Masters Degrees (Media, Visual Arts and Drama)

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Aesthetics in African cultural performance : a critical study of Ote'gwu festival among the Igala people in Nigeria.
(2018) Obaje, Ojochogwu Joy.; Madlala, Ntokozo Charity.
The Aesthetics of African cultural performance is predominantly understood through non- African conceptualisations. Notably, such conceptualisations focus on the general analysis of the beauty of art as possessing intrinsic value, meaning and significance. As a result, the notion of African aesthetics has been misunderstood and misinterpreted, since it is subsumed under this general and in most cases Eurocentric conceptualisation. As a point of departure, the current study explores the aesthetics of African cultural performance from an African perspective. It focuses specifically on the celebration of Ote’gwu festival among the Igala people in Kogi State, Nigeria, providing a perspective of the aesthetics of African cultural performance through an analysis of this cultural festival. The study interrogates the various facets and elements of the Ote’gwu festival with the view to identify and analyse the aesthetics perception in an African cultural context. This study is qualitative in nature and adopts an exploratory research design. The research sample comprised of fourteen purposively selected interview respondents. Primary data was generated through semi-structured interviews, which was adopted as it facilitates access to deeper probing of the respondents in the effort to elicit a deeper response from the interviewees towards answering the research questions. Additionally, the researcher adopted a process of reflexivity/positionality to make explicit the researcher’s biases, values, identity and location in relation to the study and the ways these could impact the findings and analysis. Collected data were thematically analysed. The study shows that African cultural performance encapsulates various functions and values including religious, social, moral and economic values. These functions and values inform the aesthetics of African cultural performance. This shows that the aesthetics of African cultural performance have great-bearing on the life cycle of African peoples. African cultural performances are meant to appease or elicit favors from the ancestors. Also, it is evident from the study that African aesthetics does not exist as “art for art’s sake” but as “art for life’s sake”. Such performances hinge on human cultural realities and experiences of the environment. The study concludes that an Afrocentric aesthetic theory is of significant relevance in the study of African aesthetics.
Africa in travel journalism : a postcolonial comparative study of the representation of Africa in the travel magazines Getaway, Africa geographic and Travel Africa.
(2010) Dickinson, Ian.; Moodley, Subeshini.
My research examines how Africa is represented within the meaning-making arena of travel journalism specifically focusing on the travel publications Travel Africa, Getaway and Africa Geographic. The principal focus for many postcolonial theorists is the (mis)representation of “less-developed”, “third-world” countries, often focusing on literature in the creation and maintenance of structures of discursive oppression. I have used the work of postcolonial theorists Said (1978), Spurr (1993) and Pratt (1992) to form the theoretical foundation of my analytical framework. A discourse analysis of the magazines for the years 2006 and 2007 reveal Africa to be a discursively constructed cultural package. Touristic understandings of what constitutes ‘real’ African experiences are underpinned and portrayed through eloquent and articulate descriptions or imagery which interpellates the prospective Western traveler. To borrow Spurr’s (1992) terminology Africa is portrayed as ‘absence’ metaphorically or through the rhetorical strategy of negation in an attempt to create a void which can only be filled through intervention by ‘the civilized’. However, in addition to this, the magazines offer active systematic proposals to foster change and appeal to audiences to trans-code representations, a notion that postcolonial theorist Elfriede Fürsich (2002) has discussed in studies focusing on television travel journalism. I am arguing that in some instances the travel journalists in these magazines challenge conventional, traditional journalistic practices in order to create more balanced representations of the African continent. It is these forms of writing that can harness social change and represent African people, places and politics in alternative depictions. These strategies may include various narrative or linguistic techniques such as an altering of the conventional, commercial travel discourse, or an increased and liberated feedback loop between the publication and its readers.
Alternative cultural practices in drama studies : an exploratory study.
(1992) Hoosain, Mohamed Faruk.; Tomaselli, Keyan Gray.
