Master of Architecture [Professional] at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in the year 2014. / In the case of Johannesburg, unlike cities
around the world that experienced inner city
decline, its city centre was never entirely
abandoned. It experienced rapid social
change. As Johannesburg was beginning to
change, the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG)
was experiencing a declining number of
visitors. Unable to engage with the changing
social structure, a fence was built around it
and JAG turned itself inwards. This thesis
explores the intention to take advantage of
the rich and dynamic informal industry of hair
that has emerged around JAG. Hair is loaded
with social, sexual and political undercurrents.
In an African city that has been colonized
and becoming increasingly globalised, hair’s
relevance in terms of politics must be brought
to the forefront. By acknowledging the thriving
inner workings and its contributors and by
engaging in a critical discussion that people
can relate to, JAG will be embraced by the
community again.
An intervention of mediation through
architecture is proposed. A Hair Museum
perched on the opposite side of the railway
that weaves JAG closer into its current context
by opening and improving dialogue between
the disjointed surroundings. A new museum as a mediator explores the idea of museum-asurban
system. The question is asked whether
a public institution is capable of assisting a
society through a museum by looking at the
concept of the Greek ideal of kalokagathia,
which means the perfection of the body and
city based on balance, justice and proportion.
This thesis essentially explores Julian
Carman’s idea of a museum1; that the key
to JAG’s survival and upliftment lies only if it
inspires public ownership.
This thesis will explore the significance of
celebrating hair in an African city with visible
impacts of an imperialist past. By celebrating
hair, thereby beginning the discourse of it’s
connotations, will allow for a transgression
into where society and its’ perception of itself
stands in a globalizating world. Museum’s
play a key role in society to not only preserve
memories but also re-ordering them and
making sense of them for later generations
(Watson, 2007: 4). The proposed Hair
Museum as mediator is not so much about
saving a contested and feared city- as much
as it is about embracing the new spirit of the
city and encouraging the potential held within.
1 Julian Carman, Author of ‘Uplifting
The Colonial Philistine: Florence Phillips And The
Making Of The Johannesburg Art Gallery’. See References.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/17581 |
| Date | 30 April 2015 |
| Creators | Plaskocinska, Patrycja |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
Page generated in 0.002 seconds