African dream machines continued; Divination I, II and III.

Ballpoint pen drawing, Divination III (1998). 

The ceramic sculptures featured here, are the last in the series of sculptures based on African Headrests (Dream machines). The work combines elements of Africa and Asian cultures, in particular the Zen minimalist, Japanese based aesthetic. African headrests typify this aesthetic in it's design sophistication and splendour. The ceramic statements featured below are based on the sculptural forms, shapes and surface decoration of the following african headrest.  

Headrest, wood, pokerwork, 14,6 x 36,3 x 8,2. Swazi/North Nguni,
as cited in the Catalogue Art and Ambiguity; Page 78.

Nettleton Drawing; Headrest Illustration 345.

African headrests and or dream machines. 

The design of the African headrests are best appreciated for their striking, yet simple and sophisticated forms and shapes. The carver's  innovation is best realised in their creative use of positive and negative forms and shapes. Any designer and or individual that appreciates fine design and has style, will acknowledge their unique and creative qualities. They are arguably the finest examples of three dimensional objects, representing our indigenous African cultural heritage. No wonder the researcher Anitra Nettleton, an authoritarian on African Headrests, their style, identity and their meaning, as captured in the publication titled, African Dream Machines chose to render them by hand, rather than photograph the pieces to compliment the text.  

Nettleton Drawing Headrest Illustration 315

These are not just simple sketches, but rather a manifestation of careful observation and passion for her research subject matter (15 years in the making). The drawings were as a result of copyright issues and refusal by museum authorities to photo-document the work in collections. The end result however is truly a remarkable feat, a reflection of her dedication and fascination with the art objects. The drawings aided the research process as explained by the author in the preface, 'The process of drawing then became a tool of analysis as much as it was a means of presenting visual information' (page viii)  They are on par with botanical studies (drawings). Anitra Nettleton, however executed drawings of each and every headrest she encountered. I stand to be corrected, but that adds up to 435 drawings. 

Divination III (1998), Collection Alfio Torrisi (Spain)
Press-moulded with hand built extensions in Porcelain.

Symbolism.

This series of ceramic sculptures, Divination I, II and III incorporates a variety of symbols attached to the same headrest (photographed and documented above), referenced for the form of the frame-like structure (see enclosed ball point pen drawings inserted below). This structure forms the unifying element in the series. 

Each ceramic statement is a methaphor for the meaning of life - man's precarious position balanced between the security of the past and the uncertainty of the future. The difference between the works are visible in terms of the various symbols attached to the press-moulded main frame, further enhanced by the choice of clay and surface development options (Porcelain, terra-cotta and high-fired underglaze colours.  

Divination II (1998), (Collection Neil Lovegrove)
Press-moulded with hand built Extension

The ballpoint pen drawing is inspired by the well known image in the woodblock print by the Japanese Artist Hokusai. The image represents a tidal wave, a symbol with a dual expressive function; that of destruction and regeneration. It therefore posses a question amidst great uncertainty; the wave is poised before it releases it's devastation and or regenerative and cleansing force. The symbol takes centre stage in the frame-like structure of the ceramic sculptures above and below.

The gourds on the left form part of divination procedures; these rituals are used throughout Africa to establish the cause of misfortune and to bring about a peaceful social relations and success in various activities and natural processes. Tsonga and Ndau diviners use gourds containing various medicines appropriate for various clients. Each gourd has a long stopper, with the end carved in the shape of a human figure, which is used as an applicator for the medicines during divination. Reference was made to these objects in creating the figureheads for the two ceramic sculptures above and below. 

The drawing on the left is preparatory ball point pen drawings referencing the divination gourds mentioned above, they are symbols of healing for the nation. The pot-like ceramic figure hovers above the individual works; a reminder of our cultural roots, healing, ancestral communication and the need for steadfastness and trust. The headrest structure is a metaphor for great uncertainty in the form and shape of extreme tension - the wave bursting through a narrow and confined space, adds to the unfolding drama.

Divination II (1998),
Press-moulded with hand built extensions;
 terra-cotta clay, stained with tea.

Ballpoint pen drawing for Night Howler III below. 

Night Howler III (1996),
Press moulded with hand built extensions.
Fired to 1250 degrees Celsius 

The legend of the twin brothers; Ceramic Sculpture. Gallery 1996-98

The spirit of a wounded nation flows away with it's blood.
Collection Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Size: about 300mm height x 150 mm width.

This particular ceramic sculpture was based on an African narrative, myth and or legend, titled The twin brothers. The tale is attributed to the oral tradition of the Republic of Congo. This ceramic statement evokes emotions surrounding issues of deceit; ultimate betrayal that leads to murder - the killing of one's own family and or kind; brother and or sister. Brotherly love speaks of camaraderie of respect and trust; fundamental principals central to the core of any family, a sport's team, a tribe and or finally a nation.