Traditional drama teaching focuses on the training of students as potential interpretative actors or students-as-technicians. Alternative drama practices emphasise the student-as-social activist. The value and function of using critical theory to get children to shape fundamental social change is discussed. In this scheme, children are taught how to use theatre techniques to experientially explore how the controlling social forces in technological societies undermine national, regional and local democratic processes. The Schools Theatre for Development Projects with their Discussion and Action Teams, which I discuss, serve to enrich school pupils' self confidence at being critical. The problematic of what development entails and whose interests it serves is critiqued. For this reason children are provided with rehearsal in a pre- adult political arena and taught how to construct politics rather than consume a reified notion of politics. If this is to occur, then curriculum development has to be school-based rather than centralised. Teachers are advised to perceive knowledge as anchored in, and extracted from, social reality, especially that of their pupils. Mindful of the process of contextualisation, facilities in raising the child's political literacy and taking reflective social action need to be provided within schools. A case study focusing on an anti- racism project evaluated the potential strengths and challenges that a Theatre for Development in school presents. This program focuses on how the children of Indian House of Delegates administered schools in Durban can confidently mount a programme of social action or collective challenge against apartheid. Ultimately, a syllabus which draws on the case-study is devised which unpacks procedure, evaluation and political practices.
An exploration of how word choice and framing contribute to agendasetting in the reporting of gender-based violence in three KwaZulu-Natal community newspapers (November 2021 to December 2022)
(2023) Mangoro, Munyaradzi.; Scott, Claire.
This study primarily concerns how word choice and framing contribute to agenda-setting in reporting gender-based violence (GBV) in three KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) community newspapers from November 2021 to December 2022. Three weekly English community newspapers, namely, Zululand Observer, Maritzburg Echo and South Coast Sun, were purposively selected and provided the data for this study. The key objectives of this study were to look at descriptive and emotive words used in the GBV-related articles posted by the three publications; to determine if any changes occurred in the framing of articles during the 16 Days of Activism campaign period of November to December 2021 and November to December 2022, and to determine how word choice and framing prioritised the issue of GBV in terms of the media agenda setting. This study was guided by framing theory. A mixed-method research approach was used to collect and analyse the data. Quantitative content analysis was used to tally all GBV-related stories published during the period of study and to record all descriptive and emotive words used in these stories. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to group these words according to similarities and connotations to identify emerging themes on GBV. Because GBV is an issue that comes out of the private into the public sphere through being reported in community newspapers and other media platforms, it is important for this study to look at word choice and framing and, for this reason, initiate future debate on media responsibility when reporting on GBV. Looking at national stats-to-story-frequency and priority ratio, findings indicate that GBV was not given priority in the publications under review. Overall, 42% of all the GBV-related stories discussed in this study were posted during the two 16 Days of Activism time periods discussed. This indicates an outstanding visibility of GBV-related stories compared to the rest of the study period. Lastly, literature on GBV and the media in South Africa is very broad, but the study of word choice in the media, especially community newspapers in South Africa is yet to be thoroughly explored through research. This study acknowledges literature on analysing discourse around GBV in the South African media, that has been done by scholars such as Kulne Oparinde & Rachel Matteau Matsha, Floretta Boonzaier, Peace Kiguwa, Nechama Broodie, Amanda Gouws, Nicky Falkof and Mille Phiri, just to mention a few. The study of word choice needs attention as it is critical in understanding, significantly reducing and possibly eradicating GBV. This study suggests that the three publications need to increase the salience of GBV stories by dedicating more space to such stories weekly. Equivalency framing in the use of descriptive and emotive words is encouraged, as they are eye-catching, appealing and interesting to the readers.
An analysis of brand positioning of male condoms among students of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2013) Nkwei, Emile Saker.; McCracken, Donal Patrick.
