming from all over South Africa, and various parts of the world,to visit it. The Owl House was Helen Martins' home for most of her 78 years. During the last 30 or so years of her life she devoted all her time and energy to transforming the interior of her house into a glistening fantasy world of colour and light, using crushed glass stuck to almost every surface, coloured glass pane inserts in the walls, mirrors of many sizes and shapes, and countless paraffin lamps and candles. She called her garden' A Camel Yard', and filled it with over 500 cement statues, structures and bas reliefs. All the labour involved, apart from crushing and sorting the coloured glass, was provided by at least four different men, who assisted her over the years, Johannes Hattingh, Jonas Adams, Piet van der Merwe and Koos Malgas, though Helen Martins was the inspiration and director behind it all. Through a study of Helen Martins' background and life, and their effects upon her psyche, a rigorous attempt has been made to reach some understanding of why she became a recluse, and what caused her to create this unique body of work comprising her entire domestic environment. She became increasingly asocial as her life progressed, and ultimately ended it by committing suicide in 1976. Through the universality of symbolism, the meanings of the subjects, themes and concerns which she chose to depict are studied. Then, together with some knowledge of her life and personal influences, an attempt has been made to deduce what it was that Helen Martins was trying to express and work through in her creations. This study also led to an awareness of the fact that, although each one is unique, there are many examples of Outsider Art throughout the world. Fundamentally, creators of Outsider Art remain asocial in relation to their cultural milieu and cultural context. Some other examples of Outsider Art, both in South Africa as well as in Europe and India, were visited, and are described and compared with The Owl House as well as with one another. The way in which society reacts or responds to Outsider Art and its creators is studied through the comprehensive records of one specific case which caused great controversy in Johannesburg during the 1970s. Ultimately, working alone or with assistance, it is the Outsider artist who is the driving force behind these unique works, and whose indefinable inner fire of passion alone makes it possible to bring them into being. It would seem that the fascination with Outsider Art is that through their work, creators allow others a glimpse into a different sense of reality which is both mysterious and inexplicable.

Over three decades of research has shown that memories have significant effect on the behaviour, attitudes, beliefs, and identities of individuals and collectives, revealing also how experiences of trauma and acts of narrativisation have pertinence to the ways in which memories are stored and reconstructed. In this thesis a link is developed between memory, trauma, narrativisation processes and the interpretation of works by Jane Alexander, a contemporary artist whose work is informed by observations about South African life. Alexander’s sculptures are revealed to be not only important vessels of collective memories and experiences, but also evocations of individuals’ countermemories and traumas that remain unarticulated and invisible. Through an exploration of the workings of memory and its relation to her art, it is revealed how the past continues to exert its influence on many of South Africa’s present sociopolitical concerns and interpersonal dynamics. Indeed constantly changing memories have a significant effect on future generations’ perceptions of, and connectedness to, the past. While theories about memory have been deployed in Art History as well as the Humanities in general, Alexander’s work has not previously been considered in light of the influence of these ideas. This thesis thus contributes a new dimension to literature on the artist.

This qualitative study, pursued within a one–site case study, explores the understanding and implementation of inclusive education in an independent Jewish community school in Johannesburg, South Africa nineteen years post democracy. It analyses the phenomenon of inclusion in a school with a community ethos of care and belonging whose context is by definition exclusionary on grounds of a particular social category, religion. Because of its exclusionary agenda the school can be paradoxically positioned as inclusive on grounds of strong communal values. The school however, struggles with difference and diversity of a certain kind, despite its purportedly strong communal spirit and strong religious culture. This study set out to probe how stakeholders understood inclusive education in an attempt to explain how this influenced their practice of inclusive education. Lewin’s theory of Planned Change and four belief systems were utilized to examine the understanding and practice of stakeholders at the school. The study suggested that the four belief systems influenced the way in which inclusive education was both understood and practised in this school. The study argued for the recognition of the importance of different belief systems in the implementation of inclusion in South Africa. The main research question which guided the study was: How has inclusive education policy been implemented in a mono-cultural community school in South Africa, with the three sub–questions being: 1. How do the various school stakeholders understand the concept of inclusion and what are their attitudes towards inclusion? 2. How is inclusive education managed at class, school and community level? 3. To what extent do their attitudes and understandings influence their practice of inclusive education? It was conducted within an interpretative/constructivist research paradigm and utilized a case study design. It relied on qualitative methods of data generation such as insider interviews, personal accounts and document analysis. The participants were drawn from four stakeholder groups, namely, teachers, parents, middle managers and top managers. The descriptions of the stakeholders’ understandings that emerged in this study highlighted how belief systems determined the action towards inclusive education and how despite the school being a community school, the community discourse did not prevail in the actions towards inclusive education, it was the individual beliefs which vied for dominance which determined inclusive action. This resulted in a qualified and fragmented inclusion and in some cases exclusion. The findings were linked to Lewin’s planned approach to change including field theoretical and group dynamic theories. The study concluded that the four belief systems influenced the way in which inclusive education was both understood and practised in this school and the study argued for the recognition of the importance of different belief systems in the implementation of inclusion in South Africa.<br>Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013.<br>am2013<br>Education Management and Policy Studies<br>unrestricted