Research Outputs (Art and Music)
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Item Commiseration(Unisa Art Gallery, 2024-09-14) Mosako, Daniel RankadiArt has always served as a mirror reflecting the depths of the human experience, and that reflection frequently highlights the complex and multidimensional aspects of a global situation on mental health. My path as an artist is intricately linked to my personal battles and victories in overcoming the difficulties of anxiety, depression, and the range of emotions that accompany them. My recent art production adds to a new chapter in a continuous story, of emotional imbalances that affect societies. In my art I strive to convey the vulnerability that is experienced as a glimpse of hope that serve as a reminder of our resilience and those moments of sadness that overwhelms. To capture the chaotic beauty of the mind, I work in a range of builder’s oxide colours. These are pigments that blend to symbolise the emotional disorder and feelings, while spontaneous abstract shapes appear to depict the often-difficult quality of tranquillity and peace. I want people to be instinctively affected by my art and be encouraged to face their own emotions and experiences. I've learned through this creative process that vulnerability is a great strength rather than a weakness. Through my artistic expression, I aspire to foster a feeling of visual dialogue. Although it is a universal factor in the human experience, mental health is a topic that has long been stigmatised. My goal is for my art to spark meaningful conversations by inspiring people to be honest about their personal issues and to ask for help without worrying about being judged. Through the art showcased in this exhibition, I want to encourage a change in the way that we see mental health. My aim is to challenge the myths surrounding mental health and encourage a supportive and empathetic culture. I am determined to use my artistic voice to promote mental health discourse.Item Women’s Day Celebration: Celebrating Black South African Female Jazz Composers(2023) Mkizwana, Viwe Siyabonga; Mthembu, Mzamo; Mcwabe, Ntsikelelo; Sepuru, Phuti; Motsepe, Nthabiseng; Mcwabe, NtsikeleloWomen’s Day (9 August) a reminder of the tenacity, resilience, and power of South African women. This performance is part of the University of Pretoria’s weekly Lunch Hour Concerts, where leading musicians (local and international) host an open-public performance. This concert, held on 10 August 2023, sounds and celebrates the often-subjugated voices of black South African female jazz composers and musicians whose impact is yet to be fully realised. These voices are often neglected in songbooks, repertoires, and writings on South African jazz history. This is not an issue unique to the said context, evident in research by Willis (2007), Caudwell (2012), Björck and Bergman (2018), Vleet (2021), and Buscatto (2021). Soules (2011) used the lives of American female jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams and singer Ella Fitzgerald as cases to explore intersectional factors and the struggles of black women navigating the male-dominated jazz space. This is also evident in Tucker (2008), who speaks to two historic American female big bands, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm and the Darlings of Rhythm, with a focus on the latter. Within this, Tucker notes that women in jazz were often viewed as “women from Mars” (p. 284). I find an affinity with Masenya’s (1998) Bosadi approach, which emphasises the urgency to make South African women visible and to acknowledge the oppressive systems that inform their experiences. Therefore, the primary objective of this performance was to allow black South African female jazz musicians a space to exist. The artists whose work was part of the programme were Lindi Ngonelo (Tata), Nthabiseng Motsepe-Notyesi (Nthabysang), Lindiwe Maxolo (Nomalili), Phuti Sepuru (Keteko ya Bosadi), Nomfundo Xaluva (Thandoluhle) and Gloria Bosman (Play me those love songs). These are a few of the South African jazz women who exist(ed) not only as performers, singers, or instrumentalists, but also as composers and educators. This concert also sought to reflect women beyond common historical narratives as vocalists. Performing their works in this setting, and on this day, was a necessary step towards allowing basadi (women) into the space and acknowledging their contributions. This performance provides a reinterpretation of these works (with the band being led by two women), encouraging the dialogic between thinking and doing. I conceptualised this performance, assembled the band, and served as a pianist, alongside fellow project leader and vocalist, Mrs. Nthabiseng Motsepe-Notyesi. We, as black female jazz musicians, wanted to have a sense of agency and urgency and take control of the ‘doing’. The performance is a dialogue; it presents an engagement and reciprocity within a group setting. But it also involved engaging the women whose works were the focus. The broader performance provided a way of thinking through these issues. Performing, interpreting, and researching the works of other women was part of enhancing and thinking about my own composition. Listening to the selected repertoire and the underlying meaning(s) highlighted the fact that we are all searching for our own bodies and belonging. The compositions focus on self-exploration through the voice, sounding a musical home, articulating experiences, and borrowing from other sonic homes. My composition, Keteko ya Bosadi, was titled “Untitled” at the time of this recording. Trying to carve a home between a heritage of men, using the works of other women as a source of interpretation, led to the revised title, which translates as “A celebration of womanhood”. Here, the body, through performance, served as a tool for pushing boundaries—borrowing a home for basadi. The research questions guiding this performance were: 1. In what ways have/are black South African jazz women contributing to the South African jazz canon? 