HIV/AIDS is a global pandemic; and for South African Authorities it is still a huge concern. 17 per cent of the population aged 15 to 49 live with the HIV virus and KwaZulu-Natal remains the area most affected by the pandemic. In order to prevent the disease’s expansion among university students, the health authorities have make available across all campuses and for free Choice and Love condoms.This study explores the perception of the positioning of these government brands compared to the other commercial condoms available among students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The study is in part a survey, using research questionnaire administered to more than 200 students at the Westville and Howard College and Nelson Mandela Medical School campuses to determine their perceptions of the competing condom brands. The study primarily makes use of the marketing theory of brand positioning to address the issue; a perceptual map is designed indicating the respective positions of the competing brands. The survey revealed that the Love brand is not very well known by students, and confirmed that the Choice brand is perceived as poor. One reason provided is the negative association of the South African government with the brand. Many students complained of experiencing a bad smell after using Choice. That led to the variant of scent being used in the study as an essential component for condom preference.
An analysis of satirical cartoons during the xenophobic violence in South Africa.
(2018) Govender, Simone.; Wade, Jean-Philippe.
ABSTRACT In the months of May 2008 and February 2015, South Africa was plagued with xenophobic attacks that affected migrants from African countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique (Steenkamp, 2009: 441). These xenophobic attacks quickly became an ethnic, racial, economic and structural issue. Artists in South Africa reacted through their “weapon” of choice - Art. Many satirical cartoons being published which helped highlight the above issues. For this research, I have analysed ten South African editorial cartoons (which are created by South African artists) that focused on xenophobia in 2008 and 2015. These cartoons were sourced from local and national South African newspapers. I have chosen three theoretical lenses to analyse how South African satirical cartoonists portrayed the xenophobic violence in South Africa. The first lens used was Xenophobia theory; the second lens was Elements of Cartooning and the third lens was Bakhtin’s theory of the Carnivalesque. The final analysis integrated all three lenses which provided a deeper analysis. The research was aimed at investigating how South African cartoonists dealt with the xenophobic outbreaks in 2008 and 2015. The study concluded that cartoonist portrayed the xenophobic violence in South Africa as being a catastrophic and senseless occurrence. Through the use of satire, cartoonists helped the reader to ascertain valuable information such as the causes and main contributors of xenophobia in South Africa as well as who were the main targets and highlighted the consequences of the attacks. The application of Bakhtins Carnivalesque to the analysis of the cartoons emphasised how the cartoonist can be likened to the Jester of the medieval carnival, as they mock and debunk the hierarchical structures that exist. The cartoonist is thus revealed as a powerful figure who holds the ability to effect change through cartooning.
An analysis of the representation of female and male politicians during the 2016 South African local government elections : a case study of the Pietermaritzburg daily newspaper, The Witness.
Ngubane, Thabiso Brilliant.; Jones, Nicola-Jane.
The representation of female and male politicians within the media has been discussed and debated widely across the globe. This study uses The Witness newspaper to analyse the representation of the South African male and female politicians during the 2016 local government elections. This study implemented a qualitative research method with an interpretive paradigm which is a useful technique in qualitative research methods. Furthermore, this study also used a textual analysis, critical discourse analysis and frame analysis to examine data collected from The Witness articles, and government documents such as executive reports. The study explored whether The Witness reinforces gender stereotypes assigned to South African men and women in general, and whether these stereotypes are reflected in South African politicians. It examined whether The Witness equally represented South African male and female politicians. The findings of this research show that there are still some differences and inequalities that exist between male and female politicians in terms of their representation in the political realm, partly because women still have low representation in parliament. Furthermore, a substantial number of women struggle to enter executive or prominent positions within our society, which remains largely dominated by men.
The art of dying : depictions of death in the work of Andres Serrano, Joel-Peter Witkin and David Buchler.
(2010) Buchler, David.; Calder, Ian Meredith Shepstone.
This dissertation explored visual representations of death in the photographic work of Andres Serrano and Joel-Peter Witkin, as well as the MAFA candidate's (David Buchler) own art practice. It looked at historical overviews of representations of death from the Middle Ages to present, as a means of contextualising and locating the reasons as to how images came to be the way they are in the present. Selected artworks were examined with particular theoretical reference to Phillipe Ariès' investigation into the changing attitudes towards death in Western society and Julia Kristeva's abjection theory. This dissertation focuses on the abjection of death and more specifically the corpse and the treatment of it in the work of Serrano and Witkin. This project explored some of the reasons why the images in this dissertation may be seen as disturbing and confrontational.
