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THIS IS THE ARTIST'S EDGE 

'the core of africa’  is a collaborative effort brought to you by 'the artist’s edge’. we are a group of dedicated south african and american artists, who feel driven by the need for free and fair artistic expression. this is a group effort from people of different backgrounds and cultures and is an extension of our past experiences and our present awareness of the world we live in.

produced by 

artwork and design


marketing and art coordination

surface construction and design

sound track mixing and video production

sound track voice overs 




video actor 

computer technicals 

the artist’s edge

tay dall - ben chowney (tabe)
and hannelie de beer

hannelie de beer

carlo engel

ben chowney

wendy ngema,
puli mohapi,
carlo engel,
zoe and tal chowney

wendy ngema

rhys dayson

a special thank you to our sponsors, nigel and jayne gray for their emotional support over the years and die-hard encouragement to complete this project.

                                 tay dall                        carlo engel                ben chowney

                            puli mohapi              hannelie de beer          wendy ngema

CONCEPT INTRODUCTION

when one thinks of ‘the core’, one thinks of the centre of things - the pith, the gist, the essence of something, 
but on a dictionary level, it means,  the heart or inner part of anything, the centre of the earth, the fissile part of a nuclear reactor, the magnetic material used in a computer’s memory, the crux of a thought, the round mass of rock brought up by an annular drill……….

the idea for the ‘core of africa’ originated out of the union of my and my husband, ben’s perception of life in south africa. our perception of past and present realities, the changed rationales of society and the continuous evolution of laws and values that forge the lives of people who are forcibly confined to accept the direction of a new and hopeful south african democracy. freedom comes at a cost and this has become the core of what we believed to be the true nature of this exhibition,  for this country,  and the world.

objectivity for this project was and is crucial, the show therefore is not designed to take a political or an apolitical agenda, it merely wants to convey provocative ideas that are borne out of basic facts and realities. the research for the show was a culmination of collective experiences as seen through the eyes of different cultures and perspectives; me as an english capetonian, ben as an american, wendy and puli as soto africans, carlo as coloured, and hannelie as an afrikaner. 

the  essence that remains, is the one that is seen within the show which binds us with each other, the fact that we are alive and our lives are mortally transient, unlike the ‘cores’ that lie preserved, permanent, and unyielding forever, as a message of the past and left to form a monument to our struggle to be free within ourselves.

the ‘core of africa’, as an artistic creation, is respectively didactic in it’s approach.  the reasons for this are: to communicate the clearest most concise message possible, to be pure and direct in what we wish to express, to create an environment in which the individual viewer is encouraged to think, feel, learn and remember.

the exhibition makes use of artwork, text, language, sound, and video to heighten the viewer’s experience. although the concept of the ‘cores’ on their own may be esoteric, the ideas within the visual aspects of the show, are designed to engage and stimulate the viewer, rather than intimidate and isolate him.  there are however, elements within the individual work, that have sub textual and subliminal meaning to allow a level of individual perception, interpretation and imaginative fun.

Following, is an example of an exhibition that includes 5 panels of ‘cores’, a 15 minute video, and a 30 minute sound track, however, our exhibition welcome more panels.

thank you for your interest 

tay dall
and
ben chowney

PRESENTATION DESIGN
GENERAL SPACE

‘the core of africa’ is designed to create an environment that is museum like. ultimately free space in between exhibition elements is important for the full experience, however the layout is flexible to meet the requirements of the respective venue, especially if space is limited. the exhibition can  be expanded to include more elements including additional panels and installation pieces (up to 10).

the exhibit includes panels with a specific layout of artwork, san circle installation with a specific layout of artwork, sculpture installations, a video installation, a sound installation, a computer and setting pieces including seat blocks and stair units.  

Interactivity and engaging the viewer is the key to the success of the exhibition therefore touching, reading, listening and exploring is fundamental to the fun involved with the process of intellectual discovery. In other words the viewer doesn’t have to “get it” to enjoy the show.

