This study highlights the importance of costumes and dress codes first as means of
cultural construction, and secondly as tools for social commentary art. Its main aim
was to discern whether culturally conceived perceptions about the meaning and
interpretation of a costume affect the message a performing artist is conveying. The
objective was to answer the question of whether the performance can convey the
same message in social commentary art without the performer’s chosen costumes as
the vital elements of the actualisation of artworks. The diverse and open-ended
interpretation and meaning of clothing were interrogated through the application of the
theory of the sublime and Nicholas Bourriaud’s concept of relational aesthetics. The
study made the argument that when viewers interpret the meaning of artworks that
utilise clothes, they are influenced by their prior or cultural knowledge, leading to
multiple interpretations of messages and meanings. Six artists were selected to be
informants and subjects of this study. The first group included Steven Cohen, Wezile
Mgibe, and Carin Bester, who were chosen due to their performances that comment
on social issues and utilise clothing. The second group consisted of Mary Sibande,
Yinka Shonibare, and Nandipha Mntambo selected for the performative nature and
use of clothing in their various artworks. Focus group interviews were conducted as
the primary data collection method for this study to firstly decipher the messages and
meanings of the six chosen artists’ works. Secondly, to discover whether there is a
relationship between the performing artists' intention and the viewers' interpretations,
as well as to ascertain the impact of clothing on artistic expression as culturally constructed objects with diverse meanings. This study postulated that clothes as
culturally constructed objects are interpreted differently when used in art, subverting
socially unjustifiable intolerant behaviour as well as socially constructed biases. It
further recommended a follow-up exercise aimed at measuring and validating the
impact of agency through performance art as a means for social commentary toward
social transformation.
Olu phando luqaphela ukubaluleka kweekhostyum neendlela zokunxiba okokuqala
njengezixhobo zokuphuhlisa inkcubeko, okwesibini njengezixhobo zovakalisozimvo
ngezentlalo kubugcisa obenziwa eqongeni. Injongo yalo ephambili yayikufumanisa
ukuba ingaba iingcamango eziqondwe ngokwenkcubeko malunga nentsingiselo
yekhostyum kunye nokutolikwa kwesinxibo ziyawuchaphazela na umyalezo
odluliselwa ligcisa lokwenziwayo. Injongo yayikukuphendula umbuzo wokuba umdlalo
wokwenziwayo uyakwazi na ukudlulisa umyalezo ofanayo kubugcisa bokuvakalisa
izimvo ngezentlalo ngaphandle kwekhostyum ekhethwe ligcisa lokwenziwayo
njengezona zinto zifunekayo ekuphunyezweni kwemisebenzi yobugcisa. Ingcaciso
eyahlukahlukeneyo nevulelekileyo kunye nentsingiselo yesinxibo zaphononongwa
ngokusebenzisa ithiyori yobuhle obuncamisayo (sublime) nengcamango kaNicholas
Bourriauds yobudlelwane bobuhle obuncamisayo. Uphando lwenze ingxoxo yokuba
xa ababukeli betolika intsingiselo yemisebenzi yobugcisa esebenzisa iimpahla,
bakhuthazwa lulwazi lwabo lwenkcubeko ebebenalo ngaphambili, olukhokelela
kwiindlela ngeendlela zokutolika imiyalezo neentsingiselo. Amagcisa okwenziwayo
amathandathu akhethwa ukuze be ngabanikezeli bolwazi kunye nabathathinxaxheba
kolu phando. Iqela lokuqala labandakanya uSteven Cohen, uWezile Mgibe kunye
noCarin Bester, nabakhethwa ngenxa yemisebenzi yabo ephawula ngemiba
yezentlalo bekwasebenzisa izinxibo. Iqela lesibini lalinoMary Sibande, uYinka
Shonibane kunye noNandipha Mntambo elakhethwa ngenxa yendlela elidlala
nelisebenzisa ngayo isinxibo kwimisebenzi yabo yobugcisa eyahlukeneyo.
Udliwanondlebe lwamaqela olugxilileyo lwenziwa njengemethodi yokuqokelela iinkcukacha zophando ezisiseko solu phando ukuze okokuqala, ziguqule imiyalezo
neentsingiselo zemisebenzi yobugcisa yabadlali abathandathu abakhethiweyo.
