Wits School of Arts (ETDs)

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Start date: 1995

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 91
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    How can screen dance be used as a tool to reframe the black female body in South Africa?
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Setzin, Sasha-Lee
    Screendance can be used to explore and celebrate the diversity and complexity of the Black female body, highlighting the unique experiences and perspectives of Black women in South Africa. Through experimentation with movement, camera angles, and the manipulation of light and sound, Screendance can be used to create a new visual language that reframes the Black female body in a more nuanced and empowering way. This medium can be used as a tool to reframe the Black female body in South Africa by breaking stereotypes, giving agency to Black female dancers and choreographers, and exploring the diversity and complexity of the Black female experience. Screendance allows for greater creative control and representation of the Black female body, offering a platform for self-expression, experimentation, and the exploration of new perspectives. The research seeks to examine the ability to manipulate and reimagine the image of the Black female body, through digital media which can be a powerful tool in challenging dominant cultural narratives and re-centering the experiences and perspectives of Black women. Additionally, it explores how Screendance can bring attention to the embodied experiences of Black women, and the ways in which their bodies have been subject to historical, cultural, and societal oppression. By making the body visible, Screendance can create a space for resistance, healing, and empowerment for Black women.
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    Seeming, being and becoming: an intimate, autoethnographic rasa-led performance art exploration
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Maharajh, Reshma; Khan, Sharlene; Munro, Allan; Andrew, David
    This thesis focuses on the interplay of "Seeming," "Being," and "Becoming" as it relates to past experiences, present moments and future potentialities. In this project, I delve into the concept of my South African ‘Indianness’ from a personal perspective. As a researcher, I engaged performance art and the aesthetic theory of rasa from the Nātyashāstra a treatise on dramatic theory or the science of drama in Sanskrit (a language of scholarship and philosophy across ancient ‘India’) to explore this concept further. The research encompasses three interconnected practices: rasa, autoethnography, and practice-led research and how central living strategies and concepts are used to define body- mindedness as a life force as emergence in performance strategy. Rasa serves as a guiding metaphor, representing the emotional essence of the artmaking strategies and creative process. These pursuits were not merely cathartic but were about reaching a Transcendental Emotional Moment (TEM) in which "being" and "becoming" converged. Rasa has been proven to be an effective tool in exploring my own identity, subject formation and artmaking, with therapeutic benefits. The second line of inquiry delves into my lived experiences as a widow, mother and practising Hindu, highlighting the complexity of South African Indianness and seeks to bridge the gap between "seeming" and "being" while anticipating what might "become" through the lens of rasa. The third line of inquiry revolves around the practice of performance art (combined with autoethnographic reflection), exploring the tensions between two philosophic models of Integrity and Intimacy as proposed by Kasulis (2002). As the artist (both creator and subject), my life and body became the canvas upon which the artwork unfolded. Performance art allowed for a moment of being when the artwork and I came into existence for each other. This process required cognitive and creative engagement with the project’s content, drawing on past experiences, culture, relationships, politics and religion, guided by rasa. The goal created an environment in which the ‘Oneness of Being’ emerged, leading to a TEM in performance. This moment invited the potential for refreshed, emergent insights and meaning through autoethnography and practice-led research. The “Seeming, Being and Becoming” trajectory and the efficacy of the rasa roadmap is proposed as a cultural philosophy that promotes human flourishing, culminating in the moment of TEM.
