Connectivity is expanded through technological deve lopments converting the world into a global and interactive connectivity field. Each individual finds him- or herself to be a link in this network of connectivity. Using certain visual projects as an example, this particular project argues that man has, on the one hand, become entrapped in this network through technological developments, and is liberated by them, on the other, through the global mobility they facilitate. The applicability of âconnectivity,â the mathematical loanword, to the visual arts is explored and depicted through art projects. In this project, representations of illustrations, paintings, photographs, installations and video art are employed as a form of artistic visualization of the experience of connectivity in post- modern society. Technological phenomena as extensions of the human body and central nervous system, and the implications of this for visual culture and the society of connectivity are explored. The spatial expansiveness of the network is visualized in the texture of Jackson Pollockâs paintings, which in this project are referred to as a metaphor for connectivity. The series of photographs by Danwen Xing, âdisCONNEXION,â are described as the antithesis of connectivity, where computer parts are arranged separately from one another, eliciting the notion of a living organism. In representations of connectivity the symbiotic relationship between man and machine is brought to the fore. The mutual dependency of man and machine are symbolized in Eduardo Kacâs Teleporting an unknown state. Herein an attempt is made to foster a critical consciousness which sufficiently takes into consideration the man- made nature of the new media. Man builds technological information systems which creep across the earth, enfolding it in a web. In the photographic and installation-type depictions of Frank Thiel, Dan Graham and Peter Weibel, the omnipresence of the surveillance camera is fore grounded. It surrounds, captures and reads man into databases, forming a categorized, typified data image of the individual. In a more positive light, the media of connectivity creates an immediate though virtual presence through mobilization, where man is an absent presence who is simultaneously here and at the site of communication. Connectivity enables the immediate connections between individuals who are physically separated from one another, and is visualized in Draadwerk, where the implied communicator is overwhelmed and drawn in by the scale and mass of tin can telephone wires. Man is simultaneously here, physically, and, in thought, in the conversational space (i.e. cyberspace), where communication takes place through technological communication media. The greatest liberation of technological means is facilitated by the virtuality it creates. James Turrellâs light installations visualize illusory virtual spaces where the viewer enters a light-drenched space and the actual boundaries of the space are faded. In my own installation, Immersie, a virtual space is entered which becomes a connective plane between top/bottom and inside/outside. Ties which limit and entrap man are left behind as the virtual space is entered, and man creates, through technological media, new spaces in which freedom or liberation may be experienced.

Encounters between the Portuguese explorers of the fifteenth-century and the people living on the southern tip of Africa initiated interaction and trade between Europeans and Africans. My Portuguese heritage within a family of shopkeepers has provided me with a selective point of view from which to investigate the complexities involved in cross-cultural exchange, visual perception and image interpretation. The analysis of appropriated surveillance footage collected from CCTV cameras installed in the shop and the investigation of my own videos captured with hidden digital hand-held video camcorders, elucidates concerns related to intercultural interaction and exchange. In the shop the exchange of goods occurs, concomitantly with an exchange of vision and cross-cultural perception; the video camera surveys this exchange and translates it into images. It is argued that visual and intercultural processes have, with the aid of visual technologies and mediums (such as the panorama and digital video), become central to the ways in which cultures are perceived. This study proposes that interpreting images (for example in the photographs of Pieter Hugo and Zwelethu Mthethwa), like intercultural exchange, is paradoxical and ambiguous, as often these images evoke associations with conflicting meanings. It is argued that iconoclasm complicates image interpretation and visual perception further, as it is related both to destructive strategies and the vulnerability of the image. While the study argues that visual exchanges are by nature inconsistent and distorted, they still expose a common reciprocity and human vulnerability.

Processes of pattern making in recent painting This dissertation is an extension of my studio research. In my studio research I use the processes usually associated with the making of decorative patterns as an integral part of my work as a painter. In my paintings and in my dissertation those actions of pattern making that create an interplay between surfaces charming to the eye, and the menacing hidden meanings of degeneration, destruction and underlying aggression is investigated. This research focuses on the manifestation of the visual impact of decorative patterns on formal as well as the semantic levels. The meaning of patterns and motifs in patterns emerges and changes constantly as a result of formal creative making processes. These processes are influenced by cultural forces. Thus the transformations in patterns and pattern motifs point to the dynamic cultural forces in current South Africa. Decorative patterns from popular South African culture, in which pattern-creating processes are linked to the creative processes involved in recent visual art by contemporary artists, Beatriz Milhazes, Ghada Amer, Bronwen Findlay and Leora Farber as well as to my own paintings are analyzed. The research focuses on the ways in which patterns change and in which meanings are assigned to them. The importance of purposeful exchange of ideas in order to bring about transformations in patterns, is stressed. Writers such as Alois Riegl and William H. Goodyear have seen the exchanges of motifs and meaning in patterns as an organic and orderly pocess. In reality the meanings of pattern fluctuate and is constantly being transferred in a chaotic way. It is also fundamental that it should be considered within a specific social and cultural context as done by Alfred Gell. The ongoing and dynamic cultural influences will then become clear. This dissertation is structured in three sections, in which patterns and pattern motifs which are prominent and meaningful in the popular South African culture of the day are investigated. The âVictorian Rose patternâ, the Springbok motif and âNdebele patternsâ are discussed. In each of these three sections meanings and transformations of meaning in pattern motifs are closely scrutinized. The âVictorian Rose patternâ underwent numerous transformations in South African culture. Yet, the strong associations with its British origins still cling to it. The Springbok motif, which became part of South African heraldry during the British colonial period, on the contrary, has transformed into a symbol of Afrikaner nationalism. The underlying aggressiveness which developed to the motif led to its degeneration and later a come-back as a kitsch motif in current popular culture. In the case of the visually powerful Ndebele patterns, the ethnic connotations they carried led these patterns to become artificial constructions subject to political manipulation and power struggle. Key

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<p> My work has a sense of artifact with a raw natural appearance. I respond to artifactual qualities of my work on a visceral and conceptual level. I see the artifact as being able to speak not just about change, but also about the history of civilizations. The connection of the natural to mechanized systems speaks of the current state of the landscape. I am interested in our civilization in the 21st century and how we interact with the landscape. We often have the best intentions in mind but in actuality we cause more harm than good. Through the tangible experiences that shape our lives we see death, decay, and rebirth. These extremes in life and nature reveal the perception of my own impermanence. I create objects representative of natural processes of time and life and depict a depleted barren future of our fragile landscape. </p>

<p> My Master of Fine Arts project exhibition, <i>What is Lost Along the Way</i>, presented seven paintings that used landscape and fire as metaphors to investigate the-ubiquity of presence and absence in life. What is lost along the way in life and how does loss allow for growth and understanding? My work explores the emotions and thoughts that are stirred when something is taken away. Illusionistic images of smoky forests were subjected to a torch and the chemical reaction of burning was used to create paintings that had a tragic beauty. The creation of the images utilized an additive and subtractive process between painting and burning away layers of paint. The process was controlled but not confined. The accident of the fire and the cyclical nature of creation was important to the larger theme of loss in the paintings.</p>

<p> <i>One Full Moon Night</i>, my MFA Project Exhibition, is a series of surrealistic drawings. The main inspiration of my exhibition stems from memories of my childhood fantasies. My subject matter portrays children exploring a surrealistic world and growing from this new experience. Despite their young age, my characters are often unafraid of the odd setting they find themselves in. The different kinds of animals in my drawings explore the places alongside the children. </p><p> For this MFA exhibition, I presented thirteen graphite pencil drawings on illustration board, ranging in size from nine inches by fifteen inches to eighteen inches by twenty-seven and half inches. I chose graphite as the primary medium because it allows me to accentuate details. Additionally, I intended to make people focus on my fantastical settings and stories by creating black and white scenes.</p>

Malsch, Carmen, M.F.A., Summer 2014. Fine Art Currents of Time and Universe Chairperson: Professor James Bailey Abstract Currents of Time and Universe explores personal awareness and connection to the universe. Large woodcut and intaglio prints describe a visual vocabulary for universal themes. In this vocabulary, a current is the image for awareness, connection, and motion in space and time. Bird forms frequenting the images represent the habitation of both earth and sky. Less grounded and more of the air than the human, the bird image identifies with the inner life of a person more than with the physical body. However, as with the bird, definite and necessary aspects of each do not exist without the other. A concept of motion pervades the images. Motion of both the universe and of an individual traveling through it, refer to the experience of time. Contrast and luminosity, as well as positive/negative relationships, become part of the visual vocabulary of universe awareness. In night skies appearing black and white, luminosity and contrast define what we know as the universe. Dark is when we see it most vividly. Constellations, galaxies and stars, even our moon are most defined in contrast, lit in the absence of overall light. Contrast is also a metaphor for the related concept of traveling. The space between cities viewed from a car or plane at night is dark; the objects of departure or arrival are lit in glowing centers of light. A journey between points describes time as distance. The subject matter is almost entirely portrayed in black and white contrast. A visual interplay of positive/negative space refers to the Escher-like quality of awareness, and to the nature of human experience. Time/space is defined by both memory and distance. Distance is external space; memory is internal space. A conceptual universe exists both within the person and outside of them. Each of these universes continue to be investigated as they have since our earliest beginnings, yet each largely escapes definition. What we know about the universe is rapidly changing in unexpected ways. On a forefront of possibility, visual thinking does not necessarily preclude scientific, or vice versa.

Aporia refers to a problem without an identifiable solution. The application of the term aporia to social behavior is essentially the subject of this exhibition; specifically, these paintings react to my personal experience of maintaining outward positivity that frequently disguises less desirable personality traits. The series presents the residue of my own internal frustrations, which are physically recorded through my painting practice. In the process of painting, I am engaged in an act of psychological purging, leaving behind the character and emotional vibrations of experiences that occur on a regular basis. For me, painting is catharsis. The physical act itself is as important as the visual record of the event.

Contemporary life requires a complex interfacing with systems. The artwork that I produce specifically explores an interface with technological systems. Such systems contain two primary elements: the analog and the digital. The human element in these systems relates to the analog portion; the technological element relates to the digital portion. I portray these systems in my work through representational and abstracted elements. I utilize simplification of forms and limitation of color to depict these systems. I strive to transcribe my personal understanding of these systems in my artwork. My work describes the structure of these systems and provides them with a physical presence. Within my practice, I offer a theoretical and visual framework, or a model, for these systems that is not easily understood. I question the individuals and societys roles within this system, and our relationships with technology.