PANELS
each panel or collection of cores tell an individual story or series of  subjects and issues with an african context, yet they express universal truths and irony prevalent throughout the world. the visual content of these issues are not difficult to understand, therefore personal discoveries and conclusions are possible to be made by the viewer without an explanation. the cores are presented under a sub-grouped theme and individually named and numbered within the group. the names are from the different languages in south africa and translated into english.  the numbers of the panels and the cores are random without any order to alleviate the idea that everything is fixed and finite – quite the contrary, history is continuing to evolve even as we speak, there is no order to life. Panels: 1200mm x 3200mm. Suggested Space in-between panels 500mm

SAN CIRCLE INSTALLATION
in meaning, the installation suggests the cycles of life and environment. humanity, sun, stone, water, clouds. the circle is coulourful , the vibrant core pieces radiating outwards from the center like the rays of the sun.  the centre or core of the installation contains the broken cores (man’s wrong doings or sins)which poke out of the vessel of water and mist held in place by the circle itself as if by magical will.  the individual core pieces have specific african symbols painted on them such as the knot meaning “unity”, and   the symbol representing “linked hearts”.  The circle is reminiscent of a round table, camp fire, fountain, places of negotiation and peace. It balances the content of the exhibition and is designed to have seating blocks put around it.  Circle: 1700mm circumference X 700mm high. 240v outlet.

VIDEO INSTALLATION
the video acts as the interpreter for the different languages that label the cores.  the actress who is in traditional dress is the teacher of the pronunciation of these words by seeing her demonstrate physically how to say them. the music and contrasting colour is never predictable. it changes according to the word the interpreter is speaking and creates  an intriguing mood and setting even though it’s a repetitive script and scene which in turn, changes the way we as the viewer learns information.  designed to have seating blocks so that the viewer looks up to the video reflective of being in school. 620mm x 620mm x 580mm high. runs from pc with speakers. 240v outlet.

SOUND INSTALLATION
the sound track is a personal compilation and mixing of various sounds, rhythms and voice overs that reflect an african energy that exemplifies or enhances the visuals of the exhibition. a unique exploration and expression of an overall code of sound that is, just like the works of art, a work of art in itself. The design of the show allows for 4 listening points. Runs from pc and earphones

SCULPTURE INSTALLATIONS
these installations stand alone and represent the spiritual beliefs in the context of south african society. ancestors, spirits, saints, and agnostics. they stand on their own providing visual height to the layout of the show. 420mm X 420mm X 1700mm high. 

RISE AND FALL PANEL
GENERAL THEME
people fight for a cause while they are being oppressed.  they make promises of freedom to people who support them, but these promises are forgotten once they’re in a position of power.  now that they have the power to change things, they conveniently forget what they were fighting for and become what they fought against. 

“power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  great men are almost always bad men”

TRADITIONAL DEALERS PANEL
GENERAL THEME
a society’s belief system is the basis of it’s identity.  considered a public service in many developing communities, the sangoma is an example of a fading traditional belief system. modern advancement is often the driving force behind the erosion of traditional society, yet the benefits of advancement neglects those societies that cannot afford them. the belief systems are forced into conflict with each other. 

EARTH DWELLERS PANEL
GENERAL THEME
the idea of mining has been a part of history since the beginning of time.  it’s hard to ignore its own metaphor for being a grave. the expenditure of money and human life in exchange for things which, when we die have absolutely no meaning. as earth dwellers on the surface we share the same struggle as the earth dwellers in the mine, looking out of our own individual holes for hope, air and struggling for a better way of life, only never quite reaching the top. partly because our goals are unreachable and partly because we are never satisfied with what we already have.

RITES OF PASSAGE PANEL
GENERAL THEME
from the day a woman is born, societal pressure expect females to be married and have children within a reasonable time span. ‘rites of passage’ such as losing virginity, being married, having children, which they may or may not want to participate in, are forced onto women in preparation of this universally accepted societal role. The forced conditioning of woman in this way in a lot of respects, exposes them to exploitation by a male dominated system of values, which may extend to physical and mental abuse as well as discrimination within the boundary of society’s acceptance and indifference to level the playing field between men and woman.  

THE SAN CIRLCE
GENERAL THEME
based on the spirituality of the khoi-khoi or san people, the circle is reminiscent of a council, round table, camp fire, fountain, infinity, planets, the universe.  the artist emphasizes that it is the circle of life. the colourful cores on the outside of the display portray the balance of life. the broken cores in the middle represent the 
breakdown of this balance.  the mist within is the hidden magic that creates the balance, that is the water, the food of life, the soul of life. 

symbols are painted on the art pieces which reflect a specific meaning in different african cultural groups, such as the luba, yaka, asante, and zulu people. for many of these tribes the symbols are magical: they communicate messages within the living world and serve as a link to ancestors and the supernatural world.  

INSTALLATIONS

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