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    So, where to (So-we-to) with audiences? An explorative inquiry into audience development strategies at Soweto Theatre in the period 2019-2023
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mogotsi, Ratanang; Mavhungu, Johanna
    Theatre does not exist without an audience; it is imperative that theatre’s find new and innovative strategies that will develop audiences as the sector continues to face a drop in theatre attendance. Through a qualitative inquiry and Soweto Theatre as the case study, this research explores audience development strategies implemented at Soweto Theatre between 2019 and 2023. This period saw the biggest decline in theatre audiences across the theatre sector in South Africa and abroad due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings reveal the necessity of organisational restructuring, improved internal and external communication among the staff, clear task allocation and role management, as well as strategic management alignment in order to improve its audience development strategies. Storytelling is introduced as one of the key concepts to audience development. Storytelling integrates more process-related content into marketing initiatives such as social media which allows for audiences to get a taste of what to expect and to be a part of the storytelling process. Soweto Theatre, symbolises a catalyst for cultural democracy, fostering social cohesion and community empowerment. This research report concludes that digital platforms such as social media can be used to disseminate information, for outreach, arts education and cultural inclusion. Furthermore, nurturing young talent, and forging sustainable partnerships is pivotal in democratising the arts and cultivating a more inclusive cultural space. Collaboration among arts organisations and youth development programs across various theatres can further enrich experiences and heighten opportunities for emerging artists, contributing to the growth of audiences in South Africa's dynamic creative and cultural industries.
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    Enabling Authentic Learning Experiences for Indigenous Knowledge Acquisition in a Digital Environment: A Case of Zulu Beading Practice
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Dlamini, Phiwokuhle; Bristow, Tegan
    The Zulu beading practice is a well-known example of an indigenous art form that has been passed down through generations in traditional communities for cultural continuity. Research shows that Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer is a fundamental component of the epistemological system (Iseke & DesMoulins, 2015, p. 31). Elders impart knowledge using indigenous pedagogies, which promotes understanding and learning about communities and their local knowledge. With the increasing globalisation and modernisation of societies, social relationships, and cultural knowledge have become increasingly scattered. The contemporary generation often lives behind indigenous learning practices and adapts to new ways of learning in digital environments (Newman & Hatton-Yoe, 2008, p. 31). Consequently, there is a risk of traditional knowledge such as knowledge about Zulu beadwork becoming extinct when the knowledgeable elders pass away. Therefore, this indigenous knowledge needs to be documented and stored in the present digital learning environment where it can be retrieved and shared across generations. This study, therefore, explores ideas for enabling authentic learning experiences and accessibility of indigenous knowledge in a digital environment, with a focus on the Zulu beading practice. Using the Zulu beading practice, as a case study, the research investigates a potential digital learning environment to enhance the learning experience of cultural knowledge. The researcher also explores the potential of embracing digital learning environments to promote the continuity of traditional knowledge. A qualitative research approach was followed to explore the documented experiences of teaching and learning Zulu beading in a digital environment. Furthermore, a literature review was employed as a research methodology to establish the existing traditional approaches followed to teach the artistry of Zulu beading to aspiring practitioners as well as the practices needed to teach Zulu beading knowledge and skills to these practitioners in the digital environment. The findings revealed that the Zulu beading artistry is tacit knowledge, which comprises the Techne, Phronesis, and Episteme as the three knowledge categories. To create an authentic learning experience, the three knowledge categories are taught holistically. Therefore, this study aims to use the research outcomes to suggest a learning management system that could help facilitate the authentic learning experience of learning Zulu beading knowledge and skills digitally. The process of enabling authentic learning experiences in a ii digital environment requires the inclusion of indigenous viewpoints from knowledgeable elders who are skilled beadwork practitioners, linguistic engagement, and the integration of professional digital practices for developing learning solutions.
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    A self-revelatory performance study on the use of storytelling with puppets to explore the experience of a daughter with an absent father
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Wites, Nontsikelelo
    This research aims to explore the use of puppetry in addressing the impact of an absent father on their daughter through self-revelatory performance. Self-revelatory performance is a hybrid of therapy and theater, where a performer draws on personal experiences or existing social issues in need of therapeutic exploration. I conducted eight workshops where I created puppets and used those puppets to explore through narration and performance to reflect on my experiences of how growing up without a father has impacted me. This research has highlighted rejection as the main impact of a father's absence on his daughter ‘s life, which leads to confidence and trust issues. Furthermore, the study argues that the use of puppetry within a therapeutic space functions similarly to psychodrama by aiding individuals in examining their unresolved present challenges. Moreover, it suggests that the exploration of symbols and metaphors through puppetry encourages individuals to thoroughly investigate, engage with, and express their emotions regarding the issues that led them to therapy, ultimately progressing toward healing. I hope this study helps to build knowledge, can be beneficial to scholars and professionals in the field of drama therapy, and may help shape therapeutic practices in this field.
