Locating culture, heritage and histories with[in] Tembisa: the museum as a living institution in the urban periphery

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.