2. What is the significance of making the contributions of women visible within the South African jazz space? Within the South African context, scholars such as Dalamba (2008), Muller (2011), and Mzimela (2020) explored subjects related to female jazz musicians; namely, singers Miriam Makeba, Sathima Bea Benjamin, and Dorothy Masuka, respectively. Gender disparities within the South African jazz milieu are also articulated in research by George (2020) and Röntsch (2020), with the latter bringing to light the work of the first South African all-female big band. This performance may be viewed as a continuation of the efforts of these scholars.Item uMuthimkhulu We Mpilo(UNISA FLORIDA CAMPUS, 2023-11-30) Mosako, Daniel Rankadi; Mosako, Daniel Rankadi; Mosako, Daniel RankadiThe Phylogenetic Tree of Life sculpture titled uMthimkhulu We Mpilo is a dynamic public art that explores the evolution of life and the interconnectedness of life organisms. This artwork is a visual representation of the evolving relationship among species and offers an artistic interpretation of a phylogenetic version. The sculpture offers an interpretation of the tree of life, designed to entice viewers to consider the relationship between biodiversity and sustainability reflecting on models of the natural world. The sculptural project was a response to the call to create works that critically engage with sustainability: reduce, reuse and recycle. It is part of a larger UNISA Art Walk project located at the University of South Africa (UNISA) Florida Campus. The sculpture contributes to the project's objectives of incorporating artistry among iconic institutional buildings to create a lively place with sustainable public art pieces. The UNISA Florida Campus's Calabash Building, NB Pityana Building, and GJ Gerwel Building form the main sculpture precinct designated for the Art Walk. Many departments, mostly allocated to science, engineering, technology, agriculture, and environmental sciences, are housed in these buildings. The inclusion of the uMthimkhulu We Mpilo to this campus advances research and strengthens science and art related research initiatives. The sculpture stands prominently and can be viewed by people who frequent the Art Walk area. It promotes social cohesion and collaboration among students, staff, and artists beyond adorning the campus. The problem of the current ecological crises in the world forms a foundation of the artwork. Planning and development of the project responded to how materials can be reshaped and repurposed to provide 3-dimensional forms to explore the interrelationships of all life. As artists, we challenged the viewer's understanding of evolution and merged the relationships between different species in stylised depictions of biological forms. Invertebrates, vertebrates, sponges, and fungus are some examples of them. Each of these grouping points to interdependence of life by adding to the imagined ecological fabric of our world. Among the simplest multicellular animals are sponges, which belong to the phylum Porifera. By allowing water to pass through their porous bodies and collect nutrients, these species operate as filter feeders. The absence of specialised tissues and organs sets sponges apart from more intricate species making their ecological value to be immense as they are essential for the cycling of nutrients and water filtration, which keeps the ecosystem healthy, and they offer a home and refuge for a variety of marine animals. This selection and focus on the simple life form in this sculpture becomes metaphoric for the larger project, adding conceptual depth to the idea of recycling. The top section of the sculpture references vertebrates, which include fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals, all animals that have back bones. The creative research methodology is grounded in the conceptual and scholarly framework of sustainable development goals and biodiversity (SDGs). Institutions of higher learning play a pivotal role in this relationship by providing education and research that foster an understanding of biodiversity's importance in achieving these goals. By promoting interdisciplinary research, this artwork prompts students to reflect on global challenges related to biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. As higher education institutions can act as catalysts for community engagement and policy advocacy, the artwork adds to initiatives that align with the SDGs. Our sculptural contribution alludes to the several sculptors whose creations highlight the fragility and beauty of ecosystems. For example, artists such as Andy Goldsworthy’s site-specific pieces that honour the environment. In contrast to Goldsworthy, we used creative techniques including metalwork cutting, welding, wood carving, engraving and stacking to bring the sculpture to life. These techniques speak to the various patterns of building in relation to industry. The process entailed detailed research, multiple maquettes, creating stencils, and developing final forms as independent units that could be assembled on site. The sculpture was created with the idea that continued rusting will ultimately integrate materials and colours. This way the work will constantly evolve and not remain static.Item Malende dance Symphony(National Theatre of Ghana-Performance Premiere, 2023-10-27) Netshivhambe, Evans NtshengedzeniThe Malende dance composition, in particular, serves as a symphonic realisation of this cultural borrowing. Delving into the rich heritage of Malende rhythmic strata, the composer selects a specific pattern that stands as the cornerstone of Venda music. This rhythmic figure, deeply embedded in the cultural roots, serves as the nucleus for the entire composition. However, it is not a mere replication; instead, it undergoes a transformative process, a reimagining and appropriation that showcases my unique perspective and innovative rhythmic layering. This musical journey becomes a testament to the fluidity of culture, where traditions are not rigidly preserved but are dynamically reinterpreted, contributing to the ever-evolving narrative of musical expression.Item Functionality and social modernism in the work of untrained South African artists(Routledge, 2012-11-02) Dreyer, ElfriedeMany artists from rural areas in the global south are driven by the functionality of the art object and of naturalism in communicating the urgency of redressing sociopolitical conditions. This article does not advocate a return to the totalising idea of an ‘undifferentiated’ Africa as found in Outsiderist views on Africa, which still reflect stereotype and the conjuring of sensational spectacles of perceived Others. In sectors of the global south art production provides mostly untrained artists with a resourceful platform for examining notions of modernity, difference and transculturality.