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    The search for ‘Ichambawilo’ (an encounter) with refugee and asylum-seeker parents whose children are vulnerable: an African Drama therapy intervention programme
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Busika, Nonkululeko Faith
    Refugees and asylum-seeker parents in South Africa usually find it difficult to adequately fulfil their parental responsibilities because they face many challenges. ‘Three2Six’ is a project in Johannesburg, which focuses on refugee and asylum-seeker children’s right to education and psycho-social well-being. I, as a drama therapist, have personally observed that drama therapy makes a meaningful contribution to the ‘Three2Six project’ because it assists teachers to address the therapeutic needs of refugee and asylum-seeking children who are manifesting psychosocial and behavioural problems at school. Unfortunately, the parents of the children I rendered drama therapy to did not seem to be able to help their children make good progress. The main purpose of the study was thus to design an African Drama Therapy intervention programme with the ‘Three2Six’ parents so that they could adequately fulfil their parental responsibilities. The need to engage the parents of these learners increased even more because the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged children to be at home. The research methods selected to fulfil the study's main purpose was action research in the field of Drama Therapy. The study used multiple approaches in three different phases. Participants were purposively selected and included the parents and school staff members at the Holy Family College and Sacred Heart College, where the Three2Six project is housed. The main theoretical and conceptual frameworks underlying the research were Moreno’s Role theory, the concept of African spirituality and Ubuntu. Data were gathered during the three phases of the research process by conducting personal, semi-structured interviews with school staff members and a Visual Mapping discussion with parent participants using drama therapy techniques, role embodiment and a recorder. The study findings are an African Drama Therapy Intervention programme, (the API-R5), that takes into consideration Ubuntu and Spirituality being central to African well-being. The findings further demonstrate how the Western approach to Drama Therapy, can be adapted to the African context
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    The Awakening: Makudlalwe. A study on how play awakens the inner child in black Indigenous African adults
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ncanana, Nomfundo Innocentia
    Our inner child speaks to the stories of ourselves that we carry around either knowingly or unknowingly. These stories may come in many forms and this research aimed to awaken these early experiences through the method of play. Neuro-dramatic play is a frame of play in Drama Therapy that was used to frame the activity choices. The method of guided play was used as a container to carry out the neuro-dramatic play techniques. These methods also set a frame for understanding how the inner child can be awakened. A way to activate these memories is through using our bodies as a vessel that allows the flow of experience to take place. This is why play is an important element of this research as it assists us in traveling to and navigating that space in time, using our bodies. The colonized African child growing up under post-colonial times may have the experience and memory of being deprived of play due to colonial factors that include Apartheid, land displacement, and but not limited to slave labour. These colonial factors were introduced to hinder the black mind from remembering and consciously being aware of who they are. The system continues to serve those who are oppressors as play factors have not been clearly defined in the African context. This study investigates how the use of play in the context of Drama Therapy, can be used to awaken the inner child of the black Indigenous African adult.
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    Composition and Decomposition: On Thornton Dial’s Aesthetics
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Siyothula, Nomalanga; Andrew, David
    In this study I explore how Composition and Decomposition: On Thornton Dial’s Aesthetics can be theorised and understood within black studies but based on three selected assemblages in his art practice. The study will engage in three forms of Dial’s aesthetics: The aesthetics of the black social life, the aesthetics of ruins and disposability and the aesthetics of revitalisation and care. It is in this form that Dial’s work will be meditated upon. It will do so by centering Composition and Decomposition as the analytical tools. It is a study that will engage in the protocols of black aesthetics, making and unmaking for there to be generativity. So, for this to come into being it is important to understand Dial as a figure in order to arrive at new ways of decolonising black aesthetics.
