Cunningham, Alexandra Dolores2024-11-132024-11-132022Cunningham, Alexandra Dolores. (2022). Hoop It Up, Loop It Back, Repeat: A Decade of Memory and Interconnectivity at a Johannesburg Basketball Court [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg].https://hdl.handle.net/10539/42406A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master Fine Arts to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022This research and artwork reflects on my memories of a decade at a public basketball half-court in the Johannesburg inner city. The court has become a home to myself and our larger community: its quotidian, repetitive, cyclical nature has allowed us to form a network and family. In exploring the ways in which our community has intertwined, I also explore the cuts and ruptures that occur. Using loops, hoops and the rhythmic nature of each day, my artwork reflects our communal desire for interconnectivity at the court, which forms a foundational netting. The repetition reflects my experience of family and positionality across dissimilarities, while also resonating with the rhythm of hip hop music: ever present at the court. Through conversations with other court community members, I explore these relationships and memories. In my artmaking, I use crocheted textile, pattern and imagery to reflect our experiences: something strong, durable and able to conduct a sense of warmth and comfort, yet also fragile and easy to unravel.en© 2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.basketball, community, family, interconnectivity, weaving, memory, inner-city JohannesburgSDG-11: Sustainable cities and communitiesDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg