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Thesis (MA (VA))--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates forms of excess in representations of the body in specific examples of contemporary visual art in South Africa and internationally. Representations of excess are phenomena that have gained increasing prominence in recent art practice both locally and abroad. The discussion is focused on two artworks that are examples of this increasing phenomenon of excess in contemporary art: the Swedish video artist Nathalie Djurberg’s video installation Experimentet (2009), and South African performance artist Steven Cohen’s film Golgotha (2007-9). My discussion of the two artworks revolves around the central question: what is the signifying role of excess in representations of the human body in contemporary visual art? This central question is asked throughout the dissertation with two aims in mind: firstly, to situate within a theoretical framework the phenomenon of excess in relation to depictions of the body in contemporary art; and secondly, to situate my own arts practice within this framework. The analysis of Djurberg’s Experimentet and Cohen’s Golgotha is spread over four discussions, each relating to a specific aspect of the representation of excess in relation to the body. Firstly, I investigate the grotesque body with regards to Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of grotesque realism and Jacques Lacan’s psychological notion of the fragmented body, or corps morcelé. Secondly, I examine the ‘body spectacle’ as a cultural critique of capitalism, and make specific reference to Cohen’s use of real human skulls as shoes in Golgotha as a cultural critique of capitalism. In this discussion I also investigate George Bataille’s philosophical enquiry into the notion of expenditure as a critique of capitalism. The ‘body spectacle’ is situated in the context of late-twentieth-century theorist Frederic Jameson’s view of the postmodern and his exposition of the ‘waning of affect’. Thirdly, I investigate excess and mimesis in representations of the female body, with specific reference to Djurberg’s Experimentet. Here the discussion is situated within the context of French feminist psychoanalytical theory with Luce Irigaray’s concept of the role of excess in mimesis. The study then turns to investigating the experiences elicited in spectators by representations of excess in relation to the body. I draw from George Bataille’s writings of the function of taboo and Mikhail Bakhtin’s insistence on the ambivalence of grotesque imagery to explain my own observations on images of excess. Here I argue, in reference to both Experimentet and Golgotha, that excess is characterised by the paradoxical stance of being simultaneously attracted and repulsed. Lastly I discuss my own current art practice with reference to the theoretical framework outlined here around representations of excess in relation to the body. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek die voorkoms van oordaad in die uitbeelding van die menslike liggaam in spesifieke voorbeelde van kontemporêre Suid-Afrikaanse en internasionale visuele kunswerke. Oordaadsuitbeelding is ‘n verskynsel wat opvallender voorkom in huidige plaaslike en internasionale kunspraktyke. Die verhandeling fokus primêr op twee kunswerke ter illustrasie van hierdie verskynsel: die Sweedse videokunstenaar Natalie Djurberg se video-instellasie Experimentet (2009), en Suid-Afrikaanse ‘performance’- kunstenaar Steven Cohen se film Golgotha (2007 -9). My bespreking van die twee kunswerke wentel rondom die sentrale vraag: watter aanduidende rol speel oordadigheid in uitbeeldings van die menslike liggaam in kontemporêre visuele kuns? Ter beantwoording van hierdie vraag het hierdie ondersoek ten doel om, eerstens, die verskynsel van oordaadsuitbeelding van die menslike liggaam in kontemporêre kuns binne ‘n teoretiese raamwerk te plaas. Ten tweede gaan ek my eie kunspraktyk binne hierdie raamwerk plaas. Die oorsig van Djurberg se Experimentet en Cohen se Golgotha word oor vier hoofstukke versprei. Elke hoofstuk bespreek ‘n spesifieke aspek van oordaadsuitbeelding rakende die menslike liggaam. Ten eerste bespreek ek die groteske liggaam aan die hand van Mikhail Bakhtin se idée van groteske realisme en ek verwys ook na Jacques Lacan se psigoanalitiese idée van die gefragmenteerde liggaam, of corpse morcelé. Die tweede ondersoek in die verband van oordaadsuitbeelding verwys na die ‘liggaamspektakel’ as kulturele kritiek op kapitalisme, met spesifieke verwysing na Cohen se gebruik van egte menslike skedels as skoene in Golgotha. Ek bespreek ook George Bataille se filosofiese ondersoek na die idée van ‘uitgawe’ as kritiek op kapitalisme. Die ‘liggaamspektakel’ word geplaas binne die konteks van die laat-twintigste-eeuse teoretikus Frederic Jameson se opvatting van postmodernisme en sy verduideliking van die afname in gevoelsinhoud. Ten derde ondersoek ek oordaad en nabootsing in uitbeeldings van die vroulike liggaam, met spesiefieke verwysing na Djurberg se Experimentet. Hier is die bespreking geplaas in die konteks van die Franse feministiese psigoanalitiese teorie van Luce Irigaray se konsep van die rol van oordaad in nabootsing. Die studie verander dan na die ondersoek na die ervarings wat by die gehoor ontlok word deur die uitbeeldings van oordaad rakende die menslike liggaam. Ek verduidelik my eie observasies oor oordaadsuitbeelding deur gebruik te maak van George Bataille se skrywes oor die funksie van taboe, sowel as Mikail Bakhtin se aandrang op die ambivalensie van groteske beelde. Hier argumenteer ek, met verwysing na Experimentet en Golgotha, dat oordaad gekenmerk word deur die paradoks van gelyktydige aantrekking en walging. Ten einde bespreek ek my eie kunspraktyk met verwysing na die teoretiese raamwerk uiteengesit rondom uitbeeldings van oordaad rakende die liggaam.

On démontre un théorème de structure pour l'anneau des<br />formes quasi-modulaires $\widetilde{M}_*(\Gamma)$ gradué par<br />le poids, sur n'importe quel groupe discret et co-compact<br />$\Gamma \subset \rm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{R})$ : cet anneau s'avère<br />être toujours infiniment engendré. On calcule le nombre<br />de nouveaux générateurs en chaque poids. Le nombre en<br />question est fixe et est égal à $\dim_{\mathbb{C}} I<br />/ (I \cap \widetilde{I}^2)$ où $I$ et $\widetilde{I}$<br />désignent respectivement l'idéal des formes modulaires <br />sur $\Gamma$ (respectivement l'idéal des formes quasi-modulaires<br />sur $\Gamma$) en poids positifs. On construit des <br />anneaux $\widetilde{R}$ finiment engendrés en poids positif<br />et contenant les anneaux de formes quasi-modulaires sur<br />des groupes modulaires co-compacts. On étudie aussi<br />des restrictions des formes modulaires de Hilbert aux<br />courbes modulaires : on montre que l'espace engendré par<br />une suite de restrictions des formes modulaires de Hilbert<br />sur une courbe modulaire <br />est un sous-espace fermé par crochets de Rankin-Cohen de<br />l'espace des formes modulaires sur la courbe. <br />\vskip 2cm

Au début des années 90, P. Greenberg entame une étude géométrique du groupe de Thompson $T$, dans le contexte des homéomorphismes du cercle projectifs par morceaux, appelé géométrie CPP. Nous reprenons cette étude en établissant un pont entre la géométrie CPP et l'espace de Teichmüller universel décoré de Penner. Ce dernier est muni d'un système de coordonnées affines global. A l'aide de ces coordonnées, nous montrons que l'espace des homéomorphismes du cercle normalisés, de classe CPP et à points de coupure rationnels est homéomorphe à une limite directe d'espaces euclidiens, donc contractile. Puis, nous analysons l'action du groupe sur cet espace, dans le système des coordonnées. Nous en déduisons un classifiant du groupe $T$, dans la géométrie CPP. En application, nous donnons une version géométrique d'un théorème de Ghys et Sergiescu reliant l'homologie de $T$ à celle de l'espace des lacets libres sur la sphère de dimension 3.

Une T-variété est une variété algébrique munie d'une action effective d'un tore algébrique T. Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude de deux aspects des T-variétés normales affines : les actions du groupe additif et la caractérisation des singularités. Soit X = Spec A une T-variété affine normale et soit D une dérivation homogène localement nilpotente de l'algèbre affine intègre Z^n-graduée A, alors D engendre une action du groupe additif dans X. On donne une classification complète des couples (X, D) dans trois cas : pour les variétés toriques, dans le cas de complexité un, et dans le cas où D est de type fibre. Comme application, on calcule l'invariant de Makar-Limanov (ML) homogène de ces variétés. On en déduit que toute variété d'invariant de ML trivial est birationnelle à Y × P^2 , pour une certaine variété Y . Inversement, pour toute variété Y , il existe une T-variété affine X d'invariant de ML trivial birationnelle a Y × P2. Dans la seconde partie concernant les singularités d'une T-variété X, on calcule les images directes supérieures du faisceau structural d'une désingularisation de X. Comme conséquence, on donne un critère pour qu'une T-variété ait des singularités rationnelles. On présente aussi une condition pour qu'une T-variété soit de Cohen-Macaulay. Comme application, on caractérise les singularités elliptiques des surfaces quasi-homogènes.