Articulating pain and surviving trauma: interrogating the representations of extreme gender violence in two contemporary South African plays by Lara Foot and Phyllis Klotz.
(2019) Mtshali, Nompumelelo.; Loots, Lliane Jennifer.
The high rape statistics in South Africa has launched diverse research enquiries to interrogate extreme gender-based violence particularly child rape and corrective rape. The findings from broad research studies for example by Rachel Jewkes, Hetty Rose-Junius and Loveday Penn Kekana (2005) point to poverty as a cultural legacy of colonialism and power imbalances between genders as some of the most significant symptoms of gender-based violence. Lara Foot and Phyllis Klotz as South African playwrights, directors and activists have used real-life rape cases to create plays that heighten awareness on rape through horrific fictionalised stories. This half-dissertation applies a literary and performative analysis on these plays namely, Tshepang (2005) and Chapter 2 Section 9 (2016), as postcolonial feminist theatrical texts that engage critical scholarly and performance discourse on gender-based violence in South Africa.
Aspects of architecture in Natal, 1880-1914.
(1975) Hillebrand, Melanie.; Van Niekerk, R.
No abstract available.
Aspects of the visual arts in advertising with particular reference to South Africa.
(1998) Sutherland, Ian Gilbert.; Leeb-du Toit, Juliette Cecile.
This investigation accepts that art is a term of western culture and that advertising is a creation of an historical and social process firmly linked to the economies of western industrialised nations. A cultural niche theory of the visual arts is employed to define the various visual art forms and it is in this context that the development of the notion of fine art, which had its origins during the Renaissance, is investigated with a view to how this led to the commodification of art. The phenomenon of art as a commodity accelerated throughout the nineteenth century and was moulded by the same political, cultural, social, economic and technological forces that gave rise to advertising when, during the second half of the century, the capitalist system of production became geared towards mass production of products for consumption. This was also the period of significant European colonial expansion in southern Afiica and consequently the development of both art and advertising in the region was cast in a colonial, European mould, the effects of which are investigated throughout this research project. This body of research also seeks to explain how the meaning and the value of the art object and its reproduced image, changed and became exchangeable as technology developed. Significantly this occurred at a time when the needs of advertising shifted from a simple system of proclamation and announcement on the periphery of the national economy during the nineteenth century to become a sophisticated system of communication which acts as an influential social institution at the end of this millennium. That this appears to have occurred at a time when the influence of fine art began to decline as a cultural force is significant as it is in this context that advertising has become a primary carrier of meaning in society. This research project works within this paradigm to investigate the history and motives of business support for the arts, particularly the visual arts, in the form of sponsorship with particular reference to a culturally diverse and politically dynamic South Africa. In addition, specific rhetorical devices that advertising employs, as a strategic tool of marketing, to appropriate and (ex)change meaning from the value laden visual art object is investigated with reference to contemporary advertising in South Africa.
An assessment of the Zimbabwean print media adherence to the principles of partiality and objectivity in election reporting : the case of the 2013 Zimbabwean presidential elections.
(2017) Muringa, Tigere Paidamoyo.; Sewchurran, Anusharani.
This study takes an exploratory approach in order to ascertain the extent to which the Herald and Newsday adhered to the journalistic principles of impartiality, fairness, and objectivity in the period leading to the July 31st 2013 presidential elections in Zimbabwe. The study used a qualitative methodology. It utilised a purposive sampling technique to collect news stories, headlines and extracts from the editorial section of the Herald and Newsday. The data was collected and gathered from the online archives of the two newspapers and then analysed using two content analysis techniques (content summative analysis and content latent analysis). The study argues that with the use of frames and agenda setting techniques (whether consciously or unconsciously) the news media when covering elections stories compromise the journalistic principles of objectivity, fairness, impartiality and truth-telling (that should ensure that they carry out their role in a professional manner). As such, the Herald and Newsday when reporting news in the period leading to the July 31st 2013 presidential elections, reported the election in a biased manner. Reports in the two newspapers were replete with editorial intrusions, reports of unconfirmed sources and clear attacks on other political candidates. Consequently, the two newspapers failed to a great extent to adhere to the principles of fairness, objectivity, impartiality and truth-telling. In this study, it materialised that the 2013 presidential elections exposed the polarisation that shaped the Zimbabwe media landscape even before the country attained its independence. It further revealed that this polarisation led to a manifestation of ideological warfare that was characterised by an array of partisan dichotomies, generating rough division and multifaceted biases. The credibility of print media (Herald and Newsday) in Zimbabwe is highly questionable as the press seeks to promote certain interests and ideologies while forfeiting its fundamental role as the fourth estate.
Being a ‘good’ Zulu woman? an investigation of female UKZN students’ self-perception of ‘Zuluness’.
(2017) Ngubane, Sinenhlanhla Diana.; Pitcher, Sandra.
In this study, the researcher was interested in understanding and exploring what female Zulu UKZN students on the Howard College and Pietermaritzburg campuses felt made a ‘good’ Zulu woman. The objectives of the study were to explore academic literature, which outlines the role of women in Zulu culture with the intention of finding out how female UKZN Zulu students reacted to these ideals. Researchers all seem to agree that in order for a Zulu woman to be considered ‘good’ she has to have certain characteristics and attributes that derive from Zulu culture. These include being kind, humble and nurturing. The findings of this dissertation reinforced some of these characteristics as participants felt that a Zulu woman needs to perform domestic chores, maintain the household and bear children for her husband. However, there were also a number of findings, which highlighted confusion from participants as to what was expected of them as Zulu women, often attempting to justify normative gender identities in combination of independence and individuality outside of the traditional Zulu home.
The Bernstein Collection of Rorke's Drift ceramics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal : a catalogue raisonne.
(2012) Motsamayi, Mathodi Freddie.; Calder, Ian Meredith Shepstone.
The thesis will focus on documenting, analysing and interpreting the motifs for the ceramics of Rorke’s Drift Art and Craft Centre Ecumenical (Evangelical) Lutheran Church (RDACC ELC, often called ELC Art and Craft Centre, hereinafter referred to as ‘Rorke’s Drift’) which were donated to the University of KwaZulu-Natal by Mark Bernstein. It is hoped that local indigenous narratives and visual designs in relation to Basotho and Zulu cultural identity will be outlined in the form of a catalogue. All vessel forms in the Bernstein Collection (as it will be referred to in this thesis) will focus on the figurative works and iconographic signifiers that represent local cultures. Ceramic works by the following ceramists will form the main argument of my thesis: Gordon Mbatha, Dinah Molefe, Ivy Molefe, Ephraim Ziqubu, Lindumusa Mabaso and Joel Sibisi of the Pottery Workshop.
The body as a site of communication and performance in storytelling : analyzing the offline and online body in performance, in Lungile Mncube’s The Ancient (2017).
(2018) Mncube, Lungile.; Nqelenga, Phumelele.
This research explores the idea of the body being the site of communication and performance in storytelling. It further examines how storytelling has evolved and how that has affected the“offline” and “online” body. The core of it searches for possibilities of how an offline body can converse with an online body in storytelling. It examines the continual coexisting relationship between offline human body and technology. Moreover, this research is practice-based. Through searching for answers, I workshopped a play called; “The Ancient1” with the cast. In this play two different ways of telling a story are explored, as well as the use of the body in two different spaces. Through the performance there was participation from the audience. It was done through a newly termed method that this research proposes; called the Social Network Interventional Theatre. This method is partly borrowed from applied theatre, however, it is modified with an inclusion of social networks as means of communicating with the world of the performers. Thus the audience were participating with what was happening on stage through the use of their cellphones. In conclusion, this research finds that, it is possible for the offline body to converse with the online body in storytelling. Also, it reveals that the offline body still has power over the behavior of the online body.
"Boys to men": negotiating hegemonic masculinity by using dance as a mechanism to explore the performativity of boyhood into manhood within (KwaZulu-Natal) Hilton College Grade 11 (2012, 2013,2014 and 2015) dramatic art learners
(2015) Cox, Joslyn Ann.; Loots, Lliane Jennifer.
This dissertation will explore the performativity of gender and sexuality amongst adolescent males (16 to 18 years of age) from within the context of the subject specificity of the Dramatic Arts classroom at Hilton College (KZN), with a primary focus on dance. This will be done through interrogating and examining the way in which dance performance practices (as a site of high school learning and education) can function as a transgressive space in which young adolescent South African men are given the opportunity to engage and critically consider and/or reconsider their own masculinities as social/cultural constructions. Hilton College is a private all-boys full-time boarding school, accommodating boys from Grade 8 to Grade 12. Most of the pupils are from economically privileged backgrounds; however, there are some who attend the school through scholarships and/or sponsorship. This is a qualitative research project, and the process of working with my Grade 11 Dramatic Arts students at Hilton College and their creation of choreography for performance will serve as the case study. In my personal experience of the rehearsal process for FUNK in past years I was inspired to investigate the boys’ personal involvement and the underlying issues around their constructions/ideas of masculinity that were evidenced in the rehearsal process. One of the intentions of the project was that through the boys’ involvement in this process they may be offered the opportunity to (re)consider their often narrow and excluding ideas of masculinity, within the context of their own educational and deeply paternalistic schooling environment. The project is participatory action research, as I was involved in observing and engaging with the pupils as they worked through the creation of the piece. It is also ethnographic as I am immersed in the culture of the school. I know the pupils well and it is a safe environment for them to be honest about their opinions and experiences. The participants in the study are the 13 boys in the 2014 Drama class at Hilton College. The class is mixed race, of mixed academic ability and the students are between the ages of 16 and 18.The case study entailed a number of one-on-one interviews with the pupils at the end of the project, as well as various discussions which occurred throughout their involvement. The interviews included questions around Hilton College, the participants’ masculinity, sport at the school, Drama, Arts and Culture and their involvement in FUNK 2014. This research interrogates the assumptions and stereotypes that are to be found in the context of a private all-boys boarding school around dance in particular, and how this affects the way in which the boys’ own masculinity is perceived. One of the intentions in this research study was that the students’ involvement in a mediated dance performance might change their perceptions around dance and themselves as dancing active young men through their exposure to this FUNK project.
Brand engagement on facebook : an analysis of UKZN Pietermaritzburg student habits.
(2017) Duma, Mathabo Castalea.; Pitcher, Sandra.
Facebook is a type of social media platform that is used by millions of people around the world to engage in peer-to-peer conversations. Brands also use this platform to share their interests, thoughts and opinions with their consumers. Mostly, this is due to the high increase of social networking sites globally, so brands are now turning away from traditional forms communication to new types of integrated marketing communication. Additionally, studies have shown that the youth are heavy users of the Internet and online social networking sites however, little data exists on the use of the Internet and online social networks, including Facebook, in the global South. The main objective of this study is to explore how the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal's students use Facebook to interact with brands. In particular, the study explores the perceptions on brand engagement on Facebook, the ways in which Facebook helps facilitate sharing and the types of brands students choose to share with their network. An explanatory sequential design was adopted as a mixed method technique to understand the interplay between branding concepts and social media. Findings revealed that students use Facebook to engage with brands however, results show that there is a shift from using Facebook to using other platforms such as Instagram, concluding that students preferred to engage with brands with Facebook in combination with other platforms.
Brand engagement on Facebook : an analysis of UKZN Pietermaritzburg student habits.
(2017) Duma, Mathabo Castalea.; Pitcher, Sandra.