History recalls numerous cases where these principals are put aside /forgotten/turned on it's head; greed, power and lust, blinding even the most trustworthy and honest of men amongst us. It becomes the key motivating factor to conceal the treacherous deed and the haunting shame, associated with the criminal act.




The twin brothers. 
Foite (Republic of Congo)

A certain woman gave birth to twins, both sons. Each born with a valuable charm. The one son was named Luemba and the other, the first born, Mavungu. He immediately embarked on his travels (fully grown at birth) to pursue a very special and desirable woman, the daughter of Nzambi. He came to hear about her and was determined to marry her. He called upon his charm to help find her. Equipped with a blade of grass changed into a weapon (knife) and another into a gun and a horse, he embarked on his mission. 

After lengthy travels he arrived at Nzambi's town. Her daughter, at the site of Mavungu, instantly recognized her husband to be. Their love was celebrated and in the morning he cast his eyes on numerous covered mirrors, each when laid bare, perfectly reflected every town he knew including his own. However one mirror image embodied the terrible place of no return, it beckoned him to uncover the mystery, and more importantly to use his charm to reverse the fateful fortune that awaited all that embarked thus far. However he too met his fate and disappeared entirely.

Luemba, his younger brother, wondered at the long absence of his elder bother, Mavungu. He too called upon the  magic powers of his charm. With a knife, and a gun and on horseback he went about his search. However when he reached the village of Nzambi, a feast was prepared in celebration of the return of her daughter's husband. Luemba did not know how to react; he was not assured of his twin brother's marital status to the daughter. He used his charm to protect his family honour. In the morning he too was incapsulated by the mirrors; especially the terrible place of no return. Infatuated, and knowing he would find his brother there, he went on his way. 

On arrival at the terrible place of no return, Luemba caught the woman by surprise and killed her (who murdered his brother). He found his brothers bones and that of his horse and restored them to life, including the bones of those found in the area that would become their faithful followers. 

On their return journey to the town of Nzambi, Luemba informed his twin brother of his in-laws mistaken identity for him, and that he had used his charm to save his wife from dishonour. All was well between the two brothers, untill they got caught up in a leadership struggle for the followers, which led to the slaying of the younger twin brother Luemba. His body was dumped there and then and the rest continued on their journey to Mzambi's village. Miraculously Luemba's horse, that had stayed with him, managed to bring him to life, using the magic charm. Luemba mounted his horse and sought his elder twin brother and killed him. The town on his return welcomed him and appeased him of his actions.

Abbreviated version of the narrative as recorded in African Tales compiled by Harold Scheub (2005:64).

Symbolism: The sculpture's symbolic meaning, the design and conceptual development and overall gestalt of the finished statement, is derived from the evocative quality of the literary source; the tale titled the twin brothers (recorded above). Two brothers are depicted side by side in a shoulder embrace, the preparatory drawings above, indicating they both have weapons in their hands (held at their brothers back), ready to stab each other in the back. 

The shape of their entwined bodies is attached at their midriffs with their bloodline flowing freely (manifested as dismembered heads);  a representation of the loss of blood (due to stabbing) - blood being a symbol of their unity, associated with brotherly love (camaraderie explained in the introductory paragraph (see the detail of the sculpture and the drawing above and the headrest serving as reference below) . However the ceramic statement ultimately is a metaphor for a unified nation ravished by violence and crime due to greed, lust and power.

Headrest, wood, pokerwork Tsonga.10.2x6.2x6.3.as cited in
Art and Ambiguity: (Till:72)

The weapon is represented in the form and shape of a blade of grass stretching  out  above the sculpture, as an extension of the brothers' necks and heads;  remember it was the blades of grass that were changed into the various weapons, including horses, that aided the brothers on their journey, made possible by the magic charms as mentioned in the  narrative recorded above. 

Origin of Murder; Gallery 1996-98.

Origin of Murder II (Detail) 300mm height X 120 width 1996. Collection Sandton Civic Art Gallery. Press Moulded in terra-cotta clay with hand built extensions, fired to 1120 degrees Celsius.

This particular series of sculptures (origin of murder) are based on African myths, legends and sagas (stories) defining the cause of murder; prevalent in our society today. There was one particular narrative that appealed to me. It had so many aspects to it, from a metaphysical perspective, especially when fused with analogous material drawn from everyday experiences during these difficult times in my life; defecting crime away from our apartment in Yeoville, as explained in the previous post entry. 

Being a victim of crime, a robbery and numerous attempts, including a hijacking, imbued the work with a therapeutic angle. A creative outlet for life-changing inner struggles; dealing with fear, anger, frustration and great uncertainty. The narrative, myth & or legend's title is The child and the eagle. The myth explains the origin of murder. Because of this event; people continue to kill each other . The legend is recorded below.

Origin of Murder III. 1996. (Detail above) 300mm height X 100 width. Press Moulded in terra-cotta clay with hand built extensions, fired to 1120 degrees Celsius.

The child and the eagle

A woman was out in the field attending to their crops. She had her young daughter with her, who continued to cry day in and day out. However on a particular day an eagle descended upon the child as she was crying and soothed her with it's outspread wings. The child became silent and the eagle took to the skies. This miraculous event  continued to  amaze the mother and one day in her marveled state, could not resist to tell her husband. He however refused to believe her, as it could never happen.  

When it happened again, the mother went to call her husband. He took his bow and arrow and when he saw the eagle on his child, alarmed he charged his bow with two arrows, that he may pierce the eagle. The eagle dodged the two arrows, which then pierced his child, killing her instantly. 

Origin of Murder I,  1996. 300mm height X 120 mm width. Press-moulded with hand built extension in terra-cotta clay, fired to 1120 degrees Celsius. 

The eagle personified a friendly person that wanted to extend help to the distressed child. Nevertheless, the mistrusting father, took matters into his own hands and due to his reckless actions, the eagle cursed him; kindness amongst men at an end. Because you killed your child, beginning with you and going on to all people, you shall kill each other. To this day people kill each other. 

Origin of Murder I. (1995) (detail) see caption above for more details.

Origin of Murder II (1996), 300mm height X 120 mm width, collection Sandton Civic Art Gallery. Press-moulded with hand built extensions in Terra-cotta clay, fired to 1120 degrees Celsius.

Ceramic Sculptures; Dream Machines 1996-98.

Dija Nwana (Night Howler) Hand-built Porcelain Sculpture, Size 220mm height X 175mm width. Black Amaco vitrified.Collection Carl Landsberg.  

Concept. The ceramic sculptures were developed in response to crime and personal relationship issues (during the 1990s). I was living in the crime ridden suburb of Yeoville. I was hijacked and encountered numerous criminal activities on a weekly basis. Major changes also occurred with regard to my sexual preference (coming-out). This was a very trying time for me and the work reflects the inner struggles (political, social and psychological). 

Literary Sources. The literary sources were , The famished road, by Ben Okri and Indaba my children by Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa and numerous books on African mythology, narratives and legends (details at the bottom)  Both these two authors refer to spirits that invade humans and cause evil in the land. Ben Okri describes his main character's encounter with the spirit world as follows and I quote, 

'I went back to the bar and stayed at the door. I listened to the loud sinuous voices, I watched them as they laughed and banged the tables, and then I made an instant discovery. I realised for the first time that many of the customers were not human beings. Their deformations were too staggering and they seemed unaffected by their blindness and their eyelessness, their hunched backs and toothless mouths. There expressions and movements were at odds with their bodies. They seemed a confused assortment of different human parts. It occurred to me that hey were spirits who had borrowed bits of human beings to partake of human reality. They say spirits do that sometime. They do it because they get tired of being just spirits. They want to taste human things, pain drunkenness, laughter, and sex. Sometimes they do it to spread mischief and sometimes to seduce grown-ups or abduct children into their realm. The moment I saw them as spirits, drinking palm-wine without getting drunk, confused about the natural configuration of the human body, everything made sense'(Okri 1991:136).

Credo Mutwa on the other hand described these creatures, and or terrible beasts, which no story teller should describe, simply as Dija-Nwana or Night -Howlers and I quote, 'These terrible demons loved to raid human villages during their mating season in the first moon of summer, and they would carry away men, woman and children and devour these in their dark dens on the shores of the mighty lake of the Falling star - known as Nyanza' (Mutwa 1987:9). as to their existence today he states and I quote,

'But let us not delude ourselves into thinking that these horrible creatures no longer exist; they do. They take human shapes and cause evil in the lands of men. They disguise themselves as human beings and cause mighty wars in the lands of the tribes before vanishing once more into the "land-that-is-and-is-not". They leave thousands of foolish human beings to kill each other. They can take over the bodies of people whom we know and commit vile crimes as them. These Evil Ones are with us yet' (Mutwa 1987:9).

Forms shapes and their meaning / significance.

The forms and shapes of the sculptures are based on African headrests (selection on the left) also referred to as dream machines (Nettleton 1990:151). They are wooden crafted cultural objects, their significance goes far beyond their utilitarian function to support elaborate hairstyles whilst sleeping. These headrest became much more personalized and were often buried with the individual - as Sieber states they '"...are imbued with a physiological excuviae as well as with the mystical quintessence of his individuality" creating a "powerful psychic bond between owner and object"' (Becker 1991: 74). Headrest could also have been preserved and kept as mhamba -  'any object or act or even person which is used to establish a bond between the gods and worshippers' (Junod 1927:420).

These headrest inspired and adapted forms and shapes served as a support frame, very much like the casting sprigs for plastic model airplanes (example above). Culturally significant and or personalized signs and symbols are attached, depending on the subject matter and or concept explored for each particular piece. These objects take the shape of gloves, hearts and heads including divination pots and a wave, a symbol of cleansing, rejuvenation and or regeneration. The meaning of the sculpture is constructed and or derived at from an interpretation of the combined attached signs and symbols.
Literary Sources; as mentioned above.
The Famished Road written by Ben Okri is one of the most amazing books I have read. A master of his craft, the book deservedly was awarded the 1991 Booker Prize. For the purpose of this blog post, I insert a quote, that serves a dual purpose; it expounds the meaning of the creatures and their actions, referred to as night howlers, as best he could and provides insight into his creative writing skills par excellence.  

'In great numbers the thugs and ordinary familiar people alike poured over the road of our vulnerability, wounding the night with axes, rampaging our sleep, rousing the earth, attacking the compounds, tearing down doors, destroying rooftops. In the wound of our cries we did not know who our enemies were. From the darkness figures with flaming faces attacked us, descended on us with sticks, stones, whips and wires. It was some time before we realised that we were in the grip of an act of vengeance, a night reprisal, with the darkness as our antagonist. One by one the lamps were extinguished. (Okri:178)'

Ceramic Vases; Night Howler series 1998.

Night Howler Vase I (1998) height 220mm. Slip cast, painted with Amaco under glaze colour and incised (sgrafitto technique) and fired to 1120 degrees Celsius. 

The Concept.

Literature remains the generative source for my creativity, however in this series of ceramic vases the emphasis has shifted from religion to an investigation of the richness of African and other non western cultural traditions. The vases were developed as an extension of the theme for a range of Ceramic sculptures (Night Howler III featured here on the left); conceived, developed and constructed for a one person exhibition in 1996 at the Sandton Civic Art Gallery in South Africa (to feature on this blog during the month of July). 

The Theme

The theme as the titles indicate, refer to night-howlers (Dija-Nwana); spirits that take on human shapes and create evil in the land (preparatory drawing on the left). The idea is rooted in African mythology, derived from an investigation of the following literary sources. They include Indaba my children by Credo Mutwa, The famished road  by Ben Okri and African myths about the origin of murder as captured in the book titled, Bantu Heritage written by HP Junod. The conceptual development of the series of ceramic sculptures and vases was in direct response to crime related experiences, being a victim of hijacking and other crime related activities at my apartment block, during my stay in a crime ridden suburb of Yeoville in Johannesburg during the 1990s.

Night Howler Vase I - Detail back view (1998) height 220mm. Slip cast, painted with Amaco under glaze colour and incised (sgrafitto technique) and fired to 1120 degrees Celsius. 

Night Howler Vase II - closeup of technique (1998) height 220mm. Slip cast, painted with Amaco under glaze colour and incised (sgrafitto technique) and fired to 1120 degrees Celsius. 

Night howlers and personal experiences. 

The idea of night-howlers is fused with analogous material drawn from news related events and my personal relationship experiences during this troubled time in my life. Events are reflected in dark images suggestive of pain, dismemberment and menace. What makes this work interesting, is the use of the vase as an expressive product (see concept below). 

Night Howler Vase II - front view (1998) height 220mm (collection Carl Landsberg). Slip cast, painted with Amaco under glaze colour and incised (sgrafitto technique) and fired to 1120 degrees Celsius. 

The concept for the Vase.

The idea of the vase, brightly glazed  in orange in the inside and a vitrified Matt black surface (incised - sgrafitto) on the outside, refers to fires made in punctured petrol drums (cut in half), often found on the side of the road, to heat up the vendors, homeless and now central to every game farm's larger. (image of product at CIRCA)

Night Howler Vase II - side view (1998) height 220mm (collection Carl Landsberg). Slip cast, painted with Amaco under glaze colour and incised (sgrafitto technique) and fired to 1120 degrees Celsius. 

Night Howler Vase II back view (1998) height 220mm (collection Carl Landsberg). Slip cast, painted with Amaco under glaze colour and incised (sgrafitto technique) and fired to 1120 degrees Celsius.