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In this study of the nineteenth-century German-Jewish philosopher Hermann Cohen, I argue that Cohen’s revision of Kantian ethics and moral theology is permeated with concepts drawn from and logically contoured by his interpretation of Maimonidean rationalism and Jewish sources, more generally. Through an idealizing hermeneutic, Cohen normativizes certain philosophical problems in post-Kantian philosophy and addresses them under the title of "pantheism" and "positivism". Between both pantheism and positivism, Cohen’s idealism presents a middle path, which I describe as "prophetic idealism", or a philosophy of time and ideality that interprets history, law, and ethical normativity as future-oriented. In other words, "prophecy" intimates a methodological role for temporality in practical philosophy and introduces a new meaning for legality in ethics. Cohen therefore offers a philosophy of Judaism, as a philosophy of religion, by normativizing the idea of prophecy and making it a conceptual model for reason-giving, agency, legal norms and ethical action. By focusing upon the critique of both pantheism and positivism, this dissertation therefore argues that Cohen’s negotiations of nineteenth-century philosophical problems introduces a normative role for Judaism as a public philosophy and the argument concludes by suggesting that Cohen’s philosophy of Judaism is instructive for contemporary public philosophy.

In this study of the nineteenth-century German-Jewish philosopher Hermann Cohen, I argue that Cohen’s revision of Kantian ethics and moral theology is permeated with concepts drawn from and logically contoured by his interpretation of Maimonidean rationalism and Jewish sources, more generally. Through an idealizing hermeneutic, Cohen normativizes certain philosophical problems in post-Kantian philosophy and addresses them under the title of "pantheism" and "positivism". Between both pantheism and positivism, Cohen’s idealism presents a middle path, which I describe as "prophetic idealism", or a philosophy of time and ideality that interprets history, law, and ethical normativity as future-oriented. In other words, "prophecy" intimates a methodological role for temporality in practical philosophy and introduces a new meaning for legality in ethics. Cohen therefore offers a philosophy of Judaism, as a philosophy of religion, by normativizing the idea of prophecy and making it a conceptual model for reason-giving, agency, legal norms and ethical action. By focusing upon the critique of both pantheism and positivism, this dissertation therefore argues that Cohen’s negotiations of nineteenth-century philosophical problems introduces a normative role for Judaism as a public philosophy and the argument concludes by suggesting that Cohen’s philosophy of Judaism is instructive for contemporary public philosophy.

This dissertation presents an investigation into two so-called live art works – Ugly girl at the rugby (1998) and Chandelier (2001-2002) – by the contemporary South African artist Steven Cohen (1962-). These works are explored with reference to the manner in which Cohen (as self-declared queer Jewish freak) uses performance art as a form of activism in order to expose practices of marginalisation and suppression (oppression) of non-normative or so-called deviant subject positions in terms of gender, race and ethnicity. The analysis of artworks is guided by the discourse of the carnavalesque and performative conceptualisations of gender with particular emphasis on Cohen’s use of drag as contemporary form of masquerade in order to propose an alternative subject position. The argument is as follows: that Cohen, by setting up an extreme alternative to normative identity constructs, manages to destabilise existing hierarchies that are structured according to binaries as these exist in spaces (such as a rugby stadium and a squatter camp) in the South African context. This destabilising of binary hierarchies gives rise to the argument that the symbolically encoded nature of spaces known for associations of suppression, exclusion and marginalisation are wrought open so that alternative meanings can come into being by activating these spaces as multifaceted and chronotopic constructs. The conclusion is that Cohen contributes profoundly towards the destabilisation of identities and in this way also helps to propose invigorating and fresh views of gender, race and ethnicity in a contemporary South African situation. / Thesis (MA (History of Art))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.