This research focuses on selected artworks by contemporary artists Mona Hatoum and Candice Breitz to critically examine how they have explored language as a visual and conceptual tool through the use of video and installation. The primary aim is to consider how and why these artists have explored paradoxical aspects of language and to examine the ways in which they have used their medium to question or challenge the adequacy of communication through language. Born in Palestine but exiled in Britain as a result of the outbreak of war in her home country, Mona Hatoum’s artworks reach deeply into her own experience of exile. Her video work Measures of Distance (1988) is concerned with language and its effectiveness in communication between people separated by geographical and emotional distance, a theme that is very close to the concerns I have in my own practical work. I critically examine Hatoum’s artwork to demonstrate how the complex layering of spoken word, written script and visual imagery, together with the complication of the viewer’s position, merge to foreground contradictions and conflicting states. I consider Candice Breitz’s investigations into the contradictory and provocative nature of speech and language against the background of her upbringing in apartheid South Africa and critically examine her concern with the ways in which identity is culturally constructed. Her preoccupation with the relationship between the mass media and the linguistic formation of self is examined. I have chosen to focus mainly on her video installations: Babel Series (1999), Alien (2002), Karaoke (2000), Four Duets (2000) and Legend (2004). My own practical work is discussed alongside these concerns, particularly in relation to contemporary electronic communication such as email and sms text messaging – along with the frustration that results from its impersonal nature (in contrast to old fashioned letter writing). I also discuss its impact on relationships separated by great geographical distances.

Background: Very few studies have examined the demands of prolonged batting on physical, psychophysical and performance responses. Objective: The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the physiological and perceptual responses of batsmen scoring a simulated One Day International century. Furthermore, the impact that these responses had on batting performance were also measured. Methods: Seventeen male cricketers currently playing for Rhodes University or the country districts side, performed a simulated bating innings (BATEX©), typical of scoring a One Day international century. The BATEX© protocol consisted of six, five over stages (21 minutes each), with each stage matched to a specific phase of play where batsmen were encouraged to bat with the mindset of that phase. During stages one, three and five players ran at a “self-selected cruise pace” whereas during stages two, four and six players were required to run at maximum speed. At set intervals, selected physiological, perceptual and performance measures were recorded. Results: Most physiological responses increased and decreased accordingly with the low and high intensity stages with the exception of respiratory exchange ratio and core temperature responses. Mean physiological responses however, showed a progressive rise over time. Central ratings of perceived exertion increased as a function of intensity and duration. Sprint times got slower as the protocol progressed, while accuracy (impact accuracy) improved significantly (p<0.05) after stage one and then stabilised for the remainder of the protocol. Conclusion: The simulated batting protocol significantly impacted the physiological and perceptual responses over time. This was due to both the intensity and the duration of the work-bout. Furthermore, the increased physiological load placed on the batsmen significantly impacted the physical performance of the batsmen. An increase in sprint times (players getting slower) towards the end of the protocol may indicate the presence of physical fatigue. This physical fatigue did not however seem to impact the batsmen cognitively as accuracy improved after the first stage and then remained constant over time.

Jag intresserar mig i stort för berättande av olika slag och vems berättande som får ta plats. En del berättelser omvärderar vår förståelse av världen, medan andra förstärker den förståelse och ordning som redan finns. Mediers bilder spelar en roll då de kan ses som förebilder som vi förhåller oss till när vi skapar våra åsikter och värderingar. I mitt examensarbete har jag undersökt serien Klass 9A som har visats på SVT under våren. Syftet med undersökningen är att få en fördjupad förståelse för vilka bilder av lärare som visas i media. Jag undersöker hur lärare berättas och medieras i Klass 9A och hur mediet formulerar bilden av lärare. Genom bilder och berättelser skapas normer om hur lärare kan vara men också hur de inte kan vara. För att undersöka detta analyserade jag två avsnitt ur serien med hjälp av teorier om berättande, dramaturgi, diskurs och dikotomier. Med hjälp av teorierna tolkade jag min analys för att kunna besvara min frågeställning. Analysen gjorde mig uppmärksam på hur det talas om personerna i serien och att det görs en uppdelning mellan lärare och pedagoger. Denna uppdelning visar hur man som lärare ska göra, vad som är rätt och fel. Min undersökning visade också att serien Klass 9A är en berättelse, vinklad för att bli spännande tv och inte så mycket en dokumentation av verkliga lärare. Serien visar snarare karaktärer än individer. I undersökningen arbetar jag med det så kallade dubbla perspektivet. Då utbildningen är tvärvetenskaplig undersöker jag genom ett gestaltande arbete som har pågått parallellt och i samspel med uppsatsskrivandet. I mitt gestaltande arbete undersökte jag samma frågeställning som i uppsatsen. Med olika metoder närmade jag mig serien. Det resulterade i en film där man ser mig imitera och efterlikna lärarna och pedagogerna i Klass 9A samtidigt som man hör ljudet ifrån serien. Det var ett undersökande av gester, miner och tal där jag använde mig av mig själv i bearbetningen. Gestaltningen interagerar med uppsatsen på det sättet att de tankar och idéer som gestaltningen väckte har berikat den skriftliga uppsatsdelen och tvärtom. / <p>För att se gestaltningen i sin originalversion kontakta Frida Johansson.</p>