Okwesibini, ukufumanisa ukuba ngaba bukho na ubudlelwane phakathi kweenjongo
zamagcisa okwenziwayo kunye nezimvo zababukeli, kwanokuqinisekisa impembelelo
yezinxibo kuvakalelo lobugcisa njengezinto ezakhiwe ngokwenkcubeko
nezineentsingiselo ezahlukeneyo. Olu phando lubonise ukuba izinxibo njengezinto ezakhelwe kwinkcubeko zitolikwa ngokwahlukeneyo xa zisetyenziswa kubugcisa,
ukungavumeli/ukujongela phantsi indlela yokuziphatha yezentlalo engafanelekanga
nenganyamezelekiyo kunye nemikhethe eyakhelwe kwezentlalo. Lukwacebisa
umsebenzi wokulandelela ojolise ekulinganiseni nasekuqinisekiseni ifuthe learhente
ngobugcisa obenziwayo njengemizamo yokuvakalisa izimvo ngezentlalo malunga
nenguqu kwezentlalo.
Lolu cwaningo luqala ngokugqamisa ukubaluleka kwemvunulo nemisiko yengqephu
njengendlela yokwakheka kwesiko, bese futhi likuveza njengobuciko bokudlulisa
umlayezo emphakathini. Inhloso yalokhu ukuba kubonakale ukuthi ngakube
kuyaphazamiseka yini ukudluliseka komlayezo wamaciko asika ingqephu mayelana
nomqondo nencazelo ngemibono yawo ekwakheni isiko. Inhloso bekuwukuphendula
umbuzo wokuthi ngakube umsebenzi wobuciko owenziwayo udlulisa umyalezo
ofanayo yini emphakathini ngaphandle kokukhetha imvunulo ethile njengokuyiyo
ebalulekile ekuboneni umsebenzi owubuciko. Incazelo nomqondo ovulelekile
ngezimpahla zokugqoka kutholakale ngokuthi kusetshenziswe itiyori ebheka ubuhle
obungefaniswe nombono kaNicholas Bourriaud wokubheka ubuhle bobudlelwano.
Ucwaningo luveza ukuthi uma izibukeli zihumusha incazelo yemisebenzi yobuciko
ethinta izimpahla zokugqoka, zibuka ngendlela yolwazi lwazo lwangaphambili noma
lwamasiko, okuholela ekutheni zihumushe imiyalezo nencazelo ngezindlela eziningi.
Kulolu cwaningo kukhethwe amaciko ayisithupha ukuba yingxenye futhi kukhulunywe
ngawo. Iqembu lokuqala belihlanganisa uSteven Cohen, uWezile Mgibe, noCarin
Bester, abaqokwe ngenxa yomsebenzi wabo ophawula ngezindaba zenhlalo kanye
nezimpahla zokugqoka. Iqembu lesibili belinoMary Sibande, uYinka Shonibare,
noNandipha Mntambo bona abaqokwe ngenxa yemisebenzi yabo kanye
nokusebenzisa kwabo izimpahla zokugqoka emisebenzini yabo yobuciko eyahlukene.
Lapha kubanjwe izinkulumongxoxo zamaqembu njengendlela yokuqala yokuqoqwa
kwedatha yalolu cwaningo ukuze kuqala kuhlaziywe imilayezo nezincazelo
zemisebenzi yamaciko ayisithupha akhethiwe. Okwesibili, ukuze kutholakale ukuthi
abukho yini ubudlelwano phakathi kwezinhloso zamaciko kanye nezincazelo zezibukeli, kanjalo nokuthola umthelela wezimpahla zokugqoka ekukhombiseni
ubuciko njengendlela yokwakha isiko kusetshenziswa izincazelo ezahlukene. Lolu
cwaningo luveze ukuthi ukwakheka kwesiko ngokwezimpahla zokugqoka
kuhunyushwa ngendlela ehlukile uma kusetshenziswa ubuciko, kuhlanekezela
ukuziphatha okungabekezelelani emphakathini nokuchema okudaleka emphakathini. Ucwaningo luphinda futhi luncome ukuba kwenziwe ukulandelela okuhloswe ngakho
ukuba kukalwe futhi kuqinisekiswe umthelela odalekayo ngenxa yobuciko obenziwayo
njengendlela yokudlulisa umlayezo emphakathini mayelana nokuguqulwa
komphakathi.