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    Re-imagining African Storytelling Conventions within the Cinematic Virtual Reality Medium
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Langa, Nkateko Nicole; Dladla, Tiisetso
    In an advancing technological world, it is far-reaching to engage with the implications of the codes and conventions (re)produced by creative practitioners because of the indefinite possibilities accessible to them. Over the recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) in a cinematic context has orientated itself as a contemporary film practice enabling user agency through its immersive and interactive properties. This dissertation through an Afrocentric framework critically explores the representation and consumption of African culture(s) and strengthening existing cultural experiences through the VR medium. It remains rooted in indigenous knowledge systems and knowledge production located as Afrocentric beyond the African continent. This study manifests as a creative output, a VR documentary titled, AFRICA 360. Moreover, this research addresses the representation of culturally rooted storytelling through a case study of the Tsonga ethnic group and its portrayal within VR. The study of the Tsonga people in South Africa is essential as they are a minority group that is underrepresented, stereotyped and marginalized. It further explores existing African storytelling conventions and how they can be re-imagined in the future. Insight offered from interviews with African VR experts invites a discourse around African VR cinema and innovative storytelling. Additionally, the study examines the representation of African women in VR cinema through a techno-feminist perspective seeking to understand the mutual inclusivity of technology, gender and women. The impact of the historical and contemporary portrayals of VaTsonga women is analysed in relation to its culturally representative influence on empowering African VR narratives. 11 This study uncovers that Cinematic Virtual Reality (CVR) particularly in an African context may be strategically employed for the purpose of although not exhaustive knowledge re- discovery, cultural and heritage preservation, accessing African environments and to deconstruct long standing stereotypes and inaccurate representations to promote gender equality and social inclusion. Cultural representation brings to life aspects of culture that may be fading or misunderstood, allowing them to be experienced by a new generation and preserved for the future. Contemporary representations of culture offer diversified portrayals that resonate with audiences because of their creative adaptations which foster a renewed sense of pride and identity. And lastly, interviews with VR experts reveal how African CVR conventions are presently being re-imagined, drawing from select film texts. Re-imagined practices include: producing local content which caters for global audiences through ‘glocalization’, developing narratives which claim to be radically compassionate rather than empathetic, and exploring storylines inspired by African mythology and history. This study advocates for the possibility for the development of an identifiable and distinct African VR cinematic experience. It will assist in the formulation of a progressive cinematic language and grammar for the making of authentic and decolonised African VR story.
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    The usability of cross-device controllers
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Nkosi, Nhlanhla Lucky
    Many digital platforms require a controlling device for people to interact with them. Examples include TVs with remotes, gaming consoles with controllers and computers with a keyboard. The systems are tightly coupled with their interfacing devices (controller). This coupling leads to unnecessary toxic electronic waste, increases the entry cost to use the digital platforms and often excludes people with niche accessibility needs. This research proposes the first step in assessing the feasibility of decoupling core platforms and controllers by investigating the impact that reusing controllers across different applications, for which they are not intentionally designed, would have on the User Experience. The mixed-method study uses McNamara and Kirakowski's 2006 theoretical framework of understanding Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to assess research participants’ experience of using three different controllers to interact with two digital products. The study found no significant degradation on the HCI when participants used different controllers. Instead, the results proved that non-conventional controllers enhanced some elements of the participants’ experiences, such as effectiveness. The findings highlight the subjective nature of HCI and, by extension, the need for industry-wide standardisation of interfacing between controllers and platforms to drive innovation in the controller space, which will ultimately lead to better HCI.