Abstract
The physical landscape of higher education institutions must be seen as an important aspect if transformation is to occur. Universities, and particularly historically white universities in South Africa, often take their culture and their visual landscapes for granted – viewing them as neutral and natural. Decolonisation of spaces gained much attention during the last few years and in various countries, and specifically in previously colonised countries people reflect on the misrecognition of indigenous knowledges and engage in processes to move on from the colonised approach. In this paper I elaborate on art-based projects that took place during 2019-2020 as a potential transformative methodology. From the new materialism perspective, things or matter, human and non-human, can be social agents and possess agency – they affect us in an embodied and embrained way. New materialism is based on non-dualist perspectives, such as body-mind, human-nature, object-subject. Things are not separate or in a binary opposition, but rather entangled. Matter can be social agents and possess agency. The spaces around us has the potential to shape us, naturalising our behaviour or privileging certain modes of being over others. Embodied/material/discursive engagements are also important in a teaching and research environment and therefore the turn to include material is welcomed alongside the discursive dimensions of teaching and research. In this paper I explain through examples of practice the value of art-based methodologies for transformative learning.
Presenters
Elmarie CostandiusAssociate Professor, Visual Arts, Stellenbosch University, Western Cape, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Art-based methodologies, Transformative learning, New materialism
