Walking woman: how can walking, drawing and writing be used to reclaim public space; both physically and virtually?
| dc.contributor.advisor | Kaden, Marthie | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Conradie-Huigen, Stephané | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Coerecius, Mikhaila Amyone | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Visual Arts. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-12-06T07:50:00Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-12-22T14:29:24Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-12-06T07:50:00Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-12-22T14:29:24Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MA(VA))--Stellenbosch University, 2021. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African women and queer individuals are continuously fighting for freedom of mobility through forms of activism and protest in order to combat high statistics of gender-based violence. In this thesis, I explore how women and queer individuals use walking, drawing and writing as activist methods in reclaiming space. These methods are seen in the case studies I discuss throughout such as the Women’s March in 1956 and satellite Slut Walks. I positioned my practice-based research through the trope of the flâneuse, a fictional urban wanderer who characterises the exclusion of women in public space during the time of modernity. In the context of my thesis, I use the term flâneuse as a contemporary figure who embodies the subjectivity of the societal ‘other’ – women and queer individuals. Through positioning myself as a flâneuse, I used this trope as a way of exploring the narratives of the ‘other’ in public space and used walking, drawing and writing as ways to assert my own intersectional identity in my creative practice. In this thesis, I investigate the practice of reclaiming public space against the backdrop of apartheid, systems of patriarchy and gender-based violence in South Africa. I began to question the limitations of freedom of mobility and expression in public space itself and looked towards alternative spaces where women and queer individuals are able to assert themselves. With the recent surge of increased internet activity as a result of Covid-19, much of the gender and identity discourse moved towards online spaces. Therefore, I began to expand the scope of my research and started exploring activist methods of walking, drawing and writing within cyberspace. By exploring the dualities of public and cyberspace, along with the concepts and performance of gender in public and private spaces, this thesis aims to investigate how women and queer individuals assert their identity and embody their own gaze while drawing and writing in both public and cyber space. Because my research delves into themes of gender and identity, I positioned my online investigation through Instagram. Instagram, as a social media platform, provides an alternative cyberspace whereby women and queer individuals are able to claim agency of their intersectional identities in ways that may not be possible in public space itself. Through analysis of narratives found on Instagram, I went on digital walks as a data collection method and explored how women and queer individuals would use this online platform as a way of reclaiming space. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vroulike en queer individueë van die Suid Afrikaanse bevolking is in ’n voortdurende geveg vir hul vryheid van beweging - deur middel van aktivisme en protes - en in direkte teenstelling met die hoë statistieke van geslagsgebaseerde geweld. In hierdie tesis ondersoek en vra ek hoe vrouens en queer individueë metodes van aktivisme - naamlik: stap, teken en skryf - kan gebruik om gevolglik spasie en plek terug te eien aan hulself. Hierdie metodes word uitgewys in menige bespreekde gevalle studies, byvoorbeeld: “Women’s March in 1956” en “Satellite Slut Walks”. Ek posisioneer my praktyk-gebaseerde navorsing deur die troop van die “flâneuse” - ’n fiktiewe karakter wie die volgende tyd-spesifieke realiteit vergestalt: die uitsluiting van vrouens in publieke ruimtes in die eeu van Moderniteit. In spesifieke konteks van my tesis, gebruik ek die term “flâneuse” as ’n moderne figuur wie die volgende verteenwoordig: die subjektiwiteit waarmee vrouens en queer individueë as ‘ander’ hanteer word in die samelewing. Die keuse om myself as “flâneuse” te posisioneer laat my toe om op dié wyse die narratiewe van die ‘ander’ in publieke ruimtes te ondersoek, en asook, die metodes van stap, teken en skryf te gebruik as maniere om my eie interseksionele identiteit te verklaar in my kreatiewe praktyk. In hierdie tesis ondersoek ek die praktyk van spasie terugvordering teen die afspeling van apartheid, patriargale stelsels en geslagsgebaseerde geweld in Suid Afrika. Ek het in my navorsing die beperking van vryheid van - beweging en uitdrukking begin bevraagteken in publieke ruimte, as geheel, en het gevolglik gesoek vir ruimtes waar vrouens en queer individueë wél die vryheid het om hulself uit te leef. In lyn met die onlangse toename in internet aktiwiteit, as gevolg van Covid-19, het baie van die geslags- en identiteit diskoers begin plaasvind in sosiale ruimtes aanlyn. Dus, het ek die omvang van my navorsing uitgebrei en, gevolglik, het my ondersoek oor metodes van aktivisme, naamlik: skryf, stap en teken, uitgebrei om die omvang daarvan in kuberruimte in te sluit. As gevolg van die rede dat my navorsing handel oor temas van geslag en identiteit, posisioneer ek my ondersoek aanlyn deur die beroemde sosiale media platform, Instagram. Instagram bied ’n alternatiewe kuberruimte waarby vrouens en queer individueë hulself vrylik kan uitdruk en hul interseksionele identiteite kan verklaar in maniere wat nie altyd moontlik is in publieke ruimtes nie. Deur analises gevind en gevorm op Instagram, het ek op digitale wandelinge gegaan as ’n metodiek van digitale versameling, en het gevolglik ondersoek ingestel oor die wyse waarop vrouens en queer individueë dié platform kan gebruik as ’n manier om ruimte terug te eien. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | v., 81 pages : illustrations | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123924 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Public spaces | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Cyberspace | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Poststructuralism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Cyberfeminism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Women -- Violence against | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Visual arts | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Walking woman: how can walking, drawing and writing be used to reclaim public space; both physically and virtually? | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |