Curating South African Flute Compositions: Landscape As Theme of Exhibition
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Curating South African flute compositions: Landscape as theme of exhibition Esther Marié Pauw Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Department of Music, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Professor Stephanus Muller Co-supervisor: Professor Corvin Matei December 2015 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own original work, that I am the authorship owner thereof (unless to the extent explicitly otherwise stated) and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted the work for obtaining any qualification. Signature: Date: This research was partially funded by a Stellenbosch University Postgraduate Merit Scholarship as well as with research funds allocated through my supervisor. The views in the dissertation, however, are my own, and not those of the funders. This research has generated several concert curations, a paper at an international conference, and an article that is currently under review for publication. Details of these outputs are listed in the Bibliography of this dissertation. Resulting conference proceedings (a concert curation in 2013 and a paper in 2015) were funded jointly and partially by the University of Stellenbosch PGIO OCG network and the Hearing landscape critically network. Copyright © 2015 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved v Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract This study explores intersections between curatorship, South African In a first phase of the research I investigate how South African flute music flute compositions in concert practice and ‘landscape’ as theme of compositions have been curated by flautists who have engaged with this exhibition for concert events. body of music over the past three decades. In a second phase I act as flautist-curator to curate three concerts that feature a selection of this The investigation into these intersections is informed by artistic research, body of compositions, using the theme of landscape as central emphasis. an approach that is relatively new for South African research in music. Three of the chapters of this dissertation serve to document the design, This type of transformative research, similar in some ways to action presentation of and reflection on these curations. In the process I am research, embraces the performative integration of multi-directional compelled to ask whether and how the theme of landscape influences my processes of theoretical work, reflection and the performance of music concert practice, as I am aware that the topic of landscape – and land – towards generating knowledges. Methodologies therefore include constitutes ongoing moments of national crisis. theoretical research, reflection, meta-reflection and self-reflection, as well as performance itself, processes that, at times, happen concurrently, The landscape-centred curations, each in turn, take me to a critical or chronologically, or in other integrated ways. Outcomes include the engagement with the romantic landscape paintings of artist J.H. Pierneef; formulation of knowledges into a discursive mode that is written up in the to the insecure, unstable and risk-laden ‘smooth space’ of Johannesburg format of a dissertation. Online internet-based links to the videos of the city, and also to the recognition and embracing of a sub-altern voice that three events accompany this dissertation. These written and videographed sounds decoloniality as a radical tool towards social transformation. In documents attest to the notion of the concert as site of research (rather these curations I play the flute, an instrument that is traditionally and than merely a site of repertoire and skill display), amongst others, and mythologically associated with the pastoral, but through my concert remind that curated concert events and their worded reflections (that curations I perhaps find ‘An Other Tongue’, as Walter Mignolo suggests now exist, traceably) are artwork texts themselves, thereby indicating decolonial aestheSis is able to instigate. the complex processes that occur when artistic product transforms into artistic argument. This research project demonstrates the power of the flute and its Western scored notations to intervene, transform and be transformed locally This project views the notion of themed presentation as one of the amidst curations that are context sensitive. Ultimately, the research is means that curatorship practices offer to direct museological and visual concerned with the possibilities presented by artistic research. arts exhibitions. The research contends that curating as theoretical framework, but also as interventionist practice that is context-sensitive, is able to inform and invigorate conventional concert practices in the exhibition of South African flute compositions. vii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Opsomming Hierdie studie is ’n ondersoek na die skakels wat na vore kom wanneer In ’n eerste fase van die studie ondersoek ek bestaande konsertpraktyke Suid-Afrikaanse fluitkomposisies in konsertpraktyk, met kuratorskap van fluitspelers wat oor die afgelope drie dekades hulself bemoei het en met landskap as tema van uitstalling (vir hierdie komposisies) met met die uitvoer van Suid-Afrikaanse fluitkomposisies. Hierdie fase mekaar in verband gebring word. vors na in watter hoedanighede kuratorskap voorkom in konvensionele konsertpraktyk. In ’n tweede fase bied ek drie konsert-kurerings aan, en Die projek word gerig deur artistieke navorsing wat, vir Suid-Afrikaanse die prosesse van ontwerp, aanbieding en nadenke oor my aanbiedings navorsing in musiek, relatief nuut is. Die transformerende effek van behels drie van die hoofstukke in die proefskrif. Die tema wat ek kies om hierdie performatiewe soort navorsing, gelyksoortig aan aksie-navorsing, my klank-uitstallings te rig, naamlik landskap – en land – word beskou as is ’n proses gekenmerk deur onkonvensionele metodologie, waaghalsige ’n steeds kritieke situering van konflik en krises in Suid-Afrika, en daarom praktyk, asook onvoorspelbare uitkomste. Teoretiese navorsing, refleksie, kan ek nie anders nie as om te vra hoe landskap my eie konsertpraktyk meta-refleksie en self-refleksie, asook uitvoering – alles in geheel – rig en verander. postuleer vernuwende begripsinhoude in en deur musiek wat aangebied word in die vorm van die diskursiewe formaat van hierdie proefskrif. Die In hierdie studie neem die tema van landskap my nie net na ’n kritiese uitvoerings wat deel uitmaak van hierdie projek word aanlyn beskikbaar omgang met Pierneef se romanties-geskilderde landskappe nie; nie net na gestel aan lesers om na goeddunke te raadpleeg. Hierdie geskrewe en Johannesburg se onsekere en glyende spasie nie, maar ook na ’n suidelike oudiovisuele materiaal dien as dokumentasie van artistieke navorsing stem wat dekolonialiteit as radikale stem tot sosiale transformasie (eerder as ’n uitsluitlike fokus op die musiekwerk as skepping en die verklank. Die instrument wat ek bespeel is tradisioneel en, volgens uitvoering daarvan). Die video- en proefskrifdokumentasies staan voorts oorlewering, ’n mitologiese en pastorale herdersinstrument. Deur my as kunswerktekste, wat herinner aan die kompleksiteite wat na vore tree konsertprojekte verkry die fluit (en fluitspeler) moontlik ’n ander stem, wanneer artistieke produk transformeer tot artistieke argument. of soos Walter Mignolo dit stel wanneer hy oor dekoloniale aestheSis praat, ‘An Other Tongue’. In hierdie studie word tematiese programering beskou as een van die wyses waarop kurators in museumpraktyk en in die visuele kunste te Hierdie navorsingsprojek wys dat Westers-genoteerde komposisies ter werk gaan om uitstallings te rig en aan te bied. Die projek stel voor, plaatse kan ingryp, transformeer en getransformeer word binne die en ondersoek dan, dat kurering as teoretiese raamwerk, maar ook as ruimtes van konteks-sensitiewe kurasies. Uiteindelik handel die navorsing ingrypende en kritiese benadering wat poog om konteks-sensitief te ook oor die vernuwende moontlikhede wat artistieke navorsing open. werk te gaan, konvensionele konsertpraktyke met betrekking tot Suid- Afrikaanse fluitkomposisies sou kon informeer en vernuwe. ix Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgements Intellectual and creative work is underscored by a network of people that Dylan Tabisher, Erika Jacobs, Tracey Burger, Jeanie Kelly and the ‘Moedverloor help to shape individuals. I wish to thank my supervisor, Stephanus Muller, op A mol’ players who have, over many years, all been keen to explore South for putting me on song paths that had unexpected openings, of which the African compositions with me. suggestion of curatorship was the first of many. His creative insights were flashes of intervention that, together with his finesse with words, left deep etches on My research has relied heavily on the support of competent and ever helpful my development as a scholar. librarians Esmerelda Tarentaal, Sonette Fourie, Beulah Gericke and Christa Winckler, as well as DOMUS archivist Santie de Jongh, based at the To Mareli Stolp for trail blazing artistic research in South Africa’s music Stellenbosch University Music Library. Staff members at the