Locating culture, heritage and histories with[in] Tembisa: the museum as a living institution in the urban periphery
Date
2017
Authors
Mahonde, Farirai Clement
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Abstract
Traditional definitions of the museum present a building type that
is intended to act as a repository for the collection, preservation
and display of static artefacts. Since 1994, numerous efforts have
been made to conceive and construct appropriate museums in
previously excluded townships. What has resulted from these
efforts is, in many cases, large scale State driven projects that
elevate political grandstanding over considered contextual
engagement and much needed social cohesion. This thesis aims
to question the traditional role of museums as an architectural
typology within the specific context of peri-urban township areas.
The context chosen for this exploration towards a new museum
is Tembisa. Tembisa received its first inhabitants in 1957 and is
located within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. It is the
second largest township in the country by population. Unlike many
of the country’s older townships, this peripheral neighbourhood
is yet to receive sustained cultural interventions. As such, it lends
itself as the ideal testing ground for the creation of a ’living
museum’. The thesis aims to create a living museum that does not
rely on imposing a master narrative, but instead aims to actively
locate traces of history, heritage and culture with [IN] Tembisa for
collection, reproduction and display. In this museum the ‘artefacts’
on display are the result of evolving processes that are not only
present within the confines of the museum itself, but are informed
by, and spill out into the fabric and consciousness of the immediate
context. This is explored through a reconsidered museum program
that includes a historical archive and art ensemble for Tembisa.
Description
Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017
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Citation
Mahonde, Farirai Clement (2017) Locating culture, heritage and histories with[in] Tembisa: the museum as a living institution in the urban periphery, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <http://hdl.handle.net/10539/23030>