Facebook is a type of social media platform that is used by millions of people around the world to engage in peer-to-peer conversations. Brands also use this platform to share their interests, thoughts and opinions with their consumers. Mostly, this is due to the high increase of social networking sites globally, so brands are now turning away from traditional forms communication to new types of integrated marketing communication. Additionally, studies have shown that the youth are heavy users of the Internet and online social networking sites however, little data exists on the use of the Internet and online social networks, including Facebook, in the global South. The main objective of this study is to explore how the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal's students use Facebook to interact with brands. In particular, the study explores the perceptions on brand engagement on Facebook, the ways in which Facebook helps facilitate sharing and the types of brands students choose to share with their network. An explanatory sequential design was adopted as a mixed method technique to understand the interplay between branding concepts and social media. Findings revealed that students use Facebook to engage with brands however, results show that there is a shift from using Facebook to using other platforms such as Instagram, concluding that students preferred to engage with brands with Facebook in combination with other platforms.
Bronwen Findlay, Yinka Shonibare and Joanna Smart: approaches to pattern and form in contemporary artists’ practice.
(2017) Smart, Joanna.; Hall, Louise Gillian.; Spencer, Faye Julia.
The purpose of this Master’s dissertation was to investigate the use of pattern and fabric in the artworks of contemporary artists Yinka Shonibare, Bronwen Findlay and the researcher, Joanna Smart. Through this enquiry the aim was to position her practice and approach with respect to pattern in the contemporary Fine Art context. This research intended to explore how pattern and textile is used to challenge the art and craft hierarchy within the art of a few contemporary artists. Further this research acknowledges a subjective element in these artists choice of pattern and fabric. The methodology used in this research is Practice-Based, which will reflect on how the researcher makes work through the painting process and the documentation of that process. The theoretical framework that underpinned the thesis is the art/craft debate. The researcher’s studio practice aimed to disrupt hierarchies of art and craft, and this dissertation explored how notions of art and craft have been interrogated in her painting. This dissertation discussed how the approaches of other artists has shifted the researcher’s work with regard to pattern and cloth. The researcher aimed to experiment with the different ways in which textiles and pattern can be used in the researcher’s paintings. Through a reflection of her painting practice and an examination of how other artists use pattern and cloth, the complexity of possible meaning inherent in pattern and fabric was explored. For example, the conceptual meaning of pattern and fabric in the researcher’s painting practice was encouraged by the research into other contemporary artists’ works. The researcher discovered a deeper appreciation for the way cloth and pattern challenges hierarchies within art and craft. Furthermore, the way in which pattern and cloth are often used as signifiers of culture and identity was explored. This dissertation explores how pattern and cloth reflects the researcher’s experiences. Importantly, the review of other artists’ work shifted how she uses fabric and pattern as a representation of culture and identity in her paintings. Additionally, her practice shifted visually with regards to diverse textures, colours and tones.
Capturing ghosts and making them speak : genre and the Asian horror film remake.
(2013) Dawson, Sarah Frances.; Van der Hoven, Anton.
This thesis takes up the genre of the “Asian horror film remake” as a nexus for the illustration of the intersection between two significant theoretical perspectives that inform contemporary film theory: Lacanian psychoanalysis and Deleuzian transcendental empiricism. It employs concepts such as Lacan’s registers of the Real and Symbolic alongside Deleuze (and Guattari’s) theories on the actual present and the virtual past to interrogate terms such as ‘originality’, ‘authenticity’, ‘repetition’, and ‘difference’ in an attempt to account for the role of genre in the production of meaningful reality, both within the bounds of the text and in cultural life more generally. It first deconstructs the term genre as it has been employed throughout classical, structuralist and post-structuralist genre theory, in order to reveal its ephemeral nature, and to show it to be worthy of investigation in its own right as a central component of language, more than simply a critical tool. It goes on to elaborate the contingency of discourse that constructs verisimilitudinous reality, and explicates these ideas through analysis of the Asian horror remake films. It then turns to Lacan’s division between the registers of the Symbolic and the Real in order to explore the function of the repetition that is visible in generic film in relation to the subject’s experience of a coherent and authentic reality. Finally, it proceeds to engage with Deleuze’s ideas regarding virtuality and asignification and argues, with reference to the Asian horror remake, that it is the perpetual tension between sameness and difference that sustains meaningful life.

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